I live here currently, and gave up quite a bit of money to stay and raise a family here. What's not shown, and hard to convey with a video of this format is the people. It's been rated happiest city in America numerous times and it's the people that keep me here. You will never meet a group in America that is as friendly and genuinely happy. I stopped on the road the other night to adjust the ice chest in the back of my pickup at 9:50 PM. Three people passed me, and all three rolled down the window and asked if everything was okay. Two of them were under ~30 which is pretty cool and not entirely common these days.. they raise kids right around here for the most part. I really like your channel man! Subscribed.
I live in Lafayette and I can 100% agree with everything you just wrote about the people here….. its just different. Yes there is a “bad part” of town. But mostly, good people and good food!
I am Chinese. I have lived here for the past five years. People warned me when I moved here about discrimination down south, but I have never experienced that here even once. People here are the best, and my husband loves gumbo.
they are some of the nicest people you will meet , granted in the bigger cities you do not see all that discrimination. it is mainly in the rural areas , even then they are not that discriminatory.
Potentially, but you have to keep in mind that culturally Lafayette is made up of people of mixed race. Cajuns and Creoles. This will be a long comment just know we are made up of people of heavily mixed backgrounds to begin with Most white people are not fully white and a lot of black people are not fully black and so on. The people here are descended from whites blacks Spanish that all mixed together to form their own in a way. You can literally see half the people who identify as black almost look white. I myself have a couple aunts who are paler than I am as a mixed person and on their birth certificate it says "negro" @@ankhpom9296
I am in a very small town and have never seen anyone with the mentality of the “southern racism”. It’s a very small amount who have spoken about it and it doesn’t seem to sit well with most and they don’t tolerate it.
As someone born and raised in New Orleans now residing in Baton Rouge I can attest that among Louisianians Lafayette, probably more than any other city in the state, is generally held in esteem as a good place to live and visit. Louisiana is quite a bit different from any other state, and New Orleans and Lafayette, especially, epitomize that.
The French in the flower mural means "We found paradise in Southern Louisiana!" The Cajuns came from Nova Scotia to South LA, we call it paradise. 😀 The faces on the Parish Ink building are there because years back it was a great costume shop.
As someone who works and goes to school in Lafayette (lives in Breaux Bridge), it’s interesting to see the city from a foreigner’s point of view. It’s like you’re showing beautiful things about the city that I’ve just gotten used to and possibly even taken for granted. Thank you!
I resided in Lafayette for about a year in 2019-2020 and actually came back to Houston at the start of COVID-19 shut down. I really fell in love with the town and I’m really considering moving back permanently in the next few years. This video explains exactly why I love Lafayette and surrounding towns. Thank you for sharing.
I moved back to Lafayette a year ago when I retired from the Army. It has always been home. One thing you didn't cover is things like utilities and internet. Electricity is about half the Louisiana average rate, which is already about 60~70% the national average rate. For internet the city has its own municipal fiber network (one of the few in the country). I have a combined package TV/internet with 1gb up/down that is cheaper than what I was paying in central Texas for a package with 40mb up/5mb down. If you call their support line, it is answered by local person living in the same city. Oh, and the Borden's is not "one of the last", it is the last one. Something about the Cajun part of Louisiana is that there are small Mom&Pop places that make ice cream and food scattered all over. That goes all the way down to many of the little towns.
One thing you missed highlighting in the area...but you kind of have to know...is the abundance of great home cooked Plate Lunches available at many local cafe's or grocery stores. Also, Gas Station food in south Louisiana is some of the best in the USA.
Since you are planning to come to Lake Charles, please note that the city has had several natural disasters in the last year or two. Hurricanes Laura and Delta, an ice storm, a historic flood, and of course COVID. Please bear that in mind. On your way, you should stop in Roanoke, LA, and take exit 59 heading north. You’ll immediately see Peto’s truck stop. Go inside to the counter and ask for a half pound of seasoned cracklins. I think you’ll enjoy them.
@@CosmicStargoat Yeah, I had a guy in my class in high school bring some homemade ones. I only ate one because they hadn’t removed all the hair. Had some hair course enough to pick your teeth with. I did my best to be polite and eat one, but then I was done. Lol
First of all, Joe and Nic..outstanding job to show the real cajun country that I dearly missed! I was born and raised in Arnaudville, Louisiana and currently residing in Connecticut. Coming across your video on RUclips really open my heart of how much I really missed my cajun family and country. Thanks again for bringing me back to my roots!!
Lafayette is actually a really pleasant city. It has a very underrated food scene and there's a lot of new things to do popping up. And a nice college culture that does not overwhelm the city like it does with Baton Rouge. There are several rough parts of Lafayette but you never really need to go to those place often anyway. If you want to move to the state of Louisiana, I would suggest either the North Shore or somewhere in or near Lafayette.
The food is great, and I don't think it's underrated. I've always been under the impression that the great food is one of the things the city is known for. :)
@@JoeandNicsRoadTrip 48 years ago I first came to Lafayette, Louisiana on business travel. I fell in love with it then. Many of the French speaking people of the area have now passed on, but there's still descendants that do.
Hahaha this was a fun lil video! I've been born and raised here in Lafayette and have to admit I love it here. This video definitely hits some iconic spots, with many more to see! Thanks for coming down! Hope yall enjoyed the time here!
Those sculpture in the cathedral is absolutely stunning,the Jesus one just took my breath away.yes we have a place in Arkansas like this cemetery above ground
Moved to Lafayette in August. Love the city-hate the traffic. Johnston, Pinhook, Congress, University…always bumper to bumper. But? The food scene is the best in the entire country. Cajun? Creole? (There is a difference), high end Italian, quaint “joints”, Lafayette has everything. Maybe my favorite thing? Can drive 10 minutes and be out in “the country”. People are friendly, welcoming and a joy to meet and just sit and talk. I couldn’t be happier.
I still laugh at people in Lafayette thinking the traffic is bad. It gets clogged up sometimes but we should be lucky that things aren't worse considering the road designs you listed are some of the worst ways objectively to design roads lol
Loved the video. Some great architecture there in Lafayette, from that incredible church, to the downtown area, to the colorful old houses. I loved how they repurposed old buildings too, like the old gas station turned into a restaurant and the old building turned into apartments. I hate when they tear down beautiful old buildings and put up something new that’s plain and boring. I’ll probably never visit Lafayette, so thanks for filming all you did. I feel like I’ve been there now. Loved the old living history village too. I am now a subscriber to your great channel.
The old building repurposed as an apartment building was the first hotel in town. And the Acadian Village was created when I was a child when people realized the old Acadian style houses were rotting away. Some of the places I remember as a child were disassembled and brought there. I used to love to explore those old abandoned houses as a child.
My home town… so glad you made it to Lafayette. Hope you enjoyed your stay. I live in Utah now am this made me so homesick. Thanks for visiting and doing this video. Have a blessed day.
I'm glad you went into the Bordens's Ice Cream place! Borden's advertised with "Elsie the Cow" for years their dairy products in the Chicagoland area 50 and 60 years ago---maybe longer. Thanks to your wife for liking museums! I LOVE THEM! Thanks too for showing us the food you ordered!
