In the past three years, I have grown accustomed to living life as an adopted New Orleanian. Now that many students are leaving town for the summer months, I have decided to put together a list of things I will miss and be eager to return to.

Here goes…

1. The endless amount of parades/festivals/music this city has to offer tops the list. The summer time may be not be as jam packed with cultural distractions, but events such as the Red Dress Run, the Running of the Bulls and the always vibrant local music scene will be sorely missed.

2. Crawfish. Enough said.

3. Authentic New Orleans po-boys, something the rest of the world simply doesn’t understand. In particular, I will miss my favorite po-boy, the barbeque shrimp po-boy from The New Orleans Hamburger and Seafood Company, complete with a free root beer float for dessert.

4. Saints news making the front page months before football season even begins. “Stand up and get crunk…” Fans, including myself, can’t help but be excited about the Saints, regardless of when the season is. I love it, and I love what they have done for New Orleans.

5. Plum Street snowballs in Chinese takeout containers. So messy. So delicious. So New Orleans.

6. Squeal BBQ on Oak Street – the aroma alone is enough to make your mouth water, the size of the entree is enough for two to share, which makes the price college student perfect.

7. St. Charles Avenue – by far one of the most beautiful and unique streets in all of America. I am so lucky to be a resident of this historic street.

8. The Columns Hotel. The perfect place for a classy night out with the girls.

9. Superior Grill, even though their food is about as authentically mexican as an Irish coffee. It’s still one of the best places to grab a quick  queso appetizer.

10. Last but certainly not least, Cafe du Monde, even though I personally believe nothing can beat mom’s homemade beignets. The perfect late night snack.