New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
When a good friend’s wedding brought us to New Orleans, we knew we had to extend the trip and visit one of America’s most unique cities. Britt was in the wedding, so we had only bits of time here and there to do our own thing, but over the course of 5 days we got a good glimpse of the Big Easy.
We stayed at the Ace Hotel in the Warehouse District, a trendy neighborhood only a short walk from the bustling French Quarter. The Three Keys, a small music venue in the hotel, hosted Juju Child & The Hypnotic Roots Band for a blues concert one night which gave us our musical fix for the visit.
The Warehouse District is also home to America’s National WWII Museum. The museum is huge and the full itinerary takes two days. Luckily they offer shorter itinerary suggestions; Rico followed the half-day option and spent 5 hours learning more about US involvement in the war. The museum is very well done and well worth a visit. Once reunited, we strolled along the shops and studios on Julia Street and visited the Ogden Museum of Southern Art.
Britt met up with her friend’s family uptown (and visited the Ashley Longshore Studio Gallery) and Rico joined them later for lunch. Despite moving slow in the heat and humidity, we enjoyed strolling Magazine Street and wandering through the leafy Garden District, full of interesting architecture.
Of course, no visit to New Orleans is complete without time in the French Quarter. We avoided Bourbon Street for the most part, opting for the more relaxed (and in our opinion more beautiful) Royal and Chartres Streets. We looped Jackson Square, appreciated St. Louis Cathedral, and visited the Beauregard-Keyes House, which provided some additional context to the history of New Orleans and the French Quarter. We finished our walk with a wander down Frenchman Street in the Marigny, which some claim is what Bourbon Street used to be like.
We were reminded throughout our trip of how tasty American food is. We had lunch at Shaya (hummus, tomatoes, baba ganoush, fattoush, lamb kofte), The Company Burger (burger, grilled cheese, fries, Oreo milkshake), and Dat Dog (hot dog and veggie dog). And we couldn’t not get beignets at Café Du Monde (sometimes you’ve got to do the touristy things!). Dinners varied widely, from a crawfish boil at our friends’ house in Mandeville, to the catered rehearsal dinner at NOLA Brewing Tap Room (chicken and real BBQ sauce!), to a quiet dinner for just the two of us at Josephine Estelle in our hotel (ravioli with truffle). And don’t worry, we had some dessert as well, indulging in donuts from local favorite District Donuts!
Our time in New Orleans was spent reconnecting with friends and breaking away when possible to explore a city we’ve wanted to visit for some time. We only got a glimpse of it, but we’re confident we’ll be back someday, especially since we have friends there. Until then, au revoir!
