We could start this post in a variety of ways: “New Orleans is the greatest city in the world! It’s a melting pot of cultures! You can drink in the streets! Who Dat! Geaux, gumbo and grillads!” We’re not going to, though. We’re not that lazy.
If that were what New Orleans was truly all about people would only come down here for a weekend of pure debauchery then leave. It’s one of the reasons why people DO come down here in the first place. They want to get shit-faced off of $16 sugary drinks, wear Mardi Gras beads in June and have fun saying “N’awlins” while walking into a Bourbon Street strip club with their bros.
Our city is for the people that see more to New Orleans than streetcars and strippers. They see our laid back lifestyle. They see the fact that you can go to a bar on a Monday and see some good music. They see our love of the past, but also our yearning for a better future. Best of all, they see the phoenix coming out of the ashes. They see everything that is wrong with us, but want to stay anyway. They want to be part of our rebirth.
We all want to create a new New Orleans. It’s not going to happen without you, though—the transplants. The new age carpetbaggers who have already been a catalyst for change since Katrina, not only through innovation and determination, but also because they see both the good and the bad.
Hopefully, by reading the posts on Red Beans and Life, you’ll be a little closer on your journey from transplant to local. We want to show you how we live life, but we also want to see how y’all do it outside of the Crescent City. We love our red beans on Monday, but we could use a break every once in a while. Po-boys are great (who are we kidding, they’re the best), but an actual sandwich can be good, too. And no one likes potholes, so we could always use your help on that.
So welcome to New Orleans, and let us help you enjoy the ride.