I can
still remember my first night in New Orleans. I arrived at the airport and my
cousin picked me up. We met my sister and checked in at the Marriot hotel
downtown so we could walk around the French quarter and have fun at Bourbon
Street. I had this picture in mind of Bourbon Street being all
about bachelor parties and girls going completely crazy just to get a few
beads. I was excited to see what bourbon had prepared for us that night. As we
walked around the French Quarter, I realized there were a lot of things to do
there and the major attraction for me was the variety of places you can find— there
is something for everyone! You can find restaurants, art galleries, museums,
souvenir stores which open until late midnight, and places with different kind
of music. The first place we went that night was the Pat O’Brien’s on Bourbon
St, a very curious place that have been there for decades! It was funny to
think about my dad being there about 30 years ago. Pat O’Brien is famous
somehow because it is considered the creator of the hurricane, a sweet
alcoholic drink made with rum and fruit juice, syrup or grenadine. I have to
say that the best hurricane I’ve ever tried was there!
An important feature of New Orleans nightlife is the
variety of drinks that can be found here and that there
is no law against open containers, one of the reasons why people love to be
around here. Tropical Isle is another famous place on Bourbon St,
which offers a sweet but strong green drink called Hand Grenade. We
tried hand grenades too, which I must say is my favorite NOLA drink, and
continued our walk. It didn’t surprise me to see all those people completely
out of their minds. Girls showing their breasts for a strand of beads, tourists
doing crazy things, college students getting drunk, seniors partying as if they
were young and, yep, bachelorette parties too. It was also weird to see a group
of people standing in the middle of Bourbon St. talking about religion and how
much Jesus loves us. Beside this, everyday is always a good day to wear a
costume or something just ridiculous there. This place is crazy,
it doesn’t have to be Mardi Gras for unforgettable things to happen! Despite
this, the lights, the crazy people, the weird and wild things you'll see, it's
a total experience that you are not going to get anywhere else.
That night wasn’t the only night I went to Bourbon.
Actually, I visit that area very often, but it doesn’t mean that New Orleans
nightlife is all about Bourbon and the French Quarter. There are also several
places in Uptown that can be considered as fun as Bourbon and the prices are
much better. During the week, all the places around Loyola and Tulane
Universities, like the Boot and those on Maple St, are full of students. Also,
the Bulldog and other places on Magazine St. are good places to visit too.
Frenchmen St. is known as an entertainment street, especially
for locals. Tourists can be found here too, but not as on Bourbon St. Frenchmen
is famous because it houses artists and a
large variety of restaurants, and for Halloween celebrations. During Halloween,
the street was completely crowded and it was very interesting to see the
variety of costumes and Halloween ideas. It was different from all the
Halloween parties I have attended; it was a real New Orleans celebration.
In summary, there are many other places around the city,
which offer the feel and sound of New Orleans life, but Bourbon Street is one
of the most popular attractions and a visit to New Orleans would not be
complete without experiencing it. From Hurricanes and
Hand Grenades to the classic bars in Uptown, New Orleans is a great city and its
nightlife is full of surprises :) .
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