a Parisienne vs. a New Yorker vs. a New Orleanian

Garance Doré, one of my favorite blogs to read, recently posted about the differences between going out in Paris vs. going out in New York.  I love Paris and I love New York, but, as Dorothy Gale would say, "There's no place like home." And thinking about that reminded me of the Letter to America from Times-Picayune columnist Chris Rose after Hurricane Katrina, explaining why New Orleans was such a special place.

"We dance even if there's no radio. We drink at funerals. We talk too much and laugh too loud and live too large and, frankly, we're suspicious of others who don't.  But we'll try not to judge you while we're in your town."

New Orleans is special because unlike Paris or New York or some other place where you have to try being cool or try looking like you're not trying to be cool, New Orleans always accepts you for who you are. You can go just about anywhere with anyone and fit right in, so long as you're friendly and open to new things. Yeah, the city might sometimes smell funny and there are pot holes that could swallow a small child whole, but as far as Good People go, it doesn't get better than here.

from Dirty Coast (a New Orleans-based store, of course)
http://www.dirtycoast.com/