New Orleans 2017

Near French Quarter

New Orleans, Louisiana — First Impressions

August 2017. First time in New Orleans. Wife had been before, wasn’t impressed. I didn’t know what to expect. Movies make it look wild, history books romanticize it, and friends rave. Reality? Different.

Flying in from Seattle mid-afternoon, the heat hit immediately. High 80s, sticky humidity—sweat soaked us in seconds. Palm trees and casinos gave the place a Vegas vibe, but didn’t help the discomfort.

We were in town for a night before catching a cruise. Lyft to the Courtyard by Marriott near the convention center. Driver was a real estate agent moonlighting as a Lyft guy, full of tips on food and nightlife. Didn’t matter much to us—we weren’t there to party.

Walking to the French Quarter and Bourbon Street, I felt off. Normally calm in sketchy spots—Seattle, Chicago, Tacoma—but Bourbon Street was different. Heat, humidity, and the smells: vomit, stale beer, garbage, body odor…maybe worse. Passing Harrah’s, flashing lights everywhere. I wanted a sidearm I didn’t have. We cut it short, grabbed dinner at a small German-style place. Overpriced, underwhelming.

Back at the hotel, sirens and occasional gunshots punctuated the night. Not exactly comforting. Next morning, we boarded the cruise and left New Orleans behind for Mexico.

A week later, back in New Orleans. This time, rental car in hand, headed out of the city. Crossed Lake Pontchartrain via the 24-mile Causeway Bridge—the longest over water in the world.

Fontainebleau State Park was a revelation. 2,800 acres along the lake, shallow and warm water, trails, a pier, and Spanish moss dripping from trees like something out of a horror movie. Spotted giant spiders and intricate webs—definitely not Seattle. Heat still oppressive, even with the A/C blasting, so my son climbed into a cooler at a convenience store for relief.

Southern Louisiana? Brutal in the summer heat. New Orleans itself? Overrated in my book. Fontainebleau? Worth it. Experience gained. Lessons learned.