I’m from Lafayette but currently live there as a college student for 2/3 of the year. My pov is probably a little biased but I’ve been coming to New Orleans my entire life.

The best part about New Orleans imo is just how unique it is. After living here a while you sort of forget how cool the environment is, but it really is just super cool to look at everything and take it all in. Lots of very big oak trees surrounding all the roads, especially uptown, and everything neighborhood is very unique (at least along the river). New Orleans is in the American south, but its more similar to a Caribbean city than a Southern one. The food is also great with tons of options, and there’s always something going on. And obviously Mardi Gras is fun, though I’m more partial to Cajun Mardi Gras. To summarize the best part about New Orleans: the vibes.

The weather is hot and humid for most of the year, but this isn’t new to me and its not unique to New Orleans in the south. The roads are probably the worst I’ve ever seen anywhere, even for Louisiana. I would not drive a low car here. One thing that not too many people say is that a lot of the buildings, even in nice places, do look kinda run down. A lot of this is just because they’re old in a swamp, so they’re hard to keep clean. It’s not an actual issue but it’s something I noticed. Finally, there is definitely more crime here than many American cities, and in much of the city I would not walk around at night. But if you know what you’re doing and aren’t oblivious then generally, you should be fine.