The Aquarium of the Americas
Situated on the Mississippi waterfront, the Aquarium of the Americas,
also known, to New Yorkers, as Sixth Aquarium, proudly proclaims itself
to be one of the five best aquariums in the United States. Alex agreed
with this assessment. He had a wonderful time at the Aquarium. While he
was impressed with some of the fish (one large tank caused him to repeatedly
exclaim "Oh my God!" very loudly) the stairs were what he enjoyed the
most. Left to his own devices, Alexander might spend an entire day going
up and down stairs, or, as he calls them, "big steps." Above left, Alex
goes up the steps at the Aquarium. Above right, Alex goes up the steps
at the Aquarium.
The Aquarium also featured a number of exotic birds wandering freely.
At one point, while pausing to rest on some steps (naturally) Alex and
his father noticed a vulture walking around on a ledge above Alex's
mother's head. This allowed Alex to have some fun shouting "Hey vulture!
Stay away from Mommy!" again and again.
The Steamboat Natchez
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The Steamboat Natchez offers two-hour cruises along the Mississippi
River. Prior to embarking, the Natchez plays a deafeningly loud calliope
concert on the ship's steampipes. Alex, in his stroller, slept soundly.
He was still asleep when he and his parents boarded the ship. However, when
the ship sounded its horn, he woke up sobbing and was cranky for most of the
two hours on board. It is safe to say that Alexander did not
particularly enjoy his ride on the Steamboat Natchez.
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The Audobon Zoo
Alexander rebounded nicely from the trauma of the Steamboat Natchez with
an enjoyable visit to the Audobon Zoo, just a trolley ride away from the
French Quarter.
Unfortunately, Alex did not enjoy the trolley ride
through the scenic Garden District.
He kept wailing "No choo-choo train! I get off choo-choo train!"
Once at the zoo, however he had a lot of fun.
Before seeing the animals, Alex's
first stop was at the gift shop, where he purchased a multi-colored floppy hat.
(This hat would sit, forlorn and forgotten, for almost a year. In May 1999
the hat would gain everlasting fame and glory as Alex's
Spain hat.)
Above left, Alex looks a little uneasy as a live gorilla gently caresses his cheek.
At right, Alex is in more familiar territory as he chases
down a baby goat at the petting zoo.
Note to concerned readers: The gorilla pictured in the above
photograph is, in actuality, a statue.
There were very few live gorillas milling about among the human visitors.
A Fond Farewell to "The Big Easy"
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Before departing New Orleans and heading for home, Alex posed for one
more picture in front of St. Louis Cathedral.
Here we see him as he
wistfully reflects on all he has seen the past few days in New Orleans,
a city of clowns, fortune tellers, painted people, horses, voodoo, food, music,
termites, trolleys, vultures, and "big steps."
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New Orleans, it turns out, is a marvelous little city, and an excellent
vacation destination. The Alexander Home Page gives New Orleans
its highest recommendation. If you visit the South only once in your
life, be sure to visit New Orleans. It's in Louisiana, and is accessible
to both highways and airlines. And when you get there, tell them
The Alexander Home Page sent you!
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