I’ll preface this post with the fact that I am emphatically not a city person. My personal space bubble usually extends to somewhere around half a mile. When someone asks if I would like to go to New York my usual response is, “Why? You haven’t smelled urine and three day old garbage in a while?” Now that you know that, I’m going to hit you with conflicting information. I love New Orleans. I am a contradiction seasoned with inconsistency wrapped in a tortilla.
A few years ago my wife had a conference in New Orleans and on the recommendation of some friends, I decided to join her. Since then we’ve been back two more times. I’ve never had a bad time. In a sea of cities that try to be something they’re not (I’m looking at you Philadelphia) New Orleans is comfortable in it’s own skin. It’s completely unique as an American city, having a slightly European feel without the pretentiousness. In 2019 it was reported that one out of every seven adults in the city had a warrant out for their arrest. I admire this group tactic. Like, “What are they gonna do, arrest all of us?” The place has a vaguely lawless undercurrent that stokes a sense of adventure in those comfortable with it.
A lot of places claim to be somewhere you can go and “be yourself.” In The Big Easy that just might be true. I’ve seen well to do party goers dressed to the nines walking barefoot down Canal Street in the rain. I’ve seen out of towners hammered out of their minds on Bourbon Street. I’ve seen drag queens and families and junkies and millionaires. I’ve seen that one dude who dresses like Darth Vader and dances to Cher and Milli Vanilli. No one pays too much attention to any of them and the reason it all works is because it feels like when you enter the city limits, you enter into an unspoken pact to not take life too seriously.
The city has preserved a lot of the feel of the old south, mixed with the Caribbean, mixed with the new south. A subtle magic floats in the humid air. The food is amazing. The people are welcoming. But most of all good music is everywhere. It is the birthplace of jazz, a natural home to the blues, which also originated in the deep south, and a welcoming adoptive home to many other genres, and it is around every corner.
If you’ve never been, it should be high on your list. If you have been, don’t you think it’s time to go back?
Click here for the full Bob Dylan quote. It’s worth it.
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