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Some people are extremely sensitive about the New Orleans murder rate. I don't get why people don't listen to facts.
I know, right? You mean how you don't listen to the fact that the murder rate, while quite high, is isolated to very specific areas and lifestyles? Or that the violent crime rate actually isn’t that bad, and in fact is better than a wide range of cities from New Haven, Connecticut to Orlando, Florida. You mean facts like that, right?
NOLA... a bad relationship that you keep going back to; a codependency; a toxic yet alluring pull.
I survived K (never thought of myself as a victim, tho lost everything material, I more than gained in personal insight and evolution and growth.)
I kept moving back, changing my mind. And back again. My job didn't care since I do IT work and most can be done remotely.
I had the time of my life in my 20's and 30's. As with NYC, glad I got it out of my system while still young.
But Katrina... so many of my friends used it as an excuse to keep going down the darker path. Not me, I did the opposite, sobered up mentally, took stock of what matters. When something like that happens, it does make you understand who and what you want and need.
And no matter how awesome life is in NOLA , how magical,unique, and charming like a fairy tale... for me, it wasn't a place to further my career or my priorities .
I could tell so many tales, of how I and my friends contributed to the problems of corruption, laziness, the "system", the old boys network if you will. I knew people. The right people. Disappeared vehicles, five hour martini lunches, fixed traffic tickets, free meals, free rides basically.
Lots of people there are in no hurry because there's nothing in particular to look forward to, and it's easier to coast along in an environment where everyone looks the other way.
Eventually I knew I'd fall into the same toxic patterns and I wanted a family and I wanted more than to aspire to say ... rolling with the muses!? (Please no one take personal offense there, it's a great honor!)
I left and had kids and my career soared.
And I'll be back after I retire . To live out my days in the last great Bohemia of the USA.
You have to, at heart - be at least poet, pirate, gypsy, and just not care about all the conventional norm, to thrive there in NOLA, and thrive you will , experiencing highs and lows like no one else...
"Well, I wish I was in New Orleans, I can see it in my dreams,
Arm-in-arm down Burgundy, a bottle and my friends and me
Hoist up a few tall cool ones, play some pool and listen
To that tenor saxophone calling me home
And I can hear the band begin "When the Saints Go Marching In",
And by the whiskers on my chin, New Orleans, I'll be there
I'll drink you under the table, be red-nosed, go for walks,
The old haunts what I wants is red beans and rice
And wear the dress I like so well, and meet me at the old saloon,
Make sure that there's a Dixie moon, New Orleans, I'll be there
And deal the cards roll the dice, if it ain't that old Chuck E. Weiss,
And Claiborne Avenue, me and you Sam Jones and all
And I wish I was in New Orleans, 'cause I can see it in my dreams,
Arm-in-arm down Burgundy, a bottle and my friends and me
New Orleans, I'll be there"
NOLA... a bad relationship that you keep going back to; a codependency; a toxic yet alluring pull.
I survived K (never thought of myself as a victim, tho lost everything material, I more than gained in personal insight and evolution and growth.)
I kept moving back, changing my mind. And back again. My job didn't care since I do IT work and most can be done remotely.
I had the time of my life in my 20's and 30's. As with NYC, glad I got it out of my system while still young.
But Katrina... so many of my friends used it as an excuse to keep going down the darker path. Not me, I did the opposite, sobered up mentally, took stock of what matters. When something like that happens, it does make you understand who and what you want and need.
And no matter how awesome life is in NOLA , how magical,unique, and charming like a fairy tale... for me, it wasn't a place to further my career or my priorities .
I could tell so many tales, of how I and my friends contributed to the problems of corruption, laziness, the "system", the old boys network if you will. I knew people. The right people. Disappeared vehicles, five hour martini lunches, fixed traffic tickets, free meals, free rides basically.
Lots of people there are in no hurry because there's nothing in particular to look forward to, and it's easier to coast along in an environment where everyone looks the other way.
Eventually I knew I'd fall into the same toxic patterns and I wanted a family and I wanted more than to aspire to say ... rolling with the muses!? (Please no one take personal offense there, it's a great honor!)
I left and had kids and my career soared.
And I'll be back after I retire . To live out my days in the last great Bohemia of the USA.
You have to, at heart - be at least poet, pirate, gypsy, and just not care about all the conventional norm, to thrive there in NOLA, and thrive you will , experiencing highs and lows like no one else...
