Seeking Inspirato in New Orleans
Making Friends in the Big Easy
New Orleans is a big neighborhood. Friends on balconies shout to friends on the street, beckoning them to venture upstairs for a beer. People move with ease. Tension is nonexistent in this city. Deep breath in, deep breath out, you’re in New Orleans baby.
On my first evening in the city, I fully immersed myself. I grabbed a “roadie” (public drinking is legal and encouraged), walked around the French Quarter, and soon found myself being wrapped in a crowd of people in a Second Line procession. Horns blazed the procession path and smiling laughing people waved handkerchiefs in the air. The crew came waltzing through, with a mother of the bride joyfully shouting, “My daughter is getting married!” A woman hooked my arm as she walked by, and we did a quick circle and jig together before being shot our separate ways.
These little moments of human connection are expected in NoLa and a part of the livelihood that maintains the exuberance here.
Architectural Fusion
I’d be joyful and prideful if I lived here, too. New Orleans is an absolutely gorgeous city. The palm trees, sprawling mansions, varied architecture, heat–it’s all a part of the intoxicating trance New Orleans casts over visitors and residents. The city is stacked with history and just celebrated its 300th anniversary.
There is a heavy French and Spanish influence in the city. Each monarchy spent a few decades ruling before New Orleans was sold to America in the Louisiana Purchase. Their European influence explains the architecture that is so unique to the city.
The diversity of flora and fauna is just as impressive as the colors and shapes of the buildings. Given the inherent challenge of planning a city that is below sea level, the urban footprint was well-executed. The public parks, grassy paths between neighborhoods, and the utter walkability of the city impresses visitors and residents alike.
One of the paint colors I saw repeatedly as I ventured through the city was a haunting blue color. It turns out this color is painted on porch ceilings to ward off haints, or evil spirits. The tradition originates from the Gullah, southern African Americans that maintained strong ties with African culture and spoke the creole dialect. The people of New Orleans embed superstitious beliefs in their architecture and design, likely due to the city's rich history with Hoodoo.
Music As the Centerpiece
New Orleans strikes me as a city that lives and breathes tradition, but isn’t “traditional.” The centerpiece to every annual event, from Mardi Gras to the Jazz Festival to Second Line processions, is music.
Everyone in New Orleans has an instrument either wrapped around their bodies heading to the next gig, or one back at home waiting to be played on the porch that evening. Music runs on a continuum. Where one set stops, another begins in the distance, tempting your legs to move towards the musical rhythms.
The caliber of entertainment doesn’t matter if you have four walls supporting you, or the open air. As I ventured through Frenchman Street one evening, a jazz band’s spectators stomped so hard they literally shook the ground beneath our feet.
The music is so electric it almost feels like a ritual — when the sun sets, music must be played until sunrise, or else…
Frenchman Street was my most treasured part of New Orleans. It was quintessential “Big Easy.” Balconies leaned with age, floors were uneven from years of dancing, and relics adorned the walls from centuries past.
One evening, I found a man selling custom written poems about any topic — just say the word. I asked him to write about confidence.
While he wrote the poem, I asked him where he was from, and he said he wanted to be a hero during Hurricane Katrina, so he relocated to New Orleans to become a paramedic. “Greatest decision of my life.”
no la
“We see ourselves
as the heroes
the champions
and I speak no less of that
because we win
and it comes from
the deepest part
given to us
and kept so much alive”
- eq carter
frenchman street
nola
mar 14 2020
The bars and music go all night (I did not). Ad hoc, opportunistic barbeque stands set up on pick-up trucks parked on the grass and offer bar patrons “the best BBQ in the state.” While I didn’t see any license to sell, no one is calling the cops. It’s notoriously difficult to get a ticket in New Orleans because where do you start? Violations are comedic gold considering the city allows consumption in public.
Things to do
When the sun rises and people are feeling more clear-headed, walking around the city is magical. Open-air markets allure the eye. People stroll, they don’t walk. No one is in a hurry, maybe because the humidity is instantly humbling should you decide to break into a strut.
Below are recommendations for my favorite places to eat, shop, and be active in the city. I will definitely be back.
Favorite places to EAT and DRINK in New Orleans
Cane & Table (dinner)
St. Roch Market (lunch)
The Ruby Slipper (breakfast)
Who Dat Coffee Cafe (breakfast)
Brennan’s (duck, baked Alaska :) - dinner), a total throwback with fantastic service and Wes Anderson vibes.
Congregation Coffee Roasters (the quiche is to die for) (breakfast/coffee)
Manolito - nice outdoor seating and cool two-story bar inside)
Favorite SHOP in New Orleans
Blue Dream Vintage Boutique (vintage) - The blue, patina earrings I purchased while in NoLa are from a local vintage store called Blue Dream.
Favorite things to DO in New Orleans
Saint Louis Cemetary No. 2 (this is the one where you can get in for free, the other one requires that you pay for tour)
Frenchman Street (I loved Fayela Chic NOLA, but you can’t go wrong)
