Moving to New Orleans in October....hopefully

[youngbuck]

I live in Conroe, TX at the moment (Houston suburb) working at a pretty nice country club dealing with normal dinner service, parties, special events, etc. I'm getting married in June and the two of us hope to move to New Orleans once my lease is up on the first of October. I've been doing some early shopping for apartments and jobs in the Garden District/Uptown area.

As far as experience goes, I got my culinary school done, worked on a cruise ship, studied abroad in Italy and probably have about 4 years experience all and all.

I'll be 23 when I move there and hope to be considered for line cook jobs in the nicer places and maybe a Lead Cook position at a hotel.

I've only visited there once but I was totally sold on it and hate the place were living now, no culture what so ever . I'm very much the type to pack up my stuff and just go and think about it later.

Anyone familiar with the NOLA scene? How early should I start sending in my resumes? How much should I expect to make? Any websites I could look at for some info? Any of you looking to hire at the time? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Montelago]

I am certainly no expert on New Orleans, though going to college at Auburn we made trips there every other weekend to have fun. NOLA is a really fun place to visit, but is also a very dangerous place if you get off the beaten path. I personally have been mugged there one block off Bourbon St. I have many friends that were rolled in the same vicinity. Considering the recent devastation that has happened there, you may find an even worse situation now. I could be completely wrong, but I know what it was like before and I find it hard to believe that it could be better now. Good luck and be careful.

[shakeandbake]

People are murdered, mugged in cities everyday, including Vegas.

[Montelago]

Actually it happens in EVERY major city around the world. It just so happens that New Orleans is significantly worse than many others in this respect. Add to that the fact that the economy is in shambles, there are still over 200,000 displaced people, a police force that has a backlog of robbery, murder and rape cases, and you might not have the most attractive job market. Clearly working in big cities has its inherent hazards, but some places just seem less attractive than others. Las Vegas doesn't exactly inspire brotherly love, but you can still walk the strip or Fremont street in relative safety and comfort 24 hours a day. I'd like to see you wander north on Toulouse or Dumaine at 3AM.