NOLA, the Big easy, CRESCENT CITY...
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Whatever you want to call it, New Orleans has been on the top of our list of places to visit. What better place to escape the heat and humidity of Connecticut's summer than good ole' New Orleans? Yeah yeah yeah, we know... it's even hotter and more humid than the Northeast. But we're going anyway! Thanks to a cheap flight and an invite to a family vacation spot in Florida a short four hours away, we decided to check out of the many cities on our bucket list - New Orleans. So hang tight as we post updates of the delicious food and killer music that lives in the Big Easy.
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DAY ONE |
How unfortunate that the cheapest flights are almost always the ones that takes off at the crack of dawn. We woke at a disgusting hour of 3:30AM to catch our hotel’s shuttle to Bradley International. Our connecting flight to Washington went smoothly while our flight from Washington to New Orleans experienced some nauseating turbulence. We arrived in Nola at 10AM local time (they are an hour behind New England) and we slowly made our way to pickup the rental car. After choosing our vehicle from the line, we made our way to the French Quarter – AKA, our home for the next five days. But let me catch you up – this whole time my mind is racing. I heard almost nothing but bad things about the crime situation in New Orleans. How it’s the worst people have ever seen, how its happening in neighborhoods and the city, how New Orleans surpassed Chicago for the number of homicides this year. Even our car rental woman (though extremely sweet and helpful in recommending nearby attractions) lead on to how bad the homicides, burglaries and carjackings have been – GREAT! Matt and I had already seen the headlines back home about recent brutal attacks in Nola neighborhoods, so this wasn’t helping. Nonetheless – we are here, and we are going to be smart and still explore (but without the bulky camera). We grabbed some crawfish etouffee, jambalaya and rice and beans for our first official meal. With something in our stomach, we toured the area. But, as one would suspect of a typical Louisiana day, it got hot and humid fast. We retreated to our comfy, chilly hotel room for a much needed nap and later explored the craziness that is Bourbon Street. With some of the most lenient liquor laws I have ever witnessed in the world, New Orleans thrives on the drinking scene. Bars are open 24 hours, you can legally walk around with drinks in the streets (drinks ‘to go’), there are drive-thru liquor stores and some of the cheapest (and biggest) drinks in the country (fishbowl, anyone?). We tried our best to blend in with the crowds and enjoyed some incredible street music along the way. Matt befriended quite a few passerbys (YouTube 'Bourbon Street Poet') and we found ourselves having dinner on an iron balcony overlooking the streets below. We called it an “early” night in Nola terms, but tomorrow will bring some new views and some new fun.
DAY TWO
Is there a better way to begin your day than with some buttery almond croissants and café au laits? I think not! Thanks to our wonderful hippie friend Lorraine who used to live in New Orleans (hi, Lorrainey!!) we checked out a little pastry shop in the French Quarter. It was not only quaint on the inside, but it had delicious breakfast food as well! Today we ventured through the Armstrong Park, found refuge in a super-convenient store while it down poured and we revised our original day plans – something indoors ASAP! Per recommendation of our lunch waitress, we toured the Historic New Orleans Collection of the old (and now inactive) area of legal prostitution that one existed in Nola (referred to as Storyville). We then spent a majority of the afternoon at The Presbytere learning about Hurricane Katrina. From audio recordings of survivors, local responders and officials, to collected artifacts found in the aftermath, to an entire explanation of the levy malfunctions using diagrams and interactive displays – we found the exhibit so intriguing and informative. We loved learning about all that happened that day and hearing first-hand accounts of the moments not covered in the news. We made our way to Frenchmen Street – known for its bars and hoppin’ music scene – for a little stroll. It was still a little early but Matt grabbed a beer and we ordered fried pickles to snack on while listening to a live, mellow band. After heading back towards our hotel, we decided to finally check out the rooftop pool and observation deck – and what a view! I love finding spots that give us a new perspective on the city. We took some beautiful pictures and found ourselves chatting as the sun set. We made our way to the Frenchmen Art Market which runs from 7PM-1AM and allows local, talented artists and artisans to sell and market their creations in a beautifully lit outdoor alleyway. We grabbed tacos and beers at Café Negril as the 10 o’clock band, Higher Heights, began their set. There is something so visceral about what live music does to a crowd – everyone finds their own, natural rhythm. For that hour and a half set, everyone is equal and accepted. Higher Heights jammed, rocked out, slowed it down and gave us killer music to groove to – absolute perfection.
Day THREE
Have you ever heard someone say “that’s a good omen”? Well, here’s one for ya… We returned to the same café as yesterday for one reason and one reason only – their almond croissants. But when we walked in, they had run out! We were just about to order our second choices when a fresh, warm, gooey batch is being brought to the display window. The cashier then enlightens us that this never happens and that once the morning batch is gone – it’s gone. She was just as elated as we were because more for us means more for them when they close! We stopped to listen to street musicians and found ourselves browsing through booth after booth of craft goods at the French Market. We read and relaxed by the rooftop pool at our hotel for a couple of hours before checking out a museum in Jackson Square that told the history of Louisiana and how New Orleans became so rich in culture and diversity. Naturally, we had to check out Bourbon Street – it’s Friday night people! We watched street performers – some talented, many not – lure in the crowds. We watched locals and tourists alike dance in the streets to music played by street performers or by the open-doored bars. But as the night moved on, we were getting hungry! After a light day of eats, we had to check out a spot we came across on Frenchmen Street yesterday but was unfortunately closed – Mona. We indulged in a delicious middle eastern dinner of hummus, baba ghanouj, falafel, tabbouleh, chicken tecka and pita bread. It was a quiet reprieve from the Friday night bustle of Frenchmen Street. After a brief run-through the art market on Frenchmen Street, we hopped in a music venue on the same street, d.b.a. to listen to Walter “Wolfman” Washington. Their smooth jazz and chill beats gave the crowd good tunes for slow grooving. We hopped in and our of nearby bars and venues listening to a range of music – from hip-hop covers, to jazzy tunes, to funk. New Orleans is full of so many kinds of people whose history in the area has allowed them to establish a set of cultural norms – be it their music, their dances or their food.
