Observations

Living in New Orleans again reminds me how different it is from any other city. When you grow up here, many of the idiosyncrasies of the city are just normal. But when you’re older and visit and live in other places, you realized that they aren’t “normal.” These aren’t necessarily bad things. So living here again has reminded Damien and me of many of the quirks in this interesting city. I wanted to write some down before I forgot them:

1. Thunder Storms – No place I’ve lived has thunder storms like we have here. Lots of thunder and lightening and poring rain. Orin is now very scared of thunder!
2. Smell of grass – I love the smell of newly cut grass. There is always a plethora of that since you have to cut the grass at least once a week since it grows so fast here.
3. People riding in the back of trucks – I NEVER see that in VA
4. Children in cars without being strapped into a car seat or seat belt – never see that either!
5. Parents bringing their young children (I mean like 5-10yrs. old) in PG-13 and R rated movies at 10 o’clock at night. Oh, and people talking in movies.
6. Water, water, everywhere. Not as much of a surprise for me, but Orin is always pointing out the canals when we’re driving. I remember as a kid when I realized that it’s actually unusual to have canals everywhere. I just thought it was a normal part of a city.
7. Dogs barking in the backyard. Damien noticed this as jogs around town. He said he rarely hears this as he jogs in other places.
8. Guys coming up to me in random places (gas stations, stores, etc…) and starting a conversation – sometimes asking for my phone number. That hasn’t happened in a LONG time but it’s happened multiple times since we’ve been back here.
9. Bumpy Roads (and sidewalks) – actually, bumpy roads is an understatement. New Orleans is notorious for that!