Ferries and French Markets

I don't have DSLR photos of day 3 because it was spent searching for alligators in the bayou (we managed to sneak a peek of a 13 footer and a wild board).  Afterwards, we loaded up on crawfish etouffee and crab stuffed shrimp and I had my 10th bloody mary of our vacation.  Our evening ended up with dinner on a balcony on Bourbon Street, and dancing to jazz and blues on Frenchmen until the bars closed.

Day 4 dealt us some thunderstorms after a morning in a local coffee shop, but we did enjoy a tour of the old US Mint as well as a repeat trip to the Mint for some educational lectures (what can I say, we're nerds).  Dinner was fried chicken and possibly our first vegetables (which were of course covered in bacon fat).  The day ended with yet another  Frenchmen trip to hit up any of the bars we haven't made it to yet...and made it to Dat Dog at the end of the night.

On our last day, we were positively exhausted but managed to walk several miles throughout the city.  Brunch was amazing, we went to Mothers for some debris, bread pudding, and one last bowl of gumbo.  We hit up the casino, as well as a trip on the ferry for a quick stop in Algiers.  Five days in 60-90% humidity was really getting to us, so we decided to relax for a bit and take in a movie.  After our last plate of oysters and another walk through the French Market, we finally made it back to the Snail House (our Air BnB) to uber back to the airport.

A Taste of Bourbon Street

After a morning in The Marigny and an afternoon in the Garden District, Prestyn and I went for oysters at Acme (her first!) and did our first tour of Bourbon Street.  We felt it was best to ease into it before full dark, and I have to say, I will definitely miss the privilege of being able to drink in public.  After a brief nap, we went out for drinks and music on Frenchmen and made friends from a couple of guys from Dallas who supplied us with lots of whiskey and got me onstage belting out my go-to karaoke song (Three Dog Night's "Joy to the World").  We ended our night in the wee hours of the morning eating beignets at Cafe Du Monde and honestly it was more fun than I've had in ages.

Photo of me by Prestyn McCord

Ruby Slipper Brunch & the Garden District

On our second day, we walked around The Marigny and ate brunch at the Ruby Slipper - by far, one of my favorite meals of the trip.  I had shrimp and grits with a biscuit the size of my head, and Prestyn ordered a fried chicken benedict and fried green tomato benedict.  After eating way too much food, we did some more exploring around the French Quarter and later took the St. Charles street car to the Garden District.  Walking around these gorgeous, old homes was like being in a movie - we loved it!

Sazerac, Gumbo, and Brass Brass Brass

New Orleans, Day 1

At least a dozen people told me I would gain a minimum of 5 pounds on my trip...however, Prestyn and I managed to walk more than 30 miles over our 4 night trip.  We did eat everything in sight: several helpings of gumbo, fried oysters, fried shrimp, fried catfish, about 4 variations of po'boys, a couple dozen freshly shucked oysters, fried chicken, beignets, and every manner of cocktails.

We landed on a Wednesday afternoon and our sweet Uber driver gave us tons of recommendations (our trip really wouldn't have been the same without debris and bread pudding from Mother's - I highly recommend it).  After settling into our Air BnB in the Marigny, we took the quick 5 minute walk into the French Quarter for cocktails and jazz.  We walked along the Mississippi, followed by our first giant feast and more fantastic jazz. (Fun fact: I got 5 mosquito bites while standing next to the Mississippi and spent the rest of our trip dripping in Skin So Soft).

Oh and here's a quick 15 second video that shows you exactly how our trip felt

PS all photos of me in this post taken by Prestyn McCord