Tag Archives: Advice

french-quarter-balcony
Apartment hunting, Big Easy life advice, French Quarter, Garden District, Mid City, Moving, New Orleans, Uptown

Good places to live in New Orleans

5 Comments

New Orleans has many good places to live. The first step is identifying which neighborhood appeals to you. Each one has its own character and flavor.

blue-mailbox-new-orleans

We found this mailbox in Uptown. (photo by Carlie Kollath Wells/New in NOLA)

There isn’t one neighborhood that’s “bad to live in.” Every neighborhood has good places and bad places in it. It’s important to find a neighborhood that has a place you can afford and amenities you desire. For some, that might mean a small studio in the French Quarter. For others, that may mean a standalone home with a yard in Gentilly.

If you have time, it’s important to drive and walk through your block BEFORE you get your apartment/house. The neighborhoods sometimes change dramatically by block by block. And don’t rely on Google Streetview. Our city is changing so rapidly that Google’s images are frequently outdated.

We love this neighborhood breakdown from ExperienceNewOrleans.com. It’s not an exhaustive list, but it helps get you started. And, click here for a simplified neighborhood map.

Once you’ve identified neighborhoods you’re interested in, check out our guide to finding an apartment in New Orleans.

Neighborhoods highlighted on ExperienceNewOrleans.com:

Continue reading →

#newinNOLA tip, Apartment hunting, Big Easy life advice, Moving, New Orleans

How to find an apartment in New Orleans

16 Comments

Hunting for an apartment in New Orleans was harder than we thought. We’ve lived in aggressive apartment cities like New York, and we found NOLA in December 2012 to be on par with our NYC search experience.

image via harmony1.com

image via harmony1.com

More renters than affordable apartments = frantic rush for a place to live.

Be prepared to make a decision the day you see the apartment. If you wait, you may lose out. Do your research in advance so you’ll be able to make up your mind on the spot.

Every story is different, but this is how we found our New Orleans apartment:

Continue reading →

Authors, Big Easy life advice, Moving, New Orleans

We’re new to NOLA

1 Comment

Laissez les bon temps rouler! It’s official – we’re moving to New Orleans. My husband got a job in the Big Easy and we’re relocating from Tupelo, Miss. We’re swapping our Elvis glasses and fried pickles for Mardi Gras beads and raw oysters.

We took this picture during our first house-hunting trip to New Orleans – before we got lost driving all over the city, thus the smiles.

We took this picture during our first house-hunting trip to New Orleans – before we got lost driving all over the city, thus the smiles.

It’s been a whirlwind this past month as we started the process of moving. Friends, families and strangers offered their input about where we should live, eat, shop and exercise. We also have been scouring the interwebs for knowledge.

We started this blog as a way to help remember all the goodies and info during the process – good service companies, good doctors, liquor store hours, neighborhood restaurants, farmers markets, etc. You’ll also hear from New Orleans natives and other newcomers.

We’re learning as we go, so please leave a comment if you have thoughts or suggestions for us.