Amy - Characters

A little place called New Orleans; where the

Best of

Characters come out when least expected.

Down in the markets, on the streets,

Everywhere you would least expect it.

For these such people we are

Given the title "Southern

Hospitality."

It's not something you can

Just learn. It’s a way of life, a special

Kind of people who are bonded together and have

Lived together through the thick and thin, hurricanes,

May floods, and much worse. The best people in

New

Orleans would never desert their home without

Putting up

Quite the fight.

Relocate? We'd tell the haters we would rather

Swim home

Than give up our home.

Until that time again, we

Voluntarily put up all the hassle of evacuation

Which makes us all into the unique

X-static people that the rest of the world should

Zealously long to be. 

Amy, age 16

Hannah - Nighttime in NOLA

Down in New Orleans there’s a party every night.
Whether it’s Monday or Friday people are out on the town seeing the sights.
The restaurants are filled and the clubs are packed,
From uptown to downtown music is heard and that’s a fact.
The weekends are when the festivals start,
The bands and the food are off the charts.
Jazz and jambalaya fill the air,
It seems as though no one has any cares.

Hannah, age 17

Courtney - Nightime in NOLA

New Orleans has a special energy that truly comes alive at night time. The people, the food, and the fun change from day to night and become completely new. In other places, apart from New Orleans, night time might be a time to rest, where the city stops to go to sleep. But in New Orleans, the real party and fun starts when the sun goes down. The city is never quiet and there is never a lapse in laughter, music, or happiness. The party never stops in our city. Every night is a celebration, and there is never a reason not to be in a good mood. It is said that New York is the city that never sleeps, but I think this is also true of New Orleans. The city comes alive at night and this is what I love most about it. Everything in New Orleans changes when the day turns to night, and it all becomes more fun. The streets are filled with crazy people at all hours of the night. There is always something to do between the music, the festivals, the food, and the nightlife. Night time in New Orleans is so unique and special, and it is unlike any other place in the world.

Courtney, age 17

Lillie - Nighttime in NOLA

New Orleans nighttime smells like stagnant water and cigarettes.
It has the gritty feel of aged plastic beads, hanging on the trees,
the ones that never fall.
The light never fully recoils, leaving sanguinity in the sky, but despair is in the soil.
Those who crawl come out, multiplying hastily, and blood is drawn.
The ones that never stand again.
The New Orleans night,
it isn’t concrete and streetlights.
It is the fight,
the build,
 the battle,
 and then the recovery.
It is New Orleans past mourning,
and after the darkness


- Lillie, age 16

Matty - Characters...

*Formatting inspired by E.E. Cummings*

The best character I ever saw in New Orleans
A story of confusion

He was a bearded man, dreadlocks flapping in the wind.

On a bike
       Missing one handlebar
And a seat cushion

Cradling a broken vacuum cleaner in his arms,
       Snuggling the dead machine to his face and into his tattered clothes

Whistling a song  (it was easy considering he had just the right amount of teeth…3)

            Yes, this man was the best character
                            I ever saw.



Matty, age 16

Lizzie - Nighttime in NOLA

There are two different sides to New Orleans at night

It can be peaceful, and it can be chaotic

Sitting on the porch, when the humidity has finally left the air,

Or partying in the French Quarter, having the time of your life

Listening to the locusts singing their daily evening song,

Or listening to the buzz of busy people, and the local street performers

Smelling the smells of nature,

Or smelling the smells of alcohol, and cheap, plastic beads

Relaxing, refreshing, a great way to end the long day,

Or exciting, invigorating, it’s only the beginning of a fun, eventful evening

Whether you’re rocking serenely in your rocking chair,

Or partying like there’s no tomorrow

There’s never a dull moment in New Orleans

Lizzie, age 16

Brittany - Nighttime in NOLA

In many places, nighttime is quiet and peaceful, when everyone heads
inside to sleep for the night. Night time in New Orleans is very
different from other places. It is usually not peaceful, it is actually
very alive. Many people might compare it to other big cities during the
night, when it can sometimes relate, it has some unique qualities.  It
is never empty, always full of people. It is also full of people talking
and music playing in the distance.  If near the river, a person can
sometimes hear the horns and noise from the several boats traveling it.
Also in New Orleans, if you travel just right out of downtown, a person
can hear the chirps from crickets and sounds of the night. New Orleans
has a diverse nightlife, from nature sounds, to sounds created from
people going about in their night.


Brittany, age 16