Day 20 - New Orleans March 31, 2002 I spent Sunday evening at Chiaki and Tom's house in Austin along with Katherine. They were kind enough to let me stay the night without knowing me at all. As it turns out Tom is a political science professor with a long-standing interest and training in conducting. So we had plenty to chat about. After saying goodbye to Chiaki and Tom, Katherine and I left Austin on Monday for New Orleans. As it turns out, JetBlue has these amazing fares from New Orleans to New York, so timing worked out great for Katherine. We spent a couple of days wandering around the French Quarter and other parts of the city. Despite being early in the week and no where near Mardi Gras or JazzFest, the streets were relatively active. We listened to lots of great music, sampled a tiny fraction of all the tasty cajun food, and, of course, had our share of beignets at Cafe du Monde. View from Hotel Chiaki, Tom, Katherine, and Me Chiaki and Katherine New Orleans skyline Along the big lake Some birds Bird Obscured Sun Slowly Setting   Foggy River Cafe du Monde