Holly - Home

In New Orleans, home isn't just the place where you sleep.

Home refers to all the people, places, and characteristics of the city.

While New Orleans is just a city to the rest of the country, to New Orleanians, it is one humongous, melting pot of a home—a home that's filled with people who share the same passion for music, food, and football.

Just as one would in a home, in the streets of New Orleans, one will experience feelings of acceptance, a constant support system, and the willingness to celebrate any good news regardless of whether or not they know the person being celebrated.

It's New Orleanians' quick willingness to revel in the smallest piece of good news and stand behind someone who's been wrongly accused that makes New Orleans a home.

A home is a place where everyone has each other’s backs,

And it’s the enthusiasm felt when encountering a fellow New Orleanian which leads one to refer to New Orleans as home and not just a city.

Holly, age 17

Sarah - Home

Soft Ground

In New Orleans there is a problem.

They say the city was built on a bad location. Swamps all around, ground softer then wet bread.

Because the ground is so soft numerous plants and trees are able to take root anywhere.

And they do.

Because the ground is soft trees seep they roots deep into the earth and stand strong through even the most dangerous winds.

Because the ground is soft ferns and moss grow on every oak trunk.

They say the soft ground is a problem. It’s not.

This city is a melting pot of culture, faith and joy.

In barren and dry places roots can’t take hold.

But not in New Orleans.

What makes this city what it is, is its ability to take hold.

Our families, our love and our strength hold us down in this soft ground.

Our roots channel deep below the cobble streets and tiled corners.

The location doesn’t matter because it is the people, with their roots like the St. Charles oaks, holding the ground together.

It is this love, happiness and music of this place that holds the city together.

We hold the city together. We are our home.

Sarah, age 16

Liza - Rhythm

Rhythm

The rhythm of the city

The rhythm of the streetcar moving past under your feet

The rhythm of satisfied moans leaving their empty plates behind

The rhythm of the sound waves coming from Frenchmen Street

The rhythm of the horse’s hooves clapping the dry pavement

The rhythm of shoes tapping to the harmonious beat

The rhythm exasperated sighs with the rain, the hail, the sleet

The rhythm of the city is incomparable to any other rhythm 

Darby - Home

My Home
Makeshift tap shoes
constructed from tops of cans,
dance to sounds of a city,
trying to gain a dollar or two.
Saxophones, trumpets, guitars
fill the air,
are carried from street to street
by the wind that comes off the
river.
This is music,
as we’ve grown up
surrounded by tunes
composed on street corners,
by names that will never be recognized
as anything more than “just another” street
performer.
This is New Orleans,
a sinking city
with music that lifts up spirits,
which have been brought down over the years.
This is home.

Darby, age 16

Jade - Home

The definition of home- Return by instinct to its territory after leaving it
That’s what home is to the residence of New Orleans
No matter what, there will be a return
A return to the happiness, the festivals, the food, the music
All of those things make New Orleans home, but nothing more than the people
Together we're a family that will stick together
That's home

Jade, age 15

Megann - Rhythm

The Rhythm of My New Orleans:

the rhythm of my new orleans is kept by it's beating heart

the sound of an empty can scratching down a lakeview alleyway

sparrows hopping through the open-ended clothesline T

the creaking and scratching of broken, beaten metal on the rail road

the bugs crashing into the concrete of the levee, where the crashing and scratching meets

the rhythm, a clean, clear beat, is chased by the broken rhythm of our too-well regulated pulses

the even beats of a chopper, dancing above a sea of lost hope and regret  

We take the defibrillator paddles and jump it back into rhythm

pump it full of music, the sounds of lake splashing

canal wading

the hidden side to new orleans, the side only seen after firm residency. 

the rhythm of my new orleans is more than a tourist shop can provide,

more than a parade can throw, 

more than the yard of booze in a hand grenade

its the music i've been running to since i was three, the music i've been living by, the music i will always live by. 

Megann, age 17

Victoria - Home

To me, New Orleans is home because it changes the meaning of what it is to feel at home.