Day 4
I’m not sure if I have mentioned it yet this trip, but fun fact: it’s hot and super humid in New Orleans. The first few days we got away with wearing clothing that covered our legs or normal cotton shirts without sweating – yes, our skin was tacky, but no sweat. Today, that was not the case. Today hit 92 and I swear the humidity has to be in the 70% range. We took our time getting up and ready and enjoyed good conversation while the caffeine kicked in at Croissant D’Or. We toured the 1850 House which gives onlookers an authentic perspective on how a home was furnished and the individual room’s purposes as they were in that time period. We browsed local artists’ work that lined the streets, spoke at length with Uncle Sam about the nation's current state and grabbed lunch at The Napoleon. We wanted to see a different side of New Orleans and figured getting away on a Saturday night might be a good idea. We took the trolley from Canal Street to the Audubon Park in the Uptown neighborhood of Nola. We passed through the Garden District which is home to a famous graveyard used to film movies and the many mansions that lined St. Charles Street. We walked around the beautiful park on a path that encompasses the body of water in the middle. We passed cyclists, runners and families as well as those using the free workout stations that line the path as well. Spanish moss fell long off the trees as geese chased the ducks away. We walked down side streets of Uptown and marveled at how drastically different the lifestyles of neighboring districts can be. We walk past the biggest Whole Foods we’ve both ever seen, small boutique shops and yoga studios only to hop back on the trolley and enter the Central Business District and the French Quarter and watch as homeless people outnumber regular civilians on some streets. We laughed at the ridiculous ways humans spend their time as we stood in line amongst thick crowds to eat at Felix’s Restaurant and Oyster Bar – known for their grilled oysters. Let’s just say this: they were worth the wait. After a few brews and chatting with some locals, we took off to walk Bourbon Street and marvel at the craziness. It’s basically one huge party – lined with occasional cops, all kinds of music being played by DJs in the bars and people flooding the sidewalks and the street. After stopping in to dance to one live band, we called it quits. The night life is sort of addicting here! There’s always, always, always something new.
Day 5
Cue Creedence Clearwater Revival’s ‘Born on the Bayou’ because today we explored the swampy waters of Lafitte, LA on an airboat! With only six passengers per boat and our awesome guide, Bobby, we explored inlets and waters lined with cypress trees, Spanish moss and yes, alligators! The two-hour ride took us to Lake Pontchartrain which gave us a distant view of the Superdome and New Orleans’ skyline. If you looked around, in nearly all directions the land was so far away that it was only visible as a mirage, nothing too distinct in shape – it was absolutely gorgeous. We saw stopped as we saw alligators and even fed them marshmallows and hotdogs. We held a baby alligator that will be released into the bayou in just a few more weeks. If there was something I would recommend to do while in New Orleans, it’s this. Because of our proximity to the 8th and 9th Wards, we wanted to drive through. These were the areas severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina and whose neighborhoods are still in disarray 12 years later. We drove cautiously and aware of our surroundings as I hopped in and out of the car for pictures. Some were just plots, some were boarded up, some had holes in their roofs from the hurricane rescue and others were totally grown over with weeds and shrubs. To our surprise, you would find a beautiful, well-kept home with a nice car out front adjacent to a disaster home. We stopped on Magazine Street for a late lunch and headed back to our hotel pool for a couple hours of R&R. We returned to downtown to walk the area as night fell and had a hilarious time at dinner laughing at our neighboring tables and the ridiculousness that the waiters, waitresses and hosts must deal with on a daily basis. One host mentioned how in the last three days they have served over 8,000 customers! A music festival at the Superdome definitely contributed to those numbers, but still – woah. We had some more grilled oysters (tonight’s better than last night’s), red fish and seafood gumbo – all of which was super delicious. On our last night, we walked the water listening to the steamboats drive with their lights reflecting on the Mississippi. What a truly unique city to roam…
DAY 6
Our last day! We awoke with the task of cleaning out messy hotel room and haphazardly shoving our things into our backpacks before checking out. Our only commitment before taking off for Florida is a boat tour on the Mississippi. We walked the area shops on this sweltering day before our lunch on the boat. Once the boat took off, we toured the river and all the landmarks that fell aside it. We walked all three of its decks and found a perfect spot to sit for a little while. Live jazz sounded in the background as we hit the halfway point of the cruise and turned back for New Orleans shore. We grabbed our car from the valet and headed for my sister's place in Florida where we'll be visiting and relaxing for remainder of the week. Until next time, NOLA!
