Hi! My name is Kelsey and I was born and raised right outside New Orleans. I’ve had the privilege of traveling a lot in my young life, but each time I return home I think to myself “There’s no place like New Orleans”.

Now hang in with me for a second here. Picture this: you go to school (or work), you procrastinate doing homework by watching Netflix (or become a professional couch potato), you go to the same gym (or not?), you eat food, you go to sleep, repeat. Day after day you see the same people and the same places. Sounds like Monday through Friday for most people, right? Then the weekend comes, but it’s hard to let go of the stress from the previous week and the worry of the upcoming week. It’s hard to soak up the good times when you feel like that. So when Monday rolls around, you have no choice but to start your week with your gas tank still on empty because you weren’t allowing yourself to refill it over the weekend.

Well, this describes last year me. And let me tell you, it wasn’t pretty. I learned that there’s nothing wrong with working hard during the week as long as you don’t miss moments of joy that could help feed your soul because you’ve been preoccupied building that resume.

I decided I didn’t want to feel this way anymore and I asked myself, “how can I change the way I feel?” So, I concluded that I wanted to search for new things to experience right here in my city, because what’s more exciting than new adventures? Nothing!

I’ve always LOVED my city and couldn’t imagine growing up anywhere else. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of things to do with kids in New Orleans, but this year I (finally) hit that beautiful age of 21. Overnight, the small pond of things that I was allowed to attend grew into a lake, and I can’t wait to dive right in! New Orleans has so much to offer. I’ve lived here my whole life and I’ve only experienced a fraction of it. That’s going to change right now. I want to explore and experience as much as I can in this city that I love. I’m calling it the “Getting to Know New Orleans” project for reasons that are self-explanatory.

I am open to try anything and everything. Here, you will read about my weekly adventure whether it is food, music, people, places, events, or drinks. I’m stepping outside my comfort zone because my ability to grow is directly proportional to my ability to entertain the uncomfortable.

What does this project mean to me? It means endless opportunities, new experiences, new people, learning, growing, laughing, connecting, and loving my city that I am so fortunate to live in.

What am I trying to achieve with this project? Well, other than personal joy and self-experience, I would like to inspire people in other cities to step outside of their comfort zones. You don’t need to travel to a new city in order to have new experiences. I also hope that I will reveal some events and places to New Orleanians or those traveling to NOLA so maybe they would experience it for themselves.

So without further ado, I welcome you to my journey of getting to know New Orleans. Hold on tight because it’s going to be a wild ride. Laissez les bons temps rouler!