New Orleans girls! (and visitors) ... New friends, places to go, and what next!

[nolafeet]

Hi. Thanks for all the welcomes on the intro page... so sweet.

I am looking for places to go out dressed and feel comfortable? I went to john pauls which was weird, because the Drag Queens in the show were totally seemingly rude to me... and only me. Then went to 700 club (still can't believe and met a Trans (but she was not really supportive of me as Mandi (sad emoticon here) but I had fun with my friend... ended up at Double Play just chillin, which was cool.

But I'm still a nervous wreck! So any girls here or local or places to go...just think it's the friends that would make it easier....

Gf just moved out a few weeks ago after a couple years, so I finally decided to be me! and enjoy myself... and let Mandi come out... (albeit at dark, in the right places and safely)...

So...Places to go? Do you want to chill? and have you been here before and how did it go? (<<--quick summary lol)

[DianeDeBris]

Hi Mandi - welcome to CD.com! You'll love the people you meet here, and in no time at all you'll find yourself enjoying the banter and benefitting from the advice and ideas you'll find here. NOLA is just a wonderful city, for tourists, locals and CDs of every stripe. I can assure you from experience that you can go out dressed pretty much anywhere in the city and find a warm welcome (absent some out-of-line conduct on your part or really inappropriate attire, which in NOLA is hard to do!). I can tell you from extensive personal experience that, dressed nicely and not acting like a fool, you are welcome everywhere from the finest restaurants to the dumpiest dives. I've shopped in the Canal Mart, fully dressed and mid-day, and been welcomed enthusiastically. NOLA's "drag queen scene" has a bit of a rough edge to it, as many of the queens are, shall we say, "working girls" - although if you can get past that side of them they turn out to be real people, like all the rest of us. For the most part, once you make it clear you're not looking for drugs or tawdry sex they can actually be interesting to talk to. There are at least half a dozen places in and near the Quarter that have at least one "drag show" each week, and we CDs are entirely welcome. But, realistically, we are 100% welcome at the best hotels, and everywhere else - it's completely a matter of one's behavior: act like a lady, you'll be treated like a lady. Do please get your first 10 posts, so you can PM, and I'd love to chat with you in more detail. My own next visit to NOLA will be in early May, and if you would like I'd love to meet up - en femme or en drab, your preference - to chat and compare notes. Hugs - Diane

[Nicole Brown]

The one thing that I have learned Mandi, from years and years of going out as Nicole is that you must be confident in yourself and you presentation if you want to be totally accepted. If people sense that something is different or slightly off about you, you will not see the same level of acceptance as you would if you act totally confident.

New Orleans is a wonderful and fun city where a girl can truly let loose and enjoy being herself. I have visited on several occasions and enjoyed each time more than the previous time. I do not have any plans for returning in the near future, but when I do return, I will contact you and perhaps we can meet and enjoy a fun evening together.

[Ashlyn Brooke]

Hi Mandi, if you are ever in San Antonio, please let me know and I would be glad to go out with you. Likewise, I would love to visit NOLA again someday and hook up together for a girls night out. XOXO

[Beverley Sims]

It is good to know that you are getting out.
When you do meet angst such as the Drag Queens and the Trans girl, do not let it get under your skin.
You are all rowing a similar boat and petty jealousy plays a big part.
Do not even stoop to their level and acknowledge them at all.
It frustrates them more if you go around as if they are not there.
I have a book full of cutting remarks for those that can not be civil. but ignorance of their presence works wonders.