“We have nothing to lose and a world to see” – unknown
Somehow I made it through college without going to the famous New Orleans until a few weeks ago. I ventured over to the Jazz filled city for Cinco de Mayo with two amazing friends. This was a fun and much needed weekend getaway with the girls featuring goofy ghost tours, the classy bourbon street and plenty of delicious Cajun food :P.
Friday:
1. Bourbon Street
We drove into town, dropped off our things at the hotel and took a daytime stroll down Bourbon. I had my first grenade and let the people watching begin. I’m not gonna lie, this is one of the best cities to people watch so grab a drink, sit back and relax.
After the signature grenades we continued our stroll around town to admire the cutest French styled houses in bright pinks and blues.
2. Café du Monde
We channeled in Kim K cravings and headed over to the famous café that’s open 24 hours, Café du Monde, to get some perfectly baked beignets. This hot spot can get pretty busy so I recommend going at a not so popular time (check google to see if it’s hoppin’).
3. Faubourg Bistro
We quickly realized our tummies needed more than grenades and beignets… and that we were getting hangry so we quickly headed over to get some lunch. We found this incredible little hole in the wall place at the back of the 700 club called Faubourg Bistro that had mac-n-cheese bites that are to die for!!! Just take a look at this mouthwatering food:
At this point, we had some happy tummies and sleepy bodies hence nap time (the best time!). After some much needed rest we went back out on the town for our evening activity – a Witches, Ghosts, Vampires & Walking Tour. We were lead by the goofiest fella taking us through the streets of New Orleans filled with voodoo, witches and an interesting couple getting scandy by a church (probably the highlight of the $12 groupon tour). The night ended on the dirty burb where I did not dare to take my camera…
Saturday:
4. Café Fleur de lis
After staying out until the weeeee hours of the morning, we enjoyed the much needed sleep. After finally crawling out of our snuggly beds we ventured over to brunch at Café Fleur de lis, where I recommend sitting upstairs by the windows if possible. Then we walked around town to look at cute shops, go down by the river, and look at the cute trolley until it started to rain!
5. Jazzfest
If you’ve ever been to Nola during the spring, hopefully you’ve ventured pasted the French Quarter to Jazzfest! This year (2018) they have AEROSMITH headlining along with Cage the Elephant and The Revivalist in addition to many other cultured filled bands with plenty of jazz, of course. Aerosmith was beyond incredible to see live, I might go on a limb here and say they were even better live in my opinion. Now let’s just appreciate these outfits and other pics from jazzyfest:
After Jazzfest we napped (again hehe, this is a crucial step to thriving in Nola) and hopped back over to the bourb where we met some kind British peeps. They were traveling through the US and kindly entertained our silly American questions and bad accents. They even cheered me on when I rode a mechanical bull for the first time (where I surprisingly had a blast). I may have crossed this off the bucket list, but I will definitely be doing it again! It’s weirdly a good time and I recommend everyone give it try! Meanwhile, the rest of the night included pizza slices larger than my face, a wicked cool bar down an alley called The Dungeon and the best of people watching! I recommend going to the second story of a bar to get the best views ;).
Sunday:
6. Café Maspero
Walking home as many were getting their day started is one of those things that just happen in Nola ;). After we continued our very off sleep schedule, we began our last day in the happenin’ town of new Orleans. So naturally we began with food having lunch/brunch at Café Maspero.
7. French Quarter
We ventured back over to the iconic French Quarter with the St. Louis Cathedral to explore the square and take some cute pics of course.
Here are a few additional pictures to sum up the weekend:
We laughed about all the new inside jokes and silly things that had happened over the past 48 hours and then parted ways with the lively city of New Orleans. Until next time, keep filling your life with incredible experiences!
With wanderlust,
Haley
Halesyah 