With a city known for food, music and festivities, it isn’t hard to count the ways you love New Orleans.
And for me, it’s the French Quarter (also known as Vieux Carré, which translates to old square in French), the city’s Creole neighborhood, that has my heart.
Its buildings are colorful, historic and done up with the kind of detailed iron work nobody does today. You could spend hours just strolling the streets—stepping aside for the occasional horse-drawn carriage to pass by—and admiring it, imagining what really went on there more than 200 years ago.
The food in New Orleans is equally colorful, especially the Cajun kind. Packed with spices that sometimes can’t even be found outside of NOLA, you’ll be tasting tastes you’ve never tasted and trying to come to terms with how bland everything is very likely to taste once you leave.
Music in New Orleans, is everywhere. Even when it’s not Mardi Gras or Jazz Fest or the lively street fete that’s a NOLA wedding (more on that in next week’s post!). If you walk Bourbon Street, you’ll find full brass bands jamming for people passing by. On Royal Street, musicians sit themselves in the middle of the pedestrian-only parts of the street, playing as much for the love of the music as for whatever tips they get. These street scenes are where I’ve heard some of the best jazz I’ve ever come across.
So, pretty much, there’s little not to love about NOLA.
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