What follows is a narrow selection of points of New Orleans interest, weird research and time-wasters to make your visit to our fair city that much better, plus some random stuff to add to the wonderful texture of this short life. Because the best defense to boredom is a good offense (comprised of a willingness to experience amazement and imbibe stiff drinks, naturally).
New Orleans might be one of the only cities in America where the locals actually KNOW some of the history of their locality. A cheerful sort of narcissism is a common trait in town, and it’s justified. If you don’t hate it here, you love it with a passion and you like telling folks about how special it really is. With that in mind, click on the links below to school yourself in the basic legends and history of New Orleans and its neighborhoods and its traditions. But remember: reading is no substitute for on the ground experience. No one likes a know-it-all pedant.
New Orleans History: There will be a test.
The Marigny: Our humble neighborhood.
Bywater: The humble neighborhood next to our humble neighborhood.
The French Quarter: The not-so humble neighborhood on the other side of our humble neighborhood.
Royal Street: The thoroughfare we take our name from.
Mardi Gras: You’ve heard of it, but you probably know nothing about how awesome it really is.
Famous Streets in New Orleans: Learn how to correctly mispronounce “Burgundy,” “Chartres” and sundry other street names before you get here.