Feeling at home means having a place
Whose culture is so infectious
That one is able to overlook its short-comings. In New Orleans,
It means looking over the recent football and government scandals, the crime and overall lawlessness
In favor of po-boys, snowballs, and new catchphrases like “free payton”.

Living in New Orleans stirs up such pride that I do not even mind when “foreigners” criticize the way
I talk, because they are incapable of understanding—it is not even their fault. That is what home is. A
place you are so in love with that even insults directed towards it are viewed as compliments. It entails
possessing a sort of blind pride.

Some question the value of living in a city that experiences a constant influx of tourists, with their
Hawaiian shirts and fanny packs, though more commonly, with a bottle of alcohol in one (or both)
hands.
But no matter how many tourists come, make a mess, and then leave, I know that New Orleans will
always be home.
And, anyway, locals cherish a different New Orleans than the one that tourists visit.

Victoria, age 17

Ashley - Home

New Orleans is unlike any other home

It is unique in every way

From the architecture

To the culture

To the people

Our homes are welcoming

and have that southern hospitality

Home is not Florida, Texas, Baton Rouge, or any other evacuee place

Home is where the heart is, and our hearts are here

Ashley, age 17

Ashley - Home

It is not the brick buildings filled with furniture.
It is not the materialistic possessions within.
People asked: “Why are you going back when everything is destroyed?”
The response: “Because I am going home.”
Home cannot be replaced.
It is something that you fight for
And for New Orleans, we have definitely fought hard.

Ashley, 16

Emily - Home

Home of New Orleans

Getting off the plane from Denver was a highly poignant experience. The deep emotions stirred up in that moment came as no surprise to me; anyone who is arriving at the place they call home after a long absence is bound to feel that touch of melancholy that comes with ending an adventure only to return to a place of safety and comfort. But, for me, getting off of that plane was like coming from a place that was dead back to a place that was alive. Denver was lovely. Everything was big and new, and the mountains and the snow were beautiful, but there was a certain generic quality to the place that made it seem dead. Perhaps it was the dry air which caused my knuckles to crack and bleed. Perhaps it was the locals, who seemed, to me, too utterly innocent (or perhaps ignorant) to the sparkling quality of each day. The poor people may not even be the ones at fault, because there didn’t seem to be anything in Denver surprising enough to spice up my stay. The city was in a coma: alive, well rested, clean and comfortable, being well cared for by its obviously efficient local government, but totally devoid of any motion, of any change in pace. Suffice to say that by the time my vacation came to an end, I was more than ready to come home.

And as I walked into the airport from the jetway, hot and humid with the vivacious breath of the city, I was so happy—so utterly pleased—by the old, dank little airport, the tourist shops selling the same Mardi Gras beads that they would sell long after Mardi Gras had ended, and the friendly faces I passed on the way to baggage claim. But mostly, I loved the quiet Jazz melody that played throughout the whole airport. It seemed to say to me (and I hope it says to everyone who arrives in this remarkable city), “Welcome! Welcome to living.” It was in that moments, walking to baggage claim, that I became
very sure that the New Orleans International Airport, like the city to which it belongs, is truly one of a
kind. I was finally home, and I was very much alive.

Emily, age 15

Ciara - Home

Dear New Orleans,
I love you
because your fast an upbeat
because your always fun and exciting
because you radiate life
for you I would fight
day and night
you bring me joy
and that is way
I love you

Ciara, age 16

Torre - Home

Home is a word; it is a strong word. Who would have thought that a four
letter word could have such a complicated meaning?
Growing up, home is the place that you always want to leave; but when
you have escaped your adolescent years and the reality of life hits you
hard on the head, home is the place that you always want to get back to.

Years come and go in the blink of an eye, until one day you open your
eyes for more than a second and realize that you are no longer in the
comfort of your beloved home.
It is in that instant that you realize that home is not just that brick
house in uptown New Orleans. It is then that you understand that home is
really no more than the people who live in it and around it. Home is not
where you sleep, but where they understand you.
So, in essence, my home does not consist of three bedrooms, a kitchen,
andother rooms full of home appliances.
My home is much bigger, approximately three-hundred and fifty square
miles. My home is three-hundred and fifty square miles of bliss and
noise. Three-hundred and fifty square miles of oak trees and fried
shrimp. Three-hundred and fifty square miles of Saints running around.
Three-hundred and fifty square miles of reverberating beats of Jazz and
off-key singing. Three-hundred and fifty square miles of intoxicating
laughter and smiles full of love and acceptance. That is my home.

