Early Fans On Super Bowl Sunday

The fans of the New Orleans Saints love to eat, as the food is a significant aspect of our culture. This particular morning has created early arrivals for the restaurants as these fans have travelled from many different parts of our country. It's tough finding a vacant restaurant at 10:00 today, so, these fans will wait many hours prior to entering for a meal and possibly the chance to see the game on public screens.

Early Fans On Super Bowl Sunday

The buggy rides are available as a regular tourist attraction on a daily basis. As this is Super Bowl Sunday morning, New Orleans fans are moving early and so are the tourists that have arrived as fans of the Saints.

Early Fans On Super Bowl Sunday

Although it's early on Super Bowl Sunday, Saints fans find pleasure in assembling at Cafe Du Monde for coffee and beignets. Of course, there are standing room only crowds inside and the lines outside signify the capacity to it's limit.

Early Fans On Super Bowl Sunday

Fans assemble early on Super Bowl Sunday in Pirates Alley. Pirates alley is an art exhibition area that is a tourist attraction on a daily basis. Today, these folks aren't as interested in art. They are searching for a bar that will accommodate them on this day. The Saints are in Miami preparing to play the Colts. Their fans are in New Orleans looking for a party or anywhere that will accommodate one. It's 10:00 AM in New Orleans, the game begins at 5:20 PM.

Aquarium of the Americas

On most Saturday mornings if you visit the aquarium, I will greet you in this manner as you walk through the Caribbean Tunnel.

I have been a volunteer diver with the aquarium since 1998. I took a short break after Hurricane Katrina visited New Orleans, because of logistical problems associated with working and commuting from Baton Rouge to New Orleans. I've recently returned after an 1.5 year hiatus I am happy to be back and retirement has enabled me to handle my volunteer duties with diligence.

There is great personal joy associated with the smiling faces of the visitors to the facility. My greatest satisfaction comes as I observe the joy on the faces of the children. Although there is a large Plexiglas window between the divers and the visitors, communication is easier than speaking via vocal expression.

There is a tremendous amount of personal satisfaction associated with this task that I hope to do this forever.

Aquarium of the Americas

These animals live in colonies on the reef and they generally face the current as it flows over their body.
These fish create a distinct sounding grunt when observed in their habitat. The odd looking system on the lower right of this photo image is a sound recording device provided for the benefit of visitors to the aquarium to listen to their distinct grunt.

Aquarium of the Americas

These little guys are not common to the Caribbean basin. They are common to the waters of the Pacific realm. A common name has been given to these animals such as clown fish. The stripes and funny appearance may provide some clue to that misnomer.

They are more appropriately called anemone fish. They live in a symbiotic relationship with the warm water anemone.

American of the Americas

This collection of delicate animals are very special within an eco-system. It's very important to realize that among other functions of these animals, they are excellent indicators of a well balanced and functional eco-system. If a reef system is void of this organisms, it is safe to say that something is outside of balance for that system. This is particularly true of Caribbean and Pacific bio-diversities.

American of the Americas

The aquarium has a collection of warm water predators on display. These animals are typical of predatory life on a Caribbean Reef. They include...bonnet head sharks,barracuda,and the common Caribbean reef shark.

America of the Americas

Some of the exhibits inside the aquarium are cold climate exhibits. This particular exhibit demonstrates life in this manner.
This exhibit is of a class of penguin known as the African Rock Hopper.