I LOVE New Orleans, but . . . (Atlanta: homeowners insurance, how much, neighborhood)

[tinalimey]

Originally Posted by thepointykitty

Stephen,

I had never been to New Orleans until April of 2008, when my husband and I "ran off and got married" there. I don't know what it was like before the storm, but I do know that no other place I've ever visited has grabbed my heart with both hands like New Orleans immediately did. We've been back many times since and will be moving permanently in the next few weeks. We just got back from our last visit about 12 hours ago.

Every time we go, we drive all over the city and mark good and bad areas on our map. We talk to people of all sorts. We have friends in Mandeville, Slidell, and Mid-City. We've also visited Metairie and Kenner and Gretna just to "be sure", but there's never been any question in my mind that I wanted to live in New Orleans itself.

I am 37 years old, caucasian, no children, and we own a small but growing costume business. We are from the city of Atlanta (not some gloriously mediocre suburb) and we know how to take care of ourselves. Sh*t happens everywhere, and you just have to be smart. We've never had a bad experience in New Orleans because we don't hang out with drug dealers or walk around at night in unfamiliar areas. We don't do that in Atlanta, either, or even in my in-laws' upper-class, whitebread suburb (where a young friend of the family was almost kidnapped last year by a stranger).

Get your butt to New Orleans and use your brain! In all of our visits, we have yet to meet a rude person, black or white, and the creative/artistic community there is incredible. I know there are criminals and thugs there, but the more good people that come the more outnumbered the bad ones will be. Life is what you make of it, and you get back what you put out. Focus on the positive and deal with the negative when necessary, but don't dwell on it. There are so many great neighborhoods in New Orleans. It is far, far from dead. Come on down, re-familiarize yourself and consider making the move. You could be a part of making a great city even better ;-)

Good Lord, a lot of this could have been written by me.

If you love the city so much, GO! I'd give anything right now to be moving there. My husband had a job offer there but sadly it fell through. We're both still actively looking for employment there.

There is something so unique about New Orleans, I absolutely fell in love with the place.

[jacq63]

What is it with that dang city? It's as if I'm separated from, and pining for a lover. We'll be there in just over a month but I feel like I'm wasting away in the meantime.
OP: I think the only way is to jump in that ol' deep end and start paddling...there'll always be a friend to throw you a life buoy should you need it.

[KCGator]

I love that city, it is amazing. I went to Tulane and was there before, during and after the storm. It did change, one would not expect otherwise, but there has been so much improvement from when I permanently left in summer of 07 to the last time I was back in fall of 09.
I will caution anyone that it is what it is. There is corruption and crime and sometimes things are a little backwards and (i'm sorry, i know i'm going to offend someone here) it has the worst drivers I have ever seen in my life, but its also amazing and full of life and culture and has some sort of meaning that I can't really describe or quantify. After four years I was SO ready to leave... within six weeks I was dying to go back... still am.

okay, so I love New Orleans but... I wish New Orleanians would make an attempt at abiding by traffic laws.

[Stephen Neil]

Well, not that anyone cares, but I've stopped minding what could go wrong..... I'm moving down there..... because I really, really want to.

[hey teach]

I personally feel everyone should live in New Orleans at least for one period of their life.

I also live in North Alabama and with all that is going on in our area now, students shooting students, professors shooting professors, airplanes crashing in subdivisions; terrible things happen everywhere.

Go for another visit, contact a rental agent or realtor (if you want to buy) and go for it. You will never know until you do it.

We lived in New Orleans in the late 1980's and one of our greatest desires is to return to live there again.

[Stephen Neil]

Where exactly do you live, hey teach?

I'm in Athens.

[Prytania]

I sometimes want to leave myself honestly. Why? I want smooth streets and drivers and creep up the road like they don't give a damn is irritating (and could honestly only be irritating if you had lived elsewhere).
I only fear if I left...5 minutes later I'd be thinking nooo, I made a mistake! I want to go back!
However so many people got displaced after the storm and I've always been a quiet person...it sucks to live here and be alone. :/

[WestbankNOLA]

Just when I was starting to think that I was an excellent driver. I get so irritated by drivers in other cities. My bad.

[Stephen Neil]

Originally Posted by Prytania

However so many people got displaced after the storm and I've always been a quiet person...it sucks to live here and be alone. :/

What do you mean by this? The statement seems to contradict itself. Many people left after the storm, yes. You are quiet, yes. Therefore, you enjoy the quiet, no?

Sucks to live there and be alone, i.e. single? What do you mean by alone? I'm confused.

Seems like everyone ******* about the motorists in their town, I think it's kind of silly honestly...... bad driving is not contagious. Maybe people drive aggressively or slowly as a bigger trend, sure, but outright ****ty driving can't really be that prevalent, to the degree that warrants people making such hyperbolic claims about the motorists of their city???

[Prytania]

I just think its hard to meet new people here.
Its very cliquey (although people are nice and talkative).

Being a quiet, shy person doesn't mean I don't miss friends or don't want new friends.