The Charm of Grime

Recently I had the great privilege of traveling to New Orleans. Having been born and raised in Minnesota, this experience was quite a shell-shock. Lake living and frigid tundra winters gave way to a city built on soul and the greatest cuisine of all time (Cajun!). Minnesota being a place that prides itself on hot-dish (fancy casserole) and flannels does not have the same cultural significance as a place such a New Orleans, my apologies to all Minnesotans. I love Minnesota and my childhood there, but we are not as stimulating by means of culture. Plus we have Paul Bunyan!

Having committed the last couple years of my life to intense traveling, I like to say that I have came to see a great many things. However, in all the places that I have been I have yet to see a place truly like NOLA (New Orleans slang). The best way that I can describe it would be to say that NOLA is the birth child of Austin, TX and Nashville, TN and it is the twin sister of Amsterdam that was sent to boarding school in America. If you have been to Nashville picture the country music culture and the expanse of their downtown boardwalk region. A highly condensed country music capital, with a culture seeping through the walls of their strip...now if you have been to Austin think about how the ever expanses of live music reaching throughout the city itself. Not as profound and intense culture standing directly in-front of your face (comparatively), but everywhere you look you are able to access the Texas feel. 

Well, when looking into NOLA it is as if culture slapped you in the face at every corner. Bourbon street is a Nashville downtown on steroids. Every side street and connecting street to bourbon is filled with live music, bar scenes, the arts, and neon signs. Bourbon street itself is a sensation explosion as you navigate lights, jazz, soul, smells, seas of tourists, and good times. The city itself is built like Amsterdam. An elaborate tier system reaching out of a body of water. Initial downtown tier is booming with life (bourbon street, the cathedral, restaurants, museums), just outside of the first tier you can find a quieter/moderate experience (art shops, frenchman street- a quiet bourbon street, intimate restaurants), and the other tier consists of business/residential area (larger housing regions, stadiums, business buildings, etc.). The city has every festival imaginable, concerts along the Mississippi river, live music opportunities at every corner, swamp tours just outside the city, and haunted history tours with the city (as NOLA has a past with voodoo, palm reading, and other spiritual practices). Needless to say, there is never too little to partake in once you are here.
                                   

My advice when taking on NOLA is that you find what suits you along the way. Going into my trip I have written down the top TO DOs in terms of restaurants, bars, live music and I even went as far as to look up the festival in town at the time, top museums, asked locals for the hot spots... and all of this plummeted to the ground. Sensory overload! Here is my advice, walk until you find something that entices you! Every bar/restaurant/music venue/attraction is doing everything within their power to intrigue you into their premises and they are all worth while! So what I would say is that you should do a bit of research and find a couple must sees or stops and then the rest of the time just find yourself walking the streets until something catches your fancy. It is the Wild West out there so you can grab a adult beverage for your walk to-and-fro.

Zach's TO DOs in Nola:
- Eat each of these during your time in the soul food capital of the world: po'boy (french bread sandwich that is perfect with any of the meats they provide), fried alligator, catfish tacos, GUMBO (my personal favorite), jambalaya, crawfish, crawfish étouffée, and any other seafood that you can get your hands on!
- Drink up those slushies! They have slushie machines at nearly every bar, mix it up and take one for a spin.
- Visit the river walk and experience whatever festival is in town at the time. This is great for a day trip, my buddy and I got to see the Oyster Festival when we came to town.
- Indulge in some live music. Wherever the jazz music is playing is where you belong.
-I did not do this, but I would invest some time in one of the many museums while there for another day trip. This is something I would have done differently if I were to go back. The WWII museum is there!
- Arrive at Bourbon street as the sun sets to see the neon street come to life! The world transforms in-front of your eyes.
- Pay a street performer, there are great entertainers everywhere you look, be sure to pack some 1-dollar-bills.
-Wear a hawaiian shirt. You will be hot, you will be sticky, and you will be sorry unless you dress accordingly.
-Swamp tour for another day trip. Takes awhile to get out there, but it is a unique experience and they let you hold an alligator.
-Scream SKOL Vikings because we actually are not fans of the Saints. It is a right of passage down there to insult there dearest sports team....
- Gentleman, keep beads on you at all times. Ladies, beads are special down there.
- Ride the tram that makes you feel like you are on the nightbus from Harry Potter. It is fantastic and only costs $1.25 to take you all the way into the heart of NOLA. This thing runs all night long for you party animals out there.

In all, NOLA is an incredible place. It stands alone in my memory. Most similar to Amsterdam in that it is the Wild West, you will feel like you are in another world entirely. The drive into the city involves a bridge that spans a massive lake/river/swamp that is kept at bay with a formidable wall system as you enter the bowl that is New Orleans. Once you cross that threshold, you know that you have made it, and that you are in for the ride of your life. My sleep schedule was not the same for a week as NOLA never stops running at full speed. You cannot sleep for fear of missing out. It is a must and deserves a place on everyone's bucket list.