New Orleans, Louisiana | Crescent City | The Big Easy

I first visited the New Orleans (a.k.a. The Big Easy) in the mid 90's when I was interviewing for a job. At the time I was living up north where the winters are frigid. I couldn't wait to move to a warm climate.

It was in January when I traveled to New Orleans. My plane landed at night and the temperature was 45F. It was warm compared to the single digit temperature in the Midwest. I went straight to my hotel to rest and prepare for the interview the following day.

In daylight immediately I saw New Orleans as a unique city with distinctive architecture. I had heard of the famous French Quarter (also know as Vieux Carre) so I went there after the interview. I was amazed at the architecture of the buildings there. Most of them had colorful walls and decorated ironwork balconies. Horse-drawn carriages in the streets added to the uniqueness of the place.

As I walked down the famous Bourbon Street I saw plenty of interesting arts, antiques, and gift shops. Then my eye caught something very unusual (to those who don't live in New Orleans, at least): a voodoo store! So I went in and saw quite a few interesting items such as voodoo dolls, Gris-Gris bag, incense, and magical ritual items. Wow, cool!

It was lunch time before I knew it, so I decided to stop at one of the quaint French Quarter restaurants and grab a bite to eat. I sat in the courtyard which was really nice as the temperature was in the upper 60's and the sun was out. I ordered seafood gumbo and it was delicious.

After lunch I drove around New Orleans and visited the Audubon Park. Since I didn't really have that much time before I had to fly back home, I didn't get to see much of the other attractions.

I ended up getting a job somewhere else but my short visit to New Orleans made me fall in love with the city. As luck would have it, a few years later I moved to the Southern US, just a few hours' drive from New Orleans.

I visited New Orleans four more times before hurricane Katrina devastated it in 2005. I haven't been back there since, but I'm glad they're making progress in rebuilding, and I'm certainly planning to visit the Crescent City again in the future.

As mentioned above, New Orleans has a subtropical climate. Very rarely does it ever snow, and when it does, it never accumulates requiring you to shovel the snow or scrape it off your windshield.

Yes, New Orleans summer can be sultry but I can better deal with that than with freezing temperatures. It also rains a lot in New Orleans but I also love rain, so it's not a problem to me :)

New Orleans sits in the Mississippi River Delta, surrounded by swamps and bayous which are inhabited by interesting animals such as alligators, turtles, beavers, and frogs among others.

Aside from exotic palm and banana trees that are normally found in warm climates, you can also find variety of plants in the wetlands of New Orleans such as cypress and live oaks draped with Spanish moss which creates an eerie scene in the dark.

Thre are quite a number of mystical and mysterious things about New Orleans that add to the uniqueness of the city.

Ghost
New Orleans is said to be the most haunted city in the US, with French Quarter being the most haunted area. When you visit a city you usually ask (if you're interested in ghosts and hauntings) which buildings are haunted. However, in New Orleans people ask which buildings are NOT haunted! So when you visit New Orleans be sure to take a ghost tour.

Cemetaries
In New Orleans they bury people above the ground due to the ground water levels which makes traditional burial impractical. The cemetaries are called "cities of the dead" as the above-ground burial vaults do look like buildings. Some even have fences surrounding them.

Vampires
Many folks claim real vampires roam the city of New Orleans. One of the greatest vampire authors, Anne Rice is a New Orleanians.

New Orleans food is simply delicious! It has developed from generations of amalgamation of French, Spanish, Italian, African, Native American, Cajun, and a hint of Cuban traditions combined with local flavors. Some of the best known chefs such as Emeril Lagasse and Paul Prudhomme are New Orleanians.

Enter a local restaurant in the Crescent City and you will find the following on the menu: etouffee, jambalaya, gumbo, and red beans and rice with sausage. Crawfish is also very popular, as well as Gulf oysters on half shell. If you prefer sandwiches, grab a Po'boy (a traditional Louisiana submarine sandwich) or the Italian Muffaletta.

Hungry for a snack? Why not try New Orleans' delicious candy called Praline made with granulated and brown sugars, cream, butter and pecans. Or you can head over to the world famous Cafe Du Monde and have some beignets (French doughnuts) and cafe au lait. Mmm... yummy!

This section won't be complete without telling you my favorite New Orleans food, and it is... red beans and rice, hands down! Especially if it's served wth alligator sausage. Yes, people eat alligators down there, so don't scream at me! ;)

New Orleans Mardi Gras celebrations draw hundreds of thousands of tourists to the city in addition to the celebrating locals for the parties and parades. The starting date of festivities in New Orleans is March 3, 1699, when a group of French explorers set up camp on the west bank of the Mississippi River, about 60 miles downriver from the site that would become New Orleans.

Since that day just happened to be Mardi Gras, a major event on the French calendar, the group's leader, Pierre Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur d'Iberville dubbed the spot, in the spelling of the time, La Pointe du Mardy Gras. The Rex organization put a marker at the Louisiana site 300 years later. An account from 1743 notes that the custom of Carnival balls was already established by that date (during the time Bienville was still governor).

You can read the full article - Mardi Gras on Wikipedia.

New Orleans Square is a themed land found exclusively at Disneyland (in California), though a similarly themed area can be found within Tokyo Disneyland's Adventureland. Based on 19th century New Orleans, it was the first new land to be added to Disneyland after the park's opening. The land was opened to the public on July 24, 1966.

This area contains two very popular Disneyland attractions - Pirates of the Caribbean (between Late 1700s & Early 1720s New Orleans) and the Haunted Mansion (Mid or Late 1870s New Orleans) - as well as a station for the Disneyland Railroad. The Haunted Mansion is an innovative haunted house experience, while Pirates of the Caribbean takes park guests along watery channels through expansive swashbuckling tableaux. New Orleans Square is also home to a private club and restaurant, Club 33, located above the Blue Bayou Restaurant around the corner from the entrance to Pirates of the Caribbean.

You can read the full article - New Orleans Square on Wikipedia.

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