My Brief Affair with The Big Easy

This was an affair that had the potential of becoming a great love story.

“You just won tickets to go to New Orleans to see Lady Gaga!”

I had no idea that my random phone call would be the 100th caller, and that out of all people, I would get to see New Orleans finally. It’s the closest thing on this side of the globe we have to Spain and France having a baby in the United States.

I went to New Orleans with a friend; neither of us had been in The Big Easy before. Once we took our taxi to the hotel, the driver said “Are you here for the teacher conference?” to which we replied no. Then he asked, “Are you here for the jazz festival?” And that’s when I realized this trip was meant to be. I didn’t know that the festival was taking place on the exact same weekend as the concert.

Luckily for us, our hotel was located in the French Quarter, so everything was walking distance. I was amazed by the architecture, because it reminded me of the Spanish colonial architecture back home. At some points, I would feel like I was back in Cartagena snapping pictures of the terraces and the horse carriages.

The streets were closed for transportation, and instead they were filled with music, not necessarily from speakers, but from live jazz bands. In almost every corner, there were people dancing and enjoying the local bands. I remember at one point, a singer from a local band saw me taking a picture of them and dragged me to dance and sing with him. More people joined us and it was as if we were too part of the band.

After walking around most of the French Quarter, we stopped by a local restaurant to have lunch. I’m a big fan of gumbo, jambalaya, beignets, etc. I was excited to finally eat authentic creole food while listening to jazz tunes. Then, we walked a little more and went back to the hotel to get ready for the concert. In case that you might be wondering, the concert was great.

I fell in love with New Orleans because the place for me was magical and full of history, the people were so kind and welcoming, it felt as if I was home. I’m one of those people that feels nostalgic about places they have never been, and after going to New Orleans, I can now say that I really miss it because I felt like I had so much more to explore. Maybe it was the music, or the food, or the people, or who knows if in my past life I might have lived there. All I know is that I want to thank Lady Gaga for being my matchmaker. Now bear with me, as I count the days until I go back.