Why I Love New Orleans

[BostonFestivus]

My favorite place on earth in New Orleans, Louisiana.

I think I love New Orleans, because I love America, and it is the most American of cities, with all the things that are both good, and bad about America juxtaposed and amplified ten fold. Great prosperity and great poverty, great generosity, and great greed, great diversity and grinding sameness. New Orleans is like hearing your favorite song, played through a police bullhorn.

Why do you love New Orleans?

[NYMAMA]

I love New Orleans because it is where my heart feels at home. It renews my spirit and can put a tear in my eye and a smile on my face at the same time.
Do you know what it means...... yes I think we all do.

[Corona]

I love New Orleans because it makes me feel alive....with happiness, excitement, joy, love, gratitude and passion. There's no place on earth that does it for me like she does.

[i wanna be in NOLA]

I love New Orleans because it feels like home. Although we've never lived there, we visit 3 or 4 times each year. Stepping off the plane at MSY brings a feeling of arriving home that doesn't happen anywhere else in the world. The feeling lasts until we head back to the airport for our return flight. It's where we belong. We know that, now we just need to make it happen.... someday, it will.

[CEfromLA]

These are from an email sent to me by a friend;

"It has always been my opinion that if you do New Orleans right, you will feel a need to shower (both physically and morally) as soon as you get home. Of course, that is why I have scruples and not morals. Anyone who has ever been there, make a promise to yourself and this grand old eccentric city that it will return and you will return.

If you have never been there, you need to make a point of going there before you die. Check out the parade of street artists and performers around Jackson Square, drink a hurricane at Pat O’Brien’s, dinner at Antoine’s, Brennan’s, Court of Two Sisters, or Tujacs, watch some jazz or blues until 2 am, got to the Café du Monde and eat a dozen beignets, watch the sun come up over the levee, go back to your hotel, sleep to 3 PM , and do it all over again. Repeat PRN.

From the NY Times - Here are 22 reasons America needs New Orleans , the national capital of eccentricity:

1. The turtle soup at Galatoire's is presented in a white porcelain tureen, then ladled into your bowl by a waiter who reveals with a wicked smile that the turtle's name was Fred.

2. The hats in Fleur de Paris, a shop on Royal Street, are perfectly frivolous and ridiculous, beautiful visions of silk and lace.

3. Nowhere else in the country do so many Roman Catholic churches coexist peacefully with so many voodoo shops.

4. If you are a grown man, this is the only place in America where you can step off an airplane, and be guaranteed that within 30 minutes a respectable woman unknown to you will call you "baby," as in, "How you doin', baby!" If you are a grown woman, you will be called "darlin' " whether you are the least bit darlin' or not.

5. The beads of sweat on the unlined face of the conductor on the St. Charles streetcar.

6. Mardi Gras beads, but only the ones you catch, thrown by an actual masker on a float. The ones that hit the ground don't count unless they bounced off your hand or arm first.

7. The Lucky Dog is a venerated local frankfurter that has come a long way, culinarily speaking, from the days when Ignatius J. Reilly peddled them to tourists in "A Confederacy of Dunces." Now they are really good, especially if it is 4 a.m. and you are hungry.

8. I once met Thelma Toole, mother of John Kennedy Toole, author of "A Confederacy of Dunces," who asked if I would buy her a "very expensive meal at the finest restaurant." This lady rolled her R's like an 1860's stage actress to indicate her intellectual superiority to the rest of us. I took her to the restaurant of her choice, and by evening's end she had all the waiters gathered at our table, spellbound by stories of "Kenny." "My son was a genius, with a large and oddly-shaped head," she boomed. Imagine what other great books Kenny might have written, she said, had he not killed himself in a car on that beach in Biloxi .

9. Every Twelfth Night, Henri Schindler, a local historian and Mardi Gras curator, holds a magnificent masked ball on the second floor of the Napoleon House, at the corner of Chartres and St. Louis Streets. White curtains blow in and out of the large empty rooms as masked figures glide past on a cushion of mystery.

