NEW ORLEANS RULES (with a little help from the US Forums!)

[cassarina]

The French Quarter is the only place that had ever smelled to me and that was mostly around Bourbon Street. There are great hotels on Canal Street. The tourist areas are pretty safe, but do not purchase Mardi Gras bead from the shops and wear them. You will be screaming TOURIST! everywhere you go. Natives wear them during the Mardi Gras season. Whom ever told you that you only need two days did not do their research. Purchase a travel book on New Orleans. We are very friendly in New Orleans,but we do not like snobs. Every person on the planet must experience the Jazz Festival held the last week of April and the first week of May. You will enjoy New Orleans.

[sumwunzma]

Most of the responses are correct in my opinion. Obviously they are all natives! One thing I will tell you is that we can be a little like the French in that we don't appreciate foreigners coming to our city and telling US about it. We get a little insulted when people say things like "don't y'all start drinking early?" (we drink a lot less than the tourists do, I assure you.) or when you pronounce things wrong and then continue to do it after you've been corrected! If you want to learn, just ask. Most locals will give you way more information than you need and are extremely hospitable. We realize that especially after "the thing" we are a banana republic and are totally dependent on tourist dollars because there is NOTHING else here! The hotels, restaurants and nightclubs were up and running way before the hospitals were!

[justone321]

My husband's folks are from NOLA (have pics of relatives from the 1800's)and they are the most fun and down to earth in-law's I could ever hope for. I love that you can almost look back in time just by looking at certain homes. The food is all heaven and spice. Get some home made pralines and don't forget Cafe du monde. Katrina broke our hearts.

[NOLA GIRL]

>Subject: New Orleans!!
>
>Finally, friends, a positive article about New Orleans. The piece is
>long,
>but worth the read. Unfortunately, the author is unnamed, but he or she
>deserves our gratitude for reviving our most pleasant memories of the
>beloved
>city of our youth.
>
>Check the Chris Rose quote at the end!
>
>
>New Orleans. How wonderful those words sound when said with no quirky
>emphasis on odd syllables. They always seem to elicit some response.
>Have you been there?
>Have you ever been to Cafe Du Monde for beignets and cafe au lait and gone
>back every morning of your visit? Have you ever sat for hours in the piano
>bar
>at Pat O'Brien's sipping hurricanes?
>Have you ever been to Mardi Gras - Bacchus? Endymion? Rex? Have you ever
>had
>oysters at the Acme House? Have you ever sat out on the "fly" eating
>crawfish and drinking Dixie beer?
>Have you ever taken a walking tour of the Garden District? Have you ever
>sung karaoke at Cat's Meow? Do you know who John Folse is? Have you ever
>risen
>at 6am to roam the streets of a "quiet" French Quarter?
>Have you ever been to Galatoire's? K-Paul's? Emeril's?
>Can you remember when Zulu threw gold-painted coconuts?
>Have you ever ridden the street-car down St.Charles Avenue secretly
>sipping
>your strawberry daiquiri?
>Have you ever had a mint julep on the porch of The Columns Hotel? Have you
>ever been to Audubon Park? City Park? Have you ever been to mass at the
>St.
>Louis Cathedral?
>Do you know who Harry Connick, Sr is? Have you ever had breakfast at
>Brennan's? Have you ever been to the original Tipitina's? Have you ever
>been to the
>Superdome? Saint's game? Sugar Bowl? Super Bowl? Final Four?
>Have you ever had cheese fries at Fat Harry's? Thrown peanuts on the floor
>at O'Henry's? Have you ever been to the Rendon Inn? Can you remember the
>New
>Orleans World's Fair?
>Have you ever been to the campuses of Tulane and Loyola? Have you been to
>a
>crawfish boil? Sucked the heads? Have you ever been "on the lake"? "Across
>the lake"? To the "west bank"?
>Have you had a Ferdi from Mother's and wondered what "debris" was? Have
>you
>ever been an unexpected invitee to a jazz funeral? Have you ever been to
>Jazzfest ---- first or second weekend? Have you ever been to Pontchartrain
>Beach?
>Have you ever stood in line at the Camellia Grill? Had a po-boy at
>Uglesich's? Oyster and artichoke soup at Mandina's? BBQ shrimp at Pascal
>Manale's?
>Gumbo at Dookie Chase? Have you ever been to a plantation home?
>Have you ever been to the French Quarter festival? Can you pronounce
>Tchoupitoulas? Thibodaux ? Boutte? Have you ever been to Clancy's? The
>Upperline?
>Brightsen's?
>Have you ever been to the Biloxi beaches? Have you ever had a monsoon at
>Port of Call? Breakfast at the Blue Bird?
>Have you ever seen the Neville Brothers? Cowboy Mouth? The Radiators?
>Have you ever been to New Orleans ?
>If you've been there, undoubtedly one of these things found its way to
>your
>itinerary. You probably also saw the dirty streets, the tired shotgun
>houses,
>and cracked sidewalks. You've heard about the high crime, poor public
>schools, poverty, and racism. And yes, there are many housing projects. It
>is very
>hot in the summer, people are generally overweight, and the city is always
>a
>hurricane away from being flooded.
>Each visitor chooses to see the New Orleans they want to see it. Luckily,
>New Orleans has the amazing ability to win over many more than it loses.
>It can
>cause one to see the big oaks hovering over St. Charles and not the trash
>on
>the sidewalks. It can cause one to focus on the street musician and not
>the
>street beggar. It can cause one to see the wrought iron balcony rather
>than
>the dilapidated building. What is it about the Big Easy that makes most see
>the positive and not the negative?
>The answer to New Orleans' allure may, on the surface, seem different for
>locals and tourists, but I suspect that there is a common thread - the
>people,
>the heart and soul of New Orleans.
>There is a culture and tradition in New Orleans that is sweet and simple.
>No
>need to over analyze this. It recognizes that the enjoyment of family and
>life is as attainable for the poor as it is for the rich.
>A hand on a shoulder and touch on the arm is just the way we say hello.
>We know that good music, food, and drink is made all the better when
>surrounded by friends who share the same outlook. When it is your way of
>life, when
>it is woven into your circle of friends, social gatherings aren't seen as
>"excesses" but as something you just do.
>New Orleanians don't believe they've cornered the market on this way of
>life. They recognize it when they see it elsewhere, and they applaud it.
>What makes New Orleans special is that they have a concentration of people
>who have it and foster it.
>It's generational.
>It's hereditary.
>The challenge to New Orleans , to the New Orleanian, is as great as ever.
>Its reputation temporarily tarnished by the things that occurred in the
>aftermath of Katrina, it is up to those who live there, have been there,
>and adopted
>this city to not let these terrible scenes replace the ones they have of
>the
>Big Easy. While money is needed to rebuild, preserving that feeling and
>attitude that New Orleans gave you on that last visit is just as
>important. Did
>the flood waters wash away the New Orleans way of life? Not a chance. Not
>a
>chance that New
>Orleanians would deprive future generations of this breeding ground of the
>good life.
>With the vast destruction of parts of New Orleans now clear, the question
>is
>being asked repeatedly, "Is New Orleans worth rebuilding?"
>To that, I can only reply, "Have you ever been to New Orleans ?"
>To end, here is a quote from Chris Rose, the Times-Picayune Columnist:
>We dance when there is no music. We drink at funerals. We talk too much,
>and
>live too large and, frankly, we're suspicious of others who don't...
>When you meet us now and you look into our eyes, you will see the saddest
>story ever told. Our hearts are broken into a thousand pieces. But don't
>pity
>us, we're gonna make it.
>After all, we've been rooting for the Saints for 40 years. That's got to
>count for something.
>
>
>Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and
>get used to the idea.
>-Robert A. Heinlein

