Party Street Revisited

After publishing my previous post,  I realized that our next stop will be New Orleans, and since Bourbon Street is perhaps the world's most famous party destination, I wondered whether my conclusion was premature.  Now, I am afraid that I need to revise my opinion.  Without doubt, Bourbon street is a blast.  Like Nashville, the stretch  is stocked with many live-music bars, and it even has the advantage of being a pedestrian walkway.  Like Nashville, the crowds are cheerful and energetic, however, in my observation,  Nashville visitors come to enjoy music and to drink while doing so, while on Bourbon street, the priorities are reversed.  I prefer the former.

But not so fast.  New Orleans being the wonderful city that it is, also offers a saner alternative.  The active stretch of Frenchmen Street is only a couple of blocks, but within it are many live-music bars.  The crowds are slightly older, and are not there to get drunk.  I enjoyed Snug Harbor where the performance area is adjacent to, but separate from, the bar.  In that space, jazz is appreciated quietly.  We listened to a young Jazz group which exhibited remarkable skill.   They played modern Jazz, but it was close to my comfort zone, thus allowing me to appreciate the music and enjoy it immensely.

In conclusion, for me, Frenchmen Street, though not exactly a "party" street, is more attractive than Nashville.