Best City Ever!!

Best Year____ Ever!!

Andrew Lemoine, a rising sophomore, wrote an awesome blog series highlighting why he loves Tulane. Stay tuned to hear more from Andrew!

            So freshman year is in the books, and boy was it one I will never forget. As a local kid from Louisiana I didn’t know what to expect by staying in state for college, but it has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. New Orleans is one of the most unique places in the world. I think that this statement pretty much sums up my experience at Tulane this past year. Unique!

Best City Ever!!

            New Orleans is, without a doubt, one of the best cities in the world. From the culture, music, history, food, to the people, Nola did NOT disappoint. I think the best part of the experience was getting the opportunity to be in New Orleans as a resident, not a tourist. Of course, I had been to New Orleans more times than I could ever count, but there was just something different about it now that I was living here. I was able to take in the city like I never had before. For example, my T.I.D.E.S. class last fall was “A Running Conversation.”  My class met once a week and ran through the many neighborhoods and districts of New Orleans. From Uptown and the Garden District, to the levee and the lakeshore, this was one of the coolest things about learning the city. Something as simple as running turned into amazing history and cultural lessons about NOLA.   

My T.I.D.E.S. class on a Friday morning run through Storyland near City Park

My professor grew up in New Orleans, so getting to hear his personal stories and experiences growing up just added to it. Seeing and hearing about how so much of the city has changed since then really put things into perspective. I truly just loved being immersed in so much history and culture.

            One thing that makes Louisiana different than any other state is the fact that Louisiana knows how to celebrate. And one way people from the south love to celebrate is festivals, festivals, and more festivals. Louisiana has more festivals than there are days of the year. Many say that in Louisiana, if you can eat it, see it, or smell it, there is probably a festival for it. I mean there’s Mardi Gras of course, but there are so many more! Po-boy Fest, Freret Street Festival, Strawberry Festival, there is a Tennessee Williams Festival, French Quarter Festival, and on and on. Then of course there are some student favorites: Voodoo Fest, Jazz Fest, and Tulane’s very own Crawfest. Getting to spend and entire year trying these new things and learning new cultures even added to the experience. I don’t even think it would be physically possible to type out how much of an impact the city of New Orleans has on you each and every day. The city IS part of Tulane and such an integral part of your life. It’s just something you have to experience. There really is no way to describe it.