Welcome to Lafayette! I moved here in 2011 for school and fell in love with the city and culture and a beautiful Cajun girl. In 2020 we bought a house and now in here to stay. I love this city and it’s people. You don’t have to speak French but it really helps if you can read it because of all the signs and murals. We also have the country’s best public radio station, KRVS. There are several great programs that are entirely in French, including the early morning news show bonjour louisiane. We also have a four hour long blues program every Friday and a really good rock program 11-1 Monday-Thursday called medicine ball caravan. I could go on and on about how great KRVS is as it’s one of my favorite things about living in Lafayette.
My hometown, That neighborhood adjacent to downtown you drove thru is the Freetown neighborhood, it was originally settled by free African Americans during the time of slavery.. it has gone thru a lot of gentrification since the 90's
Thank you very much for taking the time to go into the Cathedral and to walk through the cemetery…absolutely beautiful. Beautiful. And agreed…deeply humbling.
Just a suggestion, Joe & Nic. I noticed you love church architecture & love going inside them. But many times, are frustrated when you can't access the front door or main sanctuary. Just FYI, Most churches have an office that is open Monday through Thursday. Or Tuesday through Friday. Try a different door, as you might find it's the office door. They might open it up for you to view for a short while, if they know you are on the road filming. Just an idea. We love seeing all the old churches too! 😊❤
10:51 Thank you for going in. It's always open to anyone. Ive walked the halls of that church my entire life. I was baptized there, played handbells at mass went there for mass most of my life. By far one of the most beautiful churches I've ever seen. A true testament to faith. Im unsure if you can still walk under the oak but we used to for mass. The whole area and even the school next to it is beautiful
From texas too and moved here a few years ago. The roads are soooo thin! Especially pinhook. Not my favorite place but trying to appreciate it for what it is before we move eventually. So many unique and vibrant things. Nice showcase of the city! Def my favorite in louisiana
My 98 year old mom and I have been enjoying your VIDEOS for the last couple of weeks, we especially liked the US/Mexico border and Elon Musk's house videos. We're Mexican-Americans from California, my mom is originally from El Paso, Texas. (I'm a Native Californian). So Thanks! Stay safe and keep up the great work, and your stats are fun, too. Take care.
All the way from Brazil in 1977 as a student and went to USL. Dearest City in my heart. I miss Lafayette. Met my wife, live in Florida now, but keep an eye on everything about Lafayette and UL. Why the Headline "Can the City be Saved?" it is a thriving town. Saved from what?
"on a trouvé le paradis de dans le sud de la louisiane" are lyrics to a song. In English it basically means "you'll find paradise in Southern Louisiana"
When I saw you were at Vermilionville, I had a feeling you might run into my mom who works there... and you did! She does the spinning and weaving at 30:40. She is an amazing woman and it's so cool to see her in a video that has been watched by 100,000 people. I've lived in the Lafayette area all my life and it's a pretty unique place--it's sort of a smaller New Orleans but with its own distinct cuisine and culture. I stumbled across your channel because I love chill and low-key travel videos and yours have been really enjoyable. Keep up the good work!
Lafayette is beautiful. Love the architecture. The church is gorgeous. Love the multi colored houses. The ice cream store is nice. The living houses were very cool. It was interesting to see how residents lived back in the day. Thank you for taking us on this amazing tour!
Good job presenting Lafayette. The Borden's Ice Cream shop is very busy in the afternoon when school lets out, and has long lines on the weekends, so it's a thriving business. Lafayette has some great festivals too; Festival International in May and Festivals 'cadian et creole in May and October. There are many dance halls in Lafayette and the surrounding towns. Dancing, Cajun, Zydeco, Jitterbug are very popular entertainments locally starting on Thursday nites and on through Sunday nite. (Cajuns love to dance!)
Born and raised and wouldn’t have it any other way! I actually work on and walk down Jefferson Street everyday with my coworkers on our breaks just to say hello and good morning to everyone on the strip! Everyone is always so friendly. We joke that it’s like a real life version of Disney’s Main Street 😂Glad you enjoyed your visit!
As someone who just moved to Louisiana from NE Ohio I seriously appreciate you showing me my new state! Here in Metairie and New Orleans people rave about the food there. The food here is some of the best I’ve ever had in my life so I can’t wait to try food in Lafayette 😄
I think Lafayette is the best city in La. The people are friendly and helpful and the town is just big enough to have what you need without being crowded. The food is to live for.
Not too crowded? Miss ma'am, you must not leave your house these days....... you can't get anywhere without getting slammed with traffic 🥴 (unless it's a sunday)
Overall, nicely done video! It's too bad y'all missed Festival Acadiens et Creoles which was held on Oct. 14-16, incredible free festival at Girard Park with outstanding Cajun and Zydeco music, arts, crafts and food. The weather was great and the crowds were huge. And just so you'll know, the Broussard name is pronounced with the emphasis on the first syllable, BRU-sard, not bru-SARD.
I have lived in the area all my life, and I would not trade it for anything! The festivals, foods, and beautiful people are amazing! This area is so very unique. By the way, Best Stop cracklins are amazing! Thank you for exploring the Lafayette area😁
Very nice video! I would have loved to see more of the antebellum or historic homes and zydeco music. Thank you for filming and sharing so much, I’m living vicariously through these videos.
I lived there for about 3 years in the late 70s, early 80s, while doing oilfield work. Back then there were places on the roadside called Daiquiri Factory (they may still be around) where you could drive up, get a huge drink and drive off. I spent most of my waking hours at a bar called the Gaslight 3 and lived in an apartment building off Eraste Landry. The people were wonderful. I used to take a keg to the pool and within just a little while folks were showing up with grills, food and music to have a party. It was great!
I literally live like 2 minutes away from downtown. It’s crazy that this popped up on my algorithm. But I love it here. It’s a lot safer than New Orleans and Baton Rouge The French painting basically says we found paradise in south Louisiana. It’s in Cajun and unfortunately after the Louisiana code the US stripped away our original language… only a small population knows it now. The neighborhood you are in is considered fighting ville and yes people live in them. The Broussard house is my 5th great grandfathers house Armand Broussard. He was gifted 451 acres of land by the Spanish. One of the most famous female celebrities is his 3rd great granddaughter who is still greatly famous to this day.
@@butdoesshebudget I’m starting a series on comparing cities in the south. I’m a creole who hasn’t lived in Louisiana in over a decade wanted to know if you were interested in an interview about Lafayette.
2 minutes from downtown as well and born and raised in fightingville. I recently spoke with my mother and she told me my great grandmother was Broussards and our family owned acres of property that was taken. Also was told about the Broussard house and that it has so much history and relevance to our family. Wow we're probably related
@@louisinese I’m down sorry I just saw your message after someone told me to put down the crack pipe. I’m in another state now but I’m more than happy to help
You should have shown the immense Live Oak tree on the right side of the Cathedral...that tree is over 400 years old. Great that you captured the Borden's Ice Cream Shop....I've been in there 2 or 3 times. Last time I had a Strawberry milk shake.
Fun facts about the Broussard family: Back in France, they originally lived in the southern region (old France) and were a very easy-going noble family. They basically spent all their time visiting the other noble family's and partying. They had a knack for music, and one of the very first written music compendium's was written by a Broussard.
My Brick wall in my genealogy is a Broussard and I go crazy trying to trace this man. But, I have many Broussard lines. I think Joseph and his siblings are all my great grandparents in multiple paths 😂
I was born and raised in Lafayette and went to college there. I never appreciated the area when I lived there. I left shortly after college about 19 years ago. Family still lives there and visit often. I live in Austin TX now. It is a slower lifestyle there and really is lovely.