Torre, age 17

Lucy - Home

Our tradition and culture is what home is to people in New Orleans
Football Sundays, Who-Dat Chants,
Our music blasting at various festivals,
Whether it is at Jazz Fest, Voodoo or the French Quarter Fest.
Those are only some of the many reasons we are proud of New Orleans.
The strength we have after natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina,
The insanity of our flamboyant traditions such as Mardi Gras,
The excitement and liveliness of the French Quarter.
These are all things that keep our city and traditions alive.
This is what makes up our beautiful culture…
And our beautiful home.

Lucy, age 17

Anonymous - Home

Home is the air we breathe

The views we see

And it’s the iced tea

Home is the food

Singing to make everyone in a good mood

Watching the Saints win and their attitude

It’s the way we come together

It’s the way we celebrate

And it’s the reason we are from New Orleans

Anonymous, age 17

Grace - Home

“Home, let me come home
Home is whenever I’m with you”- Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes

It is not the physical building that creates a home,
Rather it is the closest friends and family that form the tight-knit community that make the feeling of a home.
It’s not the scene in which we are placed, rather it is the love that overflows and takes over the environment
An atmosphere where smiling faces and vibrant laughter floods the setting
It is the emotions, and the feelings and most importantly, the LOVE.
LOVE is so powerful it can create an imaginary dwelling any place and any time.

Grace, age 17

Courtney - Home

Home.
It's a rather funny word
for most people it means
the place they return to
after work, dinner, or school
for people of new orleans
it means their lifeline
nola homes never die
generations and generations
of families move in and out
but they always keep their roots
in other cities, homes fade away
families slowly forget the memories
that were once made there
but in new orleans it is quite the opposite
whether its the same family living
there for the past fifty years
or a new one, memories are
the roots of the home
never to be forgotten

Courtney, age 17

Camille - Rhythm

The rhythm of New Orleans is the music of the street performers. The sound mostly consists of Jazz and
tap dance. The reverberating beats are heard throughout the French Quarter and beyond. It’s a slow
tune that lets us know we’re home. The music of New Orleans will never cease as it creates a spirit that
is instilled in generations to come. It infects all those who live here or just come for a visit. Everyone can find a home in the New Orleans sound.

Camille, age 17

Ja'Nazia - Rhythm

Bounce! Rap! Classical! And these are just part of
what we listen to where I’m from.

You would hear these Beats at Parties, Weddings,
and Receptions.

Slow!

Fast!

Where do These Rhythms come from you may ask?
Not only a place but, a Big City.

New Orleans is the best place to be, no need to lie
around and watch TV.

Enjoy the Sensational Sights.

You will be happy you came.

Ja'Nazia, age 13

Megan - Rhythm

Don't Get Too Comfortable

-

There is a certain rhythm associated with New Orleans that is separated from the various
famous music genres that this city is known for. With rhythm comes routine and with routine comes
comfort. People become comfortable with the things that do not seem to change around here, the food,
the weather, the people, etc. When the temperature drops below seventy degrees, the Academy of the
Sacred Heart students wear sweat shirts and complain asking why the heaters are not on. I am so used
to the dry heat during the recent weather, that I was a victim of a basically flooded car due to an open
sun roof and an unexpected thunderstorm. People get so comfortable with the usual beat of this city.
They do not know how to handle any other way. Some may leave at some point in their lives to try and
make it somewhere else, but the truth is, New Orleans is home, and many people will end up returning.

Megan, age 16

Maeve - Rhythm

New Orleans

is a hum

that permeates

the bodies of

             bugs

                       dogs

                                  people.

The sound of a tuning fork in their ear

creates a vibration that shakes bones out of their sockets

and electrons from their orbit.

