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Old 10-27-2009, 08:08 AM
 
226 posts, read 975,534 times
Reputation: 84

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I am Chicago now. Not liking it at all. I moved from Maryland. I miss it. I miss the charm of Charm City (Baltimore). I miss the East Coast. Outside of Chicago, it is still the mid-west. Unappealing site!

What is this New Orleans thing I keep hearing that some people there or have been there miss it, New Orleans "calling them back", what is all this? What's so good about that place. I'm considering a move out of Chicago. This place is average.

Is NO affordable? It should be compared to Chicago or any NE cities. Will car insurance be high in NO?

People always talk about the food in their city. Like Chicagoans talk about how great Chicago Pizza is. It is good, but anyone from Alabama can emulate a Chicago Pizza with the right ingredients/oven/and chef. It has NOTHING to do with regional base at all. Baltimore has crab cakes. Baltimoreans don't brag about it as much as Chicagoans brag about their pizzas. Crab cakes can be packed by Murray's and shipped anywhere, then you fry it. Good food is not based on region. I've seen on this forum some people in New Orleans brag about their food, etc. but what else is really special about NO? Is it the overall atmosphere of the city? The people? Is it the debauchery? The STDs? What is it?
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Old 10-27-2009, 10:58 AM
 
6 posts, read 20,767 times
Reputation: 15
Default There's no other place like this

I'm not from here but I had already loved visiting New Orleans and became a resident two years ago. I plan on staying forever.

The food is certainly outstanding. The restaurant culture is extraordinary here and there is a food-worship culture among even the middle class here that I haven't seen elsewhere. This is also the birthplace of jazz and there is abundant live jazz and blues throughout the city. In fact, for a small city, there are a remarkable number of great venues for music and theater as well.

There is far more history within the city than any other place in the Southern US. The blend of french, spanish and even african influences have created the most beautiful walking city in the United States. There are many beautiful areas to explore including Uptown, the French Quarter and the Garden District.

We are a small city which has many advantages including relatively little traffic issues. We are just big enough to offer professional football and professional basketball teams though which are fun possibilities.

Overall, there is simply a sense of fun and even joy to the culture here. The Mardi Gras is the most outrageous display and celebration I have ever seen and people come to New Orleans from all over the world to participate. Similarly, the Jazz Fest is two weeks of the celebration of music and 150,000 people all have a great time together. Other events like Voodoo Fest and Essence Festival also attract an extraordinary number of great and prominent musicians and legions of fans seeking not just concerts but actual experiences.

There are some obvious problems with living in New Orleans. This city is famous for crime but honestly you don't really feel unsafe as long as you are familiar with the city and stay in the nicer areas. The public schools are historically bad but have improved as money has been put into developing many charter schools. The quality and variety of private schools is very high. Insurance is very expensive here. Car insurance will be greater but that is a relatively small amount of money. Property insurance will be the most frustrating expense and accounts for nearly 20% of my house payment. That makes living in New Orleans relatively expense, even if renting. It is certainly more expensive than Houston, Dallas or Atlanta. It is not nearly so expensive as Washington, D.C. or New York City.

Overally, this is the most beautiful and interesting city I have known in the United States. It is the most fun city I have ever lived. I don't understand why every young person does not choose to live here.

This is the most beautiful city I have been to in the United States. This is also the most fun city I have ever
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Old 10-27-2009, 11:14 AM
 
Location: Way up north :-)
3,037 posts, read 5,911,589 times
Reputation: 2946
^What they said. It is all that, but I'd add that it's also something you cannot put your finger on, it's about the atmosphere here. Whether its the hustle and bustle of the tourist precinct, with the ever-present melange of music, or the utter quiet of the quarter at 4am (I know this too, too well! ), it has an undefinable charisma and air of mystery.

