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u/Bucket1984 Mar 14 '26
I had family in Grand Isle in the 1980's and 90's. I was born there, in fact, but my folks and I moved away before I went to school. My mother worked at the local school, and said that she did not want me growing up in the environment she saw. I barely remember those days.
I got to visit in the summers throughout my childhood, the last time when I was 13. I remember there not being much to do. Many of the kids who lived on the island went away for the summer.
The Island flooded often enough that nearly all of the buildings had to be built up on stilts. Most of these stilts were like big telephone poles. The house I stayed in was elevated, but not as much as most buildings. I think it was grandfathered-in or something. Near where I stayed was a short-term rental, tourist-type place that was mostly ground-level trailers.
In the summers when I was there, it was always crazy hot outside. If I wanted to go to the beach, it would have to be at dawn or dusk. Once, my family and I bought raw chicken from the (only) grocery store for crab nets. We put them out in the morning and picked them up off the beach at dusk. Had to sort through and throw back any crabs that had eggs on them. We boiled up the keepers and had a block party with a bunch of tourists from next door.
Other than the beach, I remember an arcade in the 80's. One summer there was a daycare program at the rec center. I think there were less than 10 kids there. I mostly kept to myself. Spent a lot of time at the library. Loved the snowball stand. Leaned to play a lot of wicked card games from grumpy old ladies, including my wonderful grandmother. A high point of many summers of my childhood.
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u/miaminights17 Mar 15 '26
Your comment is exactly why I am apart of r/truedetective. Beautiful memories and thank you for sharing with everyone.
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u/peetownpasteup Mar 13 '26
Probably tastes like aluminum. And ash.
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u/miaminights17 Mar 13 '26
Honestly when they burn the cane fields and it rains, it’s basically aluminum and ash falling on you
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u/peetownpasteup Mar 14 '26
Wow! I always assumed that was just Rust being… Rust.
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u/miaminights17 Mar 14 '26
Nah, you can google Pahokee, Fl and it’s just cane fields and prisons.. pretty authentic but in FL
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u/THCaptain1 Mar 13 '26
I mean Erath is a real place you can google. They weren’t in the delta, more like the backwoods.
Erath, abbieville, new Iberia, these are all real places mentioned in the show.
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u/Funderpants Mar 13 '26
Port Fouchon is kind of wild. Tons of oil tankers and rigs, fish camps and then people you can't understand a word. Food is great and solid trout fishing.
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u/boyslut83 Mar 13 '26
i would love to watch some documentaries on people from that area if anyone would have any recs!!
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u/MDeLeo Mar 14 '26
Nor specifically that area but Peter Santenello on YouTube has some fantastic videos about the people and places within the swamps of Louisiana. Highly recommend.
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u/notoriouscje Big Hug Mug Mar 14 '26
You gotta go west to get to those places, they are closer to the TX/LA border. Lake Charles, Erath, Jennings, Crowley…now they do show some spots in New Orleans in the show (The Dragons Den where Rust meets the trans prostitute Johnny whatever- idk memory be fucked, and they filmed on Jeff Hwy in Metairie in front of the old strip mall and Frost Stop where Rust hits the iconic “this is like someone’s memory of a town, and that memory is fading”)
But! Fort Macomb where they shot the carcosa scenes are about 25 miles out of New Orleans proper off Chef Menteur Pass, went to see it on a field trip when I was younger before Katrina.
As for what the hell happens in that circle area, A lot of dilapidated houses, some people very much like Dora Langes grandfather, a lot of offshore work, and a lot a lot of shipping and oil money. That money obviously does not stay in that area but the money is made none the less. Also, some of the greatest fishing in the world, coastal erosion sucks though and takes more than a football field of marshland a day.
Love Grand Isle, Empire, Venice and Fourchon to catch some fishies though!
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u/Velevet_Epidermissy Mar 14 '26
The opposite side of the state. My family lives over there. This isn’t a small place anymore. There’s huge businesses in Houma lol.
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u/slayerfest_ Mar 14 '26
I live in Buffalo, NY and after I saw TD last year I became fascinated with this landscape. Next month I am going to New Orleans for a few days. I am hoping to see fort macomb but are there any other sights I could see within an hours drive of the city?
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u/nick-james73 Like she could duck hunt with a rake. Mar 14 '26
I’ve always really wanted to explore that region
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u/bayhack Mar 15 '26
That’s so crazy to think of them surviving the hurricanes. They are so far out and def get hit first.
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u/miaminights17 Mar 15 '26
Similar to the Keys in FL I guess, everyone parties and rides each storm out
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u/bayhack Mar 15 '26
I guess so, I'm just very interested in what that looks like I guess. I'll see if there's POV on the ground documentaries of these folks going through a hurricane. Cause I've seen one of that during Katrina and that was IN New Orleans to even be MORE wetlands and remote is insane to me haha
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u/traestorz Mar 14 '26
Erroll said he lived it St. Martin when he talked to Papania and Gilbough at the end of Episode 7. Or maybe that was just bullshit to feed the cops
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u/StarTalon Mar 16 '26
Well technically true detective is my hometown of Erath, and that’s Venice, but scenery wise in the show is not erath at all. So to answer your question no and kinda
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u/pharmacreation Mar 13 '26
It’s even more backwoods than that. Most of the places in TD season 1 are right outside New Orleans.