NOLA

Louisiana – you half expect to roll down the windows as you cross the state line to smell hot sauce and crawfish, to breathe in the humidity that instantly fills your soul to the brim. But don’t miss that “America’s Wetlands” sign just beneath the “Bienvenue en Louisiane.” It smells like the wetlands, at least at the Mississippi state line it does. And on this particular day, that humidity turned into a heavy rain in, quite literally, a hot second. It’s not until you cross the bridge into New Orleans that you can smell the fried goodness of a shrimp po’boy and the spiciness of the Cajun cuisine – ok, maybe I only imagine the glorious smell of the city in my food-obsessed mind, but you could very easily smell those things as you walk in the streets.

New Orleans. Probably when people think of New Orleans they think Mardi Gras, music, food and hurricanes and oil spills. And that seems appropriate. But the depth of New Orleans is beyond the typical images, in fact “typical” seems to be outlawed in New Orleans. When asked about the Indians I’d heard about, my New Orleans native friend Claire pointed out that unfortunately she didn’t know much about them because it’s not unusual to see costumed people around the city, so she never questioned it.

Point in case, the Red Dress Run was held this weekend. Thousands of people, men and women, dressed (mostly scantily) in red outfits – the majority of which couldn’t really be classified as dresses, closer to lingerie – roaming around to participate in a “race” for charity. Which charity? Well, no one really knew. And when we looked it up we found that it benefits no particular charity, but instead donates to various organizations. My non-New Orleans mind says, “Wait, what? Really?” But in my New Orleans state of mind there is no doubt that this dress-up and drink run should contribute to whomever, no questions asked. The Big Easy. A festival or celebration for whatever reason, whenever, beyond Mardi Gras.

And of course there is music. You can’t walk outside without hearing music, good music. Now, I’m no music aficionado, far from it, but I’m pretty sure there is more quality music represented in a New Orleans block than in most places in the world. And it creates, through its diversity, rhythm, and people, the palpable heartbeat of the city. The people of New Orleans seem to connect through it, strengthened by the camaraderie of enduring disaster.

New Orleans can easily be categorized among the great cities of the world, but it is especially unlike any other great city there is. New York is a place to be lost, to try to find yourself. Paris is a place to be alone, to try to find love. New Orleans, though, is a place to belong, to be. So, yes, heart NY, aime Paris, but NOLA, love NOLA. NOLA is love, with a side of soul..and grits.