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What New Orleans Taught Me

commonedge.org

41–50 of 61 posts

Re: What New Orleans Taught Me

#41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If only the cheap public transit was reliable and punctual. It is amusing when the bus driver stops and gets out to buy crawfish though.

it’s all part of the experience lol. I’d imagine I’d stop finding these quirks amusing pretty quickly if I actually lived there and got over the honeymoon phase. Also the self affirmation messages they play on the buses were kinda surreal the first time I heard them after a long night on bourbon street

Believe me I’ve heard locals and visitors cursing the message out

Re: What New Orleans Taught Me

#42

Didn't grow up in the city, but relatives came from there, I still have an "ear to the ground" so to speak, am Saints fan and visit occasionally. Pros: - Great food - History (relative to the US at least) - Laid back culture - Decent public transit. Not as good as NYC or SF, but in the city and even outlying areas like Metarie the streetcar gets you alot of places - Interesting architechture in places like the Garden…

It’s apparently the murder capital of America too [0] [0] https://nypost.com/2022/09/18/new-orleans-becomes-murder-cap...

It was much worse back then and pre pandemic. In practice if you have a good relationship with your neighbors, they will probably warn you when the shooting is about to start.

Re: What New Orleans Taught Me

#43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Morris Bart is on your side!

I met Morris Bart at some kind of party when I was a teenager. He told me that advertising is the most powerful force in the universe.

He’s not right but he’s not wrong, I was waiting for something in one of the city’s offices once and he came in and people in the middle of much more complicated legal affairs recognized him and started begging him for help. He brushed them off and went through to do whatever his business was.

Plastic surgery’s a pretty powerful force in his universe too, this was only a few years ago but he looked just the same as when I was seeing his ads on tv in the eighties all the time.

Re: What New Orleans Taught Me

#44

Didn't grow up in the city, but relatives came from there, I still have an "ear to the ground" so to speak, am Saints fan and visit occasionally. Pros: - Great food - History (relative to the US at least) - Laid back culture - Decent public transit. Not as good as NYC or SF, but in the city and even outlying areas like Metarie the streetcar gets you alot of places - Interesting architechture in places like the Garden…

Public transit is abysmal in SF. The fact that it exists by no means qualifies it as "good".

Re: What New Orleans Taught Me

#45
I’ve traveled to NOLA for work over the years and have fallen in love with the city. The first time I went there, I just thought it would be a tourist trap which, of course, it partially is but you have to go beyond that to find all the wonderful things NOLA has to offer. What draws me to NOLA is the “grit” which is both good and bad. You can eat delicious and unique meals but there are other restaurants where you’ll get ripped off. The live music is simply second to none. My favorite by far is Frenchman street. Some memories I cherish is seeing the New Orleans Jazz Vipers at the Spotted Cat Cafe. I was sitting so close to the band once that I was basically sitting among the musicians. It’s the authenticity of NOLA I adore. But you’ve got be careful, and to be honest I don’t always feel safe there. When walking back to my hotel through the French Quarter at 2am, I walk as fast as I can and in the middle of the street so I am not mugged. Anyway, it is a place I’ve grown to love despite and perhaps because of the rough edges. Edit: Also the NOLA locals are fantastic people!

Re: What New Orleans Taught Me

#46
post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

New Orleans is not a place I would settle in, but it's one of the most interesting places I've ever visited in the U.S. - Setting for Gabriel Knight I: Sins of the Fathers. The most atmospheric game I've ever played. It was basically a tour of New Orleans (St Johns cemetery, Lake Ponchartrain, Tulane, etc.) - Yes, food. Even though Antoine's, Commander's Palace, Mothers are touristy, they're the best touristy food I'…

The best NOLA-based game is NORCO. Fight me.

Norco is in St. Charles Parish, not Orleans.

Re: What New Orleans Taught Me

#47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s apparently the murder capital of America too [0] [0] https://nypost.com/2022/09/18/new-orleans-becomes-murder-cap...

It was much worse back then and pre pandemic. In practice if you have a good relationship with your neighbors, they will probably warn you when the shooting is about to start.

Significant plus! My neighbors have never, ever warned me before a shooting starts

Re: What New Orleans Taught Me

#48
> Everyone thinks their early 20s were the golden age of the place they lived

Nope. This person is not terribly insightful.

> the more rigid monochronic frame that dominates the rest of the country. In polychronic cultures, time is seen as cyclical and relational rather than fixed

Maybe in brand new suburbs, but where else? This person is detached from the rest of our communal reality and is inventing a new one!

Re: What New Orleans Taught Me

#49

I’ve traveled to NOLA for work over the years and have fallen in love with the city. The first time I went there, I just thought it would be a tourist trap which, of course, it partially is but you have to go beyond that to find all the wonderful things NOLA has to offer. What draws me to NOLA is the “grit” which is both good and bad. You can eat delicious and unique meals but there are other restaurants where you’ll…

> You can eat delicious and unique meals but there are other restaurants where you’ll get ripped off.

Your risk of getting railroaded as a tourist drops dramatically if you stay away from the French Quarter. If you also stay away from any location the hop-on/hop-off buses stop, that drops almost to zero.

I live close enough to go 6-8 times per year. We only go into the Quarter to dine at restaurants that we know (and usually were recommended by natives) or shop at a handful of places whose only location is there.

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