I had the BEST time on my trip to New Orleans two weeks ago. I had been planning it with two of my besties for months so for it finally to happen was so exciting! Such a beautiful city with such an interesting history. Everyone we met there was so friendly and warm, it made our stay in their city incredibly memorable. Below are 4 reasons why you should absolutely consider making NOLA your next trip!
The Food
If you like to eat, go to New Orleans. There are over 1500 restaurants to choose from and I can’t say that I had a bad meal once during the trip. As a seafood lover, this city was my dream. I literally had shrimp for every meal. Everything you eat will be rich and decadent and extremely satisfying. If I had to pick my favorite meal (not easy) I would have to pick the cajun pasta I had at Coop’s Place. It was so creamy, buttery and full of seafood favorites. I may or may not have been slightly completely intoxicated at the time and at 11:30 at night there was nothing more exciting then a big bowl of delicious pasta. We tried going back again because the food was so fantastic and couldn’t because of the crazy line that is permanently outside their door. I recommend either braving the crowd (it’s worth it) or better yet going later in the evening like we did and hope you get lucky. NOLA was another favorite and my pick for our last dinner and our Galentine’s Day date. It’s a beautiful restaurant with friendly, attentive staff. The food was incredible (the pepper jack mac & cheese is definitely in my top 5 best macs ever) and all of us were dying over the creme brûlée trio we had for dessert. The perfect lady date! Finally we obviously had to stop in at the famous Cafe Du Monde before we left, and it did not disappoint. We stopped there before heading to the airport and the beignets really are everything. Crisp edges, warm and soft on the inside and covered in powdered sugar. So needless to say I’m on a diet now.
The Night Life
Obviously we had a blast exploring the endless bars and jazz clubs that are all over the French Quarter. We made our way over to Frenchmen Street our first night after several different locals told us that it was a great area for good music. They were definitely right, we stumbled upon The Spotted Cat and Blue Nile, both with amazing bands playing. The next night we went to our personal favorite, Vaso which hands down had the best music and funnest vibe. Bourbon was also a must, and while it’s definitely geared toward tourists there were still a ton of fun spots with great drinks and cool atmospheres. However, if you’re doing the tourist thing like we were I would absolutely recommend finding a Tropical Isle (we saw at least three of them in the French Quarter) and trying a hand grenade. Forget hurricanes, those things are lethal. Super tasty and dangerous. Try one and see what you think. Or do what we did and chug three and end the night taking selfies with the horses pulling carriages nearby. Your choice!
I would also recommend signing up for a pub crawl (we did two, one haunted, one not), as tourtisy and lame as it sounds it actually is really fun and you get a bunch of discounts on drinks and free admission to bars and clubs that would normally charge (the total cost was $25 for four bars) a cover. One of our tour guides was super wasted and got up on stage at one bar and attempted something that I’m pretty sure was meant to be dancing–that in itself was worth $25.
The Culture
There’s so much to love about New Orleans, especially once you learn a little bit more about the history and the locals. There’s so much to do when you visit that will teach you about the city and make you appreciate its charm even more. We took a Katrina Tour on our first day there and visited several different neighborhoods that were affected by the natural disaster. We also went on a Swamp Tour and got to see the different types of animals that live in the bayou–but most importantly I got to hold a baby alligator (clearly some of us were more excited about it than others). We walked the streets of the French Quarter with the lively street performers and saw all of the psychics and artists who line up in Jackson Square. The French Market is also a great spot for shopping (also located very close to Cafe Du Monde) if you’re looking for a good keepsake to take home with you. There are endless voodoo shops and fortune tellers all over the quarter, and we even stopped in and got a reading at one of them (we all needed another hand grenade after that one). We took a ghost tour and learned about the most famous legends and ghost stories in New Orleans (I had to be very intoxicated for this tour, I am NOT into scary stuff) and even visited haunted bars throughout the city. Also, if Absinthe is your thing 1. I am scared of you and 2. check out Old Absinthe Bar. Basically there is an endless amount of fun things to do and see.
Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras was colorful and loud and silly. There are tons of parades throughout the day and if that’s not your thing everywhere you look there is something interesting to take in. Everyone is dressed up and drinking and laughing and having fun. I read a few articles before my trip to get an idea of what to expect and I’m so glad I did because it helped make me ten times more comfortable that day. I wore sneakers and kept my outfit cute, but simple and brought a jacket since it was pretty chilly in New Orleans at the time. I only brought my ID, cash and my phone and kept all three in my bra (classy) so I wouldn’t have to worry about losing anything. DO NOT wear shoes you care about. The streets are filthy and they will get ruined (I bought sneakers at Forever 21 for $10 and threw them away after, it’s that serious). Everyone will give you beads without you even batting an eye, so no need to flash the world if that’s not your style (it’s not mine) but more power to you if that’s what you’re into! I saw some things that day that I simply cannot unsee but hey, it’s a part of the experience. It is extremely crowded (duh) on Bourbon street, so using the side streets for breathers is a good idea so you can readjust yourself, figure out the next bar you’re going to, or vomit depending on where you’re at in the day (no shame in your game). I had a fabulous time, but if I’m being honest, my body was NOT ready for that much partying so after being out from 10am till 11pm I was ready (and thankfully so were my friends) to call it a night and stumble home. We did some serious sleeping in the next day!
Louisiana was an experience I’ll never forget and I truly hope I get the opportunity to go back again some day. It’s a very special place that’s different from any other city you’ll visit, from the architecture to the food. There really is nothing like it. It fully met all of my expectations and then some!
Have you ever been to New Orleans? What did you think? Tell me in the comments!
Xoxo,
She
