We Are #OnlyInNOLA

There are many reasons people come to New Orleans. The food, the booze, the music, the architecture, the history, the art, the culture and so much more. But when surveyed about what they remember, most visitors mention the people. When people refer to something being “Only in New Orleans,” they are often referring to us, the colorful, festive, resilient people of this city. Whether it’s the person walking their dog on a leash made of Mardi Gras beads or Mr. Okra rolling by in his fantastically painted truck announcing, “I’ve got fresh bananas, I’ve got fresh carrots,” we are part of the “local color,” the kooky characters visitors tell their friends about.

Saints and Skins

My parents were born in Louisiana and met at LSU. They remain LSU fans, but my father became a fan of the Redskins after moving to the D.C. area before my birth. When I was a small child, he propped me in front of the TV and asked me to tell him what happened while he attended to other things. Maybe it was initially to please my dad, but I fell in love with football and a Redskins fan was born. In the 80’s, I lost interest in the game then moved to L.A. for 18 years, where they didn’t have a team. When I moved to New Orleans in 2009, the Saints were undefeated and on their way to the Super Bowl. I was buying sundries at Walgreens when I noticed my cashier had 10-0 painted on her face with a fleur de lis. I used to paint my face, wear my colors and love my team and her face ignited my love of football again.