The water in the ground, not two feet from our feet

ripples with the sound and movement of the city.

E very person moving

Every person singing

Every person laughing

are only drops in the pool,

but together we make a wave.

Our influence splashing into the minds of others – It’s infectious.

So, watch out

or you’ll be pulled out to sea.

Maeve, age 17

Biagia - Rhythm

The rhythm of New Orleans is…

Fast Paced

City life brings traffic and tourists

Who wander around the French Quarter

Admiring

The rhythm of New Orleans is…

Upbeat

Like the smooth jazz that fills the air

Bringing people together

Listening

The rhythm of New Orleans is…

Familiar

Acting as a home even to those who are

Just passing through

Inviting

-

Biagia, age 17

Anonymous - Rhythm

Rhythm

Here is a b e a t.

It clicks like a streetcar

and rolls like a parade

and sounds like something boiling

and dances like a swan in city park

and tastes like a mango freeze

and smells like PJ's.

and it goes on.

Anonymous, age 17

Lillie - Rhythm

Rhy rhy rhy thm
               Snares hitting beads hitting hands hitting t a m b o r i
n e s
Rhy rhy rhy thm
               Feet tapping slate cracking hooves slapping reigns

Lillie, age 17

Olivia - Home

I couldn’t name my home for you

I could not label what my “home” is with materialistic descriptions

Or get you to see the world through my eyes

For it has no definition

Emotions are greater than descriptions because we can all relate

So for lack of any words, emotions will be my choice of date

Where strangers become friends through a smile in the market

And neighbors send waves while walking in the park it seems to me

-that who I am has always been here and who I was, wasn’t home

To simplify, I’ll say thank you

And welcome to my humble abode.

Olivia, age 16

Anonymous - Home

Hope can be found even when all is lost.
Opulence is also in the Muddy Mississippi.
Magnificence ties people together creating a bond stronger than steel.
Excitement is every day in our home, New Orleans.
New Orleans will always be my home, and my home will always be New Orleans.

Anonymous, age 15

Anonymous - Home

A house cannot be home, if you don’t feel welcomed.
When they say home is where the heart is,
They do not mean a home is one specific house, or building.
No.
In New Orleans, our home is all around.
Home is where, even tourists, feel extremely comfortable.
This is why New Orleans is considered a home,
To so many people, including those without a house here.
My heart is attached to New Orleans, and will always be.
This is how I know, New Orleans is my home.

Anonymous, 17

Brittany - Home

“Home”

A four letter word that represents a family.

Family

A six letter words that creates happiness.

Happiness

A nine letter word that makes a life.

Life

A four letter word that represents a culture.

Culture

A seven letter word that is demonstrated in a city.

City

A four letter word that is a home for millions.

Millions

A eight letter word that is a large group represented by one.

One

A three letter word that is New Orleans.

New Orleans

A home of millions that is one big family with the happiness of daily life in a city overflowing with
culture.

Brittany, age 17

Anonymous - Home

There is quite possibly an endless list of things unique to New Orleans and what qualifies it as “home.” I would define “home” as a place where you are most comfortable and find or enjoy unique qualities of this specific place that are unable to be found elsewhere. In other words, there is just something about it you love, flaw or perfection, that is truly unique to that place. According to this definition that would make New Orleans a very easy place to call home and also a very easy place to get attached to as there are endless flaws and perfections associated with it. Home also has a lot to do with the people involved with that place. As for New Orleans, people are undeniably responsible for 50% of the city's distinctive charm. Anyone even lucky enough to call it home would agree that everyone there shares this sense of overwhelming pride and unconditional love for it. As unique its inhabitants may seem, they all have an amazing and similar understanding of what the word “community” means and how to live by it. 

Anonymous, age 15

Francie - Home

Home is Where the Heart Is

I will never forget the day I came home after living in Denim Springs
for 3 months after Hurricane Katrina.  I think that was the happiest I
had ever been in my 10 years here on Earth.  The first thing I saw
when we had reached our exit was the Denny's Restaurant sign
completely twisted.  I knew that things were going to be different,
and they definitely were, but there was one thing that wasn't.  The
spirit of the community was as vibrant as ever.  Our town had come
together more than ever, and that was the moment that I really fell in
love with my city.  With the help of the Saints, we showed the rest of
the country that we were here to stay.

