New Orleans
From the CouchSurfing Wiki, an informal workspace which anyone can edit.
New Orleans, Louisiana (NOLA) is a small but vibrant city in the United States. There are plenty of young people attracted by the many Universities and an inexplicable magnetism.
At the height of the Katrina hurricane aftermath crisis New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin said: "I need reinforcements, I need troops, man. I need 500 buses. Get every dog-gone Greyhound bus line in the country and get their asses moving to New Orleans ... This is a major, major, major deal. I can't emphasize that enough."
In short, New Orleans needs you. If ever a city merited 500 passenger busses heading its way it's the great City of New Orleans, Louisiana. Home of American Mardi Gras, Hurricanes, Jazz and plenty of go-cups, New Orleans is a city like no other mixing American, European, and Carribean sensibilities. Don't let the idea of total devistation from a violent hurricane fueled wave of destruction fool you, New Orleans is alive and well.
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Meetings
Guides
Things To Know
- New Orleans is very flat and easily traveled by bicycle. There are also street cars and buses. Consider asking your host further about transportation and how you can acquire a bicycle to use while in New Orleans.
- Mardi Gras, a huge carnival celebration including a parade and plenty of drunken debauchery, is the largest and most well known event in New Orleans. In 2007 Madi Gras is Tuesday February 20. To enjoy the festivities travelers should stay the prior weekend and leave inhibitions and valuables at home.
- The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival (Jazzfest) is another major cultural event with people traveling from across the globe. This is another great time to come to New Orleans. The 2008 dates are April 25-27 and May 2-4.
- New Orleans residents often make advance plans for big events like Mardi Gras and Jazzfest. If you are planning to come for these events you should contact your host much ahead of time.
EMERGENCY LIST
>> POLICE STATIONS If you are really unlucky and manage to land yourself into trouble, here's a list of the local police stations:
(Guidance Note: Provide a link to the local Police Authorities in your area. If you live in a large city, there will be more than one police station in which case it will be hard to provide details from every single one. Find the relevant website that lists the locations anf contact numbers for all local police stations within your area/community/city. Then every potential visitor can directly access this information and make note of what is relevant to where they will be staying.)
>> HOSPITALS
(Guidance Note: Should a member need to be hospitalized it is always good to be aware of where they can seek assistance. A list of local hospitals can be handy. Easy to list if you are located in a fairly small town, but for large cities, make sure to provide a link to a website that may offer all the hospitals available. It is down to the couchsurfer to seek which one is nearest to where they will be and note the details.)
>> MEDICAL ADVICE HELPLINE
(Guidance Note: Some countries also offer a freephone helpline with a nurse available to take calls and offer inpromptu advice. This may be particular handy for a traveller if they are on the move yet still require some medical advice if they feel poorly. Quick & easy. Investigate whether your country offers such service. It may be worth investigating with the national health system/organization that may operate within your country.)
>> WALK-IN CENTRES
(Guidance Note: These are part of hospitals who offer medical treatment for minor injuries and illnesses to the public, without needing an appointment. See if there are any in your area and provide information/links about their location. If there is a CouchSurfing Doctor in your area get in touch with them and see if they are happy for you to list their profile link here, so that members may contact them)
>> EMBASSIES & CONSULATES
(Guidance Note: See if there are any embassies or consulates in your area. Provide links to relevant websites with mention that the capital of your country will usually offer representation of other countries within your countries territory.)
>> LAST-MINUTE HOSTEL & TRANSPORT Always make sure you are aware of ways to get to your host's home, but also out of it as well, should you need to.
(Guidance Note: List a few Budget Hostels' & their details/ website links that for ones you refer to within your locality. Also list a website or where one can get information on public transport that is likely to service your area. If one needs to be out their host's house i the middle of the night, it's worth knowing whether public transport is available at all in order for them to get away in. If not, possibly a few taxi service companies may be usefull to list)
>> RAPE CRISIS UNIT
(Guidance Note: Most cities will have a designated Rape Unit that exists to solely provide help to rape victims. Take a minute to find if there is such a unit withn your area. If not search for the nearest location to your locality that this can be found.)
>> TOURIST POLICE
(Guidance Note: Some countries have police solely serving the traveling community. They are nuanced in safety issues that travelers tend to face, and may have translators more readily available. Try and see if your area has Tourist Police available (it is understood that not every locality will have this) and if you can find any details, website, etc add it to this section.)
>> WALK-IN REFUGE
(Guidance Notes: Many cities will also offer a walk-in refuge for members of the public who have suffered domestic violence. These will offer free temporary, safe accommodation for one to use. Thise may be handy if a traveller becomes a victim of domestic violence while couchsurfing. See if there such a refuge in your area and list it here.)
>> CITIZEN'S ADVICE BEREAU
(Guidance Note: Many countries offer a Citizen's Advice Bureau. Thie will offer free advice on pretty much anything. See if your country/city offers such a facility and list it here)
>> FRAUD PREVENTION UNIT & INFO
(Guidance note: This may not be available/applicable for all cities/ CS localities, but something to consider. It may require further investigation to dig up any information. If you can find any for your area or even a generic national helpline for your country, then this is the place to list it.)
>> THE IMMIGRATION ADVISORY SERVICE
(Guidance Note: Please put in details of the local Immigration Services, if any, here)
>> LEGAL ADVICE
(Guidance Note: Hopefully one should never need it, but see if there is any service that will offer free legal consultation- at least at initial stages. If you have a CouchSurfing Lawyer in your area get in touch with them and see if they are happy for you to list their profile link here, so that members may contact them)
>> EMERGENCY COUCH
(Guidance Note: Some cities, specially the larger ones will often have an Emergency Couch Group that one can access if they need a last minute couch. You can list a link to that Group here if there is one for your area. Sometimes those groups may be private with any information that is posted in them viewable only to their members as they may contain telephone numbers of hosts. As an Ambassador you will be a member of such a group, even if you chose not to be an active one in terms of offering a last minute couch. So, you need to decide whether and how a CS member who is not member in that group will access it and the information it contains if in emergency. For example you can set the group so that any member can join without permission, but only members can see the information displayed. Or, so that whoever needs an emergency couch can email to a generic email and get an automated response with a bunch of CS's details who are offering an emergency couch. It's up to the group members how they want that group to work).
>> YOUR LOCAL CS AMBASSADORS
If you run into problems in your travels or need advice, New Orleans has two city Ambassadors: Minka Stoyanova and Darryl Goodwin Please see their profiles for contact information.
