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If I’m awake, I’m probably daydreaming about taking a vacation. Luckily I fell in love with someone who has the same priorities in life, and wants to see as much of the world as possible just like I do. These past three years we’ve been a good number of places. I’ve been able to cross lots of places off my bucket list, and subsequently added a bunch more. The one place I had been wanting to go for a while but for some reason just hadn’t was New Orleans.

Jeff and I were browsing flights last month with no particular plan. That’s a pretty normal activity around these parts but on this instance we found flights to NOLA for under one hundred dollars round trip. I was sold instantly! The one issue we came across while planning the trip was that rental cars seemed kind of expensive compared to what we’d paid in the past. I did a bit of research and came to the conclusion that getting a rental car would actually probably hinder us anyway. So, we booked the flight! Unlike our other trips, Jeff and I would be spending the entire week in one place.

It. was. a. blast. I enjoyed being able to get a real feel for a city instead of just seeing something and hopping to the next town like we tend to do. I have so many positive things to say about this trip I’m sure I’m going to think of something I meant to add as soon as I hit publish but here’s a taste of my trip…

Where we stayed – We got a room at The Old No. 77 Hotel & Chandlery and it was… THE COOLEST. The decor is super hip. Seriously, go look at the photos! And the bed? Coziest bed ever! It was a most excellent place to call home for a week. I would absolutely recommend staying there. I didn’t love the fact that our room didn’t have an exterior window but I was so charmed by everything else that it wasn’t a huge deal.

The photo below is in the hotel’s restaurant, Compere Lapin, which was divine. Their avocado toast stupid delicious. Easily the best I’ve ever had. The restaurant was so busy in the evenings that much to our dismay we never got the opportunity to try their dinner.

But seriously, the hotel was incredible. I feel like people have come to see words like “hip” and “trendy” as bad but when I use them to describe this place I mean nothing but positive things. I could have easily written a whole post filled with cool photos of The Old No. 77! Also, I’m giving this place even more bonus points because on the day we arrived there was a lady with a cat on a leash in the lobby which made me smile from ear to ear.

What we ate – We ate a lot in New Orleans! Some highlights included St. Lawrence where we actually ate twice during the week since we liked it so much (their wings are amaaazing), Croissant D’Or Patisserie (best breakfast!), Sucre for dessert (we had some sort of key lime deliciousness and it was heavenly!), and Drip Affogato Bar (best affogato I’ve ever had!) Of course we also ate at Cafe Du Monde because it seemed like something you have to do if you’re in town. Honestly, it was a little crowded for my tastes. I got my beignet on at Cafe Beignet later in the week though! We also got sushi at Geisha which I basically inhaled.

Food was definitely a big part of the trip for me. I know that the list above doesn’t sound too crazy or anything but they were very memorable experiences. New Orleans seems to be a place where good food is basically everywhere you look. There were so many places we wanted to eat and just didn’t get the chance.

What we did – We walked… and walked… and walked some more. In the four days that were in the city we walked a total of fifty miles. My feet hurt at the end of each day but I am SO glad we didn’t end up renting a car. Walking is the best way to get to know a new city. We saw so much, and accidentally stumbled upon so many great things we may not have seen otherwise.

Some highlights for me included;
▴ Glitter Box N.O. – A shop run for and by women in the French Quarter! What actually caught my eye as we walked by was that they had a print by my favorite graffiti artist hanging on the wall. We went back as soon as they opened so I could buy it! The woman working was so nice and helpful, and it’s just a really rad store.
▴ Louisiana Loom Works – Gonna be honest here, the reason I’m mentioning it is because of the cats. If you look at the store front on street view you can even see a kitty in the window! The woman inside told us a little bit about the rescue cats she had all while working the loom. I was in heaven since there was a tiny siamese kitty who reminded me of Professor. It was a really nice experience. I might have even cried a little.
▴ The cemeteries, duh! They were everything I thought they’d be and more!! St. Louis Cemetery No. 2 is a dream.
▴ The Insectarium!
▴ New Orleans Pharmacy Museum!
▴ Bourbon Street. Wait, what? Yeah! So let’s get a few things out of the way here, I don’t drink, and I don’t like being around drunk people. Drunk people to me equal barfing and I have a major phobia so needless to say I avoid situations like that. I had read a lot about how Bourbon Street wasn’t all that great, and dude, I’ve seen the show Cops. Real life Bourbon Street though? I LOVED IT. Well, not the first day we were there. On that occasion it smelled like straight up human waste but we went back the next night and it was kind of amazing. That atmosphere was so wonderful. Everyone was smiling, happy, and just celebrating. There was so much live music happening, there were street performers everywhere, and I even got to pet a tiny pig! While I wouldn’t want to spend the night hanging out on Bourbon Street, it was absolutely a fun experience!

Reading back over this post, I clearly I enjoyed myself in New Orleans. I labeled so many things “best” or “favorite” and they honestly were. I ate the best wings of my life, and slept in the coziest bed ever! New Orleans is super awesome. I’m very very excited to go back again. There is still so much I want to see, do, and eat there. Emphasis on eat. Y’all know some good food down there! 

I feel like we picked the best possible time to visit too. Since I’m not huge on partying, or crowds Mardi Gras always seemed like it might be my worst nightmare. I’m glad we weren’t there in the absolute thick of it but it was amazing to experience a little bit of it the week before the big celebration began.

Until next time, New Orleans!
xoxo