There's a long history of New York publications running pieces on brave New Yorkers—pioneers, really—who made the move to New Orleans to enjoy cheap real estate, charming power outages, and empanadas with Solange Knowles.
These features undoubtedly leave New Yorkers wondering, "Should I move to New Orleans, too?" The website Brokelyn attempts to answer that, with accounts from Brooklyn ex-pats in New Orleans, a place characterized by "provincial behaviors, lack of business savvy and plenty of crime."
So, should you move here? According to Brokelyn, you should move to NOLA if you:
Want to get street harassed — but in a charming way! One ex-New Yorker quoted in the article complains about the ubiquity of catcalling and street harassment in that city. It still exists here, but it's totally charming: "In New Orleans on the other hand, Rachel has observed that men and women alike are referred to as 'baby' by strangers as a means of establishing familiarity."
You want to experience crime like in an old western movie. Yes, the crime is high here, and police response to 911 calls is notoriously slow. But this Brokelyn piece makes our dire situation seem downright romantic. New Orleans is referred to as, "a town with a long tradition of street justice rooted in Napoleonic Code," where police officers respond to follow-ups about cases with "We tryin’ to find ’em."
You want to get fat. One former Brooklynite, who claims to have gained 30 pounds since moving to New Orleans, says "You can’t eat healthily here" (remember: there's no kale in New Orleans). Sure, there's a lot of rich foods here, but hey: We weren't the ones who invented the cronut, Shake Shack, or soft-serve ice cream made out of cereal milk.
You hate working. The source who gained 30 pounds also went so far as to say, "If you do have a work ethic, you’re ostracized." See, that's totally true: anyone with ambition here is banished to Square Island, where you are force-fed po-boys.
You don't get annoyed when people don't know who Alicia Keys is. "Mary told us that the city also feels frustratingly provincial, explaining that you could whistle a jazz tune from an area musician on the street and someone else would likely complete the melody, but that same someone else might never have heard of Alicia Keys." Um, NOT TRUE.
You like drinking. That's definitely true. And probably a reason you might get fat.
• Should you move to New Orleans? Why some Brooklynites ditched the Big Apple for the Big Easy [Brokelyn]
• Ex-Domino Creative Director's Garden District "Chic Disaster" Turned Dream House [Curbed NOLA]
• The Intoxicating, Tradition-Steeped Charm of New Orleans [T Magazine]
• NYC to NOLA: New Yorkers trade Gotham for life in the Big Easy [NY Post]
• Experiencing New Orleans With Fresh Eyes and Ears [New York Times]
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