Hi Lord Spoda You made our day by taking us with your to show city of Lafayette , South Louisiana . The neighborhood near downtown is so nice and peaceful. Weather is equally fine. For a while I thought I should drop at someone as a surprised guest and have a nice coffee over a casual chat with them. The other part of the video of living museum in Vermilionville is equally or even more interesting. Thank you for all those special efforts your made to bring these nice footages of Cajun Culture. Best.
I am originally from Opelousas, LA, now living in the South Austin area of Texas. My husband and I worked and basically raised our boys in Lafayette. They went to school there from kindergarten until high school graduation. Such a wonderful area. Wonderful faithful people who know the love of God and family. By the way…Boudin is pronounced boo dan, don’t pronounce the “n”.
My 6th time great-grandfather Jean Mouton is celebrated as the founder of Lafayette, We are truly proud of our town and our people. We try to love and appreciate every type of person here, sort of like the many different threads on the backside of a fine tapestry. We also have many Bible-believing Catholics and Bible-believing non-Catholics who somehow manage to appreciate each other's contribution to the faith and each one's uniqueness as a child of God. Although I am white, I have had many non-white friends. I am 62 now and time is flying by. Thank you for visiting our city and God bless you and your loved ones.
It is truly a beautiful city. I spent some time in South Louisiana and fell right in with the people. They loved to poke fun at this Bama boy. Cheers from Alabama 🙂
In Texas, for some reason, we emphasize the first syllable in pretty much all the words we say, which can make some of the things we say sound wack. My wife, who is from Philadelphia, loves to make fun of it. Which is funny in itself, cause Philly people got some cockamamie ways of pronouncing some words themselves.
@@JoeandNicsRoadTrip Too funny. They really mutilate my last name, Lemoine. Then my address Bayou DesGlaise that really throws them for a loop. All of the people in South Louisiana are some great people. When I was just out of high school I worked for a company Geaudeau Inc. making deliveries in South Louisiana. They were the nicest people. One of my stops was at a real old fashion general store. They sold everything from groceries, live stock feed, clothing material, ammunition and firearms. They did not speak any english Only Cajun French. It was an old man and his wife that owned the store. They had a pot belly stove in the middle of the store with rocking chairs around it. Before I started my route my first day, the owner of the company told me that some of the stores I went to, be prepared because they were going to offer me a Miller High Life beer and a link of boudin. He said don't turn it down or refuse it because it would insult them. So as I would go on my route, unload the merchandise and check it in, sure enough the owners of the stores would give me a beer and a link of boudin. They would keep the links in a hitachi rice cooker to keep it warm. By the time I would get back to the warehouse I was all screwed up. My boss would greet me and asked me how did it go and all he would do is laugh.
Native Texan retired in Lafayette 8 years ago with Nola born and raised wife. Love Southern Louisiana. Never going back to Texas. I would eat at Fezzos, Don's, Prejeans. Eat some fresh boudin. You need to eat breakfast at Tcoons(where Lafayette gets their power breakfast) or Edie's Bisquits before you go to New Iberia. You can eat lunch at Avery Island. Enjoy you videos. Much to see and do in Southern Louisiana. Three parts to Louisiana: 1. New Orleans 2. Acadiana 3. The rest of Louisiana.
I have given up a lot of money and career success to stay in Lafayette, I will not leave. Moved away after college for an engineering job in Houston, and couldn't stand it or any of the other cities I visited. Eight years later, finally back!!
"We found paradise in southern Louisiana" I just loved Lafayette from your tour, (never been, from what I saw passing by on the freeway many years ago I thought it was much smaller!). Thanks for the tour, it makes me want to go. It's one of the reasons I used to love to go to Montreal, all the French signs and everything. I'm glad Lafayette is so nice. That old neighborhood was great, and thanks for the tour of Vermilionville Historic Village. I put it in my "want to go" folder in Google Maps. I looked up the 3-hole outhouses. They were a luxury back then; a sign of wealth I guess. They say that the holes are different sizes, to accommodate different sized butts I guess, or that if a family had a bunch of kids who couldn't wait they could all go in together. They didn't say anything about adults going in at the same time LOL. Anyway, thanks again. That Le Pavillion Hotel looked really swanky!
@@JoeandNicsRoadTrip what I find interesting about the comparisons to Australia is in the USA a lot of people don't fence their yards. Here almost everyplace in metro areas are completely fenced. For example our front yard is open, but the sides of the house and rear have 6 foot fences.
I wouldn't give you a dime for New Orleans. It used to be such a great city, but now, it's the murder capital of the country. I graduated from high school there, when it was safe. Now, I'd wear a bullet proof vest. Crime is rampant, as it is in most Democrat run cities. It just gets worse and worse as the years go by. Lafayette is much safer, and the food is much, much better!
That bedroom on the porch is where the husbands go when they misbehave. I love architecture like you Lord Spoda. Maybe in the future you and Nicole can go to Europe and do these videos. The architecture there is amazing!
Also could have been where the help stayed. We have a plantation house a block from my house and it has a little building/room right beside the house which was where their slave roomed. It’s beautiful and a family actually still lives in it.
I lived in Lafayette for 15 years, and raised a family there, before moving to Orlando FL. Worked in the Oil Field, probably the best place to live in LA. Right at the beginning you were by the Performing Arts Center, where I got to see The Pink Floyd Laser Light Show, decades ago. I have contemplated moving back here many times. Miss the crawfish et toufee
My uncle lives in Lafayette. I went there once in 2015. It seems much more prosperous and safer than most other Louisiana cites I've traveled through. I never felt unsafe. and the food there was good.My visit there was positive.It seems like a nice place. Love the old Borden's. The mascot cow's name is Else.
Lafayette definitely ain't safe lol for the most part the tourist areas are great, but there are definitely alot of bad areas. especially the north side.
I've lived here for about 10 years now and that's still me. I got here for my senior year of highschool and first day I had to write "Lafayette" on a form in from of my classmates and I didn't know how to spell it and got so many weird looks One job I had I knocked on someones door and said "hello are you blah Herbert? And they looked at me so confused. Their name was Hebert and it took me years to see there isn't an extra r in the beginning and I still don't auto pronounce it right from sight. It's so embarrassing I try to just avoid calling things by name most the time
I am from Lake Charles, just down I-10 to the west, and still live there. Honestly, I’d like it to be more like Lafayette in many ways. Lafayette is a nice city.
7 месяцев назад
But you live in the largest city in that disputed area called no man’s land where there were so many freedom seeking, self reliant, independent people. I think that history is so unique in the US!
It’s hard to nail down exactly where the Neutral Strip started. From my research, it seems to have gone from the Calcasieu River, west to the Sabine River. That would put what would become Lake Charles in the Orleans Territory just like Lafayette. The first white settlers here were French in 1781 - the same time as the Acadians (they were from France but may have been Acadians. It’s hard to know since, contrary to popular belief, the expelled Acadians did not come to Louisiana directly from Nova Scotia. They were deported to France first). Over time, the area became a mix of northerners, Acadians and Creoles, and Anglo-Americans (like me) who mostly moved here for jobs in lumber, oil refining, and petrochemicals. The Neutral Strip history is an interesting subject, but there’s no particularly interesting language, food, music, and folklore associated with it. The Parish is also split culturally. The south and east of Calcasieu identity more with Acadiana, while the north and west are much like North Louisiana and the American South, in my observation.