Many people here say you either 'get' New Orleans or you don't. I think you have to listen to it, to somehow get the 'vibe'. Sorry if thats a bit airy fairy, don't know how else to put it.
Just absorb it, take it all in, and keep an open mind. The old dame has been through a lot, but you cant keep a good southern woman down!
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Old 10-27-2009, 03:14 PM
 
104 posts, read 474,526 times
Reputation: 90
well, it is definitely not east coast, so you won't find that. and it's about as far away from Vegas as you can get in one sense, even though on the surface you might expect Vegas to be comparable. it's not though, because vegas (to me, sorry to offend folks from there) is kind of soul-less, and nola has a soul--a dark one, in some regards, but it's palpable. mind you, it doesn't take long to get outside the bubble and be faced with red neck southern culture (well, a bizarre louisiana variation on that theme, anyway), and that's even found within the metro area--where you will also find traffic, I must disagree with the no-traffic remark above, unless you are in certain neighborhoods, which actually still exist in the city, and that, too, is one enduring aspect of its culture: with no where really to build suburban sprawl, the implosion that happened to many american cities, with a desolate down town that closes after the office buildings empty, never really happened in NO; there are lots of historical 'hoods that have different histories and populations and that flavor lingers today. I'm moving back soon, and though I'm anxious in all the senses of the word (anticipating, yet a bit scared), I can't wait. I can tell you this: Austin may lay claim to live music capital of the world, but New Orleanians would dispute that (and certainly the musical VARIETY is greater in nola), and lots of places have great restaurants, but NOLA is tops in local eateries where you can eat really well (and it used to be cheap, but is still reasonable given the quality). Food is religion, and though you can find an Appleby's or TGIFridays, they are about as far as you can get from the nola dining experience. just check out the dining and food sections of nola.com.
oh, and it goes without saying that you gotta love seafood for this to work out! you can find a good crab cake, but you can also get a bushel of boiled crabs to bring home, roll out some newspaper, crack open a cold one, and enjoy life in the slow lane. that's nola.
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Old 10-27-2009, 10:07 PM
 
104 posts, read 474,526 times
Reputation: 90
Quote:
Originally Posted by Avengerfire View Post
Ignore this guy
um, thanks for the heads-up. maybe a troll. But his was a legitimate question from someone who sounds a little homesick, out of place, and looking for the proverbial greener grass. he didn't ask anyone to compare nola to anywhere or to crap on chicago, and no one has done so. Feel free to denigrate him as looney tunes, disturbed, or a troll if you wish, but I think some folks don't mind responding to a thread that can balance the "what are the downsides of NOLA?" thread. Besides that, New Orleanians take pride in their hospitality and that they know the importance of community, of what it means to look out for those in need--and what it means to be homesick. We ignore a lot of things that deserve attention, but I don't feel the need to shut down a discussion that lets people try to put civic pride (for a place that itself has been too ignored) into words. it'll fizzle out on its own terms.
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Old 10-27-2009, 11:20 PM
 
1,350 posts, read 2,291,388 times
Reputation: 959
He's probably a bit homesick.
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Old 10-30-2009, 12:34 PM
 
226 posts, read 975,534 times
Reputation: 84
wait...ignore me for what? trolling? I lived in other states so I can post on different states I lived in or curious about can't I?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Avengerfire View Post
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Old 10-30-2009, 12:39 PM
 
226 posts, read 975,534 times
Reputation: 84
Wow. NO is more expensive than Houston, ATL, Dallas. That's odd. I expected NO to be cheaper. In Chicago you can find a studio or 1 bedroom apartment in an ok neighborhood for $550-600 a month. Heat, Water, Electricity included. Can this be found in NO? I would expect you can since its a rundown city isnt it? And the south too.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Surfpuckmd View Post
I'm not from here but I had already loved visiting New Orleans and became a resident two years ago. I plan on staying forever.

The food is certainly outstanding. The restaurant culture is extraordinary here and there is a food-worship culture among even the middle class here that I haven't seen elsewhere. This is also the birthplace of jazz and there is abundant live jazz and blues throughout the city. In fact, for a small city, there are a remarkable number of great venues for music and theater as well.

There is far more history within the city than any other place in the Southern US. The blend of french, spanish and even african influences have created the most beautiful walking city in the United States. There are many beautiful areas to explore including Uptown, the French Quarter and the Garden District.

