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red painting says "new orleans ya'll"

How I learned New Orleans Yatspeak and Slang

Even English-speaking visitors will have to learn some New Orleans yatspeak and slang to understand everything they hear in the city. I was constantly delighted by the new words and usage I heard during my month’s stay. Despite speaking “English,” between the various colorful dialects and the words I’d never heard before, I was constantly trying to figure out what I’d just heard and what did it mean? I heard many words, sayings, and phrases in New Orleans that I...

Beauregard-Keyes House parlor in New Orleans
New Orleans Garden District house with gold curtains and live oak tree

Four Reasons to Walk the New Orleans Garden District

The New Orleans Garden District is best on foot. Neither car nor bike or any other mode of transportation can satisfy how walking will. Only a stroll allows your senses the time to take in the sights and smells and let your mind wander in the matchless sensation that is uniquely New Orleans Garden District. I spent a month in the Lower Garden District in a little shotgun house. Each evening, for an hour or more, I walked the streets...

City Park bridge

Three New Orleans Parks to Walk Off Beignets and Hangovers

New Orleans parks don’t get as much attention as neighborhoods like the French Quarter and Garden District, but they should because they’re spectacular. I recently spent a month in the city, eating red beans & rice, beignets, and king cake so I had a lot of walking I needed to do. Outside of the Garden District, these three parks were my favorite places to do it. Audubon Park This 350-acre park is Uptown, not too far from the Garden District....

Mardi Gras World paints

It’s a Mardi Gras World, We’re Just Livin’ in It

Floats at Mardi Gras World are not like floats you’ve ever seen before, unless, of course, you’ve been to Mardi Gras. If you grew up anywhere else in the world as I did, your idea of a parade float probably involves paper or plastic-colored flowers shaped into semi-recognizable figures made by high school students. I remember once seeing a series Disney princess floats and the only way you could tell what princess you were looking at was by the colors....

Bayou Sign

Touring the Bayou in Jean Lafitte National Park

Before booking a kayak tour through the Jean Lafitte National Park bayou, I messaged the host. The tour promised a slow paddle through the bayou with likely sighting of swamp birds, turtles, and maybe some gators. Kayaking and alligators didn’t seem like they should go together, so I asked,  “Are there alligators? I want to do this, but it seems totally crazy to me. Am I nuts?”  “There are alligators, but you’re not crazy!! It’s an awesome time!!”  A friend...

Oak Alley Plantation, New Orleans

Two New Orleans Plantations Worth Visiting

Hundreds of New Orleans plantations used to line the Mississippi River throughout Louisiana. Now there are few, mostly preserved as historical landmarks and educational centers, lest we forget our grim but important past. New Orleans, overall, is a place that keeps the past close. History is so intertwined with every day that it’s often like walking around a historical re-enactment site. I grew up in Detroit, where we have the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village. There, Ford reconstructed an...

A brass band plays on Frenchmen Street in New Orleans

17 Best Things To Do In New Orleans During Daytime

If you’re looking for things to do in New Orleans, you’re in luck. It’s a city where there is never a shortage of things to do and see, places to go and people to meet. Something is always happening in New Orleans. This is what I enjoyed during my month-long stay, and you might too. You’ll notice it doesn’t include the typical drinking and dining recommendations – these are daytime activities. Shop Magazine Street Magazine Street runs roughly six miles...

Sculpture of a nude female with her head thrown back and wings stands abover a series of colorful masoleums