Born and raised here. Wouldn't have it any other way. When people ask me where I'm from... I reply... "From the best place anyone can be from, Lafayette." (I'm a little bias.) We have it all here... Food, Culture, Arts, Music, Great People. So we have to put up with a hurricane every now and again, so be it. I love this town.
Lafayette is a great city to live in if you are friendly, open minded and enjoy the food, culture, arts and history there. I've been here over 30 years and I feel the city would be even better, even more beautiful if the gov and major would put more tlc into the areas. Roadways infrastructure, constructions, businesses, landscaping and the overall development could be many times better if managed properly, but they're not. The city seems to be in limbo status at times where projects would start and then left sitting unfinished. The old culture is still hanging on but not very much is done to preserve it while at the same time modern culture wants to come in with new changes but gets hindered and gets half-assed implemented. Everything feels half-assed really. Parish and city tax combined is significantly higher than compared to other states in the nation so products, properties/homes are higher as well.
I been to every state but Alaska. Louisiana got the best Vibes in my Opinion. I miss the Dirty south. I lived in Thibodaux,La worked in Houma. Houma was wat id call a Industrial town. I got lost in Lafayette going down to Mandeville When we 1st came into Louisiana. Alot of history down there and Good Food. Really like boudreau and Thibodauxs just outside Houma,La
What an amazing cathedral, the building is a work of art in it's own right. I don't follow any religion but you can't beat a church for quality architecture. Impressive cemetery, if you can't take it with you at least make an impressive last gesture to the relatives who are upset about how much money you didn't leave them! The museum is rather good. The cotton loom and manufacture is very similar to the silk they make here in Surin and the old looms are still being used. Looks a rather nice place to be and I enjoyed the wander around. Thank you for another interesting tour. Hungry now as the food looks lush!
South Louisiana has some gorgeous churches. My home town (Franklin) is about an hour away from Lafayette, and our main church has some of the most beautiful stained glass you'll see. Highly recommend if you get the chance to go down there. Plus, you've got to try the food!
That was actually the former City Hall. The Jefferson St. Area is the historic downtown.. Lafayette has grown and commercial areas are all over the city now. Translation: “I found paradise in south Louisiana” the mural is by a local artist, Robert Dafford, who does murals all over the U. S. “ Our Lady of the Assumption, patron saint of the Acadians.” The word Cajun is like the word Injun for Indian. Revenez bientôt!
Now that you said that...Cajun sounds like Creole plus Injun. However I though both the Cajun & Creole have native American blood. There's! even a "Redbone" and are they a strong, handsome people!
I live here currently, and gave up quite a bit of money to stay and raise a family here. What's not shown, and hard to convey with a video of this format is the people. It's been rated happiest city in America numerous times and it's the people that keep me here. You will never meet a group in America that is as friendly and genuinely happy. I stopped on the road the other night to adjust the ice chest in the back of my pickup at 9:50 PM. Three people passed me, and all three rolled down the window and asked if everything was okay. Two of them were under ~30 which is pretty cool and not entirely common these days.. they raise kids right around here for the most part. I really like your channel man! Subscribed.
Awesome! Thank you for the great comment, Donald. :)
Lived here most of my life. Mover 2x and moved back for the people!!
@@ayatollahkhomeini3073 yes, why
I live in Lafayette and I can 100% agree with everything you just wrote about the people here….. its just different. Yes there is a “bad part” of town. But mostly, good people and good food!
@@337_Brandon of your referring to the north side of town it’s not that bad. That’s the side that he was mainly on during his tour.
I am Chinese. I have lived here for the past five years. People warned me when I moved here about discrimination down south, but I have never experienced that here even once. People here are the best, and my husband loves gumbo.
they are some of the nicest people you will meet , granted in the bigger cities you do not see all that discrimination. it is mainly in the rural areas , even then they are not that discriminatory.
Descrimination towards non whites can be subtle.
SAME, I lived in Lafayette for 2 years with my late husband (his home) and absolutely LOVED IT! Your so right not an ounce of prejudgeous there!
Potentially, but you have to keep in mind that culturally Lafayette is made up of people of mixed race. Cajuns and Creoles. This will be a long comment just know we are made up of people of heavily mixed backgrounds to begin with
Most white people are not fully white and a lot of black people are not fully black and so on. The people here are descended from whites blacks Spanish that all mixed together to form their own in a way. You can literally see half the people who identify as black almost look white. I myself have a couple aunts who are paler than I am as a mixed person and on their birth certificate it says "negro" @@ankhpom9296
I am in a very small town and have never seen anyone with the mentality of the “southern racism”. It’s a very small amount who have spoken about it and it doesn’t seem to sit well with most and they don’t tolerate it.
As someone born and raised in New Orleans now residing in Baton Rouge I can attest that among Louisianians Lafayette, probably more than any other city in the state, is generally held in esteem as a good place to live and visit. Louisiana is quite a bit different from any other state, and New Orleans and Lafayette, especially, epitomize that.
I totally agree.
We love Jesus too 💕 Maw maw made sure we knew the 3 steps of salvation!
@@d-tre4168 Yeah, and many of those "jesus lovers" wish to turn Lafayette, and the rest of louisiana into a theocracy. Pretty grotesque.
I live in Baton Rouge and I can’t wait to move. I do love Lafayette.
Thanks much. I agree as a Cajun lady
The French in the flower mural means "We found paradise in Southern Louisiana!" The Cajuns came from Nova Scotia to South LA, we call it paradise. 😀 The faces on the Parish Ink building are there because years back it was a great costume shop.
As someone who works and goes to school in Lafayette (lives in Breaux Bridge), it’s interesting to see the city from a foreigner’s point of view. It’s like you’re showing beautiful things about the city that I’ve just gotten used to and possibly even taken for granted. Thank you!
Also in St. Martin parish, but north. Stay safe this week and stick up
I resided in Lafayette for about a year in 2019-2020 and actually came back to Houston at the start of COVID-19 shut down. I really fell in love with the town and I’m really considering moving back permanently in the next few years. This video explains exactly why I love Lafayette and surrounding towns. Thank you for sharing.
I moved back to Lafayette a year ago when I retired from the Army. It has always been home. One thing you didn't cover is things like utilities and internet. Electricity is about half the Louisiana average rate, which is already about 60~70% the national average rate. For internet the city has its own municipal fiber network (one of the few in the country). I have a combined package TV/internet with 1gb up/down that is cheaper than what I was paying in central Texas for a package with 40mb up/5mb down. If you call their support line, it is answered by local person living in the same city.
Oh, and the Borden's is not "one of the last", it is the last one. Something about the Cajun part of Louisiana is that there are small Mom&Pop places that make ice cream and food scattered all over. That goes all the way down to many of the little towns.
One thing you missed highlighting in the area...but you kind of have to know...is the abundance of great home cooked Plate Lunches available at many local cafe's or grocery stores.
Also, Gas Station food in south Louisiana is some of the best in the USA.
I had never heard of plate lunches until I moved to Lafayette
Since you are planning to come to Lake Charles, please note that the city has had several natural disasters in the last year or two. Hurricanes Laura and Delta, an ice storm, a historic flood, and of course COVID. Please bear that in mind.
