Blogging from N'Ewlans!

And yes, before you ask, I am aware that my spelling of the city name is slightly askew (but I saw it written that way in a restaurant name so I thought it'd be appropriate to give it some cultural spin). So anyways, I just got into New Orleans yesterday afternoon and, after spending some time dropping off my stuff and organizing my hotel room, proceeded to explore the city a bit, getting as far as several blocks down Canal Street (one of the main streets in the city).

What's my overall impression of the city so far? In three words: I like it. The architecture is very rustic but interesting (hearkening back to the plantation era), and the French Quarter is absolutely teeming with cool bars, restaurants and jazz clubs. I am currently taking a little break from my convention-attending duties, having spent the better part of the morning looking through poster presentations of some of my dental colleagues from across the country, and am planning on diving right back in as soon as I wrap up this entry.

I hope to update the blog every now and then during the next few days with any interesting tidbits or event updates as time permits, and will also do my best to convey a distillation of my experience visiting the Big Easy and exploring its culture and sites of interest.

Oh yes, so to end this posting, here's a small picture of the hotel I am staying at, the French Quarter Suites (not the best quality, I know, but you do what you can):