Francie, age 17

Helene - Home

Home
What does it mean to be home?
Sit down for a second
and I’ll tell you about my home

Home is the tall Corinthians columns
Visible outside my bedroom window

Home is the low hanging Oak branch
That’s dripping with the Spanish moss
The culprit responsible for clogging the drains in my car

Home is the smell of freshly fried shrimp
and the dollop of Crystal that coats them

Home is the sound of Mr. Okra
Singing the song of his in stock fruit

Home is the multi colored Mardi Gras beads
Still hanging from the trees on St. Charles
A reminder of the party still hanging in November

Home is the inevitable run-in bound to happen
With some distant cousin or friend
No matter where in the city you are

Home is the dip of your car and the sound of the screech
As you plummet into a deep crater

Home is New Orleans
The feelings, the sounds, the smells, the looks

Helene, age 16

Haley - Home

“Home”

To many a home is a just a house,

But to New Orleanians, a home is our culture.

Our home is our community.

No matter where we end up, the spirit of New Orleans remains.

Home is a Saints game on a Sunday afternoon.

Home is walking in the French Quarter through the crowded streets.

Home is hearing “WHO DAT” yelled in various situations.

Home is seeing Mardi Gras beads hanging from trees.

Home is the warm smiles and laughter shared between strangers.

New Orleans will forever remain our home.

Haley, age 15

Grace - NOLA Greetings

This is the city that we have all grown to love.
Generation after generation, we keep adding new members to this
community.
Some say that "it's a small world."
It is true indeed that everyone in New Orleans knows each other or at
least act like they do.
Whether it is a "Who Dat" after a big game or just a casual "Hey y'all,"
New Orleans greetings have always been the same.
This has become known as the universal communication which everyone has
learned.

Grace, age 17

Emily - NOLA Greetings

Welcome to New Orleans

There is a simple Southern thing we call hospitality.
          Welcomings,
                     Generous treatments,
                                   Amiabilities.
Friendly greetings all around.
                     “Hey yall!”
We care, love, help
                                 strangers and friends.
          We might come off a little strange and peculiar,
but deep down,
         It’s just us being New Orleanians.

Emily, age 15

Holly - NOLA Greetings

The greetings in New Orleans are almost as unique as the city itself.
No matter where you are or whether you're a local or a tourist,
New Orleanians greet you as if they have known you since birth.
The greetings range from:

          Where y'at
          How's ya mamma and dem
          How ya doin', dawlin
          Hello, sugah
          ... the list goes on.

These greetings define the city.
They show that no matter what, New Orleanians treat each other as family.
They show that no matter what, New Orleanians know that they share the same passions.
And lastly, they show that regardless of the world around us, New Orleanians are proud to make
up one big Who Dat Nation.

Holly, age 17

Ashley - NOLA Greetings

“Hey ya’ll!

The typical New Orleans greeting

On the streets, in the park, at the door,

Everywhere.

It’s friendly, it’s welcoming, it’s not the

“Hello. How are you?” or the “Hi” of other cities

It is southern hospitality, it’s unique, it’s home

Ashley, age 17

Katie - NOLA Greetings

A simple greeting in New Orleans turns into an anthem. “Who Dat!” This is our anthem. Every person in NOLA or from NOLA is required to say it at least once a week. However, most people say it every day of their lives without even realizing. “Who Dat!” is more than just a greeting; it is our call of celebration, friendship, worship, and love. The greatest moment in a New Orleanian’s life is when they are in the Superdome with thousands of people screaming this phrase. Those people become your closest friends and a sense of joy and pride sweep over you. It gives me the chills every time. So, “Who Dat!”

