Vibrant Vernacular.

New Orleans is a very funky city, with a broad range of people who have a ton of character.  Like most regions of the US, there is a very distinct dialect - one that can be a bit hard to understand at times.  Since it's taken me a little while to get used to the local lingo, I figured I'd throw in some words and phrases that are very unusual and unlikely to be heard anywhere else in our fair country.  And just because I'm super-geeky and love to do stuff like this, I'm going to throw in some little-known facts about our fine city.  Read on, Jeeves!!

^^  Our neighborhood Catholic Church

I know I didn't HAVE to put a picture in this post...  I just like to break up the monotony.  ;0))

Vocabulary.  Oh, and pronunciation.  Very important - as a local will be able to make you as a tourist as soon as you ask a question.  So... (and in no particular order):

Burgundy Street  (local lingo:  burr-GOON-dee) - located in the French Quarter.

Chartres Street  (local lingo:  charters - not pronounced anything like the French) - located in the French Quarter.

New Orleans  (local lingo:  gnaw-leenz) - this one was difficult for me to get used to - as the city of Orleans in France pronounce it Orr-LAY-ohn (with the last syllable a little dragged out in a nasal-y way) - which is a far cry from how locals say it here.  ;0))

Marigny  (local lingo:  mare-en-hee) - very funky neighborhood on the Eastbank.  Lots of artists and musicians tend to live there.

Po'Boy  (local lingo:  poh-boy) - what is also know in other areas of the country as a submarine sandwich, hoagie, grinder... you get the picture.  If you order a Po'Boy the person taking your order will ask if you want it fully dressed.  If you answer "yes", your sandwich will come with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and mayo.

Muffuletta  (local lingo:  muff-ahh-leh-tah) - a traditional New Orleans sandwich.  It's very large and typically four people can eat off of one (they cut the round bread into fourths) or you can buy them by the quarters.

Tasso  (local lingo:  tahh-soh) - a spicy smoked ham found in many dishes here.  It's delicious!!

Boudin  (local lingo:  boo-dween) - a spicy sausage made from unusual meats...  here you can find alligator, crawfish, and pork boudin.

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If you're going to get groceries, you're making groceries.  As in "I'm out of almost everything here...  tomorrow I'll be making groceries at the Casey Jones."

Those grassy strips that are sometimes seen between the left and right side of the road (in all the other states they are referred to as medians) are called neutral ground here.  This dates back to the days when the French and Spanish occupied Louisiana and the small area between the French and Spanish boundaries was referred to as such.  For some strange reason, the term has made it down through the generations and is still used today.

In the Garden District and Uptown areas of the city, there are wild parrots which actually live in the large live oaks and in the palm trees.  They are easy to spot and it's pretty cool to be able to look up and see one.  There are a LOT of different colored ones, too.  :0))  

Speaking of birds, there are wild roosters and chickens that live in some parks, public areas, and medians (aka the neutral ground).  They are oddly territorial.  We also have a lot of pigeons, ducks, and geese.  Alas, flamingos are only found at the Zoo.

Most (if not all) convenience stores, supermarkets, and discount stores will not just have wine and beer available, they'll also have a selection of liquors and mixers available.  You can purchase alcohol at any time of the day or night.  There are no blue laws here.

On that note, you can also have your alcoholic drinks to go.  Yes, you did read that correctly!!  There are even drive-through daiquiri stands so that you don't even get out of your car.  They do come sealed - drinking and driving laws are most certainly enforced, but you can be lazy and stay in your car to order.

Glass bottles are prohibited on the streets - so if you get your boozy drink to go while you're walking around, you'll have it in a plastic cup.  Beer cans are not prohibited, either.

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Sometime over the next couple of days, I'll be writing about the Aquarium of the Americas and over the weekend, I'll be posting some Insectarium adventures.  Stay tuned - same bat time (okay, so maybe not really - ha!) but definitely the same bat channel.  Cheers!!

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