Why I love New Orleans

My internal list seems to get longer and longer on each visit. Despite New Orleans' tragic current situation, the great culture still remains strong.

Reason why I love New Orleans #329: For a city of its size, New Orleans maintains the friendly, open atmosphere I have found to be rare in large cities and abundant only in small towns. The million or so people are split into about forty neighborhoods – the beautiful and historic Garden District, the hard-working middle class division called Gentilly, the University district, the Upper and Lower Ninth Wards, to list a few. And each of these are subdivided into smaller areas around major cross streets. Within these distinct neighborhoods are their own hardware store, shoe shops, and restaurants, plus the absolutely necessary po-boy and snoball stands – two types of classic New Orleanian food which I insist is only good in the city limits. (A Po-Boy in Iowa which I have unfortunately tried is definitely not up to par.) The strength of these small (often family-owned) businesses has made New Orleans one of the last cities to fend off corporate chains and big box stores.

Beyond the businesses, the atmosphere of these neighborhoods are very friendly, and some even have their own distinct accents. Basically, New Orleans maintains a small town feel while still offering the perks found in a large city – pro-league (and successful!) sports teams, business opportunities, public transit (including trolleys), the French Quarter, universities, food and shopping options, and so much more.