AD ⚜️When I visited Natchitoches in LouisianaTravel, the oldest permanent settlement in the Louisiana Purchase territory; one problem plagued me. How to actually pronounce the town name! 🤪🤯 Knowing it might be an issue from the moment I saw the word in an email, I planned ahead. I decided I would ask everyone I met, to show me the way. A solid ice breaker and a good excuse to talk to people when I might otherwise not have felt very outgoing in the moment. [Fellow introverts, I know you can relate.] And having an excuse to talk to people, provided the opportunity for some very memorable conversations. It even led to meeting the Mayor spontaneously! As so often happens when traveling, the people of Natchitoches became the best part of the trip! They’re also representative of some of what I think you should do when you’re in town; since most of these locals own small businesses or work in businesses you’ll probably want to frequent. So bookmark this post and you’ll be well on your way ...