The Louisiana Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects held their annual awards ceremony on March 13, 2017.  I was fortunate to have been involved with two projects that won awards this year.

IBM Rooftop Terrace by Ryan McKnight of McKnight Landscape Architects won a Merit Award in the Built Environment / Commercial category.

IBM Rooftop TerraceRyan McKnight of McKnight Landscape Architects sits in the space he designed. This project won a Merit Award at the 2017 Louisiana Chapter ASLA awards ceremony.

LASM Yazoo Plaza designed by Brian Goad of Suzanne Turner Associates won a Merit Award in the Built Environment / Urban Design category.

LASM Yazoo PlazaBrian Goad of Suzanne Turner Associates sits in the space he designed. This project won a Merit Award at the 2017 Louisiana Chapter ASLA awards ceremony.

The Downtown Development District announced the opening of the North Boulevard Promenade and held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the newest section of the Baton Rouge Downtown Greenway on December 28, 2016.  The promenade consists of a two lane bike path and a separate walking path in the median of North Blvd. It begins in front of the Old Governor's mansion and extends to I-110.

North Boulevard PromenadeNorth Boulevard Promenade section of the Downtown Greenway provides bicycle and walking paths on North Blvd across from the Old Governor's Mansion. North Boulevard PromenadeNorth Boulevard Promenade section of the Downtown Greenway provides bicycle and walking paths on North Blvd across from the Old Governor's Mansion.

We have had some very foggy mornings over the past week in Baton Rouge. I went downtown at sunrise to check out the Mississippi River, Horace Wilkinson bridge, USS Kidd, and Louisiana State Capitol.

Louisiana State Capitol in fog.Huey P Long memorial and the Louisiana State Capitol partially hidden in fog. USS KiddUSS Kidd shrouded in fog with the Horace Wilkinson bridge over the Mississippi River in the background. Horace Wilkinson BridgeHorace Wilkinson bridge in the fog seen behind some reeds at the edge of the Mississippi River.

Sunset view of Tiger Stadium on Christmas. LSU swaps out the purple & gold lights with green & red lights every year. Photographing it at sunset after a light rain really added a nice touch.

LSU Tiger StadiumChristmas lighting on Tiger Stadium suring sunset.

One of my old friends recently made the move from Los Angeles back to Baton Rouge to open a restaurant in the downtown area. Cocha will be serving "locally sourced food with globally inspired flavors". I was there for the December 22 soft opening and took a few pictures of the space.

Cocha RestaurantCocha Restaurant in Downtown Baton Rouge Cocha RestaurantCocha Restaurant in Downtown Baton Rouge

Using one of the Downtown Baton Rouge parking garages to frame the Louisiana State Capitol and provide a nice backdrop for a rare self portrait.

Louisiana State CapitolView of the Louisiana State Capitol through an opening in a nearby parking garage.

The Dow Chemical plant in Plaquemine, Louisiana made the regional news early in December when a chlorine leak caused flaring and lots of smoke that was visible for miles. Dow got local news coverage two weeks later when an issue with a compressor caused flaring to happen again. This was the view during the second incident.

Dow Chemical FlaresFlaring at the Dow Chemical plant in Plaquemine, Louisiana is visible under the Horace Wilkinson I-10 bridge over the Mississippi River.

A group of Santas walk down Fourth Street toward the Louisiana State Capitol as people start to line up for the Cortana Kiwanis Baton Rouge Christmas Parade on December 10, 2016.

Baton Rouge Christmas ParadePeople gathering in front of the Louisiana State Capitol at Fourth Street and Convention Street for the Cortana Kiwanis Christmas parade.