Katie, age 16

Elizabeth - NOLA Greetings

How’s ya mamma?
This is what people say
When walking down the street
Who cares if they are your best friend
Or a complete stranger
New Orleans is the biggest small town in the world
Here, everyone is a family
Everything about our city is unique
The food
The music
The culture
And the greetings are no exception
So next time when you’re walking down the street
And see a crowd
Make sure you say, in the typical New Orleans way
Hey yall

Elizabeth, age 17

Biagia - NOLA Greetings

In the New Orleans where the

Winters feel like summer and

Our idea of snow is sloshing around in

Half melted puddles of ice

Greetings are something that we

Understand

There is a reason that it’s called Southern not

Northern hospitality

Whether it is the warm southern breeze

Or the lack of ice that falls from the sky

A friendly “How y’all doing” or “Who Dat!”

Can always be found in the city of New Orleans

-

Biagia, age 17

Victoria - NOLA Greetings

In any other city,
We would be dangerous strangers.
Those creepy people you don’t know
that need to be ignored
All because they are waving at you.
But, here,
a Concentrated Center of Crime,
We wave and strike up conversations with
seemingly random people
as if they are close friends or acquaintances.
Probably not the best idea, but
we can’t help having what others deem
As a severe lack of boundaries.
And, in truth, why should we? Why must we pretend or assume that every living soul we
see is a rapist-kidnapper-crime lord-molester-serial killer-fill-in-the-blank_____?
The difference between a New Orleans’ greeting and one from any other part of the world is all
the ya’lls, yats, and who dats, but it’s also a little bit more than that.
It’s that we live in a place that still feels comfortable enough with its own community that
its individuals see no problem with saying hi to the girl buying coffee that cannot decide
what to order. Or that man who just face-planted on the sidewalk.
It’s the fact that in New Orleans, people are greeting you, not just your face.

Victoria, age 17

Catie - NOLA Greetings

New Orleans Greetings

Hey y’all

Hi, you guys

How ya doin’?

How’s it goin’?

What’s up?

How are you?

How’s ya mom en ‘em?

How ‘bout them saints?

Who Dat!?

Southern Hospitality on the streets everywhere you go

Can’t pass one by without greeting them

New Orleans is good about making others feel at home and at ease in the Big Easy

Cajun and traditional music floating around

Story swapping with strangers

The close community that comes together as a family

NOLA’s special form of communication is what makes it special

Catie, age 15

Jade - NOLA Greetings

On any Saturday at Plum St
A line of people can be awaiting my arrival
As I walk up to the stand
People always give me a warm smile
The smiles always make my day
In some places this is considered foreign
"How are you doing today"
"What's been going on"
The workers always remember me
And nicely approach  me
As I get my snowball
And start to leave
Ms. Linda says
" Have a nice day baby, come back"

Jade, age 16

Megan - NOLA Greetings

                  New Orleans gatherings brings lots together

Who Dats

Fat Tuesdays

Festivals

                 But what goes on at these events?

Cheers?

Tears?

               Who do you see?

Your mom?

Your neighbor?

A stranger?

               What do you say?

Happy Mardi Gras.

Where’s the Bathroom..?

Where are you from?

             Are you nervous to greet people?

No.

             Why not?

It’s New Orleans.

Megan, age 17

Ruthie - NOLA Greetings

In other cities they don't speak

and standing in line they just wait

for their coffee. And hurry off.

It takes me five minutes to get tea

but I know everyone in that shop.

In other cities they say they're southern

and they're proud that they say southern words

like y'all. If you are proud of using a pronoun

it's probably time to reevaluate what you 

find culturally significant. Because that's

just an everyday word around here.

In Egypt, you can greet a person by wishing them

"morning of light" or "morning of jasmine"

or other variants. In New Orleans we don't have

anything quite so romantic. But occasionally

who dat works just as well.

 

Ruthie, age 16

Jackie - NOLA Greetings

South hospitality truly does exist

In New Orleans, walking down the street

Might just be a way to describe the

Big easy.

You get a wink, smile, compliment, etc.

None of which is out of the norm for this

Southern city.

There is a vibe of happiness present,

Rather than a busy and uncaring vibe

That may be present in places like New York.

