I guess I was a bit too quick in writing my favourite world cities post.
Only a couple of days after I hit publish, I took my second road trip of my time in the USA, this time to New Orleans. Despite having wanted to visit the city for years, I didn’t realise how much of a lasting impression it would make on me.
After enjoying a ridiculously large Southern-style breakfast in Memphis in the morning, we arrived in New Orleans by mid-afternoon, to gloriously late-in-the-day sun reflecting off the colonial-style buildings and proceeded to hunt out the best shrimp po’ boy sandwich we could find.
Maybe it was the good weather that gave me that all-important great first impression. But there was something else. Something about the atmosphere, the way people carried themselves, the overall “vibe” of the place.
It didn’t feel like we were in the USA anymore.
There were palm trees everywhere, hard-to-pronounce foods and it was definitely flip flop and suncream weather. Having come from the snow of the Midwest, this felt like the Tropics.
Bourbon Street and Hurricane Drinks
The only part of the city I was worried about not liking was Bourbon Street – the infamous stretch of bars and clubs selling gallons of insipid alcoholic drinks to people who couldn’t see straight. And yes, there was a distinct smell of vomit and weed in the air on Bourbon Street. But even so, it wasn’t that bad. I didn’t hate it.
Heck, I even spent some of my evenings there, enjoying ludicrously strong Hurricane cocktails at Pat O’ Brien’s and singing a little too loudly along to the dueling piano players.
NOLA’s Buzzing Atmosphere
What you may have noticed from my favourite cities list was that many of the places on there often possess similar qualities. Each of them offer wonderful food, vibrant atmospheres and a cosmopolitan feel that makes you think that you are in a different country to the one you’re actually in.
New Orleans is also one of these cities.
The music, the laid-back attitude of the people and the delicious food all contribute to make it a city which definitely gets under your skin.
Almost a week after returning, I’m still thinking about this city and the good (if not mainly drunken) times I had there.
New Orleans, you’re so damn pretty. I think I love you.
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