I LOVE New Orleans / I HATE New Orleans (Metairie, Lafayette: hotel, high school)

[Huckleberry3911948]

the city is great (although sittin kinda low on some volatile water)
its the conduct that is an issue.
my mom is from new orleans, its has seen better days.
ps
there is nothin wrong with any big city. they are just a cluster of buildings
they just stand there and do nothin.
its about how well we treat each other. we all could do a better job huh?

[violet70]

Originally Posted by etland

I value living in a culturally vibrant city just as much as you. I am no fan of cookie cutter suburbs and have never lived in one. I too am well traveled and understand that New Orleans is a unique American city. This is what I took issue with. You seem to indicate that those of us who have left or are considering leaving are sacrificing the quality of life in New Orleans (as Chris Rose describes it) for safety and education and other concerns and that this is something you, as a culturally informed person, would not do. My point is simply that you have not walked in our shoes. Perhaps you would be willing to sacrifice whatever appeals to you about New Orleans if you had experienced what we've experienced. Perhaps those things would even lose their appeal completely. After what we have been through, safety and education are very appealing, I must say. And I should add, life is what you make of it. New Orleans is no magic cure for boredom. There've been many times over the past 17 years I've been pretty bored in New Orleans. I would even contend that you can make an interesting and vibrant life just about anywhere. Attitude and purpose have a lot to do with it. Not to discourage you from moving to New Orleans -- more power to you if you do.

No, I really don't think that anyone who has left NOLA, especially after going through everything with Katrina, is sacrificing the quality of life of New Orleans by leaving... my post was about me and no one else, me choosing what I want to do with my life/future. It is more about my own personal choice, and I must say I'm sure I'm idealizing New Orleans in some ways and wanting that sort of life again because I'm stuck in small town Ohio for the time being (all while on bedrest for baby #3 and we just had the first snow of the year, so I'm looking at 6 months of cold, cold, cold). I really just like the Chris Rose quote because I am missing the soft shell crab and port side of life and have a little too much of the boxer shorts and milk side. It just reminds me of what I like in NOLA. (which is what the thread was about, what we love/hate about New Orleans) I would be the last person to judge anyone for leaving NOLA after all the chaos. And, you are right, I would probably have given up all these ideas about New Orleans had I been there for Katrina. After seeing what my friends have gone through, I don't think I would have handled it well, probably worse than most, knowing my character. I guess I just have high hopes for the future of New Orleans... and I still have the luxury of 3 years to see what's going on there to make a decision.

[etland]

Originally Posted by violet70

I must say I'm sure I'm idealizing New Orleans in some ways and wanting that sort of life again because I'm stuck in small town Ohio for the time being (all while on bedrest for baby #3 and we just had the first snow of the year, so I'm looking at 6 months of cold, cold, cold). I really just like the Chris Rose quote because I am missing the soft shell crab and port side of life and have a little too much of the boxer shorts and milk side. It just reminds me of what I like in NOLA.

I understand completely. There is a great deal I miss about New Orleans and the entire State of Louisiana. It is a unique state -- culturally varied and with a rich and fascinating history. My own roots go back to before the Louisiana Purchase. However, life can be challenging in New Orleans, which I think Chris at least alludes to. As parents of small children, we felt it best to leave. If we had no children, we'd probably still be in New Orleans. I should point out that when I referred to safety in my prior post, my thoughts were more along the lines of levee protection and the harm done to the coastal wetlands and what that means in terms of New Orleans' susceptibility to future hurricanes. I wasn't thinking so much of crime -- although as someone who was also looted after Katrina, I did worry that if we evacuated for another hurricane, the looters would come back for seconds.

Well, anyway, best wishes with your pregnancy and all your future plans.

[violet70]

Chris Rose's column is awesome... he talks frankly about what is going on in NOLA... good and bad. A good read.

[Timmo]

Hey Everyone,

I have my own love/hate relatoinship with this "aging courtesan" (New Orleans).

Love: The Look, Neutral Grounds, diverse architecture, diverse plant life (underrated), Vieux Carre, uniqueness, awesome food, lifestyle, small feel, very walkable, best place for single person, parties

Hate: Corruption, incompetance, attitude, illiterate people, glorification of status quo, no work ethic, complacency, horrible schools, "urban street flooding", more amenities before katrina, "the way they do business", landlords, not great for raising a family

After reading some posts I thought about some things: What we call "culture" should really be lifestyle, and a lot of "culture" is really the tourist hype. Example: I never heard anyone say I'm "makin' groceries" or "crawfish out of it".

[Vampgrrl]

I have to say I have heard "makin' groceries".

It is culture when compared with much of the rest of the United States.
New Orleans is one of the few urban centers that hasn't really homogenized itself...