If someone gives a wink or smile there,

Most likely, they won’t get a wink or smile in return.

Southern hospitality is our specialty.

Jackie, age 16

Chelsea - NOLA Greetings

Y’all come back now, can be heard from many New Orleans places.

It is a sign of community

It is a sign family.

It shows that a patron is simply not another check in just another restaurant, but a member of a family
bigger than themselves.

To a New Orleanian, this is a fixture of home.

On any street corner at any given time of the day, a “new Orleans saying can be heard” and received
with a smiling face.

Here, there is no awkward small talk with the stranger on the corner, but a welcome into greater
community.

New Orleans would not be New Orleans if there were not hey m’a baby, nice to see y’all to today, or
y’all come back now.

These sayings make New Orleans such unique place.

Chelsea, age 15

Taylor - NOLA Greetings

While some say “Peace, Love, and Happiness” is the key to their city…

We say “Parties, Love, and Gumbo” are the key to ours.

While some say “Hey” to those they see walking down the street…

We say, “Who Dat!” to everyone we meet.

While some prefer to give a hug, say hey, and ask how was your day…

A simple head nod is all we got to say.

While some say, “Let’s have a party”…

We say, “Laissez les bons temps rouler !

No matter what the reason for the visit…

Others will probably say, “Welcome to our city, hope you have a nice stay.”

But We’ll always say, “Come on in, we know you’ll never wanna leave!”

Taylor, age 16

Ciara - NOLA Greetings

What is a girl to say when she doesn’t live in New Orleans
Should she speak to people or keep on her way
Should she stop to say hey or is that too friendly
In an unfamiliar place
How do you greet people to brighten up their day

Ciara, age 17

Francie - NOLA Greetings

The simple hi's and hello's are what makes New Orleans, the city we
all love.  We do not realize it, because we're so used to it, but we
are lucky to live in such a vibrant yet subtle city.  Most outsiders
would not classify New Orleans as a subtle town, since we are known by
most people as consisting of Bourbon Street and Bourbon Street only.
But for people who live in New Orleans, one of their favorite things
about the city is that they are able to walk down any street on a
beautiful day and be a part of a community.  There are many types of
greetings you can hear in New Orleans, but one of the most popular is
"How's it goin"?  These three words can immediately make your day.
You might not know this person, but knowing that they cared to
acknowledge your present is comforting.  You then take that and say it
to everyone you meet so you can spread this act of love.  Yes, this
may happen in other cities, but there is no other city that is home to
a better community than the one and only New Orleans.

Francie, age 17

Brittany - NOLA Greetings

Down in New Orleans, it is common for a complete stranger to say “Where y’at?”This commonly
means “How are you?” It is an act of someone being nice or concerned or just too simply start
conversation. One of the best aspects of New Orleans is how we can all have this common saying that
only we understand. When travelling to areas outside of southern Louisiana, it feels like something is
missing when a stranger asks, “How are you?” We understand what the stranger is asking, but it doesn’t
feel right. The saying “Where y’at?” reminds me of home and is something that links us together.

Brittany, age 17

Camille - NOLA Greetings

The most memorable greeting in New Orleans began around four years ago when the Saints were finally
a team our city could be proud of. You’d hear it in the streets, at parties, and especially on a Sunday. If
anyone had a speck of black and gold they would immediately get this calling. If the response wasn’t an
echo of the person’s call, the wearer of the black and gold would undoubtedly receive death stares until
they left the room or turned the corner. A “Who Dat!” call should always be followed by a “Who Dat!
Reply….

