New Orleans is arguably one of the most cultured cities in America. Walking down the city streets, you'll find yourself experiencing the aroma of delicious food, the sound of live music and probably at least a few people dancing down the street (sober or intoxicated). "The Big Easy" is a city that you definitely won't want to miss experiencing, and here are just a few reasons why.
1. The food
From po'boys to fried alligator to red beans and rice and then of course the classic beignets, NOLA food is the kind of food you can't pass up. You'll be surprised by how much you like alligator (trust me, I was) and how you just can't seem to have enough powdered sugar on your beignets.
Try Café Du Monde for the best beignets around.
2. The music
Some of the best jazz musicians were from New Orleans, including Louis Armstrong, Buddy Bolden, Joe King Oliver and Mahalia Jackson. Walking down the streets of the city today, and you're sure to hear some jazz playing by street musicians. Don't be afraid to stop and listen; you won't find great jazz like that anywhere else.
3. The dancing
Swing dancing and the Lindy Hop go great with the jazz music there. If you don't know how to do either, you should learn before you go because you'll find people doing these dances anywhere there is jazz music in New Orleans. Rock n' Bowl is a great place to hit up on swing dance night because nothing beats its bowling, live music and swing dancing.
4. The cemeteries
The graves established in the city are a sight to behold. Many of them are huge and elaborate, and most are above ground because the bodies used to wash away in the rain (since New Orleans is below sea level). You can go on tours around the grave sites, learning about people who were buried there like Voodoo queen Marie Laveau, and also see graves built for people who haven't even died yet, like Nicolas Cage who wanted to reserve a spot for later (his grave is pictured above). St. Louis Cemetery in NOLA is a great place to tour for those interested.
5. The French Market
The French Market is one of those places that sells everything. T-shirts, food, Mardi Gras masks, New Orleans beads, everything and anything you can imagine with a fleur de lis plastered on it, and even alligator heads. What more could you ask for?
6. The Voodoo
Voodoo shops are a big thing in "The Big Easy." You'll find various shops scattered around the city, each selling things like Voodoo dolls, masks, tarot cards and even more items related to Voodoo. When going into a Voodoo shop, don't be afraid to ask the employees questions! They love explaining the beliefs involved in Voodoo and what each item in the store is supposed to be used for. A great place to get started with Voodoo is the famous Marie Laveau's House of Voodoo in the French Quarter.
7. Mardi Gras
"Mardi Gras" is French for "Fat Tuesday." Fat Tuesday is traditionally celebrated in the Christian religion in the season of Lent, one day before Ash Wednesday. On Fat Tuesday, people are supposed to eat richer and fattier foods before the fasting that some people do during the Lenten season. To celebrate Fat Tuesday, the people of New Orleans have parades and parties of all kinds. New Orleans is famous for their Mardi Gras celebration, because over the years, people have stretched the event into a week of partying and just having a good time complete with the bright colors, Mardi Gras beads and good food.
8. The architecture
There's nothing like the beautiful French architecture in New Orleans with the brightly colored houses and wrought iron balconies. The streets of New Orleans are beautiful and there's nothing like experiencing them for yourself.
9. The history
While each city has rich history when you dig deep enough, NOLA has a more recent event that went down in history and will mark the city forever. On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina first hit Louisiana. It had been hit by hurricanes also in 1915, 1940, 1947, 1965 and 1969, but the effects of Hurricane Katrina were even more devastating due to the fact that the average elevation of the city is six feet below sea level. If you're in New Orleans when it rains, you'll be able to experience just how fast the city floods, even just from rainfall. Thousands of people were separated from their families as they fled the city, leaving behind their homes and possessions as the storm struck. Some were even separated from their pets.
The lucky ones were reunited with their loved ones and their houses. Overall, Hurricane Katrina killed over 2,000 U.S. citizens and damaged thousands of homes. If you visit New Orleans today, you can learn more about the storm that struck the city and see the cleanup that has been done but also see the hundreds of homes still in need of repair from the storm that hit more than 10 years ago.
10. And last but not least...the people
If you ask anyone in New Orleans to tell you their Hurricane Katrina story, they'll be more than happy to oblige. Most will tell you of how they lost friends or family members or how parts of their house were destroyed (like the man above who has nothing left of his house but his front steps). But all of them will end their story with something that sounds like, "but we are grateful to be alive." Nothing can kill the spirit of the people of New Orleans. Though tragedy struck their city, shattering their lives, they still got back up and focused on everything they were thankful for. Whether they're partying during Mardi Gras or just living their day-to-day lives, the people of New Orleans are beyond inspiring and definitely people you'll want to meet.