On your way, you should stop in Roanoke, LA, and take exit 59 heading north. You’ll immediately see Peto’s truck stop. Go inside to the counter and ask for a half pound of seasoned cracklins. I think you’ll enjoy them.
Will do, Eric.
Sounds good. I buy skin-on pork belly all the time and know how to make these. Delicious.
@@CosmicStargoat Yeah, I had a guy in my class in high school bring some homemade ones. I only ate one because they hadn’t removed all the hair. Had some hair course enough to pick your teeth with. I did my best to be polite and eat one, but then I was done. Lol
petos cheddar and 🌶 boudin balls are 🔥 too.
Famous foods in Lake Charles BEST cracklins, get the spicy wet cracklins. Soooo good never had anything like it.
First of all, Joe and Nic..outstanding job to show the real cajun country that I dearly missed! I was born and raised in Arnaudville, Louisiana and currently residing in Connecticut. Coming across your video on RUclips really open my heart of how much I really missed my cajun family and country. Thanks again for bringing me back to my roots!!
Our pleasure!
This is where I have been living for the past 31 years (Jewel on the Bayou)
Yankee here. Loved Lafayette - the city, the people, the food (!!). All terrific.
Lafayette is actually a really pleasant city. It has a very underrated food scene and there's a lot of new things to do popping up. And a nice college culture that does not overwhelm the city like it does with Baton Rouge. There are several rough parts of Lafayette but you never really need to go to those place often anyway. If you want to move to the state of Louisiana, I would suggest either the North Shore or somewhere in or near Lafayette.
That food!! Yes!! The best!!
The food is great, and I don't think it's underrated. I've always been under the impression that the great food is one of the things the city is known for. :)
Agreed but I would add Metairie. It’s so nice out here.
Lafayette, Louisiana is a top pick in terms of livability and quality of life.
@@JoeandNicsRoadTrip 48 years ago I first came to Lafayette, Louisiana on business travel. I fell in love with it then. Many of the French speaking people of the area have now passed on, but there's still descendants that do.
A statue of the Blessed Mother outside a supermarket?! Hallelujah! I can’t wait to move there!
A perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon is watching these videos
Thank you. :)
Hahaha this was a fun lil video! I've been born and raised here in Lafayette and have to admit I love it here. This video definitely hits some iconic spots, with many more to see! Thanks for coming down! Hope yall enjoyed the time here!
We had a great time, Jon. We love it there. :)
As a Texan, I love visiting Lafayette, La.
Those sculpture in the cathedral is absolutely stunning,the Jesus one just took my breath away.yes we have a place in Arkansas like this cemetery above ground
Moved to Lafayette in August. Love the city-hate the traffic. Johnston, Pinhook, Congress, University…always bumper to bumper. But? The food scene is the best in the entire country. Cajun? Creole? (There is a difference), high end Italian, quaint “joints”, Lafayette has everything. Maybe my favorite thing? Can drive 10 minutes and be out in “the country”. People are friendly, welcoming and a joy to meet and just sit and talk. I couldn’t be happier.
I still laugh at people in Lafayette thinking the traffic is bad. It gets clogged up sometimes but we should be lucky that things aren't worse considering the road designs you listed are some of the worst ways objectively to design roads lol
Loved the video. Some great architecture there in Lafayette, from that incredible church, to the downtown area, to the colorful old houses. I loved how they repurposed old buildings too, like the old gas station turned into a restaurant and the old building turned into apartments. I hate when they tear down beautiful old buildings and put up something new that’s plain and boring. I’ll probably never visit Lafayette, so thanks for filming all you did. I feel like I’ve been there now. Loved the old living history village too. I am now a subscriber to your great channel.
Awesome! Thank you.
The old building repurposed as an apartment building was the first hotel in town. And the Acadian Village was created when I was a child when people realized the old Acadian style houses were rotting away. Some of the places I remember as a child were disassembled and brought there. I used to love to explore those old abandoned houses as a child.
My home town… so glad you made it to Lafayette. Hope you enjoyed your stay. I live in Utah now am this made me so homesick. Thanks for visiting and doing this video. Have a blessed day.
We did enjoy it. Awesome food!
I'm glad you went into the Bordens's Ice Cream place! Borden's advertised with "Elsie the Cow" for years their dairy products in the Chicagoland area 50 and 60 years ago---maybe longer. Thanks to your wife for liking museums! I LOVE THEM! Thanks too for showing us the food you ordered!
Welcome to Lafayette! I moved here in 2011 for school and fell in love with the city and culture and a beautiful Cajun girl. In 2020 we bought a house and now in here to stay. I love this city and it’s people. You don’t have to speak French but it really helps if you can read it because of all the signs and murals. We also have the country’s best public radio station, KRVS. There are several great programs that are entirely in French, including the early morning news show bonjour louisiane. We also have a four hour long blues program every Friday and a really good rock program 11-1 Monday-Thursday called medicine ball caravan. I could go on and on about how great KRVS is as it’s one of my favorite things about living in Lafayette.
Awesome comment. Thank you for that.
Great comment. KRVS is also one of my favorite parts of living here
Yes shout out to KRVS. I listen all the time. Thank you for these videos! I'm learning so much about Louisiana History ❤️
Watching from the Acadian village of Grand Barachois, New Brunswick Canada. 💖
Thank you for visiting my wonderful city! Allóns a Lafayette! Laissez les bon temps rouler!!!! (Come to Lafayette! Let the good times roll!!!)
mais yeah, got dat ting right der!!
We really liked it there. It's a great town, one of the best in the US.
My hometown, That neighborhood adjacent to downtown you drove thru is the Freetown neighborhood, it was originally settled by free African Americans during the time of slavery.. it has gone thru a lot of gentrification since the 90's
Thank you very much for taking the time to go into the Cathedral and to walk through the cemetery…absolutely beautiful. Beautiful. And agreed…deeply humbling.
The most beautiful I've seen anywhere.
Just a suggestion, Joe & Nic. I noticed you love church architecture & love going inside them. But many times, are frustrated when you can't access the front door or main sanctuary. Just FYI, Most churches have an office that is open Monday through Thursday. Or Tuesday through Friday. Try a different door, as you might find it's the office door. They might open it up for you to view for a short while, if they know you are on the road filming. Just an idea. We love seeing all the old churches too! 😊❤
Lafayette I'd magical,one of a kind I love my gorgeous city❤️❤️❤️❤️
Dang, y'all were staying 2 blocks from my house! Thanks for visiting Lafayette.
Used to be a boarding house on Jefferson. It was where I was abandoned at 10 mos. in 1952.
10:51 Thank you for going in. It's always open to anyone. Ive walked the halls of that church my entire life. I was baptized there, played handbells at mass went there for mass most of my life. By far one of the most beautiful churches I've ever seen. A true testament to faith. Im unsure if you can still walk under the oak but we used to for mass. The whole area and even the school next to it is beautiful
It absolutely is. :)
I live in Shreveport, La. When I visited Laffeyette I found the people to be unusually friendly. It did seem like a happy city!
