Brees done with NOLA after playing days? (1 Viewer)

[FootballLady]

You are clueless on the wife situation. Again; clueless to a fact. Not that you are clueless on San Diego! ?

Then prove your assertion.

 

[blackadder]

NOLA is my favorite Caribbean city. Not my favorite American city by any stretch. San Diego would be a top choice for retirement on a sail boat. I wouldn't live there on land. A lot of places in Italy I really like and a few in France.

I always say, if I have to live in a socialist country, it will be Italy.

Drew has some pretty big ambitions I would imagine. Louisiana is not the place to be for the ambitious.

But you kind of already live in a Socialist country....it's just...socialize the losses...privatize the profits...

 

[Moon]

I always felt the only way he would stick around here after retiring was if he was really serious about running for public office, but it appears that might be off the radar (for now). I remember seeing him interviewed in his SD house before he came here---yeah, can't blame anyone for wanting to live in that environment. I have to take a vacation out west at least once a year (CA, CO, WA, WY, MT, OR, AZ, UT), it's just the most beautiful part of the country. It wouldn't surprise me to see Brees keep a residence here of some kind, though. He has a lot of business ties in Louisiana, and I'm sure the Saints will want him around as much as possible.

 

[Yatman]

I left for a job and opportunity. [New Orleans is] rich in culture and love of life, short on opportunity. It's just on a wavelength that is hard for people born elsewhere to process.

same here

many in my family followed me and transplanted, and the last holdouts never moved back after katrina. when i go "home" i'm just another tourist.

used to hope i could one day move back, but apart from the never-remedied crime and poverty, the ADNMs outweigh the allure to return

i know what it means to miss new orleans (that i remember), and don't begrudge drew brees a single thing

 

[WhoDat!5]

If I could, I'd live in San Diego in a heartbeat. Been there before and was sad to leave. It really is a beautiful laid back place.

 

[James Spader]

If I could, I'd live in San Diego in a heartbeat. Been there before and was sad to leave. It really is a beautiful laid back place.

Not the taxes though.

 

[Cajun Chat]

I've watched this thread carry on throughout the day. I get where Drew is coming from as far as raising a family in Del Mar (Suburb of San Diego) but I see the other side too.

I'm born in the city (NOLA) moved to the suburbs when I was near 10 years old. Raised in Kenner. College at SLU.

After graduating college I couldn't find a good job. I interviewed in San Diego and had multiple opportunities. That was 34 years ago. I still call NOLA my home but have lived in SD and Orange County for most of the last 34 years. We still have deep roots in NOLA and just sold a restaurant on the North Shore about a year ago. Mom, Dad, brother, sisters and most of my family is still there. My wife and adults kids are in SoCal. We own a home in Louisiana and spent a considerable amount of time there the last 10 years but my career has been in SoCal.

This is what I would tell you. There is no place like New Orleans. The food, the culture, the music and most of all the people. My dream has been to buy a place near the french quarter to experience the fullness of the city. Unfortunately, the prices and the violence has stopped us from doing that. So we visit often, mainly in the Fall (for obvious reasons) but take in JazzFest, Mardi Gras and the likes. San Diego has some nice places like the Gaslamp, the Zoo, a few nice restaurants but it lacks the pop and atmosphere of NOLA.

San Diego and SoCal are nice. We have a lovely home we bought nearly 25 years ago here and will keep this place for as long as we can.

Regarding the weather, I would say this. It's nice but not as great as everyone thinks. No it's not 100% humidity in the Summer but that is why we would keep this house to be in SoCal in the Summer. It's typically on the colder side especially at night. Many 4th of July parties I had a jacket on at night here. I hate cold weather. Typical weather - Jan-Feb-March (Rainy ---today the high is 53 and it's rained most of the day.) April-part of May dry and nice during the day. Part of May-June-July, good luck seeing the sun about half the days. May gray-June gloom. Nicely hot in July-September. Fall is genuinely nice as well. My point is, I'll take NOLA Spring and Fall over this weather. Summers no doubt I'll stay in SoCal.

Regarding schools - it's no contest. You have to go to private schools for the most part to get a good education in Louisiana. That's not the case here.

Overall, there are pluses and minuses to each. I don't blame Drew for wanting to raise his family here but I can tell you there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about being "Home". Sorry it's so long but one last thing. As you can see by my avatar, my daughter is a huge Saints fan even though she grew up near the Chargers stadium. God bless my hometown and all my fellow WhoDats!

