It’s Like a “Choose Your Experience” Game…
Welcome to the strangest city on earth… Within a small radius of eight miles, shaped like a crescent, you can have any number of experiences, all in the same place. You can choose your adventure, just by deciding which neighborhood you want to try on – to see if it fits.
Like the boroughs of New York, New Orleans has “faubourgs,” (French for neighborhood), which are distinct, yet seem to have no edges… where does Uptown become the Irish Channel? Where does the Marigny become the Bywater? Endless conversations and debates are had on the exact borders of New Orleans neighborhoods, but you can FEEL it when you arrive in each one.
As a temporary resident, it can be wild! I’m astounded how many people I meet who “visited NOLA in 2002” or whatever, and the love/hate is frustrating, because the ones who hated their time here usually picked the wrong neighborhood!
The peacock shown above is an escapee from Audubon Zoo after/during Katrina. That’s Mr. P. And there are five others. They are protected wildlife, as much of the city is a national bird sanctuary. So… since they couldn’t be recaptured, they are allowed to live wherever they want, and they chose their neighborhoods, and somewhat define them.
Mr. P’s neighborhood is called Carrollton, and he struts and preens through his streets like a teal-colored mayor of sorts. With a crown. His neighbors love him, sometimes feed him, and protect him at all cost from a particular “Karen” who is annoyed by his pecking at black cars.
Attempts have been made, and failed, to sue for the removal of Mr. P as a nuisance. His reflection in the black cars sometimes triggers his response to fight the mirror image he sees in the door panels, and the solution found was to install mirrors in neighboring yards to attract him elsewhere. It mostly works.
But the ferocious response to complaints about him brought the neighbors together more tightly a few years ago, and to this day the evening ritual of “cock blocking” him from roosting at sunset near the Karen’s home continues. Cocktails are enjoyed on the sidewalk by a few friends of P, the presence of a small crowd of lawn chair vigilantes discouraging him from going that direction, helping him choose a friendlier roost near friendlier porches. It’s an informal HOA of sorts. It’s also cocktails at sunset with neighbors, and that’s Carrollton in a nutshell. It’s a lovely place to live.
But that’s not for everyone. A visitor looking for action and night life and an easy walk to an art gallery is not for this life. A week or two in the quiet Carrollton vibe will send this guest home yawning and telling us New Orleans is ridiculous. All true… but a bit of simple guidance would have led this temporary resident to the Warehouse District, where downtown life is full of all the things – and feels entirely like another planet.
And for the artsy, whimsical, creative guest… it should have been the Bywater, St. Claude, the pop-up shows, the hidden garage band scenes, and the authentic hippy experience of a whole different part of town.
So many ways to live!
So, get some help, friend… just call us for a little New Orleans 101. Tell us about you, tell us how you want to live. NOLA pretty much has your best life, you just have to know where to find it. A simple phone call to our office can get your started on the right path. Could be the path to the most fulfilling extended stay you’ve ever had.
Anne Beck, Host
504-812-4702