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I’ve traveled to NOLA for work over the years and have fallen in love with the city. The first time I went there, I just thought it would be a tourist trap whic

I’ve traveled to NOLA for work over the years and have fallen in love with the city. The first time I went there, I just thought it would be a tourist trap which, of course, it partially is but you have to go beyond that to find all the wonderful things NOLA has to offer. What draws me to NOLA is the “grit” which is both good and bad. You can eat delicious and unique meals but there are other restaurants where you’ll get ripped off. The live music is simply second to none. My favorite by far is Frenchman street. Some memories I cherish is seeing the New Orleans Jazz Vipers at the Spotted Cat Cafe. I was sitting so close to the band once that I was basically sitting among the musicians. It’s the authenticity of NOLA I adore. But you’ve got be careful, and to be honest I don’t always feel safe there. When walking back to my hotel through the French Quarter at 2am, I walk as fast as I can and in the middle of the street so I am not mugged. Anyway, it is a place I’ve grown to love despite and perhaps because of the rough edges. Edit: Also the NOLA locals are fantastic people!

devilbunny 1y ago
> You can eat delicious and unique meals but there are other restaurants where you’ll get ripped off. Your risk of getting railroaded as a tourist drops dramatically if you stay away from the French Quarter. If you also stay away from any location the hop-on/hop-off buses stop, that drops almost to zero. I live close enough to go 6-8 times per year. We only go into the Quarter to dine at restaurants that we know (and usually were recommended by natives) or shop at a handful of places whose only location is there.
bitwize 1y ago
My first "date" with my wife was almost exactly described by the Parachute song New Orleans: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKknLB8LXCQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKknLB8LXCQ She spent her late teens and early adulthood living in the city, and moved back after living all over the place several times during her life; and so when we met we just got in her car and she took me to all the places that were meaningful to her: shopping on Magazine Street, Ursuline Academy where she went to high school, a book signing with one of her classmates, coffee and beignets at Café du Monde, lunch at Domilise's, etc. It was important to her because she felt that to understand New Orleans was to understand her as a person better. The major detail from the song that was missing was there were no roses bursting through cracks in the sidewalk, but sometimes there was jasmine growing along the fences and walls adjoining the sidewalk and as you walked along you'd just be bathed in the smell of it. Random marching or jazz bands do sometimes pass right by you. Everything you said about the city is true. It's sometimes dangerous, and I wouldn't want to be out in the wrong place at night, but it's honest and raw and real in a way most cities, even my beloved Boston, are not.
- julienchastang 1y ago
  Thank you for sharing that beautiful comment. Yes, there really are random marching bands about. I also enjoyed the Parachute song which I didn't know. This video kind of captures NOLA for me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6E_s1oO4YQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6E_s1oO4YQ. (Also love Boston, but for completely different reasons.)

devilbunny 1y ago

> You can eat delicious and unique meals but there are other restaurants where you’ll get ripped off. Your risk of getting railroaded as a tourist drops dramatically if you stay away from the French Quarter. If you also stay away from any location the hop-on/hop-off buses stop, that drops almost to zero. I live close enough to go 6-8 times per year. We only go into the Quarter to dine at restaurants that we know (and usually were recommended by natives) or shop at a handful of places whose only location is there.

bitwize 1y ago

My first "date" with my wife was almost exactly described by the Parachute song New Orleans: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKknLB8LXCQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKknLB8LXCQ She spent her late teens and early adulthood living in the city, and moved back after living all over the place several times during her life; and so when we met we just got in her car and she took me to all the places that were meaningful to her: shopping on Magazine Street, Ursuline Academy where she went to high school, a book signing with one of her classmates, coffee and beignets at Café du Monde, lunch at Domilise's, etc. It was important to her because she felt that to understand New Orleans was to understand her as a person better. The major detail from the song that was missing was there were no roses bursting through cracks in the sidewalk, but sometimes there was jasmine growing along the fences and walls adjoining the sidewalk and as you walked along you'd just be bathed in the smell of it. Random marching or jazz bands do sometimes pass right by you. Everything you said about the city is true. It's sometimes dangerous, and I wouldn't want to be out in the wrong place at night, but it's honest and raw and real in a way most cities, even my beloved Boston, are not.

julienchastang 1y ago
Thank you for sharing that beautiful comment. Yes, there really are random marching bands about. I also enjoyed the Parachute song which I didn't know. This video kind of captures NOLA for me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6E_s1oO4YQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6E_s1oO4YQ. (Also love Boston, but for completely different reasons.)