New Orleans is one of the most famous cities in the United States (and it doesn't surprise us at all!). If you ended up here looking for ideas of things what to see and do in New Orleans and Know more about this destination. you're in luck: in this post we tell you and we also do a quick brainstorming.
New Orleans seemed like a bipolar city. In Bali we had the same feeling: it has a part that captivates by its mysticism, its personality and its beauty. And it has another that does not quite convince us at all. Ying and Yang Black and white
NoLa(from New Orleans, Louisiana) will not leave you indifferent, that's for sure. Here we leave you a post brainstorming, with a few impressions, notes and curiosities of this peculiar city.
There is probably no other place like Louisiana in the United States and specifically New Orleans. The city, throughout history, welcomed - more or less voluntarily - French (who founded it in 1717), Cajunes, Spaniards, Caribbean, African slaves and Creoles.
Although French and Spanish culture left indelible marks in the historical memory of New Orleans, it was the Cajun culture, which should be considered as one of the most interesting aspects of the city ... cajunes They were an ethnic group that arrived from Canada when France lost its territories at the hands of the British Crown. And among other things, the cuisine was influenced by the Cajunes, much less elegant than the Creole, but just as tasty.
If you are interested in knowing more about the Cajun culture, you can take a look at this post.
Well, everywhere not. On a specific street in a specific area: Bourbon St, in the French Quarter That is actually Spanish. We already told you that it is a bipolar city. This is the part we liked least. Hey, we like to drink some copichuelas from time to time, nothing against steep the elbow, but pouf, we found everything too artificial, like a magnet for bachelor parties, parties and crazy nights, all too forced and nothing authentic. Put a beach on it and that would become Jersey Shore, just missing orange Snookie running around.
The good thing is that the rest of the French Quarter is much more relaxed and walking among the colonial houses or having a beer is a pleasure. Could it be that we are getting old?
Tip: Frenchmen Street is a great area to listen to live jazz and drink drinks, much more relaxed than Bourbon, more elegant, more real. If you want to enjoy New Orleans.
When you see it for the first time it scares. It is the largest and most important river artery in the United States, a colossus of brown water that imposes and at the same time seems super familiar to you (surely you read books or watched movies set in the Mississippi area).
To know it you can walk along its shore or ride one of the steamboats (very tourist and expensive) that sail through its waters.
If you have been following us for a while, you know that local cuisine is one of the great attractions. We are gluttons, what are we going to do. The United States is not very famous for its gastronomic culture but we had read that New Orleans was an exception ... on the other hand it would be very rare that it was not: with all the cultures that have coincided there, gastronomy must have been affected yes or yes.
So it was. Peeeeero did not like it. We are sure that much of the fault was where we ate: Napoleon House *. A great, beautiful and historic site. But surely not the best restaurant. We tried Gumbo, Jambalaya and some sausages with beans. We liked it very little. Still, give an opportunity to the typical cuisine of the city ... if everyone says it is delicious, it will be true!
* The house dish is the Muffaletta and the reviews are TOP, so if you come here you already know what to eat!
Louisiana, like the rest of the southern United States, has a slave past of which we are sure it is not proud. In the New Orleans area there are many plantations that can be visited for free or with tours. We went to Oak Alley, the perhaps most famous plantation, and we have told you in our article our experience.
If you have time you should go, it seemed an essential visit to dive something else in one of the saddest chapters in the history of the United States.
When slaves captured in Africa to be sold in the United States arrived at their new "house," they brought their traditions with them. Although, as you can imagine, they were not free to be able to exercise them all. But there were two things that could "save": music and religion. Voodoo is a religion of very ancient African origin and New Orleans, always surrounded by mystery and mysticism, was the natural place to revive it.
Talking about this religion and New Orleans makes sense only if we name Marie Laveau, the queen of voodoo, a powerful woman with an overwhelming personality. Marie sold potions and recipes to be able to fall in love, to be able to earn money, to be able to have children ... but she also knew how to throw curses (and for this she was respected by everyone, politicians included!).
The theme is so broad that it deserves a separate post (we will!) But do not be surprised to walk around New Orleans and see, next to a clothing store, a voodoo shop ... it is an intrinsic part of the city!
Impossible to name New Orleans without remembering the passage of Hurricane Katrina (2005), a tragedy caused by the force of nature but also by human negligence. It was the most expensive calamity in the history of the United States, more than 80% of the city was underwater and there were thousands of people who lost their lives. Impossible to forget.
Jazz is the backbone of New Orleans, its blood, its inspiration, its soul. There would be no jazz without New Orleans, but neither would the New Orleans we know without jazz.
Jazz was born in the early twentieth century and owes its origin to an incredible fusion, never seen (or imagined before) among the spirituals that black slaves sang on the plantations, the instrumental ragtime, the swing, improvisation and a new creative (and literal) freedom that African Americans enjoyed. One of the most popular and beloved jazz players ever was Louis armstrong And yes, it was from New Orleans!
In April there is an essential appointment: the Jazz Fest, if you can do not miss it.
New Orleans is one of the cities in the world where you have to live, at least once, the carnival. The streets are flooded with floats, disguised people and festive atmosphere, the typical colorful necklaces of the city are thrown into the air (and even if you go in June you will see them hanging from trees, threads of light and more unexpected places).
If you were looking for a post from things to see and do in New Orleans, don't go pissed off, man! Soon we will publish a full post of tips to not miss anything. But first ... we go to Cuba XD.
Do you know more things to see and do in New Orleans?
Main picture: Shutterstock
