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On December 1, 2000, Chris, Jacqui and Zac got on a plane and headed off to the U.S.A. Chris and Zac were going to attend the annual USENIX/SAGE LISA conference, this year held in New Orleans.

Here is Zac at the start of the plane trip enjoying the plane's hospitality. Chris got a good collection of beverages too!

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Landing at LAX was a different experience. The city was under fog so thick we couldn't even see the end of the wing as we were landing. We were impressed (and glad) to see the runway appear under us out of the fog, just as the wheels touched down. The fog was lifting after a few hours and by the time we flew out on the way to New Orleans, it was pretty minimal.

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LAX is not a small airport and we were glad we had 4 hours in between flights to stumble our away around. Here's a few shots of the outside.

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We finally arrived in New Orleans, after travelling for almost 24 hours. Very sleepy, we did little the first night but sleep for over half a day. The next day we went roaming the streets. Here are a few shots of Canal Street, one of the major streets in the center of the city, separating the French Quarter from the main business districts.

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Some more shots of Canal Street from different angles. In the picture on the left you can see the Marriott and Sheraton hotels towering in the distance. The Marriott is where the LISA conference is being held. The picture on the right is taken from the bottom end of Canal Street near the riverfront. The other sides of the Sheraton and Marriott are visible here. And yes, they have trams here, but only a couple in the center of the city for the tourists.

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Jac is enjoying the riverwalk area here. A huge shopping mall runs along the river starting at this point. In the background one of the steamships is waiting to take tourists on river cruises. We haven't done one yet.
The "Everything Shop" ?? Only in America...

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We found a Cigar Factory along Canal Street and Jac and Chris instantly made friends.