New Orleans - a City of Jazz, Voodoo, and Opposing Beliefs

New Orleans is one of my favourite cities. Whether it’s the jazz bars in the French Quarter, Bourbon Street, or just wondering the jazzy voodoo atmosphere, it really has something for everyone. I, like most people, had a great time while I was there.

One of the best things to do in New Orleans is just walk around the city and soak up the atmosphere. There are buskers of all different genres playing music everywhere you go. It really gives the city a vibe like no other.

It might be the voodoo vibe, I don’t know but it’s different in New Orleans. The city is famous for its voodoo. Whether you visit one of the tombs in the graveyards that are infamously haunted, or have your past and future told by the ubiquitous palm readers, or just visiting the voodoo museum or shops, you will be spooked. Be warned, muhahahahahahaha.

The different coloured Creole cottages with their cast iron balconies really paint the town and give it a unique taste. Just wondering around and seeing everyone doing their thing hanging out in the cafes, bars and houses just looks so authentically happy. And there’s nobody happier than someone enjoying themselves in New Orleans.

Bourbon Street is famed, or infamed, for its nightlife, and you can sure have fun there. There are bars for everyone’s taste all the way up and down it. It’s the epicenter of New Orleans’ nightlife. But, I’m gonna be honest with you: there are much better things to do in New Orleans.

Bar-wise (a big part of the New Orleans culture), you have to go to the French Quarter for the cool little jazz bars. Jazz music originated in New Orleans and wherever you go you get a feel of it. There are live sets in many bars every night of the week, and most of the bars a pretty small with just a few people in them, giving the place a cozier feel.

A couple of bars I’d recommend are 21st Amendment Bar and The Spotted Cat. Both places are small and chilled with live jazz music being played. The intimate feel you get from the smaller bars is much better than the big open bars down Bourbon Street. Don’t think they’re too chilled though, when we were there was a few of us dancing in both bars. The jazz folk really know how to enjoy themselves.

By chance, the time we spent in the city there was a Gay Pride weekender on and it really enfused the city no end. Thousands of gays descended on New Orleans for their weekend, and the bars were packed with men in pink underpants and drag queens looking glamorous, overdone and beautiful. They were there to party, and if you want to party, there’s no better bar than a gay bar.

In the daytime, there was a Gay Parade, and like everything else the rainbow crowd actualize, it was spectacular. Such a colourful shindig with all the singing, dancing and showing off that each and every one of them were for, really made for a party experience.

But just behind them were the right-wing Christian protestors, who were there because according to their god homosexuality is a sin. Many of them were shouting insults at the gay crowd, and it could have got ugly. The police were there and luckily there was no trouble. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m all for freedom of speech and I firmly believe they were within their rights to protest, but where in Christian culture does it say you should abuse and hate someone because they like to do something different from you.

Or is it because gay people do something the hating Christians wish they could do but are too scared to do it because their ugly society will disown them…? Hmmm.