New Orleans

I arrived in New Orleans on a hot and muggy afternoon, which set the tone for the rest of my stay. While the heat might be overwhelming to some, it felt familiar to me. Equally warm was the welcome I received, from strangers like the rideshare driver who picked me up at the airport, to my friend whom I hadn’t seen in nearly twenty years but who treated me like family. The hospitality embodied a phrase I heard more than once: “We’ll take care of you.” A perfect example came the day I arrived: she messaged me with a picture showing where she’d hidden the key on her porch. After work, she stopped by one of her favorite spots and brought crawfish mac-and-cheese, rice and red beans with sausage, smothered okra, and two types of desserts. That level of care continued throughout my stay and extended to her sister, and all their friends and family. I can’t thank them enough.

On my first day out, I took the bus to Algiers Point and then the ferry across the river to the east bank. Once there, I made sure to grab some beignets from Café du Monde. After a bit of walking around the French Quarter, it was nearing lunchtime, and I was ready for a po-boy. They are my favorites, and I planned to eat as many as I could while visiting. I consulted the list of recommendations the Couchsurfing contact had sent me and found one nearby. It was delicious. I continued walking around, eventually making my way to Jackson Square and the surrounding shops. Feeling accomplished, I took the streetcar to Canal Street and then a bus back home. On Saturday, we visited City Park—a massive park in the middle of the city. We walked around its sculpture garden and along many of its paths. After all that walking, we headed to a sno-ball stand and enjoyed them in the shade near the lake. Afterward, I got a driving tour around the park, up to Lake Pontchartrain, and through Uptown. The following day, I explored Uptown further by taking the streetcar around the area, where I enjoyed a wonderful lunch, dessert, and probably one of my favorite drinks to date: lavender jalapeño lemonade. On Monday, I walked around Old Gretna, the historic part of the city where I was staying. It’s a quaint downtown with some cool houses and buildings.

Connecting with the Couchsurfing (CS) community is something I plan on doing as I move around. Over the past few weeks, I had been chatting with a wonderful and experienced couchsurfer host who had been incredibly helpful. Not only did he send me a curated list of restaurants and things to do, but he also gave me great pointers on how to improve my profile. He mentioned that there was going to be a New Orleans meetup on Wednesday. During this time, he was hosting a couchsurfer from Australia. The three of us met up for lunch on Tuesday to get to know each other, and we had a great time. The Australian guest wanted to visit the WWII museum, so he and I spent the next day there before heading to the meetup. The museum is amazing and really requires at least a couple of days to thoroughly explore. The CS meetup was really cool; I got to meet a few locals and some travelers passing through. It’s always inspiring to hear everyone’s stories and journeys—I always leave having learned something new. Since the event was near his home, he offered to host me. It worked out really well, marking my first time staying with a Couchsurfing host.

As I look back on everything I’ve experienced so far, I am astounded by the beauty and the mix of so many cultures in the city. The French Quarter features homes and buildings in a wide array of architectural styles. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite like it. In most of the places I’ve been, the old towns have a style rooted in one European country, but here, they’re all intermingled—on one street, you might see up to four structures, each influenced by a different European country. On the flip side, I did notice neglect in many areas, which is a shame because the city deserves better. Some buildings were in need of repair, and there were several massive buildings that were simply abandoned, including the Plaza Tower downtown, two hospitals, and a gigantic naval base. The latter seems to be on its way to receiving federal money to be turned into affordable housing, but the residents are cautiously optimistic. All this beauty is not only matched but surpassed by the city’s heart and soul—its people. Despite constant adversities, I witnessed and heard incredible stories of people coming together, creating organizations, and hosting events to help one another.

I’m really happy I started my trip here. I’ve had the chance to see wonderful things and spend time with remarkable people. On Thursday, I moved to my friend’s sister’s house to explore a different part of the city. The following day, the three of us went out and I got a spectacular tour of the nightlife. We wrapped up the weekend with a morning jog through Audubon Park. As I write this entry, I’m resting in bed after testing positive for COVID. It’s not surprising, given how high the numbers are and how much I’ve been doing. So far, the symptoms are mild, and I'm especially grateful for how well I've been looked after.