Louisiana

Shreveport Speaker:
What makes us so unique is that we have a wonderful blend of the culture, of our cuisine and our outstanding community festivities. I’m from the Shreveport-Bossier area.
There’s always something to do. Sometimes, it’s a big giant festival or a parade, or you’re taking these intimate moments to go to one of my favorite places to eat downtown, which is Abby Singer’s Bistro. And you get a slice of the delicious taste and sights and sounds all in one place.
There’s some things that you can do at the boardwalk and enjoy all of the different shops and stores and restaurants.
You know one of the craziest experiences that we can have: zip lining, right there at Gators and Friends. That’s one of the craziest and the coolest things to do.
What makes us so very special is our culture, our diversity, the people and the various ethnicities that we celebrate often here in our area. And one of the places I enjoy going is right here at the Southern University Museum of Art here in Shreveport, where we celebrate the African and African American experiences through art and artifacts.
One last thing I want you to remember: No matter who you are, no matter where you’re from, no matter what you look like, no matter what you sound like, we here in Shreveport-Bossier, we want to give you one big welcome.

New Orleans Speaker:
What makes New Orleans so special to me is the fact that we have the greatest people here. You will meet people on the street that will change your life. We’re friendly, we’re fun and we have great food, we have great music.
There’s a few places you can go to hear local music, and one the places is Royal Street. During the daytime, there’s a lot of street musicians that play, little 3-, 4-piece bands and it’s just really beautiful. Royal Street has antique shops and little restaurants and it’s adorable.
And then another place that I love is Frenchmen Street, and that’s more of a nighttime scene. You’ve got the Spotted Cat, you’ve got d.b.a., you’ve got Snug Harbor. There’s no shortage of hearing great music in New Orleans. Just pick your night, pick your location and you will find it.
One of the best things you can eat in New Orleans is a po-boy, and the best place to get one, in my opinion, is Parkway Tavern, which is located right here on Bayou St. John. Parkway has been around since 1911, so they know what they’re doing when it comes to po-boys.
You should definitely ride the streetcar. One of the best places you can stop along the route is at Washington Avenue, and that’s where Commander’s Palace is, which is a 100-year-old restaurant in the middle of the Garden District. It’s beautiful and it’s actually where Emeril Lagasse started his whole culinary career under the matron Ella Brennan. And if you continue to ride the streetcar toward the downtown area and you get off at Girod Street, you can visit Meril, which is actually named after his daughter, and it’s his first restaurant that he’s opened in 20 years.
Another great way to meet people and make friends in New Orleans is to sit at the oyster bar. There’s tons of great oyster bars with awesome shuckers that have been doing it for decades.
Another thing that’s really fun about New Orleans is crawfish boils. It’s just a great way to make friends and experience a true New Orleans piece of tradition and culture.
It’s just such a fun city with such an amazing group of people. It will inspire you and change your life forever.