Travel Tuesdays: New Orleans Has It All

New Orleans floored me. The food, the culture, the art, the history--it all comes together in an amazing embrace of all the good things that life has to offer. New Orleans and Las Vegas both have the reputation of being a place where people let loose. But New Orleans really is all about the cultural. Every meal is an event, everyone I met was so passionate about whatever they do--make art, rebuild their communities, make exquisite meals, spread the word about new artists, play unbelievable music. The sense of community is just amazing--you can literally feel the good vibes that has everyone for each other and the intensity with which everyone loves their recovering city.
New Orleans is the kind of place that anyone would be proud to be from or live in. The way that everyone has pulled together to rebuild the city, support each other, and worked together to not just rebuild a replica of the city New Orleans was before Katrina; instead, they have rebuilt a city that walks and talks like the old New Orleans but has a little more swagger--like a chip on its shoulder or something to prove. It's a place that I want to live one day--or at the very least visit on an annual basis.
The tragedy of Katrina has given the city a chance to recreate itself as a beacon of innovation. New businesses have flocked here to begin startups. Creative professionals have flocked from all over, especially Brooklyn, to come to this passionate city vibrating with energy and inspiration. This city has become a model of what a city should be--a network of people coming together from all fields to work together and create a city that welcomes everyone, celebrates intelligence, and definitely knows how to play hard--and of course still party hard.