“I’m not going to lay down in words the lure of this place. Every great writer in the land, from Faulkner to Twain to Rice to Ford, has tried to do it and fallen short. It is impossible to capture the essence, tolerance, and spirit of south Louisiana in words, and to try is to roll down a road of clichés, bouncing over beignets and beads and brass bands and it just is what it is.” — Chris Rose
I have had a difficult time putting New Orleans into words since my most recent visit. I start to go down a certain path, and that path turns into another, and another, and just continues to go in circles. It’s a tough feat trying to go from never really writing anything ever, to trying to put New Orleans onto the page. Granted, even the most experienced writers have had trouble doing so, so I do not feel too discouraged that I am having such a hard time. I have decided that the best way to explain New Orleans is to seek the help of others to help ease the burden of this post. With my words, and theirs, I hope that I scratch the surface of the experience of New Orleans. Full Disclaimer: nobody ever has or ever will be able to fully express what New Orleans is, especially me.
“There is no place on Earth even remotely like New Orleans. Don’t even try to compare it to anyplace else.” – Anthony Bourdain
Where do I even begin – from the food to the architecture, the music, the trees, the people, etc. The list of things that are unique to New Orleans is almost never-ending. The longest continuous streetcar in the world (not a typo) stretches from downtown through Audubon Park across the city. On the other side of town, you have the longest continuous bridge over water in the world (not a typo) that crosses Lake Pontchartrain which stretches nearly 24 miles long. I cannot forget to mention that a lot of the city is actually below sea level so the largest pumping station in the world (not a typo) can continuously pump water to keep the city from drowning. They even have a different legal system than the rest of the United States with an emphasis on Civil Law from their French and Spanish roots as opposed to English Common Law. A day spent in New Orleans on your own two feet will introduce you to a world you didn’t even know existed.
“New Orleans food is as delicious as the less criminal forms of sin.” — Mark Twain
Maybe one of the most well-known things about the city of New Orleans, and Louisiana in general, is the food. The Cajun menu is as unique of cuisine as you’ll find anywhere. The blend of French, Spanish, and West African cultures all combined into a dish will be unlike anything you’ve ever tasted. Jambalaya, gumbo, etouffee, red beans, and rice, and beignets, are all staple dishes of New Orleans. All of these dishes are notorious in their own right but nothing tops the beignets for me. The French-style donut is the most “criminal form of sin” in the cuisine. Check out Du Monde for photos, but skip the line and try out Cafe Beignet.
“America has only three cities: New York, San Francisco, and New Orleans. Everywhere else is Cleveland.” – Tennessee Williams
New Orleans is one of the most decadent cities in the world. Scratch that, it used to be. At one point in time, this French-founded city was one of the richest in the world. Crescent City was the birthplace of jazz and home to some of the best music and musicians that the world has ever known. The Golden Age of New Orleans as well as the birth of Jazz combined to create both financial and cultural decadence during their respective times. This decadence has been in a slow decline for about 100 years and is approaching a screeching halt. However, something keeps bringing people back to this worn-down town. Is it the culture, the food, the architecture? Or maybe the grasping of nostalgia? Honestly, it’s impossible to know.
“You find as a writer that there are certain spots on the planet where you write better than others, and I believe in that. And New Orleans is one of them.” — Jimmy Buffet
Walking through the Lower Garden District in New Orleans is like stepping into a time machine to a simpler and more prosperous time. The neighborhood is a sea of white columns and cast-iron fences that seem to never end. The live oak trees coupled with Spanish moss dangling from each branch are the only thing that looks older than the houses. When modern neighborhoods are built, they tend to shape the geography that allows for easy and convenient building. This neighborhood was built around the environment that it was in. The streets and sidewalks are misshapen and cracked from the live oaks growing over tens and hundreds of years. I promise you a walk through the Lower Garden District will be unlike any walk through any neighborhood you have ever been to.
“Every time I close my eyes blowing that trumpet of mine, I look right into the heart of good old New Orleans. It has given me something to live for.” — Louis Armstrong
I can’t write about New Orleans without mentioning Bourbon street. For better or for worse, this strip of lawlessness is the most notorious attraction of New Orleans. The buildings and bars line both sides of the street for just over a mile. Drinks are carried from bar to bar as beads come flying onto the street from balconies above. Beads, high fives, drugs, plastic cups, and bodily fluids line these streets nearly every night of the year. Can Bourbon street be a lot of fun? Absolutely. Is it dirty and pungent? Absolutely. Does crime run rampant after dark? Absolutely. Is there a lot more to New Orleans than Bourbon Street? Absolutely.
“There are a lot of places I like, but I like New Orleans better.” — Bob Dylan
Looking out the window I see about as perfect a day as one can have in New Orleans, sunny, 70s, low wind, and no humidity. As we start to get away from the craziness of the French Quarter and Downtown, houses start to flow by. The houses are difficult to miss, each its own color and more unique than the next. The sounds of the streetcar going over each bump is something that most people nowadays only hear in movies or television, but not on St. Charles Avenue. This streetcar line is the oldest continuous line in the world (not a typo) and is nothing if not a unique experience. The creeks of the wooden benches and chairs over every bump and the ding of a real bell when you pull a steel cable to let the driver know that you are ready to hop off this little piece of history is an experience that is hard to come by in 2022. The St. Charles Streetcar is one of many such experiences one can have in New Orleans, this is one of the many experiences that make this city what it is – one of the most authentic and culturally rich cities in the entire world.
“New Orleans is like a giant flashing yellow light. Proceed with caution … but proceed.” -Matthew McConaughey
We cannot only talk about the good and ignore the bad. Anyone who has been there can understand. It is impossible not to see all the bad that comes with New Orleans. The city is literally sinking into the ocean and wearing away every year, it’s only a matter of time, but the city will eventually sink into the water. The streets are filled with enough potholes to sail a boat on as well as the rampant poverty that is very visible in most parts of the city. I also do not know what is higher in New Orleans, the corruption or the murder rate. Then again, it probably doesn’t matter. Not to mention nearly every local will mention to “be careful” when you arrive. All of these very apparent, and very real red flags cannot be ignored. However. These are things that you must get past. Be very aware of your surroundings, and always take the cautious route. But, proceed you must.
“If I could put my finger on it, I’d bottle it and sell it. I came down here originally in 1972 with some drunken fraternity guys and had never seen anything like it — the climate, the smells. It’s the cradle of music; it just flipped me. Someone suggested that there’s an incomplete part of our chromosomes that gets repaired or found when we hit New Orleans. Some of us just belong here.” — John Goodman
Where else are going to find food as unique as the Cajun cuisine, a perfect combination of old southern charm and the deep dirty south, an architecture that cannot decide if it’s French, Spanish, or Greek, and a place that invented a genre of music that is beloved around the world, and all of this while being below sea level? Short answer: you cannot. It cannot be built or replicated either. No matter how much money, time, or resources one had – they could not replicate this city on the bayou. This is what brings people back to the city. This is why the experience of going to New Orleans will never die.