 

[TIMG]

If I could, I'd live in San Diego in a heartbeat. Been there before and was sad to leave. It really is a beautiful laid back place.

I always feel sad like that when I leave NOLA. I try to make the pilgrimage once a year. If I could be born and raised in any other place it’d be NOLA.

 

[NatureBoy]

NatureBoy, where in Space Mountain do you live?

About 50 miles north of Houston on Lake Conroe. I split my time between there and Napa Valley, while also taking short trips throughout CA and about a dozen other states.

 

[LuvNOLA]

Came across this old article that was a little depressing to read: https://fox5sandiego.com/sports/nfl-great-drew-brees-has-big-goals-for-local-youth-soccer/

The line that really got to me was "San Diego will be home when I'm done playing and our kids will go to school here, they'll grow up here," Brees said." Always thought he would stick around here afterwards, especially with all the investments he made here. Oh well!

Just watched the interview with Brittany & Drew, on the Ellen show. (It came up on my Saints Google news feed)

No matter where they decide to live, it is very obvious that B & D have tremendous love & they care a lot about the peeps of New Orleans & LA.

That will never change. ???

 

[LuvNOLA]

I've watched this thread carry on throughout the day. I get where Drew is coming from as far as raising a family in Rancho Santa Fe (Suburb of San Diego) but I see the other side too.

I'm born in the city (NOLA) moved to the suburbs when I was near 10 years old. Raised in Kenner. College at SLU.

After graduating college I couldn't find a good job. I interviewed in San Diego and had multiple opportunities. That was 34 years ago. I still call NOLA my home but have lived in SD and Orange County for most of the last 34 years. We still have deep roots in NOLA and just sold a restaurant on the North Shore about a year ago. Mom, Dad, brother, sisters and most of my family is still there. My wife and adults kids are in SoCal. We own a home in Louisiana and spent a considerable amount of time there the last 10 years but my career has been in SoCal.

This is what I would tell you. There is no place like New Orleans. The food, the culture, the music and most of all the people. My dream has been to buy a place near the french quarter to experience the fullness of the city. Unfortunately, the prices and the violence has stopped us from doing that. So we visit often, mainly in the Fall (for obvious reasons) but take in JazzFest, Mardi Gras and the likes. San Diego has some nice places like the Gaslamp, the Zoo, a few nice restaurants but it lacks the pop and atmosphere of NOLA.

San Diego and SoCal are nice. We have a lovely home we bought nearly 25 years ago here and will keep this place for as long as we can.

Regarding the weather, I would say this. It's nice but not as great as everyone thinks. No it's not 100% humidity in the Summer but that is why we would keep this house to be in SoCal in the Summer. It's typically on the colder side especially at night. Many 4th of July parties I had a jacket on at night here. I hate cold weather. Typical weather - Jan-Feb-March (Rainy ---today the high is 53 and it's rained most of the day.) April-part of May dry and nice during the day. Part of May-June-July, good luck seeing the sun about half the days. May gray-June gloom. Nicely hot in July-September. Fall is genuinely nice as well. My point is, I'll take NOLA Spring and Fall over this weather. Summers no doubt I'll stay in SoCal.

Regarding schools - it's no contest. You have to go to private schools for the most part to get a good education in Louisiana. That's not the case here.

Overall, there are pluses and minuses to each. I don't blame Drew for wanting to raise his family here but I can tell you there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about being "Home". Sorry it's so long but one last thing. As you can see by my avatar, my daughter is a huge Saints fan even though she grew up near the Chargers stadium. Good bless my hometown and all my fellow WhoDats!

Amen Amen Amen!!! Great post! ?

Drew has a house in Del Mar, not a mansion, but a So Cal house, where real estate is outrageous.
It is Philip Rivers who lived in Rancho Santa Fe, & high tailed it out of here in no time flat, because the taxes are a killer.

One funny thing I forgot to mention, in my other post, was when Brittany was asked about home schooling during Covid-19, she said, “I already flunked 2 kids, & I might be fired for drinking on the job”. ???

 

[new city champ]

I lived away from New Orleans for 15 years and have done an extended hitch in SD as well as in SF area. I never really warmed up to Southern California despite it’s many attractions. It felt rootless and kind of vapid, though nice and laid back. I liked SF area much more, though my favorite away home was NYC, so I’m probably just more of a gritty city guy...

