Diagnostic Essay

January 28, 2009

In July of 2003 my husband and I decided to visit New Orleans, Louisiana for vacation. This was my second trip to New Orleans and my husband first. My first trip to New Orleans was joyous but I hung out on Bourbon Street the entire time and didn't get to see the other attractions. I found New Orleans to be one of the better cities that I've visited. There was never a dull moment. You could always find something to do whether it's visiting the gift shops, dining on French and Cajun cuisines or hanging out at the local bars. The alluring sights and sounds created a festive atmosphere which filled the street with people. After picking my son up from Atlanta, GA we drove to Louisiana. It was a smooth drive with no traffic accidents and very little congestion. The first stop was the French Quarter. There we heard the sounds of a jazz band playing music. After the band finished a couple of songs we decided to purchase tickets for the zoo and the aquarium. The Aquarium of Americas had a large collection of fish and other marine life. The building was clean and spacious even with a lot of people. My son enjoyed starfish who swam around their tank full speed ahead while I watched the colorful selection of chirping birds. After leaving the aquarium we went to the Audubon Zoo. We saw a wide array of exhibits. The only area that seemed crowded was the Primates. The gorilla sitting about 4 feet from the barrier was the main attraction. His pose with one knee up, elbow on the knee and his chin resting on his fist was hilarious. He didn't seem bothered by the bees flying around his face or the flashes from the cameras. After our visits to the zoo and aquarium we decided to go to Bourbon Street. Of course by this time we were hungry. Finding somewhere to eat was the most difficult decision we had to make due to the vast selection of restaurants. The aroma coming from the eateries you pass where just as appealing as the beautiful designed buildings. All the eateries we saw were filled with people which was a hint to us the food good no matter the selection. So we settled on a local snack shack and ate fried catfish and shrimp. After lunch we went to a few gift shops and decided to head back home. I've traveled quite bit in my time all across the country and overseas. I find New Orleans to be the ideal vacation spot. Each time I went I was amazed by this small city's ability to provide big time attractions and entertainment. Being a New Yorker who grew up in an atmosphere of non-stop entertainment that's no small feat. Jazz happens to be one of my favorite genres of music. Just hearing it on the radio takes me back to the French Quarter. I love the arts and I love to eat. I studied French for three years in school. I'm looking forward to returning to New Orleans.

Revised Diagnostic Essay 3 May 2009
My Return Trip to the Big Easy
It's July 2004 in Jacksonville, Florida. "It's vacation time dear, any ideas on where to go?" my husband asks. "Not exactly, but I would love to visit San Francisco again" I replied. My husband explained that was too far to travel by car. We only had 10 days for our vacation and my husband refused to travel by plane. After eliminating the cities we visited this past year, I suggested we go to New Orleans. "Have you been there yet?" I asked. "No" my husband replies. "Good, that's where we'll go" I said. I told him about my joyous trip to New Orleans years earlier and how I spent my entire visit on Bourbon Street, missing all the other attractions in the city. New Orleans was the best city I've visited within the last ten years. Excitement filled the air. Whether visiting a gift shop, dining on French or Cajun cuisine or hanging with friends at the local bars there was always something to do. The alluring sights and sounds of the city created a festive atmosphere which filled the streets with lots of people. After picking up son from Atlanta, GA we drove to Louisiana. The drive on I-20 was smooth with no traffic accidents and very little congestion. Our first Stop in New Orleans was the French Quarter. There we heard the sounds of a trumpet being played in a jazz band with a small crowd gathered in front of the band. After listening to the band for a few minutes we decided to purchase tickets for the Audubon Zoo and the Aquarium of Americas. Our second stop was the aquarium which had a large collection of fish and other marine life. The building was clean and spacious even though there were a lot of people present. My son enjoyed petting the starfish while they swam around their tank full speed ahead. I enjoyed the colorful chirping birds. Our third stop was the zoo. We saw a wide array of exhibits. The only area that seemed crowded was the primate section. The gorilla sitting about 4 feet from the barrier was the main attraction. His sitting position with one knee up, an elbow on the knee and his chin resting on his fist was picture-perfect. He didn't seemed bothered by the bees flying around his face or the up close flashes from the cameras. Our final stop was Bourbon Street. Because of the large selection of eateries, finding something to eat were difficult. The aroma coming from the eateries you pass while walking down the street were just as appealing as the beautifully designed buildings. Since the eateries were filled with people the food had to be good. We settled on a local snack shack and ate fried catfish, shrimp, fries and slaw. After lunch we visited a few gift shops and headed home. I've traveled quite a bit all across the country and overseas. New Orleans is the ideal vacation spot. During each visit I was amazed by the small city's ability to provide big time attractions and entertainment. Being a New Yorker who grew up in an atmosphere of non-stop entertainment, that's no small feat. Jazz happens to be one of my favorite genre of music. Just hearing jazz on the radio takes me back to the French Quarter. I love the arts and I have a great appreciation for food two important ingredients for having a great time in New Orleans. I'm already looking forward to my return to the Big Easy.