10. Locals go to the Maple Leaf and Tipitina's to hear music. Also to Frenchmen Street, a cluster of 10 or 12 small bars and clubs featuring, on any given night, 10 or 12 kinds of music, about 8 of which will be funky. (The other four will be too loud.) Usually at the better places there's a Neville involved, or a Marsalis.

11. My friend Martha Ann Samuels, a real estate agent, revealed to me the actual location of Stanley and Blanche's house on Elysian Fields Avenue , a secret she learned from Tennessee Williams himself when she helped him buy a condo in the Quarter. (I'm not telling.)

12. Oyster loaf at Casamento's on Magazine Street . The crunchy local French bread showers crumbs on your hands. Each bite contains bread, mayo and the delectable local bivalve, breaded and brilliantly fried. Casamento's closes down for the summer because oysters are better other times of the year.

13. At JazzFest, citizens happily stand in long lines in the blazing sun for a chance to eat crawfish bread, white boudin sausage and alligator gumbo to the thump of Rockin' Dopsy from the Congo Square stage. (Could someone please put the JazzFest committee in charge of the Superdome?)

14. You can stand at the foot of Ursulines Avenue and watch a huge oceangoing ship slide by above the level of your head.

15. Along the promenade where the river passes Jackson Square , tourists still fall for one of the oldest New Orleans scams. A friendly fellow proposes that for a dollar he can tell you where you got them shoes. When you accept the bet, he says, "You got them shoes on your feet!" He keeps the dollar.

16. It has the only airport named for a jazz trumpeter, the indelible Louis Armstrong.

17. In the Confederate Museum near Lee Circle is a crown of thorns said to have been woven by Pope Pius IX himself, and sent as a gift to Jefferson Davis while he was imprisoned shortly after the Civil War. For me this artifact represents the height of Southern absurdity, and must be preserved for those future generations who will not believe it.

18. Every Thursday night at Donna's on Rampart Street , Tom McDermott plays the fastest, wildest ragtime, Brazilian and stride piano you've ever heard. It's scary how fast his fingers move when he gets going. His feet come up off the floor.

19. Rich people live on the high ground. Poorer people live on the low ground. Last week some of the rich folks' houses got wet, too.

20. Piety Street is one block over from Desire (where the streetcar goes). Not a long walk at all.

21. On a foggy night the moon grows fat and full, and hangs in the sky above the big old river. It pours light on the water and makes a magical brown glitter that doesn't exist anywhere else. The water is the reason the city is there. The full moon pulls the tides into Lake Pontchartrain .

22. The city's sanitation department is considered among the finest in the nation. Its work during Mardi Gras is legendary. "

[Belle]

That was pleasant reading. Thanks for that post CEfromLA

[Michelino]

Yes it is...but "eat a dozen beignets" that's like four orders for one person?

[festbabe]

..

20. Piety Street is one block over from Desire (where the streetcar goes). Not a long walk at all.

..

They're all good, but I like this one.

[steeleye]

I love New Orleans because it makes me feel alive....with happiness, excitement, joy, love, gratitude and passion. There's no place on earth that does it for me like she does.

What she said!

[Phatpapa]

Yes it is...but "eat a dozen beignets" that's like four orders for one person?

Oh, I don't know bout that. My kid put away that many in a day. Albeit not in one sitting but in a whole day. :eek:

[PaulC]

I love New Orleans because it makes me feel alive....with happiness, excitement, joy, love, gratitude and passion. There's no place on earth that does it for me like she does.

after 14 yrs,.. which was 20 yrs too tardy (started countin' from 18),.. 100% in agreement with the all those fine feelin's,..

but wouldn't all that kinda equal a "he" for you??..

and a "she" for me??.....

whether describin' cars, boats, gods, fests, etc... a he or she descriptive term always comes into play.....

[PaulC]

If you are a grown man, this is the only place in America where you can step off an airplane, and be guaranteed that within 30 minutes a respectable woman unknown to you will call you "baby," as in, "How you doin', baby!" If you are a grown woman, you will be called "darlin' " whether you are the least bit darlin' or not.

