A Spectacular Disaster in New Orleans
People. When I think New Orleans the first word that comes to my mind is people. The city itself does not offer some amazing city scape, the Mississippi river is brown and is not the most picturesque body of water. What makes this city thrive, and makes this a city I want to visit again in the near future is the people. Before I talk more about my recent trip and all the things made this short trip so amazing let me back up and talk about the City Cat Trip.
This was the third annual City Cat Trip. The premise of this trip is three dudes going on a vacation, one guy plans it, and the other two do not find out about the trip until they arrive at the airport. I won’t get into the logistics of how it works, but it’s a fun experience. Let’s be real keeping secrets are difficult, especially when it is something you are excited about. Dirk the planner of this year’s trip had told a select amount of people about where we were heading. The people he told were unlikely to encounter myself or Mike, but we ended up having wonderful day of drinking together, and someone slipped. Mike heard the news of where we were going. Luckily, I did not hear it and remained clueless about where we were headed. Everything was ruined! Just kidding Dirk, nothing was ruined, I knew a slip up was bound to happen sometime during these vacations, it just happened a lot sooner than I originally thought. I actually heard the news where we were headed 2 days before the trip as well. So our surprise trip turned out to be just a few dudes headed New Orleans. What we did not know is some of the surprises that were coming our way during the trip, which made for such an amazing experience, and Dirk did an amazing job at planning everything out.
The plane ride was nice, when we arrived the weather was amazing and I could not wait to get out and explore. While we were waiting at baggage claim because Mike needed to check a bag for some reason, we got the news that our AirBnB cancelled. This left us without a roof over our heads for the next few days. So once Mike finally got his bag, because he couldn’t just bring a carry on, we sat down in the airport and scoured the internet. I won’t lie I loved the surprise of not having a place to stay and having to just wing it. We ended up staying at the Embassy Suites downtown, and it was perfect. Free breakfast buffet in the morning and all you can drink beer and mixers from 5:30-7:30pm. We took full advantage of both, except for Dirk one morning for breakfast, as he had a date with the toilet and his bed most of the morning. Another surprise of the trip was getting courtside tickets for the Pelican pre-game warm-ups and killer game tix to watch the Pelicans take on the Thunder. Smoothie King Arena is amazing; if you have a chance to see a game there I highly recommend it.
The people, I almost forgot, the people of New Orleans are amazing. Everyone we met had such a strong sense of community and pride for their city. We were able to visit different parts of the city and felt that pride for their city everywhere we went. It is very easy to get around in New Orleans so getting to these various neighborhoods by foot is fairly easy however some require a quick bike ride, street car, or Uber. Each time we were in a different area we were able to talk to people and learn more about the city and get advice on other places to visit in the area. It is truly one of my favorite cities to be amongst the people.
Speaking of people, take your camera everywhere, its great for portraits and city life. I loved taking photos around the city. I am not one for people photography, but this allowed me to reach out of my comfort zone in photography and it was a blast capturing these images.
New Orleans Do’s
1. Wander the city. I often hear people say that its dangerous to wander around the city, if you’re not on one of the popular streets, there is a good change you are going to get mugged or something bad is going to happen. It is a bunch of bullshit. Is it a big city, yes, is there crime, yes, is there some iffy areas, of course! Let’s be real though, its not an unsafe city, at no point did I feel unsafe, whether it was day or night I never had a concern. Be cognizant of your surroundings, stay with your group, and get out and explore, those lesser known places can turn out to be the best part of the trip. If you are unsure of an area you want to visit, ask a local.
2. Rent a bike. There are several pockets of the city that require a quicker form of transportation to get there. If I could suggest one neighborhood I would suggest Mid-City. A neighborhood you can stop at on your way to City Park. This neighborhood offers a get away from the tourists, and some sweet bars and restaurants, especially the Bayou Beer Garden.
3. Find a Parade. I’m not one for parades, but they were a blast. its easy to find one. Ask a local about the parades. Enough said.
New Orleans Don’ts
1. Don’t spend all your time on Bourbon St. Yea its cool, but man is it crowded and over priced. If you are really set on staying the really touristy areas I would suggest Frenchmen St. Its great with delicious food and great music.
2. Don’t eat by Bourbon or Frenchmen St. or any touristy areas for that matter. There are a ton of restaurants in those areas. But if you are trying to sit down and eat, walk a couple blocks away or towards the downtown area. In my opinion it was significantly cheaper and I thought the food was better.
Lastly, don’t forget you can drink on the streets, I forgot several times to take a drink for the walk.