We are a small city which has many advantages including relatively little traffic issues. We are just big enough to offer professional football and professional basketball teams though which are fun possibilities.

Overall, there is simply a sense of fun and even joy to the culture here. The Mardi Gras is the most outrageous display and celebration I have ever seen and people come to New Orleans from all over the world to participate. Similarly, the Jazz Fest is two weeks of the celebration of music and 150,000 people all have a great time together. Other events like Voodoo Fest and Essence Festival also attract an extraordinary number of great and prominent musicians and legions of fans seeking not just concerts but actual experiences.

There are some obvious problems with living in New Orleans. This city is famous for crime but honestly you don't really feel unsafe as long as you are familiar with the city and stay in the nicer areas. The public schools are historically bad but have improved as money has been put into developing many charter schools. The quality and variety of private schools is very high. Insurance is very expensive here. Car insurance will be greater but that is a relatively small amount of money. Property insurance will be the most frustrating expense and accounts for nearly 20% of my house payment. That makes living in New Orleans relatively expense, even if renting. It is certainly more expensive than Houston, Dallas or Atlanta. It is not nearly so expensive as Washington, D.C. or New York City.

Overally, this is the most beautiful and interesting city I have known in the United States. It is the most fun city I have ever lived. I don't understand why every young person does not choose to live here.

This is the most beautiful city I have been to in the United States. This is also the most fun city I have ever
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Old 10-31-2009, 01:58 AM
 
1,350 posts, read 2,291,388 times
Reputation: 959
I pay $700 for a dump in an ok neighborhood. Cable is free, run off the landlord's house and water is. Power is not free and can be pricey.

City isn't run down really, its just OLD. And property insurance keeps rents slightly higher, but not outrageous either IMHO.
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Old 10-31-2009, 08:19 PM
 
117 posts, read 505,937 times
Reputation: 35
Quote:
Originally Posted by movingsomewhere View Post
I am Chicago now. Not liking it at all. I moved from Maryland. I miss it. I miss the charm of Charm City (Baltimore). I miss the East Coast. Outside of Chicago, it is still the mid-west. Unappealing site!

What is this New Orleans thing I keep hearing that some people there or have been there miss it, New Orleans "calling them back", what is all this? What's so good about that place. I'm considering a move out of Chicago. This place is average.

Is NO affordable? It should be compared to Chicago or any NE cities. Will car insurance be high in NO?

People always talk about the food in their city. Like Chicagoans talk about how great Chicago Pizza is. It is good, but anyone from Alabama can emulate a Chicago Pizza with the right ingredients/oven/and chef. It has NOTHING to do with regional base at all. Baltimore has crab cakes. Baltimoreans don't brag about it as much as Chicagoans brag about their pizzas. Crab cakes can be packed by Murray's and shipped anywhere, then you fry it. Good food is not based on region. I've seen on this forum some people in New Orleans brag about their food, etc. but what else is really special about NO? Is it the overall atmosphere of the city? The people? Is it the debauchery? The STDs? What is it?
Life is too short to live somewhere that doesn't suit you. That said, is there anyway that you could relocate from Chicago back to Baltimore? If not, is there anyway that you could visit New Orleans for a few days. New Orleans is one of those places where you have to experience being there first hand to see if it would be right for you. What I am saying could apply to any other city.However, some of us who have visited here felt a instant sense of belonging: I have felt more at home in New Orleans than I ever did in my native Chicago.

This isn't to say that Chicago is bad. In fact, there are many things about Chicago that I still enjoy. However, as I get older, my needs and wants are changing. I think that, given an opportunity, I would relocate to New Orleans in a heartbeat. My decision wouldn't be based on the great food, architecture,people, and culture because there are other cities(including Chicago) that offer the same. It would be based on my desire to make the city a better place for all.

Is New Orleans right for you? Only you can make that determination. But if your heart is still in Baltimore, you owe it to yourself to see if it is possible for you to relocate back there. Best of luck to you in whatever you decide.
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