I didn’t write yesterday because, basically, well, New Orleans. I ran my half marathon and then started taking advantage of one of America’s greatest cities.

The simple take away is that I got drunk. That’s true. But there really is something about this city that I can’t put my finger on. It’s unique in a lot of ways. I haven’t been to a city with the architecture that this city has. I haven’t been in a city with the history that this city has. I haven’t been to a city with the culture that this city has.

On Friday, when I arrived, I went to a ball for the Black Men of Labor a social aid and pleasure club which, I’m pretty sure, is a distinctly New Orleans kind of club. Today, I walked into their second line, which is like a parade or a traveling block party. There was a brass band. It was amazing.

I always play the New York Game. Could I live here instead of New York? This year I went to Seattle. In past years I’ve visited Portland, OR, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Atlanta, and even my hometown Rochester. No city has fit the bill. Could I live in New Orleans? I’ve got to be honest, probably not. I’m a little too northern but this is the one city that I want to come back to again and again.

Yesterday I ran down St. Charles Avenue into Audubon Park and then back to Lafayette Square. This is a beautiful city and there’s a vibe here that I can’t really describe. Relaxed? Yeah, you could call it that. But it’s a rich relaxed. People are chill but they’re aware of their city. In New York, we take pride in being fast, smart, and hard working. In New Orleans, there’s a sense of everyone taking it a little slower but deliberately so. There’s a friendly weirdness down here that I love. People say Keep Portland Weird and Keep Austin Weird. No one needs to tell New Orleans that, they just do it.

Look, it could be that I’ve been drinking for 72 hours straight while on vacation but really I think that it’s the culture of the city. I’ll be back.