Bump

Well, I grew up there and lived there for @ 30 years! There truly is no place like it...! but yes.. HUMID! You've heard the saying that places like PHX have. "It's 3 months of h3ll for nine months of paradise", well NOLA is the opposite. It's three months of paradise for nine months of h3ll!!..

In high humidity in the South, I sweat like a Redneck writing a love letter...old joke but in my case the truth.

New Orleans is a Tale of Three Cities, really: Locals, tourists and the really wealthy. I have seen all three.

My favorite New Orleans story is going there for a Saints game in the mid-80's. A friend of a bunch of dudes I flew with went to college with an offensive lineman for the Saints in those days and we all rallied in NO for a game around, it has been a minute, the Thanksgiving time frame..

There were plenty of tickets but we got side line passes in the deal...very cool to see the stands from the field.

One of the guys with us, an A-7 pilot (this was the 80's) decided after the game and well into inebriation, to go solo in search of a lovely.

His recounting of his night was priceless: "Two girls locked me up, said all the right things and we headed off to their place. We were laughing and giggling right up until I got punched in the back of the head and rolled..."

He got a new call sign from the other two jet guys in the group: "Tootsie"...as in Tootsie Roll.

To his credit, he was unbowed and tried to borrow money to get back in the hunt.

There used to be an annual chemistry conference that went to NO several years in a row. I got tired of the French Quarter very quickly and started spending evenings elsewhere with the jazz and blues crowd.

Stationed n "Noladishu" for four years. Good thing I was gone most of that time traveling as part of the job. The wife had to deal with all the crap that makes up New Orleans. We lived on the "Wes Bank", caught the ferry to work. Best time of the day was 0500 runs (summer) up around Tulane or out on the levy. We counted ourselves extremely fortunate to have never been "jacked" (car jacking is a blood sport there) or robbed. There are a few areas of the city that are hauntingly beautiful, but it's all the rest of the "sh#$ that goes along with it that sours the whole deal.

Ms Rocket grew up in New Orleans. Her sister and brother still live there. We went back a couple times, but it’s not for me.

The Quarter is Disneyland for Drunks. The good stuff in the city happens elsewhere, as you've found.
Jazzfest is not my thing, too crowded, but the shows that happen at night when they get together in the bars, wow.
And Johnny V at the leaf with whoever (sometime George Porter) is sublime.

New Orleans is about 2 things, music and food. I love both.

I grew up there. Was NOPD for a few years. Great place back in the 60's70's. I moved out after the third house burglary. We all know the problem. Its a ****show now.

I'm glad some saw humor in this - and like I said in the first post - mostly making fun of the oven thread that I (and apparently several others) misread!

I usually don't use hate in everyday language and it is a word that carries a strong characteristic. We've been to New Orleans only once - we were gifted one night at the Hotel Dupree as a gift so the wife and I took a quick trip. It was during the OJ trial - as many store window fronts had a tv blaring the live coverage.

It was good food and drink - and music. But, it was humid! And the alley ways that you walked by always smelled of puke, urine and who knows what. I think it was early spring - maybe April timeframe - but already warm and VERY humid. One thing I do recall - I thought no wonder Mardi Gras is celebrated there in February - cause if it was in June, July or August - almost certainly no one would come. (And yes I do understand why Mardi Gras is in February - I know it's not a coincidence.)

^^^^ Thiis! Though i/we did the fairgrounds thing (the Thur, local day was best crowd wise), the nighttime shows in the clubs was why I went. The Maplespleef .... LOL.

Did 4 MGs as a youngin' ..... always stayed In Slidell for those too.

I broke Bob's rule ..... once :D

I was stationed at Fort Stewart, GA, which is right next to Savanna. Humid doesn't even begin to describe it.

We went to visit family in San Antonio one summer and they were complaining about their humidity. I just laughed. It was less than half what we lived with in Savanna.

From '82-'86, I lived in Pensacola and commuted to NAS New Orleans as a Navy Reserve aircrew with patrol squadron VP-94. I'd usually do 2 weekends, flying the airlift flights on Friday and Sunday nights that full-time guys hated to do. It was only after a year did I find out about the various ferry boats! The Chalmette Ferry meant I no longer had to drive through downtown, and cut my drive time 45 minutes.

New guys to the squadron all wanted to go to the Quarter, but you can only drink so many flaming hurricanes and scarf Beignet doughnuts. Even the hole-in-the-wall joints off-base in Belle Chase had pretty good food. I do miss that now and then, but not enough to drive down from ATL anytime soon. Ergo, Nostalgia is a vicious liar. -Voltaire

Standing on the Mississippi River Levee and looking down into New Orleans and looking eye to eye @ the ships in the river was strange perspective.
All the Taxi's have that vomit smell lingering in them.
They do make Frog Legs taste good some how.

In 1976 I drove from Montgomery, AL to Nawlins and stayed in a hotel one block from Bourbon St on Dauphine, St. I remember the hotel cost $27.55 per night. That was the address of the place I worked at back then.

Anyway I was young 20s and walked the block to Bourbon street, and found a nice looking bar to get a beer. They said at the door it was a 2 beer minimum to get a seat. OK, 2 beers! I had just started on the first beer and some really weird looking chick came over. I started noticing all the "women" were really weird looking, and I chugged the two beers and beat a hasty exit. Not my cup of tea.

I found a straight bar, and sipped my next beer. I staggered up and down the street and enjoyed the experience, but I have not been back since. I have no idea where I ate, but it was some great seafood.

One time on business in Philly, late one night a buddy and I went into a bar for a beer .... we just saw the beer signs.

Don"t go drinkin' in the "Pink Flamingo" Glen...
the beer was chugged and Gomer & Goober left ... it was nothing like Cheers :D

I did two conferences at the Naval Reserve Base in the 90's. In those days the guy who was my SETA and I liked to travel on lat Sunday's off the per diem book and go explore, find a golf course, ski run, etc on everyone else's travel day.

I tried to find the course we played on Maps where the/a fairway was below the levy and you were looking UP at the ships on the Mississippi.:D

I despise Jazz music and already live in an area known for great seafood of all styles. I really hate humidity + warm temperatures so I can already say New Orleans is a had pass for me. I was in KC last week and their BBQ is no better than San Diego.

Now that said the best bar I have been to is Joes cafe on State street Santa Barbara and the best kick ass bar is Flora Bama near PCola.

^^^^ Don't let the name Jazz Fest, or Nawlins' rep fool ya.... I've seen very little during my many visits .... probably 2%.

Greg knows what I'm talkin' about :D

PS..... great food can be found everywhere too.... but NOLA rulez for both music & eats

I always had a great time in New Orleans.

Got a free room at the Hotel Monteleone during Mardi Gras because the storm of the century as a resident.

On another trip, got a bunch of free drinks and got into the House of Blues free because I have a charming brother. Had beignets at Cafe du Monde at 0300. Us and a couple cops were the only people there. He was a bit paranoid, but I explained that they did not care that we were drunk, as long as we were not obnoxious, and he was okay.

Always smells a little like pee in the Big Easy