[luckiestguy]

My family struggled with this decision for a long time. We lived there for eleven years, and loved/hated New Orleans. Even though we got two feet of water in our home in Old Metairie from Katrina we were so excited about the possiblities after the strom, and we were determined to rebuild and stay. In January of '07 I finally decided I couldn't take it anymore; the incredible provincialism, corruption, poverty, and ignorance seemed insurrmontable, and we made a final decision to leave.

I remember watching my wife's graduation ceremony at UNO in 1999, and the keynote speaker literally BEGGED the new graduates not to leave Louisiana. The saddest part was that the only compelling reasons he could give not to leave were that "you'll miss your mama, red beans and rice, and Mardi Gras". It was pathetic.

Let's face it; the best and brightest people have been leaving New Orleans for generations, and Katrina just excellerated this process. Once we decided to leave, we bascialy considered every place to live in the states and we picked San Antonio, TX. We've been here for three months, and WE LOVE IT. The city is beautiful, clean, friendly, and people and companies are relcoating here for simple reasons: great schools, great work force, and a business friendly, progressive, political environment. I think we all know that New Orleans will never have any of these things. New Orleans peaked in the 1840s, and San Antonio is peaking now. Life is too short to live in a sad, depressing, hopeless place. I gave eleven years of my life to this hopeless cause, so I think I'm qualified to tease the newbie crusaders who've recently arrived in NO! I admire you, but I'm convinced you'll ultimately leave too. Perharps if I could afford to keep five or six residences like Nick Cage and Brad Pitt, I'd keep a little place in New Orleans too!

You don't have to sell your soul and move to a souless, generic place like Dallas or Atlanta. There are plenty of places, like San Antonio, with lots of history, character, culture, diversity, and unique idnentiy. San Antonio has managed to keep all of these things, and find economic, academic, and political success. A city doesn't have to be a backward slum to have character!

Good luck with your decision. I guaratnee you'll be much happier if you move away from NO and Louisiana. We're happy with our decision every day.

[Vampgrrl]

Your opinion only my dear. Some of us are working for better, and embrace the challenges. Its fine if you left but you should hold off with the negative attitude toward others who still live in New Orleans.
And believe it or not...some of us are genuinely happy here. I love it here and wouldn't dream of being anywhere else in the world.

[schdds]

Let me start by stating i wasn't in N.O. for Katrina. i completed a residency program and left 2 years earlier.
I've traveled my entire life, never living anywhere more than 5 yrs (and that was for college). New Olreans is the only place i've lived that i really miss. i was only there for 2 years but it left it's mark. I've been doing the military thing (non-combatant) for 4 yrs, got out a little over a year ago, and my wife and I took a year to explore "similar" places. We've been looking for a town with southern charm, where you can walk down the sidewalk for a coffee, or groceries, or a mojito. We've been looking for another uptown, and they are few and far between. we spent 3 months in Charleston, explored the Carolina's. (too far from family). Spent 5 months in Austin (Wife didn't care for Texas..not trolling..it's just a fact). I'd like to echo the fact that San Antonio is a special city. I spent four year there. A city with tremendous culture and heritage. Oh well, wife says "no" to Tx.
We just spent another day in N.O., that's all it takes to make me homesick. We're seriously thinking about moving back, but it's a huge decision. For my profession, B.R. is a bit crowded. we're looking at Lafayette or N.O. This puts us close to family.
Lafayette is oozing with heritage, the kind i love, but it's not N.O. (That's probably why a lot of people live there!).
Anyway, i'm busy listening (reading) everyone's thoughts. Uptown has all it's charm. Hanging out on Magazine street was a joy.

oh, we're in Nashville now. Very pretty city, and you can definately lose weight living here. There's one cajun restaurant here called "Bro's". no one could pronounce "Breaux" so they changed the spelling. nuff said. It's not home.

Got to move somewhere next summer. But where...

[JamesAbilene]

My wife and I lived in Southern Louisiana in the early 70's, and we loved it. We spent a great deal of time in New Orleans. When my company offered me a transfer to Ohio, I took it simply because of the quality of the schools in Ohio compared to the schools in Louisiana. (My wife is a teacher and knew first-hand that the public schools in our little community west of Nola did not measure up.) We are also Baptist like you, and we were sending our daughter to a Catholic school. The school was good, but our daughter was becoming Catholic. No offense to Catholics, but we wanted to raise her Baptist.

Now--whether to stay or go. I think, from what I have read in these threads, that a young person with a young family would have a great opportunity to be in on the ground floor of re-creating NOLA--keeping what is unique and improving what were problems--like the public schools. I am too old to move now, but if I were younger, I think that I would like to be in a city that has a chance to re-invent itself. Having said that, I wouldn't stay over a few years if the direction the city takes is not positive. But if I had your indecision, I would stay and see what direction the city will go--if I could find decent schools for the kids.