[Drouzin]

Dan, I suggest that you go to nola.com. The site has a visitor section you'll want to check out.

[lululoo]

where do these "rules" come from?

new orleans is my second home. i am there as a visitor every chance i get. pre-katrina- yeah, it could be a bit whiffy in certain parts of the quarter (parts most people who live there don't really hang out in anyway), but what city doesn't have the odd miasma of stench? when you stick a lot of humans together in a small area, there is gonna be some stinkiness. especially if some of them can't hold their liquor.

decent hotels? i always always always stay at the frenchmen The Frenchmen Hotel, New Orleans, Louisiana Reservations: 1-800-831-1781. cheap, clean, cute as a button and a block from decatur. but if that isn't your taste, there is the hotel st marie in the quarter, the columns in the garden district-- the list goes on and on. i think you'll find that post-katrina new orleans is a bit more quiet that pre-katrina. and that's not necessarily a bad thing.

and, at this point, who doesn't know to try and be safe when they travel anywhere? keep your hippack and "I LOVE NEW ORLEANS" tourist tshirt at home, take photos and consult maps discretely. don't run around telling everyone how much different this place is than omaha or pittsburgh or wherever and you 'll be fine. its common sense: be aware of your surroundings but relax. new orleans is a fantastic place and always will be IMHO. have fun!

[Drouzin]

Nolagirl, you've just inspired me. I'm gonna put that on my kitchen wall; just as soon as I get one.

"We dance when there is no music. We drink at funerals. We talk too much,
and live too large and, frankly, we're suspicious of others who don't...
When you meet us now and you look into our eyes, you will see the saddest
story ever told. Our hearts are broken into a thousand pieces. But don't
pity us, we're gonna make it. After all, we've been rooting for the Saints for 40 years. That's got to count for something." From Dear America, by Chris Rose

Been a fan of Chris for years, always liked his writing style and quick wit. Thanks for the inspiration!