I love New Orleans

If I had to sum up new Orleans in a phrase I would choose “sensory overload”.  Joseph visited NOLA early in our relationship and proclaimed I would love it. It took six years to get here, and he was correct. We took a weekend trip to celebrate my birthday. The weekend started off right with a short 1.5 hour plane ride from Nashville. We arrived on a Friday night and immediately made our way to Frenchmen Street. The air was moist and swampy, making it easy to smell everything from food, the particular sweat of the person standing next to me, and excitement. On a street corner a New Orleans style band with a tuba, horns and drums played. People gathered round to watch with their eyes and their phone cameras. As we walked through the surrounding neighborhood of Faubourg Marigny, the beautiful architecture literally took my breath away. The hunger I had felt at the airport evaporated as all of my senses tuned into the world around me. 

Eventually we decided to eat, and found a small Gambian, Cameroon, soul food restaurant. I enjoyed a meal of black eyed peas, rice and plantains and eggplants long marinated in cumin and other more exotic spices. After dinner we scored a fresh praline before heading to the historical shotgun house where we would be staying. An ancient hearth was prominent in the middle of the bathroom and the only window in the bedroom was round and 10 feet high on the wall. At night the window cast multiple shadows on the opposite wall.

I woke in the middle of the night to a ferocious storm. “The wind and rain will surely bust that round window above my head”, I thought before promptly falling back to sleep. In the morning I woke to find the window intact and made my way to a hip coffee shop Hivolt, just off Magazine street. They offered delicious coffee, a funky yet crisp atmosphere and vegan gluten free donuts. I stuck to coffee. I walked back to our rental and planned an 8 mile run  down St. Charles Ave to Audubon park and back to the house via Magazine Street. Concentrating on my footing was necessary on the ancient crooked brick and stone sidewalks. Live oak trees erupted from the ground, spawning roots carelessly.

 Half-way into my run I turned onto First Street to peak at Anne Rice’s Former House and other awe inspiring southern mansions.

I reconvened with Joseph and we walked the French Quarter. It was exactly as you expected it to be. We had lunch at Stein’s deli back in the garden district and picnicked in an empty grassy lot.

The next day we took a swamp tour. It was my first time on a fan boat. The boat was loud as hell and skipped over the surface of the water. We observed lazy alligators, just waking up from their winter hibernation. The guide told us that when an Alligator hibernates, it slows its heart rate down to a couple of beats per hour! 

Alligators love marshmallows

The swamp also boasted cypress trees dripping with Spanish Moss. 

The awesomeness of our swamp tour concluded with a baby alligator cuddle session. 

Mrs. Blue loves alligators

After the tour, we dined on Magazine Street at a European bistro for dinner before heading to the Creole Creamery for dessert. 

Monday morning we hit one of the famous above ground, city cemeteries. Our guide was a entertaining, spunky, older lady who knew her shit. After the tour we hit Baru Bistro & Tapas for a quick lunch before heading to the airport. It was one of the best meals of my life. 

My weekend in New Orleans was one of the few vacations I have ever had where I experienced bittersweet feelings about returning home. I consoled myself with the plan to eventually buy property in New Orleans. I no longer have any desire to travel the world. I want to spend all my vacations in New Orleans. 

I remember around the time of Hurricane Katrina, people would get adventurous and say things like, “I feel bad and all, but why would you live somewhere below sea level????”.

I’m here to tell you why. New Orleans is fucking magical. NOLA, I will be your bitch. If you yearn for the detail and magic of a more Victorian time, New Orleans is for you. If your personality likes a little gothic thrown into your history, check her out. If you love the south, warmth, lush greenery and smells, come to fucking New Orleans. If you love especially quirky city cultures, NOLA is your place. 

If you fall in love with New Orleans and must live here, I completely understand. It’s worth the hurricane risk. I know how to swim.