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AUTHOR’S NOTE

I WAS BORN IN NEW ORLEANS IN THE LATE 1950S, and except for four years attending college in Missouri and another year living in Arkansas, I’ve spent pretty much my entire life in what is often referred to as one of the world’s most fascinating cities.

For most of that time, I was a journalist, an experience that gave me an up-close encounter with the people and places that have made New Orleans one of the coolest, craziest, and most captivating destinations on the map.

Still, as a native, I tended to take my city for granted. Not until I took on this book in the summer of 2013 did I really start to get it—that “it” being the heap of honors that have been bestowed on New Orleans in recent years, among them being named one of the world’s top 10 cities by Travel & Leisure, a best American city for foodies by Condé Nast Traveler, and one of six trips that will change your life by Coastal Living. And in 2014, New Orleans came in seventh on the online magazine Good’s list of the 50 Most Inspiring Cities in the World—higher than any other city in the United States—based on its street vibrancy, green life, civic engagement, and entrepreneurship, among other factors.

The city has certainly overcome more than its fair share of challenges, but I’m more proud than ever to be a native and resident of New Orleans.