Oyster loaf at Casamento's on Magazine Street . The crunchy local French bread showers crumbs on your hands. Each bite contains bread, mayo and the delectable local bivalve, breaded and brilliantly fried. Casamento's closes down for the summer because oysters are better other times of the year.

At JazzFest, citizens happily stand in long lines in the blazing sun for a chance to eat crawfish bread, white boudin sausage and alligator gumbo to the thump of Rockin' Dopsy from the Congo Square stage. (Could someone please put the JazzFest committee in charge of the Superdome?)

You can stand at the foot of Ursulines Avenue and watch a huge oceangoing ship slide by above the level of your head.

It has the only airport named for a jazz trumpeter, the indelible Louis Armstrong.

Every Thursday night at Donna's on Rampart Street , Tom McDermott plays the fastest, wildest ragtime, Brazilian and stride piano you've ever heard. It's scary how fast his fingers move when he gets going. His feet come up off the floor.

The city's sanitation department is considered among the finest in the nation. Its work during Mardi Gras is legendary. "

of your very fine list,.. my personal magnificent seven......

but i can multiply that by ten,.. twenty,.. thirty,.. or beyond those numbers,.. given the time...............

[JTFlash49]

What a great post, CE. And the fact that I can read that and get a tear in my eye because I'm not there right now is one reason why I love New orleans. A friend of mine once said about NOLA "you either get it or you don't." I realized what he said was true when I returned home from my first trip there. As I talked about it, some of my friends said "yeah, I love New Orleans too" but some others said "its too dirty, it smells, blah blah blah". I remember being amazed that some people could go to NO and come away with only those kind of feelings. When New Orleans gets into your blood your hooked for life.

Jim

[revjimk]

New Orleans "terms of endearment".... I actually got called "Baby" on a wrong number in N.O.
"Hello?" .....Janet?"..... "Wrong number, baby..."
rev

[revjimk]

Also, the only Airport named after a lifetime legal ganja advocate.... thats right, Satchmo actually wrote a letter to Pres. Eisenhower back in the 1950s (!!)asking for legalization.. for real
rev

[funkkjunkie]

I love New Orleans because it oozes the music that warms my heart. It is full of people who love life and living. It's food is a song in itself. I love New Orleans because it's a place where I can be totally true to myself and where my soul can sing and hit the highest notes.

[PaulC]

I love New Orleans because it oozes the music that warms my heart. It is full of people who love life and living. It's food is a song in itself. I love New Orleans because it's a place where I can be totally true to myself and where my soul can sing and hit the highest notes.

all that,..

and if ya' feel like it,..

ya' can jus' sit back and smile that special smile that jus' says new orleans...

[funkkjunkie]

permagrin, babee!

[Tivia]

It is the only city I have always longed to go to....

I grew up in the San Francisco Bay area, in which I love.
I have traveled quite a bit.

Although, I told my husband, after this trip we might have to sell everything and find a place in the south...I feel it in my bones.

I can hardly wait to board the plane in April to go to Jazz Fest, thats why I love New Orleans!!!!

[NYMAMA]

It is the only city I have always longed to go to....

I grew up in the San Francisco Bay area, in which I love.
I have traveled quite a bit.

Although, I told my husband, after this trip we might have to sell everything and find a place in the south...I feel it in my bones.

I can hardly wait to board the plane in April to go to Jazz Fest, thats why I love New Orleans!!!!

I hear ya TIVIA I feel the same way. It just feels like home:)

[eZe]

....when I land at MSY it feels like coming home....

[Doubledown]

I like everything about New Orleans .

[RitaZero]

Cuz every stranger calls you sugar or baby.

Cuz I love crawfish etoufette. And crashfish monica. And crawfish bread. And Kermit at Vaughn's. And the free red beans and rice at Vaughn's.

Cuz the garbage collector will entertain you dancing and singing and spinning his garbage cans when you're stuck in a cab behind him on a narrow french quarter street.