Camille, age 17

Torre - NOLA Greetings

Season’s greetings
Only over a hundred degrees
Seeing as the difference between winter to spring
Is only three degrees
Regardless of the season
The Southern Hospitality is all the same
With the warm welcomes and casual “hey y’all” to strangersand loved ones alike
And the recent screeches of FREE SEAN ringing throughoutevery inch of the city
Whatever the greeting is, the attitudes are all the same
That shape our city, our New Orleans community

Torre, age 17

Sarah-Ford - NOLA Greetings

HEY YALL is common here

With every word you will hear

This crazy word that doesn’t make sense

You will read it on every fence

To you this may sound crazy

And some of yall may thing we are lazy

For combining two words into one

But this simply is our way of saying

We welcome you and greet you well

We hope you stay in our city and yell

HEY YALL

Sarah-Ford, age 17

Leira - NOLA Greetings

A tourist may arrive
In New Orleans to find
That the Southern Hospitality
Heard of in many guide books
Is proven true by our greetings
Short and friendly people
Always willing to talk
With any who gives his/her ear

But wait, pause a moment

That is not always true
Another tourist may find
That it does not exist
This kindness of the South
Yet it does
Yet it does not
But the tourists themselves
May not yet realize
That one cannot simply
Apply a single standard
To every person in this city
As that would be unfair
One cannot assume
That an entire city
Can always be kind
That this Hospitality
Is seen in every Southerner

But note:

This Southern Hospitality
It does still exist
The people of New Orleans
Are still interesing
And still kind
The city still greets
That wayward tourist
Trapping them but also
Welcoming them
Hoping that this city
Shows enough Hospitality
For which the South is infamous
To convince each visitor
That this historic place
Also called the Big Easy

Is worth returning to
To experience again
A real city
Unlike any other
With its own nice people
And the unavoidable mean ones
But real Southern people
That will at the least
Greet a tourist
In their Southern drawl
With a friendly "Hey, ya'll"

Leira, age 17

Molly - NOLA Greetings

While you are walking around you may expect to hear, “Hello, how are you?” or “What’s up?”

In New Orleans we greet each other a little bit differently.

My dad will answer the phone with “Where y’at?”

My nanny says, “Hey baby! How you doin’?”

My friends and I say, “Hey y’all!”

My friends’ parents say, “How’s ya mom an ‘em?”

The old woman at the checkout says, “Hey dawl.”

My neighbors say to each other, “Hey Mike! I saw your sister and em while I was making
groceries! Her kids are such dawlins, growing up to be such pretty ladies!”

The warm welcomes that people will find around New Orleans, whether it be from a stranger or
a friend, are the more unique and warmer than anywhere else.

Molly, age 15

Megann - NOLA Greetings

Try walking through the French Market. 

"Hey baby! How you doin'?"

What about walking down Magazine, Prytania, Frenchman,

"Hey! How're you?* Great day, ain't it?" (*Pronounced "How you?") 

Take a walk down St. Charles on Mardi Gras day.

"Happy Mardi Gras!!!*" (*Pronounced "Mawdi Graw")

Keep an eye out for these greetings. They are colorful, and come in all shapes and sizes. If while in New Orleans, you find yourself wandering aimlessly down our pothole ridden streets, you will most likely be welcomed with a heavily accented, smiley greeting, delivered with precise "New Orleans grammar." But when words are not enough or when words are not available, you see a different kind of hello.

The tuba player in front of the Cathedral:

Wink, wink, hat tip.

The break dancer on the corner of Bourbon and Toulouse:

Nod, nod, smile. 

No matter where you go, what you do, who you see, I guarantee that someone will stop to simply say,"hello."

Megann, age 17

Ashley - NOLA Greetings

Not every hello is a smile and a wave,
Not every hello is a cheerful praise.
Sometimes it’s a wink or a blink or a “Yo!”
Sometimes it’s a nod or even a bow.
It can be a grumble or mumble or sigh.
It can be a peace sign or even a whine.
Whatever the case, our greetings are true
Since they are based solely on our mood.
Hate it or love it that is the way
That people in New Orleans greet each day.

Ashley, age 16

Darby - NOLA Greetings

Walk in, anywhere,
and “Hey y’all!”
can be heard.
Someone screams
at the top of their lungs,
in order to make it sincere.
It already was though. 

Greetings
say a lot about someone,
and in New Orleans,
the place we call home,
they are a part of life.
They say kindness,
happiness.

They’re for people we know,
and those we don’t,
everyone. 
If you aren’t from here,
we’re crazy until you begin to understand:
it doesn’t matter who you are,
we’ll do it no matter what.

Darby, age 17