New Orleans was quite an adventure.

1. Don't take the beads.

While it’s extremely nice that the people on the street offer you beads (and sometimes just place them on your neck), don’t take them if you aren’t ready to give a monetary donation. Even in a great place like NOLA, nothing is free.

2. Hurricanes are stronger than you think.

The drink I mean, not the weather phenomenon. While you might just think this is a fruity touristy drink, trust me—they pack a punch.

3. Styrofoam is everywhere.

When I say everywhere, I mean everywhere. Expect all your drinks, alcoholic or not, to be served in styrofoam. Need a take-home box? Styrofoam it is!

4. Hot sauce is also everywhere.

Took me a little bit to realize that Tabasco was born in Louisiana, and with that came store upon store of different kinds of hot sauces. From regular to Caribbean to alligator, hot sauce never ends. Which brings me to my next point...

5. They love their alligators.

Gators are a big thing here. Alligator food, alligator toys, alligator shirts, alligator everything. I never saw a live one, but then again maybe that was for the best.

6. This is the city of escalators.

This might just have been my experience, but for some reason all their malls and convention centers are filled with escalators. Tiny escalators, big escalators, fast escalators, slow escalators—it’s all escalators.

7. Beignets are a side dish for powdered sugar.

Literally. Beignets, which are basically just zeppoles, are really not what you’ll get most of in NOLA. Rather, the powdered sugar serves as the entree. I’m serious—we’re talking mounds and mounds of powdered sugar.

8. Jello is not vegan.

Not something specifically related to New Orleans, but still a very important lesson. Shoutout to me ruining my friend’s vegan streak with a jello shot unintentionally. (Sorry, Jackie!)

9. Their lottery laws are way stricter than their alcohol laws.

This is something I found quite strange and slightly upsetting. You have to be 21 to buy lottery tickets and gamble in Louisiana, which meant my chance at the giant Powerball was a no go. And while the drinking age is obviously also 21, I found it interesting that they were much more lax about that than they were about the lottery.

10. The music is awesome.

This is an understatement. The music here is more than awesome. Everything from their radio stations (shoutout to my new fave 102.9FM) to what they play in the malls to the multitude of live music you can see as you walk down Bourbon Street, if you like a variety of music then New Orleans has you covered.

11. Overall everyone is super nice.

Biggest takeaway from this trip: People down South are nice. Southern hospitality is a thing and while I, as a Northerner, have never been treated so kindly, it was definitely a treat to be greeted with smiles and doors held open.