[Runaround Al]

FOMS any night of the week, any month of the year.

Most cities have a couple to a few good music venues. NOLA - off the charts.

[Leni]

because where else in the world is there a street named "Desire" next to a street named "Piety" !

[Belle]

I like everything about New Orleans .

Me too! Very hard to put down what draws me there and keeps New Orleans on my mind all the time. It is not parts or bits...it is everything, the good, the bad and everything in between.

[festbabe]

I like how New Orleans makes me feel about myself. More energized and more at peace.

[neverleft]

A warm breeze over the Mississippi River.

Nothin like it.

[rosetree]

A warm breeze over the Mississippi River.

Nothin like it.

...and the calliope playing on the riverboat....

[peteup]

The quality of the light at 6.30am.....and all the other posts above.

[rosetree]

The quality of the light at 6.30am.....and all the other posts above.

It's light at 6:30 am??;)

[glinda]

New Orleans is a sensual sultry siren who seduces all the men and makes them more playful and fun for the rest of us.

[stlbarb]

It's light at 6:30 am??;)

not this morning, or the next few weeks. but soon.

[canadianjohn]

My friends eighty odd year old grandmother put it best; "The music is great, the food is to die for, & the bars NEVER close". I miss you Jean...RIP.

[goodabouthood]

Every time I leave, my heart breaks a little, because I don't know when I'll be back. For my soul, it feels like leaving home.

[MormonMatthew]

Every time I leave, my heart breaks a little, because I don't know when I'll be back. For my soul, it feels like leaving home.

Amen to this.

No matter how many times I take it, the ride from the Quarter to the airport is the longest, most melancholy drive in the world.

The only thing that makes it tolerable is knowing that the city is always ready to welcome me back with all the joy and passion of a favorite long-lost lover, a stunning seductress who has never forgotten about the magic that we once shared.......

[funkkjunkie]

I know what it means.

[wahinemicha]

ALL of the above posts, and the fact that I'm sittin here bawling cuz I prolly won't be able to make it back there for a while.........:(

...and cuz it's a little closer than Hawaii......;)

[KeyWest Bruce]

Amen to this.

No matter how many times I take it, the ride from the Quarter to the airport is the longest, most melancholy drive in the world.

The only thing that makes it tolerable is knowing that the city is always ready to welcome me back with all the joy and passion of a favorite long-lost lover, a stunning seductress who has never forgotten about the magic that we once shared.......

Well said Matthew! I totally agree.:cool:

[MormonMatthew]

Nice of you to say Bruce.....

I read that you will be staying in Key West for now; I am glad that you are going to be able to hit your 20-year mark with the Post Office, and enjoy all the benefits that you have worked so hard for.

New Orleans will be there waiting when the time is right!!!

See you in May---Matthew

[LBIFESTER]

The tunderstorm’s downpour hit the midnight streets with a backbeat you could dance too.
Come morning, the neutral ground is decorated with what’s fallen from the trees.
Acorns, oak leaves and beads.
While the palmettos lean over to appreciate the canvas created by the storm.
The crisp air suddenly fills with a driving beat, as a school band's drum line erupts down the street.
It's good to be home again
SJM -12/30/2010

[JTFlash49]

My friends eighty odd year old grandmother put it best; "The music is great, the food is to die for, & the bars NEVER close". I miss you Jean...RIP.
A friend of mine once said to me as we were heading into Tips, "I love this city. You can smoke inside and drink outside."

[tangledupinblue]

A friend of mine once said to me as we were heading into Tips, "I love this city. You can smoke inside and drink outside."

JT, where ya been? I am back living in Long Beach! We must grab a drink at one of our many bars!

[Michelino]

The tunderstorm’s downpour hit the midnight streets with a backbeat you could dance too.
Come morning, the neutral ground is decorated with what’s fallen from the trees.
Acorns, oak leaves and beads.
While the palmettos lean over to appreciate the canvas created by the storm.
The crisp air suddenly fills with a driving beat, as a school band's drum line erupts down the street.
It's good to be home again
SJM -12/30/2010

Nice. I'm so ready for a return visit..