From texas too and moved here a few years ago. The roads are soooo thin! Especially pinhook. Not my favorite place but trying to appreciate it for what it is before we move eventually. So many unique and vibrant things. Nice showcase of the city! Def my favorite in louisiana
My 98 year old mom and I have been enjoying your VIDEOS for the last couple of weeks, we especially liked the US/Mexico border and Elon Musk's house videos. We're Mexican-Americans from California, my mom is originally from El Paso, Texas. (I'm a Native Californian). So Thanks! Stay safe and keep up the great work, and your stats are fun, too. Take care.
Thank you, Evelyn. Tell your Mom hello for me! :)
All the way from Brazil in 1977 as a student and went to USL. Dearest City in my heart. I miss Lafayette. Met my wife, live in Florida now, but keep an eye on everything about Lafayette and UL.
Why the Headline "Can the City be Saved?" it is a thriving town. Saved from what?
Yeah, that’s what I thought, saved from what?!
Lafayette is one of the best City here in LA . Gotta drop by and inform everyone that our channel talks more about Louisianna ☺️
"on a trouvé le paradis de dans le sud de la louisiane" are lyrics to a song. In English it basically means "you'll find paradise in Southern Louisiana"
I grew up in Lafayette in the 1970s and 80s and miss it very much. Thank you for this.
That Borden's Ice Cream Parlor is so cool. I love the Art Decco architecture.
My city I love Lafayette 🤞💯
When I saw you were at Vermilionville, I had a feeling you might run into my mom who works there... and you did! She does the spinning and weaving at 30:40. She is an amazing woman and it's so cool to see her in a video that has been watched by 100,000 people. I've lived in the Lafayette area all my life and it's a pretty unique place--it's sort of a smaller New Orleans but with its own distinct cuisine and culture. I stumbled across your channel because I love chill and low-key travel videos and yours have been really enjoyable. Keep up the good work!
She is awesome. We're big fans of her!
She was a highlight of the video! She seems like a lovely lady!
Lafayette is beautiful. Love the architecture. The church is gorgeous. Love the multi colored houses. The ice cream store is nice. The living houses were very cool. It was interesting to see how residents lived back in the day. Thank you for taking us on this amazing tour!
Thank you, Alexandra!
Good job presenting Lafayette. The Borden's Ice Cream shop is very busy in the afternoon when school lets out, and has long lines on the weekends, so it's a thriving business. Lafayette has some great festivals too; Festival International in May and Festivals 'cadian et creole in May and October. There are many dance halls in Lafayette and the surrounding towns. Dancing, Cajun, Zydeco, Jitterbug are very popular entertainments locally starting on Thursday nites and on through Sunday nite. (Cajuns love to dance!)
Born and raised and wouldn’t have it any other way! I actually work on and walk down Jefferson Street everyday with my coworkers on our breaks just to say hello and good morning to everyone on the strip! Everyone is always so friendly. We joke that it’s like a real life version of Disney’s Main Street 😂Glad you enjoyed your visit!
As someone who just moved to Louisiana from NE Ohio I seriously appreciate you showing me my new state! Here in Metairie and New Orleans people rave about the food there. The food here is some of the best I’ve ever had in my life so I can’t wait to try food in Lafayette 😄
In my opinion, THE best in the country. :)
Lafayette has better food than the NOLA area. In NOLA it’s predominately creole, Lafayette is Cajun cooking, we add the secret ingredient- love!
@@ktmac7610 true and never any tomatoes lol.
@@awphooey2u519 yes! I hate tomatoes in gumbo!
Food is better in Lafayette.. ❤
I think Lafayette is the best city in La. The people are friendly and helpful and the town is just big enough to have what you need without being crowded. The food is to live for.
It's definitely one of the ten best I've visited - and I've visited a 171 cities in the past 13 months.
Not too crowded? Miss ma'am, you must not leave your house these days....... you can't get anywhere without getting slammed with traffic 🥴 (unless it's a sunday)
The best tour guide of the USA. A must see. Thank you. Be safe.
Thank you, John. :)
Overall, nicely done video! It's too bad y'all missed Festival Acadiens et Creoles which was held on Oct. 14-16, incredible free festival at Girard Park with outstanding Cajun and Zydeco music, arts, crafts and food. The weather was great and the crowds were huge. And just so you'll know, the Broussard name is pronounced with the emphasis on the first syllable, BRU-sard, not bru-SARD.
That's right I'm a Broussard out of Lafayette and that's how we pronounce it!👍👍⚜️⚜️
I wish he would have learned how to pronounce a few things correctly before . Lol
I'm from Wisconsin and love Zydeco music! I had never heard it until we visited New Orleans at age 55. Can't get enough of it now!
The first neighborhood you liked is called Freetown. A very important area in the city. The first neighborhood of free slaves in the area.
The sign on the wall you asked us to translate reads: "We have found paradise in the south of Louisiana"
They pronounce it laugh e et. Excellent video. Keep them coming. 👍
I have lived in the area all my life, and I would not trade it for anything! The festivals, foods, and beautiful people are amazing! This area is so very unique. By the way, Best Stop cracklins are amazing! Thank you for exploring the Lafayette area😁
Very nice video! I would have loved to see more of the antebellum or historic homes and zydeco music. Thank you for filming and sharing so much, I’m living vicariously through these videos.
Thank you for the kind words, A Kelly. :)
Born and raised here. Right now I am 20 and still live here. I do plan on moving out the state soon, but I can never forget my home here!
Lafayette is a vibe. Very diverse and lots of fun
I lived there for about 3 years in the late 70s, early 80s, while doing oilfield work. Back then there were places on the roadside called Daiquiri Factory (they may still be around) where you could drive up, get a huge drink and drive off. I spent most of my waking hours at a bar called the Gaslight 3 and lived in an apartment building off Eraste Landry. The people were wonderful. I used to take a keg to the pool and within just a little while folks were showing up with grills, food and music to have a party. It was great!
A absolutely gorgeous town😊
The French sentence in the mural translates to “We found Paradise in southern Louisiana!”
Qui! C'est bien! 🗼👍
I literally live like 2 minutes away from downtown. It’s crazy that this popped up on my algorithm. But I love it here. It’s a lot safer than New Orleans and Baton Rouge
The French painting basically says we found paradise in south Louisiana. It’s in Cajun and unfortunately after the Louisiana code the US stripped away our original language… only a small population knows it now.
The neighborhood you are in is considered fighting ville and yes people live in them.
The Broussard house is my 5th great grandfathers house Armand Broussard. He was gifted 451 acres of land by the Spanish. One of the most famous female celebrities is his 3rd great granddaughter who is still greatly famous to this day.
Thank you for the great comment. :)
@@JoeandNicsRoadTrip your welcome
@@butdoesshebudget I’m starting a series on comparing cities in the south. I’m a creole who hasn’t lived in Louisiana in over a decade wanted to know if you were interested in an interview about Lafayette.
2 minutes from downtown as well and born and raised in fightingville. I recently spoke with my mother and she told me my great grandmother was Broussards and our family owned acres of property that was taken. Also was told about the Broussard house and that it has so much history and relevance to our family. Wow we're probably related
@@louisinese I’m down sorry I just saw your message after someone told me to put down the crack pipe. I’m in another state now but I’m more than happy to help
You should have shown the immense Live Oak tree on the right side of the Cathedral...that tree is over 400 years old.
Great that you captured the Borden's Ice Cream Shop....I've been in there 2 or 3 times. Last time I had a Strawberry milk shake.