 

[RJ in Lafayette]

If I had hedge-fund money, two places where I would have homes are New York and London. I love Chicago, but New York wins out because of the theater. And California and other places in the country are areas where you can reinvent yourself. In New Orleans, your status and identity are to some extent fixed. I once read that New Orleans is like a symphony orchestra. If you are in the string section, you can go to the top of that section. But don't think about moving to the horn section.

 

[RiverRat]

Unless you’re from here, why would you stay? It’s an abusive relationship.

 

[sfidc3]

I've watched this thread carry on throughout the day. I get where Drew is coming from as far as raising a family in Rancho Santa Fe (Suburb of San Diego) but I see the other side too.

I'm born in the city (NOLA) moved to the suburbs when I was near 10 years old. Raised in Kenner. College at SLU.

After graduating college I couldn't find a good job. I interviewed in San Diego and had multiple opportunities. That was 34 years ago. I still call NOLA my home but have lived in SD and Orange County for most of the last 34 years. We still have deep roots in NOLA and just sold a restaurant on the North Shore about a year ago. Mom, Dad, brother, sisters and most of my family is still there. My wife and adults kids are in SoCal. We own a home in Louisiana and spent a considerable amount of time there the last 10 years but my career has been in SoCal.

This is what I would tell you. There is no place like New Orleans. The food, the culture, the music and most of all the people. My dream has been to buy a place near the french quarter to experience the fullness of the city. Unfortunately, the prices and the violence has stopped us from doing that. So we visit often, mainly in the Fall (for obvious reasons) but take in JazzFest, Mardi Gras and the likes. San Diego has some nice places like the Gaslamp, the Zoo, a few nice restaurants but it lacks the pop and atmosphere of NOLA.

San Diego and SoCal are nice. We have a lovely home we bought nearly 25 years ago here and will keep this place for as long as we can.

Regarding the weather, I would say this. It's nice but not as great as everyone thinks. No it's not 100% humidity in the Summer but that is why we would keep this house to be in SoCal in the Summer. It's typically on the colder side especially at night. Many 4th of July parties I had a jacket on at night here. I hate cold weather. Typical weather - Jan-Feb-March (Rainy ---today the high is 53 and it's rained most of the day.) April-part of May dry and nice during the day. Part of May-June-July, good luck seeing the sun about half the days. May gray-June gloom. Nicely hot in July-September. Fall is genuinely nice as well. My point is, I'll take NOLA Spring and Fall over this weather. Summers no doubt I'll stay in SoCal.

Regarding schools - it's no contest. You have to go to private schools for the most part to get a good education in Louisiana. That's not the case here.

Overall, there are pluses and minuses to each. I don't blame Drew for wanting to raise his family here but I can tell you there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about being "Home". Sorry it's so long but one last thing. As you can see by my avatar, my daughter is a huge Saints fan even though she grew up near the Chargers stadium. Good bless my hometown and all my fellow WhoDats!

Great post. My life adventure is very similar only I wound up in the DC area (suburban MD), couldn't find a decent job in Nola after graduating from UNO (finance). I actually didn't try very hard as I had visited Bethesda for 2 weeks the summer before (my college roommate was from there) and noticed all the jobs/opportunities in the area. Moved in with friends (a bunch of his friends would visit for Mardi Gras so they made it an easy transition) in a group house. My whole family (except one sister in Arkansas) still lived in Nola and would go back, stay with my parents for Christmas, Jazz Fest, etc....

Now we visit at least twice a year, sometimes 3 times, my parents have passed so we stay with my older sister. We always have so much fun. Usually get a few fishing trips in with my BIL (Hopedale mostly)....

I miss certain things about Nola for sure. The food, people in general are a bit more open/friendly, there are certain places that hold dear memories for me....but I would never move back. Can't stand the hot humid weather and there are no great beaches or mountains to visit that are close by.

I feel like this area was/is a really good place to raise a family, the taxes are very high (which is why we will be moving to coastal NC in a year or so), but the public schools are among the best in the nation. Both our boys are fairly recent college grads and are doing well (and they both are huge Saints fans and love Nola and our family there). I feel like I've lived 2 different but very full and happy lives....Take care all....