[LBIFESTER]

Nice. I'm so ready for a return visit..

Cya there in say 10 days, well for B of B Awards.

[kevinbryon]

Why do I love New Orleans? Because the second I'm out of the cab, I feel like I need to immerse myself completely into everything. So much so, that by the time I leave, I have reached a level of exhaustion akin to the two a day football practices I had in high school And even though upon returning home I generally lean towards that trip being my last, it takes only a few weeks for the desire to creep back in. Before I know it, I'm on travel sites looking for the best deal possible so I can indulge myself once again.

[rwwewttil40]

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I want to try,tera gold (http://www.teraonlinegold.com), maybe I can give them some surprise! "cold river to see the Ni-chang, said softly: "Trust me, you can,overnight cantilever ,." afternoon after school, when the river ran into who may be where the cold. Who had to ask: "I heard that you selected Austrian school of physical training?" River of cold nod. Who had to say: "The selection of test, you know the most sensational news is?" Cold river shook his head,wow power leveling (http://www.ugamegold.com/wow-powerleveling), "My message is very isolated." Who can be who said: "Although not a formal examination, but It should be said a lot bigger than usual bar exam difficulty.
Wang Xiao mathematics and chemistry went into the first fifteen class name, the physical but also within the first twenty. teacher named special praise. "river of cold eyes wide open, "He was really irritated, to cantilever Cigu and hard work of it?" has been to where, said: "Who is not?" lamented a cold river twice, "the woman is the source of trouble Yeah, actually there is such a powerful force." who can be who said: "I quite busy winter, and also met him once.
I heard him from the winter break, this month did not go to a game room at home, shut himself away to it. this kid has always been smart, foundation also not so bad, launched Fen, the effect is really amazing. "cold river is gossip asked:" announced results, you have to take a picture of Nie Qinqin? she was exceptionally proud of it! "ha ha who had to laugh or two, "You know our grade ten famous beauty named it. eight judges have three in our class, haha.
They should be updated each semester once. The latest one, climbed to the first Qin Qin Nie IV. The reason is simple it! Zhang Yafang always ranked first, was beautiful, but also did not see which boy to his overnight cantilever Cigu out. Everybody says,Electronic Cigarette (http://www.24hdigital.com), Nie Qinqin charm is underestimated. "Jiang cold smiles:" Nie Qin Qin rose to fourth, you are so happy to do what?

[Swen]

The only American city with a talent for pleasure.

[goodabouthood]

The only American city with a talent for pleasure.

It's sensory overload in the best possible of ways!

Can't wait to get back! 72 hours to go! WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!

[Mapleblue]

The people of NOLA!

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays to all and only 131 sleeps till our Jazzfest experience!

[Apostrophe (')]

The people of NOLA!

http://goo.gl/RDNbX


One man, one band having a party: Perfect Gentlemen’s Travis ‘T-Hustler’ Lyons

This weekend’s second line parade will feature a solo star, the word ‘star’ being purposely employed here because that’s what you call a show-must-go-on professional. The Perfect Gentlemen Social Aid and Pleasure Club’s 21st annual parade will be a one man show this Sunday with the club’s president Travis Lyons holding it down all by himself.

The Perfect Gentlemen has about 15 men on its roster but since the storm has paraded with only four members. Lyons says about the reason for the thinned out division is, in a nutshell, the economy. “This is the first year in 21 years I’ve ever paraded by myself. People fall on hard times financially. The economy is messed up. But I’m gonna keep it going till they can come back. The president has gotta hold it down like the Big Chief. Big Chief’s gotta keep it going even when the other indians can’t. I gotta bring my game, still gotta show, gotta do what I gotta do.”

[funkkjunkie]

Aw, man, that is awesome! i'm gonna bet he gets a lot of company!

[Apostrophe (')]

it definitely looks like he had some help! there's video on Big Red Cotton's youtube channel. looks like she's on FB now too.