America, Life of adventure, Travel

Heading down to New Orleans

Suzanne

It was October 2016.

Our first hour in New Orleans on a steamy summer night was quite challenging. We stood outside our Airbnb, but no one answered the door.

“Okay, let’s not panic.”

“What’s there to panic about?”

We faced minor issues, loitering in an unfamiliar neighbourhood, no mobile phone coverage, and looking like sore thumbs. As we stood and waited, reassuring ourselves that everything was fine, those 20 minutes felt like an eternity until the owners, who seemed somewhat “stoned,” finally arrived home.

After over 30 hours on a train from New York, we desperately needed a shower and were eager to lie down. Both of those needs were met after we chatted and had a cup of tea with our hosts. They were Kiwis, one a full-blown Kiwi, and the other half American and half Kiwi; which was one reason we chose to stay at their Airbnb: to hear about their experiences as expats living in New Orleans.

This city is raw and in-your-face. Unfortunately, many of its residents struggle with alcohol issues. Our taxi driver eagerly shared this little nugget of information with us, simultaneously recounting how he knifed a passenger last year. He insisted it was all in self-defence, so he felt justified. My companion and I exchanged raised eyebrows, thinking, “Some people have a tough life!”

Another amusing yet strange moment occurred while we were walking around town. A man approached me and said, “You look like a gal who would get me liquored up.” As a polite visitor to New Orleans, I only used “F*CK off” once, and it worked; he didn’t seem to understand the friendly version. For some reason, many people don’t.

Despite these moments, we felt safe wandering the streets and walking back to our Airbnb in the semi-darkness without any hassles.

All that aside, New Orleans is one of the most unusual cities we have visited, and I’m unlikely to want to revisit. It’s a walkable city, though crossing a two-lane street to reach the next part of town without a crossing or traffic lights was nightmarish. If walking became too tiresome, there were hired bikes available throughout the city. I even had the chance to try one owned by our Airbnb hosts, Rick and Liz.

Note the beads on the handlebars; these are given out during Mardi Gras. We received some when we flew to Houston, making for a fun memento from this fascinating and eccentric city.

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Published by Suzanne

I'm a lover of creativity and movement, expressed through photography, words, travel and sports. . . . . . .

35 thoughts on “Heading down to New Orleans”

  6. I love your very understated “some people don’t get the polite version for some reason.” 🙂 New Orleans is an interesting place filled with ghosts of every description. Thanks for the post, you made me smile.

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    1. Thanks Angela, and really pleased it made you smile. That’s exactly what I love doing, making people smile, though doesn’t always happen that way 🙂

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  11. My husband and I visited NO years ago for the Jazz Festival. I’m glad we went, had a great time, no desire to go back. The sights, food, and music were terrific, but it was a bit too hot and crowded for my taste. I think it is a city that everyone should visit at least once.

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  12. Pingback: Not the average couple – Global Housesitter x2

  13. Ah, so you did enjoy it. I’m so glad! It’s one of my favorite cities in the US. Unfortunately, there’s much that was lost in the hurricane. I also hope you were able to find some of the less touristy establishments to eat. For me, New Orleans is not just about the history, culture, and music; it’s also about some of the tastier food in the states as well. 😉

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    1. To be honest the food wasn’t that memorable. Though that’s more a reflection of our budget than what the city has to offer. We enjoyed NYC more than New Orleans. Both have their merits. Pleased that we got to experience a small slice of New Orleans culture.

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  16. We went there for a wedding of two English friends, one of whom had studied for her Masters in Linguistics at the U.of Louisiana (I think) and as her brother lived there as a musician she had made lots of friends, one of whom offered her house in the city for the wedding complete with Gospel Choir. We made it a two-week stay but as the family were there as well, we met up each evening and were guided around the clubs and restaurants by the resident brother. He also told us which areas to avoid and were we would be safe AND he gave us the name of a lawyer to call should we be rounded up in a raid at any time – something that happens a lot apparently. I loved it, loved the edginess and the frisson of danger but I hated the tipping for every drink in a bar (I’ll never get used to the American way of life). We’ve been back since Katrina and found it much the same but our friends there tell us it’s become more gun-happy.

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  17. I can’t see any photos on this blog, Suzanne. I don’t know why. I looked at it yesterday and was puzzled by the lack and I’ve returned today but still no pix although I notice from one of the comments above that others are seeing them. It’s only your blog, all others I follow are OK. Wonder what’s happened? I love New Orleans, been there twice, once to a wedding which was fantastic and once just to holiday. Our friends there always furnish us with a “get out of jail card”, i.e. a lawyer’s name card to call in case we are ever rounded up in a police raid – something that happens frequently apparently. Lawless, you could say that again!

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    1. Apologies Mari, I removed the photos as when I changed over from Globalhousesitterx2 to Lifeatno22 many of the photos were removed. A messy situation to fix up and my patience is lacking for things like that at the moment.
      I appreciate your comment and yes it is a very intriguing city with huge social problems.

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      1. I had the same problem a few years ago and although I keep meaning to go back and replace the pix I haven’t bothered. No one has queried the lack of images so I can only presume no one is reading them!

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