Gulf of Mexico Tour: Day 1 in New Orleans

I'm still pronouncing it like a Northerner, or perhaps like any outsider: New OrLEENZ. I quickly realized how lame I sounded the minute I heard big-band music through the speaker system as I entered Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.

Needless to say, the natural landscape is gorgeous. The cityscape is strikingly funky, in a Southern way. (My couchsurfing host took me on a tour of the Garden District.)

Today, I only have these airplane photos. This is the Louisiana Gulf coast right after a summer rainstorm, which is ideal for my purpose.