New Orleans, an eclectic mix of fun

Before we arrived in New Orleans Leah, the landlady of the bar we were drinking at in Mobile, Alabama elucidated what it was like:

'It's dirty, it's grimy, it's trashy, y'all gonna love it!'

If only we knew just how much. Sure parts of it were grimy and the tourist traps like the famous Bourbon Street were trashy, but it was also quirky, authentic, unique.

Its eclectic mix of jazz bars, tattoo parlours, Mediterranean food, office blocks, steamboats, flea markets and historical sights make it unlike anywhere I've ever been before. Never have I been to a stranger, more random place than New Orleans.

The different districts and attractions almost belong completely separately. You would not expect to find coffee and beignets of Cafe du Monde alongside the strip clubs and cheesy music of Bourbon Street; nor the tattoo parlours and boutiques of Uptown to be part of the same city as the business district or voodoo shops, for which New Orleans is renowned. Yet oddly this amalgamation of anomalies comes together superbly.

It starts to make a lot more sense once you understand the history of the city. The impact of African Americans and native Indian Americans is obvious and once intermingled with the European influence, which dominates the large French quarter of the city in particular, you suddenly begin to see why it's such an unusual place.

It is this originality that makes New Orleans a must visit city. Whether you're looking for sophisticated jazz, kooky shops, great food or crazy nightlife, it really has it all.

And whilst the devastation caused by hurricane Katrina is still evident in a few places, particularly on the drive in, the city seems to have recovered now (contrary to reports I'd heard before we arrived). New Orleans is a large, bustling city - I was surprised by the scale of it - with a melange of people moving at all hours of the day at the very heart of it.

If you are looking to visit I would recommend the dinner jazz cruise on steamboat Natchez; a great combination of history and culture, with incredibly friendly staff and the opportunity to say you have sailed up the Mississippi river.

You should also check out the bars along Frenchmen Street and Decatur Street - Bourbon Street was lots of fun, but perhaps somewhere you should only visit once for the novelty. 

The eateries and boutiques along Magazine Street are definitely worth a visit. As are the tattoo parlours (especially Idle Hands) at that end of town if that's something that interests you.

And if the opportunity arises, you should try and see an NFL game at the dome. We were in town for the Saints hosting the Miami dolphins - and whilst we weren't at the game, the atmosphere was fantastic. I'm sure it helped that the Saints crushed the dolphins 38-17, but it seems New Orleans is a football-mad city.

Whatever you're looking for in New Orleans, in the words of our friend Leah, 'y'all gonna love it!'