I just returned from a some-expenses paid work trip to New Orleans, a city I hadn't been to since my bachelor party in 2015, but a city that I really enjoy visiting.
The main thing I love about New Orleans is that it holds a uniqueness that is sadly missing in many American cities. Most American cities are everchanging landscapes following the latest in value-engineered building trends. Most big cities start to look generally the same. But not New Orleans.
I've always posited that if I fell asleep and work up in New Orleans that I would instantly know exactly what city I was in (San Francisco would also fare well in this exercise). It has held onto its history better than nearly every other city I've visited, and that historic architecture is generally unique for American cities. The number of pre-revolutionary war buildings and pre-civil war buildings in New Orleans must be unmatched in the USA.
This trip I was able to spend some time in the Garden District and it was such a delight to walk around that neighborhood. From the mansions to the shotgun shacks, some beautifully restored some in a more dilapidated state, but all held beauty and charm, with nary a modern McMansion in sight. I also quite enjoyed hanging out in Igor's on St. Charles street drinking $2 Miller High Life and watching the Olympics on a steamy Louisiana afternoon.
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| A house in the garden district |
That leads to the other reason I like New Orleans, it's a great drinking town. Of course things get skewed with Bourbon St. which is a fun time unto itself, but there are many great bars all around the town. Most of those bars are in old buildings, which I love. I spent a long time chatting with the owner of one of my favorite Bourbon St. Bars, Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop, and he told me about the history of the building going back to the 1720s - and they still don't have lights!
I'm not sure the next time I'll be making it back to New Orleans. I'd still really like to go to the WWII museum, and explore a few other areas outside of downtown/garden district. Unfortunately nearly every local I talked to said unsolicitedly that the city seems to be going in the wrong direction. This was confirmed for me when I looked up the population losses and crime rate. I felt that a little bit from the last few times I visited, but chalked some of that up to being there midweek during the summer. It felt a little dirtier, and a little rougher around the edges, and the sidewalks were atrocious. I'm amazed the city isn't getting sued every day by people being injured on the sidewalks. Hopefully the city will continue to attract visitors to enjoy one of my favorite places to walk around with a beer in the US.
