I moved to New York City from New Orleans — here are 10 things I miss most about living in the South

There are so many festivals in New Orleans that there are guides for the top 10 festivals in the city. There's something for everyone: a Tennessee Williams festival for fans of the playwright, a Po-Boy Fest for sandwich connoisseurs, the Crescent City Blues and BBQ Fest, and even their own version of Running of the Bulls, in which women lace up their roller skates and skate around the French Quarter smacking participants with plastic bats.

There's no place like it — and that's nothing to say of the iconic festivals like Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest, Essence Fest, and Voodoo.

• Read more:
• I moved from the South to New York City. Here are 13 things I never thought I'd miss about Southern living.
• We found the best po'boy spot in New Orleans
• How Mardi Gras floats are made in 50 weeks
• A former schoolhouse, rectory, church, and convent, Hotel Peter & Paul in New Orleans is loaded with whimsical character like a guest room hidden within a stage — here's what it's like to stay in this historic charmer

New Orleans even has drive-thru daiquiri places — it's basically like an adult Disneyland.

NOLA will always have a piece of my heart.

For those partial to pine trees, the Northeast is a great choice — but Spanish moss hanging from the beautiful branches of live oaks makes you feel like you've stepped onto a movie set, or like you're perpetually living in summer.

There's not a shortage of street and subway performers in NYC, but it's not the same as a jaw-dropping performance by a full brass band on the corner of Frenchman Street in New Orleans — and many of the major southern cities are like this. Nashville's Broadway is packed with bars each showcasing local musicians, as is Austin's Sixth Street — and the same can be found in other parts of those cities, too.

As a native New Yorker, I'll admit, it took some getting used to when I moved to Louisiana, where all the locals would give me friendly smiles, waves, and hellos. But now that I'm back in NYC, I have to say, I miss the general friendliness of southerners.

Of the top 10 friendliest cities in the US, five are located somewhere in the South. On the other hand, six of the top 10 rudest cities in the US are in the northeastern US.

Sure, there are plenty of fast food places to choose from in NYC like Shake Shack and even Chick-fil-A, which used to be far away, but there's nothing on those menus that can compete with Cane's sauce or Whataburger's honey butter chicken biscuit.

Any self-respecting brunch lover will tell you that chicken and waffles is one of the best brunch choices. But sadly, it's not as much of a staple up here, since the dish originated in the Southern US, according to PBS.

A crawfish boil is a quintessential Southern activity, though the name of the little critters varies depending on the state you're in. In Louisiana — crawfish.

A crawfish boil is a party where giant pots of crawfish are cooked with potatoes, corn on the cob, and other veggies. Bars have tried to replicate the magic in NYC, but it's just not the same. It doesn't have the same sense of community up here.

From Tennessee to North Carolina to Texas to Louisiana, every region of the South has its own spin on BBQ. Need help choosing? We found the best barbecue joint in every state, with the help of Yelp.

Though I grew up in New York, it only took four winters in New Orleans for me to forget just how miserable it can be up north for months on end — essentially from November to March. Being able to walk outside with just a denim jacket year-round was a privilege I miss.