Today is a great day. Thanks lord for another video
Matthew 24"5 KJV
For many shall come in my name, saying, I am CHRIST, and shall deceive many. 😎🎸
@@69judge27 Deceive.
@@EricT3769
Were you able to absorb any value from this message beside assisting my spell check? 😎🎸
Thank you for that, UC. :)
@@69judge27 Yes, I was. Thought maybe you were trying to deceive us with some deceptive spelling errors. Your spell checker needs some help.
I've lived here all my life and you did a really good job of covering the best parts. Accurate info too
Thank you for that!! :)
Fun facts about the Broussard family: Back in France, they originally lived in the southern region (old France) and were a very easy-going noble family. They basically spent all their time visiting the other noble family's and partying. They had a knack for music, and one of the very first written music compendium's was written by a Broussard.
Hey fellow Broussard, gotta love our family even the ones up north
My moms a Broussard
Wow Broussards are every where. There are Broussards in Abbeville and Lacassine too. Great family name!
I'm from Lafayette and I'm actually pretty good at playing drums and trombone. Never knew the talent came from my Broussard side!
My Brick wall in my genealogy is a Broussard and I go crazy trying to trace this man. But, I have many Broussard lines. I think Joseph and his siblings are all my great grandparents in multiple paths 😂
I was born and raised in Lafayette and went to college there. I never appreciated the area when I lived there. I left shortly after college about 19 years ago. Family still lives there and visit often. I live in Austin TX now. It is a slower lifestyle there and really is lovely.
Hi Lord Spoda
You made our day by taking us with your to show city of Lafayette , South Louisiana . The neighborhood near downtown is so nice and peaceful. Weather is equally fine. For a while I thought I should drop at someone as a surprised guest and have a nice coffee over a casual chat with them. The other part of the video of living museum in Vermilionville is equally or even more interesting. Thank you for all those special efforts your made to bring these nice footages of Cajun Culture. Best.
It's a pretty awesome place, Rajeev. Lots of interesting history, architecture and food that's among the best in the US.
I am originally from Opelousas, LA, now living in the South Austin area of Texas. My husband and I worked and basically raised our boys in Lafayette. They went to school there from kindergarten until high school graduation. Such a wonderful area. Wonderful faithful people who know the love of God and family.
By the way…Boudin is pronounced boo dan, don’t pronounce the “n”.
I’m from Lafayette (live here still!) and I was wondering if someone was gonna give him the correct pronunciation of boudin! 😅
This is AWESOME!! You really bring out the beauty in all cities!!! The way us southerners pronounce Boudin is “boo-dan”!😊
Welcome to my home! Thanks for visiting! Glad you got to eat some of our food. Y'all have a bless trip visiting all U.S. states! Much love
My 6th time great-grandfather Jean Mouton is celebrated as the founder of Lafayette, We are truly proud of our town and our people. We try to love and appreciate every type of person here, sort of like the many different threads on the backside of a fine tapestry. We also have many Bible-believing Catholics and Bible-believing non-Catholics who somehow manage to appreciate each other's contribution to the faith and each one's uniqueness as a child of God. Although I am white, I have had many non-white friends. I am 62 now and time is flying by. Thank you for visiting our city and God bless you and your loved ones.
It is truly a beautiful city. I spent some time in South Louisiana and fell right in with the people. They loved to poke fun at this Bama boy. Cheers from Alabama 🙂
Lafayette isn't a large town, but has the flavor of a large city.
And the traffic of somewhere like Houston.
love it when you try and pronounce the french names.
In Texas, for some reason, we emphasize the first syllable in pretty much all the words we say, which can make some of the things we say sound wack. My wife, who is from Philadelphia, loves to make fun of it. Which is funny in itself, cause Philly people got some cockamamie ways of pronouncing some words themselves.
@@JoeandNicsRoadTrip Too funny. They really mutilate my last name, Lemoine. Then my address Bayou DesGlaise that really throws them for a loop. All of the people in South Louisiana are some great people. When I was just out of high school I worked for a company Geaudeau Inc. making deliveries in South Louisiana. They were the nicest people. One of my stops was at a real old fashion general store. They sold everything from groceries, live stock feed, clothing material, ammunition and firearms. They did not speak any english Only Cajun French. It was an old man and his wife that owned the store. They had a pot belly stove in the middle of the store with rocking chairs around it. Before I started my route my first day, the owner of the company told me that some of the stores I went to, be prepared because they were going to offer me a Miller High Life beer and a link of boudin. He said don't turn it down or refuse it because it would insult them. So as I would go on my route, unload the merchandise and check it in, sure enough the owners of the stores would give me a beer and a link of boudin. They would keep the links in a hitachi rice cooker to keep it warm. By the time I would get back to the warehouse I was all screwed up. My boss would greet me and asked me how did it go and all he would do is laugh.
Native Texan retired in Lafayette 8 years ago with Nola born and raised wife. Love Southern Louisiana. Never going back to Texas. I would eat at Fezzos, Don's, Prejeans. Eat some fresh boudin. You need to eat breakfast at Tcoons(where Lafayette gets their power breakfast) or Edie's Bisquits before you go to New Iberia. You can eat lunch at Avery Island. Enjoy you videos. Much to see and do in Southern Louisiana. Three parts to Louisiana: 1. New Orleans 2. Acadiana 3. The rest of Louisiana.
I have given up a lot of money and career success to stay in Lafayette, I will not leave. Moved away after college for an engineering job in Houston, and couldn't stand it or any of the other cities I visited. Eight years later, finally back!!
Tcoons best breakfast in the world 👍👍👍
"We found paradise in southern Louisiana" I just loved Lafayette from your tour, (never been, from what I saw passing by on the freeway many years ago I thought it was much smaller!). Thanks for the tour, it makes me want to go. It's one of the reasons I used to love to go to Montreal, all the French signs and everything. I'm glad Lafayette is so nice. That old neighborhood was great, and thanks for the tour of Vermilionville Historic Village. I put it in my "want to go" folder in Google Maps. I looked up the 3-hole outhouses. They were a luxury back then; a sign of wealth I guess. They say that the holes are different sizes, to accommodate different sized butts I guess, or that if a family had a bunch of kids who couldn't wait they could all go in together. They didn't say anything about adults going in at the same time LOL. Anyway, thanks again. That Le Pavillion Hotel looked really swanky!
Thank you for the fill in info, Joyce, especially concerning the outhouse. Fascinating!
Great video, Lord Spoda and Nicole. Thanks for including the cathedral tour.
Thank you for watching. :)
Really nice there. Just wanna say thank you for sharing these videos with us, I really enjoy them all
Thanks, Ned!
@@JoeandNicsRoadTrip what I find interesting about the comparisons to Australia is in the USA a lot of people don't fence their yards. Here almost everyplace in metro areas are completely fenced. For example our front yard is open, but the sides of the house and rear have 6 foot fences.
I like to live in this town, it's beautiful ❤️ very kepted up, clean city, lots good restaurants
This city looks very clean and well maintained. We always visit New Orleans but maybe we should visit here.
I wouldn't give you a dime for New Orleans. It used to be such a great city, but now, it's the murder capital of the country. I graduated from high school there, when it was safe. Now, I'd wear a bullet proof vest. Crime is rampant, as it is in most Democrat run cities. It just gets worse and worse as the years go by. Lafayette is much safer, and the food is much, much better!
Lots to do in Lafayette!