"Well, I wish I was in New Orleans, I can see it in my dreams,
Arm-in-arm down Burgundy, a bottle and my friends and me
Hoist up a few tall cool ones, play some pool and listen
To that tenor saxophone calling me home
And I can hear the band begin "When the Saints Go Marching In",
And by the whiskers on my chin, New Orleans, I'll be there
I'll drink you under the table, be red-nosed, go for walks,
The old haunts what I wants is red beans and rice
And wear the dress I like so well, and meet me at the old saloon,
Make sure that there's a Dixie moon, New Orleans, I'll be there
And deal the cards roll the dice, if it ain't that old Chuck E. Weiss,
And Claiborne Avenue, me and you Sam Jones and all
And I wish I was in New Orleans, 'cause I can see it in my dreams,
Arm-in-arm down Burgundy, a bottle and my friends and me
New Orleans, I'll be there"
~Tom Waits, "*Wish I Was In New Orleans"
I'm definitely a poet and a gypsy at heart, so maybe that's why I've been pulled back here over and over since first visiting in 1998. I never thought I'd want to raise a kid here, but after my daughter was born, I discovered there was no better place to be. We've also lived in Los Angeles and different cities throughout Florida since she was born five years ago, but I feel she'll have the best childhood here in New Orleans. It doesn't hurt that I love it here, too!
Our parks and playgrounds can't be beat, we have the gorgeous old library with the amazing children's room on St. Charles, the teddy bear tea parties at Christmas, a plethora of kids Halloween activities...and trick-or-treating at the mansions in the Garden District. Not to mention the parades and live music around every corner. A magical childhood, indeed.
I have no idea how it would be to further a career here, though, since I'm a writer who works from home. I got all of the corporate ladder-climbing stuff out of my system at the movie studios in L.A. before I settled down here, so I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything at all. I left a big part of my heart in L.A., though, so I think I'll always wonder what life would have been like if we chose to raise our daughter there. Both New Orleans and L.A. are cities for people who crave daily adventure and something more than white picket fence suburbia, I think.
Last edited by southerngirl17; 10-19-2016 at 04:04 AM..
I'm definitely a poet and a gypsy at heart, so maybe that's why I've been pulled back here over and over since first visiting in 1998. I never thought I'd want to raise a kid here, but after my daughter was born, I discovered there was no better place to be. We've also lived in Los Angeles and different cities throughout Florida since she was born five years ago, but I feel she'll have the best childhood here in New Orleans. It doesn't hurt that I love it here, too!
Our parks and playgrounds can't be beat, we have the gorgeous old library with the amazing children's room on St. Charles, the teddy bear tea parties at Christmas, a plethora of kids Halloween activities...and trick-or-treating at the mansions in the Garden District. Not to mention the parades and live music around every corner. A magical childhood, indeed.
I have no idea how it would be to further a career here, though, since I'm a writer who works from home. I got all of the corporate ladder-climbing stuff out of my system at the movie studios in L.A. before I settled down here, so I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything at all. I left a big part of my heart in L.A., though, so I think I'll always wonder what life would have been like if we chose to raise our daughter there. Both New Orleans and L.A. are cities for people who crave daily adventure and something more than white picket fence suburbia, I think.
Wow! From L.A. to New Orleans? Seems like a pretty drastic change? Glad to hear you enjoy New Orleans.
I'm definitely a poet and a gypsy at heart, so maybe that's why I've been pulled back here over and over since first visiting in 1998. I never thought I'd want to raise a kid here, but after my daughter was born, I discovered there was no better place to be. We've also lived in Los Angeles and different cities throughout Florida since she was born five years ago, but I feel she'll have the best childhood here in New Orleans. It doesn't hurt that I love it here, too!
Our parks and playgrounds can't be beat, we have the gorgeous old library with the amazing children's room on St. Charles, the teddy bear tea parties at Christmas, a plethora of kids Halloween activities...and trick-or-treating at the mansions in the Garden District. Not to mention the parades and live music around every corner. A magical childhood, indeed.
I have no idea how it would be to further a career here, though, since I'm a writer who works from home. I got all of the corporate ladder-climbing stuff out of my system at the movie studios in L.A. before I settled down here, so I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything at all. I left a big part of my heart in L.A., though, so I think I'll always wonder what life would have been like if we chose to raise our daughter there. Both New Orleans and L.A. are cities for people who crave daily adventure and something more than white picket fence suburbia, I think.
