New Orleans #1

Back in May, Kim and I made a trip over to New Orleans. It was a rich and interesting photo experience. More images to come over the next week. One of the highlights of our trip was dinner at Jacques Imo's -- a wildly popular, quirky little Cajun restaurant in the uptown area of the city. It was the day of Tulane University's graduation when we ate there, so it was extremely busy -- wait time for a table was up to an hour and a half, and as we sat on a church pew near the reception desk, we saw group after group gladly put their name on the list. No beepers, no loud speakers -- "Oh, we'll find you" was the reply from the hostess when the name went on the list. People made their way to the bar or spilled outside onto the narrow street. And somehow people were found and groups made their way back into the shotgun house now a restaurant -- through the kitchen and into living rooms that had become dinning rooms. The food was great -- authentic Cajun food with interesting modern twists. The atmosphere and the whole experience was something you tend to remember for a while. As we left we took the photo above with an iPhone. Just a couple of things to point out -- The Jacques Imo's flat bed car in front of the restaurant had a table for 2-3 people in the back, and people were happily eating dinner right there. Also to the left is a grill where they were serving broiled oysters on the half shell as people waited for their table -- quirky and interesting -- everything you'd expect in New Orleans. iPhone photo; saturated in Photoshop, pixel bender filter applied generously.