New orleans is much like other big cities ....Lafayette is real Louisiana
The Bordens and Conoco buildings, just wonderful little gems.
I agree!
I was in Lafayette for a couple of weeks back in the late seventies. I really appreciated the people, food and music, they have their own thing.
That bedroom on the porch is where the husbands go when they misbehave. I love architecture like you Lord Spoda. Maybe in the future you and Nicole can go to Europe and do these videos. The architecture there is amazing!
Thank you for that info, Lorrie! And yes, international travel is in the cards eventually. :)
Also could have been where the help stayed. We have a plantation house a block from my house and it has a little building/room right beside the house which was where their slave roomed. It’s beautiful and a family actually still lives in it.
The stuffed chickens at Best Stop are amazing! We served them for Thanksgiving.
What a great video! That historical village looked quite interesting. Gotta say, the gator bites and that bread pudding looked scrumptious.
Thank you, Laura. The food was excellent. It's one of the things Lafayette is known for!
I lived in Lafayette for 15 years, and raised a family there, before moving to Orlando FL. Worked in the Oil Field, probably the best place to live in LA. Right at the beginning you were
by the Performing Arts Center, where I got to see The Pink Floyd Laser Light Show, decades ago. I have contemplated moving back here many times. Miss the crawfish et toufee
Come on home brother!
That cathedral is beautiful!
It really is.
Love. Lafayette. worked. in. the. oil patch. 1979. To. 1989. Good. people. there!!!
My uncle lives in Lafayette. I went there once in 2015. It seems much more prosperous and safer than most other Louisiana cites I've traveled through. I never felt unsafe. and the food there was good.My visit there was positive.It seems like a nice place. Love the old Borden's. The mascot cow's name is Else.
That was my impression as well, RR.
Lafayette definitely ain't safe lol for the most part the tourist areas are great, but there are definitely alot of bad areas. especially the north side.
Never felt unsafe? Maybe you didn’t stay long enough 😂
He should have toured downtown on a saturday night then we could have seen the true "safety" lol
My guilty pleasure is watching tourists stumble over the pronunciations of different things around town lol. Great video!
I've lived here for about 10 years now and that's still me. I got here for my senior year of highschool and first day I had to write "Lafayette" on a form in from of my classmates and I didn't know how to spell it and got so many weird looks
One job I had I knocked on someones door and said "hello are you blah Herbert? And they looked at me so confused. Their name was Hebert and it took me years to see there isn't an extra r in the beginning and I still don't auto pronounce it right from sight. It's so embarrassing I try to just avoid calling things by name most the time
The cemetery does look like a standard cemetery in France. And the words in French at the top of the gate mean: He will wipe out all tears.
Billy's is the best to me.
I am from Lake Charles, just down I-10 to the west, and still live there. Honestly, I’d like it to be more like Lafayette in many ways. Lafayette is a nice city.
But you live in the largest city in that disputed area called no man’s land where there were so many freedom seeking, self reliant, independent people. I think that history is so unique in the US!
It’s hard to nail down exactly where the Neutral Strip started. From my research, it seems to have gone from the Calcasieu River, west to the Sabine River. That would put what would become Lake Charles in the Orleans Territory just like Lafayette. The first white settlers here were French in 1781 - the same time as the Acadians (they were from France but may have been Acadians. It’s hard to know since, contrary to popular belief, the expelled Acadians did not come to Louisiana directly from Nova Scotia. They were deported to France first).
Over time, the area became a mix of northerners, Acadians and Creoles, and Anglo-Americans (like me) who mostly moved here for jobs in lumber, oil refining, and petrochemicals.
The Neutral Strip history is an interesting subject, but there’s no particularly interesting language, food, music, and folklore associated with it. The Parish is also split culturally. The south and east of Calcasieu identity more with Acadiana, while the north and west are much like North Louisiana and the American South, in my observation.
That Church and the cemetary are beyond beautiful.
Lafayette is probably one of my favorite cities in the U.S. My ancestors were among the founding settlers of New Iberia.
Small world my family goes way back in New Iberia
@@JR_SupportOurHeroes Well they do say nearly all the Romero's in S. La are related from the 4 Romero brothers that settled in New Iberia.
New Iberia video is next!
Born and raised here. Wouldn't have it any other way. When people ask me where I'm from... I reply... "From the best place anyone can be from, Lafayette." (I'm a little bias.) We have it all here... Food, Culture, Arts, Music, Great People. So we have to put up with a hurricane every now and again, so be it. I love this town.
Lafayette is a great city to live in if you are friendly, open minded and enjoy the food, culture, arts and history there. I've been here over 30 years and I feel the city would be even better, even more beautiful if the gov and major would put more tlc into the areas. Roadways infrastructure, constructions, businesses, landscaping and the overall development could be many times better if managed properly, but they're not. The city seems to be in limbo status at times where projects would start and then left sitting unfinished. The old culture is still hanging on but not very much is done to preserve it while at the same time modern culture wants to come in with new changes but gets hindered and gets half-assed implemented. Everything feels half-assed really.
Parish and city tax combined is significantly higher than compared to other states in the nation so products, properties/homes are higher as well.
I been to every state but Alaska. Louisiana got the best Vibes in my Opinion. I miss the Dirty south. I lived in Thibodaux,La worked in Houma. Houma was wat id call a Industrial town. I got lost in Lafayette going down to Mandeville When we 1st came into Louisiana. Alot of history down there and Good Food. Really like boudreau and Thibodauxs just outside Houma,La
So very interesting. You make THE BEST videos on RUclips, no doubts. Nice to see the lovely "Lady Spoda" too.
❤ From Australia
Thank you, R M!!! :)
Wish you had visited Breaux Bridge, have relatives in Lafayette & Breaux Bridge. Love your videos.
Beaux Bridge will be visited soon. :)
What an amazing cathedral, the building is a work of art in it's own right. I don't follow any religion but you can't beat a church for quality architecture. Impressive cemetery, if you can't take it with you at least make an impressive last gesture to the relatives who are upset about how much money you didn't leave them! The museum is rather good. The cotton loom and manufacture is very similar to the silk they make here in Surin and the old looms are still being used. Looks a rather nice place to be and I enjoyed the wander around. Thank you for another interesting tour. Hungry now as the food looks lush!
Thank you for the great comment, SR. :)
South Louisiana has some gorgeous churches. My home town (Franklin) is about an hour away from Lafayette, and our main church has some of the most beautiful stained glass you'll see. Highly recommend if you get the chance to go down there. Plus, you've got to try the food!
That was actually the former City Hall. The Jefferson St. Area is the historic downtown.. Lafayette has grown and commercial areas are all over the city now. Translation: “I found paradise in south Louisiana” the mural is by a local artist, Robert Dafford, who does murals all over the U. S. “ Our Lady of the Assumption, patron saint of the Acadians.” The word Cajun is like the word Injun for Indian. Revenez bientôt!
Thank you for the great comment and good info. :)
Now that you said that...Cajun sounds like Creole plus Injun.
However I though both the Cajun & Creole have native American blood. There's! even a "Redbone" and are they a strong, handsome people!
So cool to see someone vist my city!
Heyyyy I am from Erath, Louisiana. I work in Lafayette. My grandparents still speak Cajun french
Do they speak french when they’re talking about you?! Lol
@@johnnyreb3542 When I was little, yes! 😆