Hail NOLA, Full of Grace

Oh, well hello there, New Orleans.

I know you’ve seen me making eyes at you from across the lake. I’ve been skittish about letting things get hot and heavy with us, but I’m done playing coy. So let me say this: Now is our time.

Yes, I (foolishly) held out for two years, but the siren song of this beautiful, boisterous city finally lured me to my fate. So with the help from some saints I’m lucky to claim as friends and family, and with the promise of great (or at least radically entertaining) things in store, I packed up my earthly possessions and rearranged my roots so they would start to grow here in the Big Easy.

As I’m closing out my first month here, I’m happy to report that I regret none of it.

But I’ve been so delightfully busy going through what I like to call my “grace period.” That is, taking some heavy-duty time to indulge in the “I just moved to New Orleans! Woo!” high. And, oh, it can be a doozy. When I mention this to other transplants, they usually respond with a long nod, a chuckle, and something along the lines of, “Ah yes. That’s a good time. I remember going through that. Well, mostly remember.”

So I’ve been devouring my first samplings as a live-in local of the city’s food, bars, and creative scene. Burlesqueries, picnics, brunch, Pimm’s Cups, crawfish, sno-balls, friends new and old...all of it has conspired to convince me that I am in the right place. And there is only more to come. I’m looking forward to plotting and chronicling here many more of my revelries, revelations, and delicacies. The game is afoot!

Just a few snapshot moments...

Uptown Hen

Truth.

Getting schooled by the ladies' room of Twelve Mile Limit

First foray into District Sliders--Turns out Mexican Hot Chocolate is a great way to make a donut

Rainy day brunch in the Marigny at Horn's

Some Mostly Obvious Things I’ve Learned So Far:

• The best remedy for a New Orleans Hangover is a New Orleans Brunch.
• If it’s Monday, the answer is Red Beans and Rice.
• GPS can navigate driving the French Quarter about as effectively as a wasted tourist.
• Actually, don’t drive through the Quarter if at all possible.
• Should probably just factor towing costs into the budget.
• Can’t just refer to the neighborhood vaguely as the Marigny-Bywater anymore, the boundary is the railroad tracks, figure it out.
• People get pretty tetchy about their neighborhoods.
• Traffic lights seem to be more of a suggestion, really.
• Left turns, per se, are not actually a thing. Getting used to New Orleans Lefts involves U-turns, aggressive intuition, and the grace of God.
• Ambivalence in choosing a restaurant is no longer acceptable. Too many options, no one has time for that kind of dithering. Make a list.
• Bars don’t close at two. (Yes, that is sunlight. Go home.)
• Cabs are a thing here. Go ahead and punch that into speed dial.
• Your life is what you make it, regardless of where you unpack your boxes. But moseying to the rhythm of New Orleans every day certainly doesn’t hurt.

Kisses & Mischief, etc,

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