I don't know how many times I've heard people say this is not a good place to raise kids. It's usually from someone who has only visited the tourist areas.
I agree that it's a great place for kids to grow up. My kids are thriving here. The hard part is getting them into one of the few good public schools down here, or being able to afford the private schools. I was lucky enough to get my daughters enrolled in one of the best public schools.
I think most parents decide that a smaller town with nothing much going on is a safer place for kids. I grew up in those small towns, and my friends and I were so bored that we went looking for trouble. The only thing fun to do in places like that as a teenager is sex, drugs, and drinking. Luckily, I made it through those years.
My experiences with N.O. go back to the 60's, and I've lived there many times. It's not really accurate to say that the crime isn't that bad, or it's only in certain areas. The crime is out of hand, off the charts, and I felt very unsafe there the last time I visited, never mind that the cops are as dangerous as the criminals! The square isn't the same either since they did away w/ all the artists that used to ring the whole park. The city has always attracted wannabes. As Tennessee wrote, painters that don't paint, and writers that don't write. It would be remiss not to mention the incompetent and criminal politicians too. One ex governor just got out of federal prison, one ex mayor of N. O. is currently in prison, and David Duke is still slinking around down there somewhere.
Some things are still good like the food and the music, but that is not enough to make me go back even for a visit. The place is just lacking so much basic stuff compared to other cities. Great place to visit if you have street smarts and stay out of many parts of the city, NOT a good place to live. I suspect all the boosters here are not from New Orleans, and if you're from Ohio or Wisconsin the city can look mighty attractive. There are lots of other interesting vibrant cities in America though, so the choice isn't N. O. vs Mayberry. St Pete for example, is a great place to live, very liberal, beautiful, and much safer.
My adult memories of the place go back nearly 50 years, and many things have not gotten better. It was a high crime city 50 years ago, and it's a high crime city now. They don't call it The City That Care Forgot for nothing. At some point you realize that endlessly carousing on Bourbon St and eating high fat foods is not necessarily the best way to live your life, and most folks that leave never look back because nothing ever changes. We changed, but N.O. doesn't.
My experiences with N.O. go back to the 60's, and I've lived there many times. It's not really accurate to say that the crime isn't that bad, or it's only in certain areas. The crime is out of hand, off the charts, and I felt very unsafe there the last time I visited, never mind that the cops are as dangerous as the criminals! The square isn't the same either since they did away w/ all the artists that used to ring the whole park. The city has always attracted wannabes. As Tennessee wrote, painters that don't paint, and writers that don't write. It would be remiss not to mention the incompetent and criminal politicians too. One ex governor just got out of federal prison, one ex mayor of N. O. is currently in prison, and David Duke is still slinking around down there somewhere.
Some things are still good like the food and the music, but that is not enough to make me go back even for a visit. The place is just lacking so much basic stuff compared to other cities. Great place to visit if you have street smarts and stay out of many parts of the city, NOT a good place to live. I suspect all the boosters here are not from New Orleans, and if you're from Ohio or Wisconsin the city can look mighty attractive. There are lots of other interesting vibrant cities in America though, so the choice isn't N. O. vs Mayberry. St Pete for example, is a great place to live, very liberal, beautiful, and much safer.
My adult memories of the place go back nearly 50 years, and many things have not gotten better. It was a high crime city 50 years ago, and it's a high crime city now. They don't call it The City That Care Forgot for nothing. At some point you realize that endlessly carousing on Bourbon St and eating high fat foods is not necessarily the best way to live your life, and most folks that leave never look back because nothing ever changes. We changed, but N.O. doesn't.
I greatly appreciate how terribly you speak of the city of New Orleans. I appreciate everyone that speaks bad of it. I wish that there were more people like you doing their best to try to keep people from living there. Because if there were more people like you then sellers would have to drop their prices and it wouldn't cost a half million to a million dollars for a tiny two bedroom condo in the French Quarter. So please keep it up and continue to spread your message of hate for the city. Continue to warn everyone how horrible it is so that less people want to live there and it becomes cheaper.
Last edited by Alabamarose; 10-21-2016 at 04:59 PM..
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I don't get why people don't listen to facts.
