Day 1: We arrived at the Louis Armstrong Airport around 5pm. My first tip... Uber is the way to go. Cheaper than a cab and faster too. Shuttles will take you to the French Quarter, but if you are travelling with another person, it's still cheaper to cab or Uber. We stayed at an Airbnb in Bywater and it was delightful. Our host Victoria had maps, recommendations, bikes for our usage, and a fridge stocked with local beer, champagne, fresh eggs and other goodies! Oh and we were greeted by her yard full of chicken and pigs! There was a grocery store in walking distance called Mardi Gras Zone, which was a party store turned supermarket after Katrina, because there was nowhere to purchase groceries between the 9th Ward and the French Quarter immediately after, so they filled that void and have been a grocery store ever since. The moment we walked in we were greeted with "Hey Darlins!" Southern hospitality at its best :) Our first night we decided to stay close to home, so we rode our bikes over to Bacchanal... a cute little wine bar/outdoor restaurant with live music. After being greeted by a 'Hey Y'all,' you pick out your wine and cheese, which they plate for you with amazing chutneys, olives and nuts. The ambiance was so charming... basically a backyard strung up with lights and a makeshift stage for the band. Next we headed over to Vaughans to dance the night away to some jazz, and the band Heart Attack did not disappoint. An eclectic group of musicians... but most notable was the guest trombone player. Half way through the set, this tiny little Japanese woman walks in. Someone beside me asks, 'are you joining them?' She modestly says 'maybe' and then walks on stage and literally blows the roof off the place. We danced and drank Abitas until we were exhausted... a terrific start to the trip.
Day 2: We got a "Free Ride Free Ride" on the bus down to the French Quarter... I swear that Southern hospitality is where it's at! We tried to find The Museum of The American Cocktail, but it moved... luckily, we stumbled upon a Cafe Du Monde so we could try their coffee and beignets. Yum yum. It was a rainy day, but we still explored the French Quarter. We walked along Royal Street which had many antique shops and art galleries. We checked out Jackson Square, live street performers, some voodoo shops, and went for lunch at The Gumbo Shop, another highlight. The waitress was a delight, the food was incredible (Jan had a Po'boy and Chicken Gumbo... I had white beans & rice creole style), and we had a stiff New Orleans drink, the sazerac.
In the evening we checked out Frenchmen Street... probably my favourite area in New Orleans. Amazing restaurants, dance parties on the street, and a different band playing in every bar. We had an excellent dinner of wine and tapas at Three Muses, which had a really cool atmosphere and a great band performing (notice a theme yet?). After dinner we joined a dance party on the street. Probably 10 musicians, a crowd of 50-60 people dancing around them, beer being sold out of coolers and food out of the back of a truck... pretty cool. And finally we had a night cap at d.b.a. and watched Chief Monk Boudreaux sing the blues.
Day 3: Started the day off with a tour of St Louis 1 Cemetery... which unfortunately you need a tour guide to go through now. We saw Marie Leveau's unmarked tomb, which can be identified because of all the x's drawn on it. People leave cigarettes, alcohol or money in hopes that she will help them with their affliction. We walked around the French Quarter a bit more... visited some shops, had a beer at Crescent City Brewery, and then sat in Woldenburg Park and watched the Natchez steamboat along the Mississippi River (oh where Jan and I got ENGAGED!!) We grabbed a slice of pizza at Pizza Delicious in Bywater which was a cute little spot, before heading out to The Little Gem Saloon to see Kermit Ruffin perform. His performance was a bit flat to be honest; we were disappointed that he barely played his trumpet. While we were there, a Mardi Gras parade went by and I received my first beads of the evening :) We headed to Bourbon Street after the show, and holy moly what a scene! We had our first Hurricanes at Pat O'Briens, went to bunch of bars and had quite the first party night as FIANCÉS!
Day 4: It was a hair of the dog kinda morning. We attempted to have breakfast at Eat New Orleans, but once we finally found it, we found it closed for renovations. We stumbled upon a greasy spoon, Clover Grill, and Jan was happy because he wanted some grits... they were cold, but they were grits. We finally got our hair of the dog at Coops, a little bar with a great atmosphere. The staff were singing along to MJ... my kinda place. Since it was the last day we picked up some souvenirs along Decateur Street, went uptown to The Butcher so Jan could purchase some boudin, and then did some shopping along Magazine Street. I found a boutique with cute upcycled clothes, and we had lunch at The Rum House. Our last dinner was tapas and wine at MiMi's in Maringy which was simple but a great end to the trip!
WHO DAT Y'ALL?
I really enjoyed reading this, T!!! Makes me want to go to New Orleans even more than before!
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