Not impossible to have a bad meal there. Can remember one place I absolutely do not recommend, but by and large, nearly every variety of food there was done very well. Not just creole or Cajun fair— Italian, Mediterranean, Indian, sushi, steakhouses… all outstanding

Barbecue is the great exception here – – just not a New Orleans thing.

I got there and immediately liked it. I liked the architecture. I thought the bayous were pretty, it was summertime and summers there are oppressive, but I don’t recoil at humidity like some….

People welcomed me as well as my family – – very obvious outsiders – – with open arms both at work and at home. Can’t relate to those ripping on the “people” of the area at all – – in my experience you almost have to work at not clicking with the locals, particularly as a guest. Last Uber driver I had in Vegas was a native New Orleanian, and we talked the entire ride like old friends from the second she told me where she was from. Chatted enthusiastically until I had my suitcase in hand and she was driving away. That was more typical of my experience.

My belief is that in very large part, you find pretty close to what you’ve made up your mind to, wherever it is you go.