Louisiana seemed like a foreign country to me. Although I had been to Alabama in the distant, distant past, I was clueless. I am not a Spring Break or Mardi Gras traveler so Louisiana hasn't been in my mind. I saw the media depictions of Hurricane Katrina in 2004, but that was about it.

This is a great museum to take your buddies to,  and it's free! I usually take friends here as part of a morning excursion. The name "Yebisu" comes follows the classical character used for in the Ebisu kanji, "ye". This, however, is not pronounced "yeh", but simply "eh" like the "e" character.

This is one of my favorite stops. I've been here in the winter, spring, and late summer. Each time you'll find a different flower in bloom from the plums to the cherry blossoms and more.

Hyde Park is a casual park in the middle of London near Paddington Station. This makes it a perfect place to walk around and observe if you're waiting on a train or a flight out of the country. It's not really picturesque. It does however offer places to sit down and rest. There's plenty of paths and grass to walk on. Swans to feed. Flowers and gardens to look at.