Be Open To New Orleans

New Orleanians don’t think of what we do as being for tourists.  We know people come from all over the world to visit New Orleans, to see what makes the city unique, but I don’t know anyone who goes out of their way to be unique in New Orleans.  We just are what we are, and, that’s what we are.  Nobody is trying to be different.  Be open to New Orleans and New Orleans air will set you free.

Take a deep breath when you get off the airplane.

HOW TO BE OPEN TO NEW ORLEANS.

It’s so easy that you don’t even have to try, though that doesn’t stop some people from trying, and then they overdo it.  Don’t be that person.  There is more to New Orleans than the French Quarter.

1.)  Keep your eyes open.

In a New Orleans state of mind, the city is a kaleidoscope.  It is a Garden District of the mind for some, a Holy Cross of the mind for others.  The Garden District is a neighborhood uptown from the French Quarter.  Holy Cross is a neighborhood downtown from the French Quarter, in the Lower 9.  They are worlds apart but it’s all New Orleans.  It’s all good.  We live in a city full of details for those with the yes to see.

2.). Keep your ears open.

I know you think everyone who lives in New Orleans can play an instrument.  I can’t, except, for the kazoo.  There probably are more musicians per capita in New Orleans than any other American city, maybe than in any other city in the world.  Music is everywhere in New Orleans.  It’s not just jazz.  It’s in the screeches of the bluejays, the croaks of the night herons, the caws of the crows who swoop in a murder, starting in St. Maurice and ending in Carrollton, every morning.

Listen to people talk in New Orleans.  A New Orleans accent isn’t what you think it is.  People think I’m from Gentilly but my accent comes from Connecticut.  Every neighborhood is unique, with its own history, traditions, and accent.  Okay, listening to a New Orleanian speak is like jazz.  We our own rhythm here.

3.) Keep your heart open.

If you can be open to New Orleans by keeping your heart open, and nothing else, New Orleans will still treat you right.  I live here and I see it happen every single day.  New Orleans is very seductive to a certain kind of individual, a lot of them, actually.  Most people fall in love with New Orleans.  I know I have.  You can tell because I live here, but it’s not just me.  It’s all sorts of people.

There’s a name for it.  It’s not very original.  It’s called The New Orleans Effect.

Come to New Orleans when it’s time to travel and discover what it means to fall in love with this wonderful city we call home.  You are on the right website.

À votre santé nos amis,

-Your two friends at La Belle Esplanade

Have a great New Orleans day today, wherever you happen to be.