A whiff of cigar smoke, the scent of alcohol, the smell of body odor mixed with a little stink of garbage; that was the perfume I met on the streets of New Orleans. Add some music, 50,000+ people filling the streets, and dancing and I was hooked. The Big Easy was putting on a show, a free Jazz Festival weekend. This gritty, sexy city had me at the first stage, zydeco music with a lively crowd on a sunny day. I spent the next four hours strolling the streets, watching people, sampling red beans and rice, crayfish and other local favorites from restaurant food tents, and listening to groups both large and small from the main stage in Jackson Square to stool set up on Royal Street. New Orleans’ vibe knocked any remaining fatigue right out of me and my enthusiasm came back ten-fold.
And kids, it’s not YOLO until you’ve been to NOLA!