In the morning, my nose sighed at the smells of beignets, chicory coffee and muddy river.

In the afternoon, I wound my way through lazy streets under wrought iron balconies containing heaving ivy and ferns. The streets were peppered with people carrying Bloody Marys as spicy as the soggy red beans and rice. On seemingly every corner, sweaty musicians were hunkering over their instruments.

At night, the landscape was dotted with neon, from the frat boy French Quarter to the more bohemian Fauborg Marigny. Every bar was its own little world, creating a sampler of Yiddish jazz, poetry slams, flamboyant revelers, Cajun dancing and exotic crowds, all lubricated with very, very, very strong drinks.

No wonder New Orleans is one of my favorite places in the world.

It's a place with unrestrained character and charisma. A place where people eat late and drink early. A place that has a hard time retaining its young people.

No doubt about it - it's a city that captures your soul. More than 10 million people a year come to New Orleans to sample the food, the Creole hospitality and the all-night fun. It's also a young environment, with a median age of 33.

During a recent vacation in the Big Easy, however, I found the city is plagued with many of the same problems we face in Cincinnati.

New Orleans is one of the fastest-shrinking cities in the country. Its 2000 population of 484,674 was about 23 percent less than its 1960 peak, when 627,525 people lived there.

While many here use the weak argument that there's nothing to do in Cincinnati, the same can't be said of New Orleans.

The place has 3,073 restaurants, 165 city-owned parks, 31 museums, 224 art galleries and dealers; 712 churches, 65 public libraries, 26 radio stations and hundreds of festivals each year.

And they still have trouble retaining people.

Their public transportation systems work well for the residents. More than 16 percent of New Orleans residents use the bus or streetcar. Seven percent bike or walk to work. They also have two Amtrak stations and 42 taxicab services to make life in the Big Easy a little easier.

And they still have trouble retaining people.

There's mild, sunny weather year-round, with an average temperature of 70.5 degrees.

And they still have trouble retaining people.

Within the small neighborhoods, people value community. In a recent survey, almost 75 percent of people said they know their next-door neighbor's name. More than a third of all residents do volunteer work. Almost 60 percent attend church regularly.

And they still have trouble retaining people.

As with Cincinnati, there are multiple theories on why this is happening.

Though the city's crime level has decreased since the mid-1990s, fearful middle-class people still flee. Housing is deteriorating. The New Orleans Public School System is underfunded and underperforming.

Also, the place is best known for the carnival atmosphere of Mardi Gras and the endless parties on Bourbon Street. It's not considered to be a hub of modern business and cutting-edge technology.

All of these things play a part in why some leave for a place like Seattle or Austin.

But the brutal truth is this: In a global landscape, it's unrealistic to expect most young professionals to remain in the same place they were born and raised. There are too many places to go and too many experiences to be had.

Do I love Cincinnati? Yes. Will I stay here forever? No.

The best anyone can do is make the stay fun while it lasts.

That's why I'll continue to soak up everything our city has to offer.

Until I move to New Orleans.

E-mail mdowns@enquirer.com