Image via Complex Original
There's a lot more to see in New Orleans than a pretty famous parade that goes on once a year. The city of the Saints is full of history, and there's more than enough things to keep you busy for months on end (a week in NOLA just isn't going to cut it.) So, if you're lucky enough to live there, you're going to be dealing with close to a million other residents in the general area when it comes to getting around town and finding the best places to catch a drink when the tourists aren't swarming the area. We've gathered the best apps to help you get the most out of living in NOLA, and expose you to some things you might have never known about the area. Here are the 10 Essential Apps For Living in New Orleans.
WWLTV New Orleans News & Weather
Platform: iOS; Free
New Orleans is a big city, and there's a lot to keep up with news-wise. Get your daily fix with the WWLTV New Orleans News & Weather app, complete with full articles and videos from wwltv.com. Find out if you're headed into rainy weekend with weather updates that go as far as seven days advance into the week, and check out radars and cameras provided by the station.
NOLA Transit
Platform: iOS; $1.99
Getting around town is always a hastle. Make it a little easier by picking up the NOLA Transit app. The app gives users real-time bus and streetcar locations on a map, so you can time your trip accordingly, especially if you're going bar hopping. In a city like NOLA, time is of the essence.
Historic New Orleans and Paranormal Guide - New Orleans
Platform: iOS; Free
The Historic New Orleans app is a perfect photo guide for all of the historic information and landmarks of the city. Users can look up old-time photographs of the area around their location, find the site of each historic photo, and can compare and contrast the present day location with the past photo by blending new and old photographs together.
Paranormal Guide
Platform: iOS; $1.99
While you're on the hunt for old school locations around the city, why not up the excitement by going on a little ghost hunt? Use the Paranormal Guide to venture to NOLA's many spots that have reported activity.
New Orleans' Best Bars
Platform: iOS; Free
We all need the time to wind down, and what better place than a city that literally has streets that share the name of your favorite drinks? It ain't hard to find a drink in the Crescent City, but what if you want something specific? The Best Bars app has you covered: if you're looking for cheap shots at 2 a.m., the app will point the way, along with detailed info and photos to go along with it. It will also calculate the average taxi fare to get to your destination.
WDSU Parade Tracker
Platform: iOS; Free
Yes, New Orleans as more than one parade. A lot more, actually. With the Parade Tracker app, you can keep track of more than 50 parades that go on throughout the region, and pick and choose which ones you want to join, or which ones you need to stay away from. When a parade is going on, you can track routes and the location of the front of the parade in real-time.
Experience Mardi Gras
Platform: Android; Free
Okay, so Mardi Gras is something you can't hide from. It's a big part of NOLA culture, so why not try to control your experience as best as you can, because you're sure to get wild either way. With the Experience Mardi Gras app, you'll be able to have detailed parade schedules and routes right in the palm of your hand, so don't go wandering off aimlessly anymore.
New Orleans Pelicans News
Platform: iOS; Free
NOLA's basketball team has a new look and name, so it's time to make sure you keep up with the scores. They're not doing too well right now, but hey, it's a long season. Make it simple with the NOLA.com: New Orleans Pelicans News app, where you can get news, videos and photo slideshows from NOLA.com. Swoosh.
Jazz Fest
Platform: iOS; Free
Despite what the Utah team might be called, jazz is still a huge piece of NOLA history, and this all comes together at Jazz Fest. With the Jazz Fest app, you can track food, musicians, and who's playing in the next two hours. There is also a cool feature that plugs in the artist's info when you upload the photo to Facebook.
New Orleans Food Trucks
Platform: iOS; Free
Need some grub on the fly? Hit up the food trucks for one of your local spots. Bust out the Food Trucks app to find grub by keyword, food type, and name. Doesn't get any easier than that.
Saints Mobile
The Saints are currently sitting on the second seed of the NFC with an 8-2 record, and have so far poised themselves for a good championship run come the playoffs. Keep track of what's going on with Brees and the crew with the official Saints app, especially with the season winding down in the next few weeks.