NOLA

 New Orleans can be a very small town. It’s beautiful and scammy and scrappy and elegant and a perfect place for all the creatives in the world. My hair person told me that you’re not cool here unless you do something creative. I’d expand that to say that you’re not really here unless you contribute to the things going on. This is the only city I’ve ever been to where audience participation is expected. 

Don’t come here to be a spectator. If you don’t contribute, you’re just a tourist. Tourists are fine. I don’t actually want to discourage tourists. I just mean… if you’re a tourist, expect to pay for the experience here. Every week, every day, there are things going on here. These things are built and sustained by the locals. Locals who just want to see something happen. This week is a Giant Puppet festival in Bywater area, a Horror movie festival in the quarter, and a BBQ festival in Gentilly. Next week is a massive French Quarter Festival with live music and food vendors everywhere. The week after that is Jazz Fest. 

If you’re a tourist and thought New Orleans was just a party on Mardi Gras… No. This is a city that has balls. They have fêtes. They parade through the streets so regularly that the apps designed to tell people what’s going on can’t even keep up. I’ve got two parade apps, and they still don’t know as much as I do about when parades are happening in my little area. 

Right now the stock market is tanking because nearly half of America got conned by a shyster.