Down in the Big Easy, the drinks flow generously and jazzy melodies breeze through the streets.
Maybe it’s the voodoo, or maybe the conglomeration of all the people that make up this great city, but there’s something magical about New Orleans. It’s big but feels comforting, and makes total sense why so many call it home. Visitors far and wide will say it’s otherworldly, but locals know there’s nothing quite like it, between the city itself and all the secret hangouts only they know about. This intangible magic is what keeps locals around, quite literally, come hell or high water. Here are all the New Orleans secrets you need to know.
You’re a real New Orleanian when:
1. You’ve attended your fair share of hurricane parties. What better time to hang out with fun company and have some strong drinks than when you don’t know if your home will be there after the storm, right?
2. You get outraged when people say, “Why don’t you just evacuate?” when a storm’s coming, because you know it’s an option most New Orleans residents can’t afford.
3. If it’s not purple, green and yellow, it better be black and gold. Go, Saints!
4. You know every nearly life-threatening pothole in a half-mile radius around you. Hopefully, the city will fix them soon, but you doubt it. In the meantime, it’s not unusual for locals to shove their Mardi Gras beads in them out of spite.
5. It’s not springtime, it’s crawfish season.
6. You know it’s not all about Bourbon Street. Actually, you wouldn’t be caught dead in the tourist trap. Instead, you head for Royal Street or Frenchman Street. There are still plenty of places to get a drink there — and everywhere in New Orleans, for that matter — but the environment is a little laxer, and there are plenty of street artists playing wonderful medleys, too.
7. Jazz has a special place in your heart, and you know a concert could never come close to listening to your neighbors’ songs seeping through the walls or any random person playing on the street.
8. You know better than to ever touch anything on a voodoo shrine. And if you’ve ever accidentally bumped into anything at a shrine — say Marie Laveau’s — you know to visit her gravesite to give her a gift, so she’ll lift the hex off of you.
9. Tiana from Disney’s “Princess and the Frog” is based on the wonderful late Leah Chase and the Dooky Chase Restaurant (which has the best lunch buffets).
10. People don’t sit on their back porch. Find ’em out on their front porch or balcony taking in the sites and sounds the neighborhood has to offer.
11. Whether you find yourself on the Streetcar or an RTA — because you know driving from the French Quarter just to the Garden District will take longer than it did for Bush to send help after Katrina — if you see a lost tourist, you’re going to help them out.
12. You know all about the goat jaws, the booze, the sardines and the bodies uncovered in New Orleans. Chalk it up to buried treasure.
13. You know you can carry a king cake through New Orleans airport security, no questions asked.
14. You head over to Magazine Street to get some peace and quiet, but you start to miss the mayhem pretty quickly.
15. You love Mardi Gras, but you know that there are more New Orleans festivals to enjoy than just the big one. Sure, Mardi Gras takes the (king) cake, but New Orleans can turn anything into a party. Hell, there’s even a tomato festival down here.
16. A yummy New Orleans secret is that there’s nothing quite like mastering the skill of not covering yourself in powdered sugar at Café du Monde. It’s a talent that takes time to cultivate.
17. When friends visit, you take them to the French Market to stock up on New Orleans goodies instead of the touristy souvenir shops that are a dime a dozen.
18. It was cool at one point, but now all the filming in the French Quarter has gotten out of hand and you just wish they wouldn’t shut down three blocks of the city for another “Girls Trip” or “NCIS: New Orleans.”
19. Acceptable names for New Orleans include: New Orleans, the Birthplace of Jazz, Crescent City, Creole City and, very occasionally, Nola. Read: not N’Awlins.
20. Fleur de lis. Everywhere.
21. You have masks and beads hanging somewhere in your house. It’s a fact.
22. You know to-go drinks aren’t limited just to Bourbon Street. Not only can you enjoy them all over the French Quarter, but Louisiana doesn’t have any laws prohibiting open carry unless you’re in a vehicle. But even that doesn’t deter the existence of drive-thru daiquiri bars.
23. A creepy New Orleans secret: Sure, the aboveground graveyards in New Orleans are a hot spot for tourists, but you, too, give in to the lure and visit every now and then. The Cities of Death are just too intriguing to ignore. Whether it’s Nicholas Cage’s pre-made eternal pyramid or any run-of-the-mill grave, each one is intriguing and it’s all thanks to the water tables being abnormally high in New Orleans.
24. At one point in your life, you probably paid way too much to rent out an apartment in the French Quarter, which only lasted a couple of years before you grew up and got too tired for the never-ending party.
25. Most New Orleanians are just a little bit obsessed with true crime. And with books like the Axeman of New Orleans, Bonnie and Clyde’s ambush and the tragic tale of Zach and Addie. How could they not be intrigued?
26. The Singing Oak is the perfect pick-me-up on hard days.
27. You probably do all your local shopping on Oak Street, Royal Street or Magazine Street. They’re loaded with boutiques, antiques and galleries where you can find just about anything.
28. You’ve got your gumbo recipe on lockdown. Everyone’s is a little different, but one thing’s for sure: Get that roux a dark brown, baby!
29. Roux is practically New Orleans’ love language. All good things start with roux (or a drink).
30. You’ve definitely cooled off with a sky-high helping of Hansen’s Sno Bliz in the heat of the summer.
31. On Mondays, we eat red beans.
How’d we do? Comment below to share your favorite New Orleans secrets, or to let us know if we left anything out!
If you think this city is right for you, check out these apartments for rent in New Orleans. And remember: Laissez les bons temp rouler!
Source: rent.com