If you’re looking for a weekend full of J’s… Jazz, Jambalaya, and Jungle Juices… look no further than the infamous New Orleans.
Besides being famous for about a billion things (beignets, gumbo, Mardi Gras, ghosts…) New Orleans is a melting pot of French, Spanish, West African and First American cultures. This makes it one of the most unique cities in the U.S. With a diverse and complex history and a vibrant downtown, you’ll never run out of activities to explore all that New Orleans offers.
Liam and I needed a weekend getaway, so we packed up the car and drove towards the city of jazz. After stopping for coffee (twice) we arrived in the French Quarter, parking the car and bee-lining toward the French Market. For my Boston readers, I can only describe the French Market as Faneuil Hall. A long outdoor market half-filled with every cuisine you can imagine, the other half exploding with all possible souvenirs.
This block is the historic center of the French Quarter. Originally run by Choctaw Indians, the market used to be a trading post before settlers took over the town. Walking through the open-air plaza, you’ll find artists selling their handmade crafts, or edible souvenirs such as hot sauces or beignet mix. Really anything you could ever think of! Intending to peruse local artisans before experiencing a NOLA night on the town, we scurried through hundreds of vendors and crafts.
We stopped for lunch at the Market Café for a quick lunch before heading towards our dog-friendly Airbnb. Unloading our bags, showering, and letting Ellie out of the oppressing July heat before a night out on the town.
I have to say, if you are bothered by panhandling – NOLA might not be the location for you. I was often irritated by the aggressiveness and the entitlement of the street performers we encountered. Liam and I were asked to tip musicians as we were sitting down to a restaurant, before they performed. We witnessed several different entertainers get angry, swear or yell when people walked without tipping. I enjoy a good performance, and if I stop to watch you perform, I will pay you. But if you force your performance onto me and then demand my money…. This seems to be a large part of the culture in New Orleans, and it did sour the mood sometimes.
Before biking towards Bourbon Street to spend the night out on the town, Liam and I discovered a local watering hole right next to our Airbnb. The Pelican Lounge is an old house that someone converted into a bar long ago. We were the only patrons, and the bartender informed us how the entire neighborhood gathers nightly to watch ESPN. The backyard has pool tables, a bocce ball court, and tons of board games. If you’re ever in the area, make sure to check out this local tavern.
Biking from our Airbnb to Bourbon Street took about 15 minutes, a free and easy alternative to expensive Ubers. This will save you hours worth of traffic on a Saturday night! We locked our bikes up and beelined towards the party. Our first stop: about a gallon worth of to-go frozen daquiris. Apparently the drink of choice, we noticed almost everyone had the slushy in hand!
Bourbon Street is the life of the party in NOLA. The 13-blocks of drinking & dancing are recognized worldwide, accruing more than 17 million visitors annually. Bars, clubs, dancers and street performers play music of every genre hoping to lure buzzed tourists in from the busy street. This crowded and hectic environment might be too much for some visitors, but there are plenty surrounding, much less chaotic streets to enjoy the nightlife.
After walking the full length of Bourbon street, we wandered back towards Frenchmen’s Street. Finally awake, every diner overflowing with customers, each shop had its own blend of live jazz music spilling into the streets. The Palace Market features local artists displaying their newest work from 7pm to midnight… with a drink in hand, it’s so easy to spend all your money at this art market!
Liam and I walked around a total of 8 miles before realizing how hungry we were. For dinner we chose the Corner Oyster House, where we ordered the “Taste of NOLA” platter. An appetizer of charbroiled oysters accompanied large helpings of shrimp etouffee, gumbo, jambalaya, and red beans with rice. This was an incredible way to sample all the classic dishes New Orleans is known for. My personal favorite was the jambalaya portion, and Liam loved the gumbo.
A lazy Sunday morning started with iced lattes from PJ’s Coffee in the Garden District. This dog-friendly coffee shop offers tons of interesting drink flavors. I was feeling bold, and wanted to try the local favorite: a praline flavored iced latte… which I truly hated. I think the friendly barista expected that and gave me a free iced vanilla latte along with several dog treats for Ellie.
Brunch is a must-do in New Orleans, but reservations are absolutely required. Gris Gris is a popular restaurant in the Garden District, serving traditional New Orleans food with a modern twist. We sat outside on their balcony with Ellie, our server offered to cook her free freshly grilled chicken and white rice! While our food was incredible, and the dog-friendly service absolutely above and beyond, Liam and I were disappointed to find the menu had zero “brunch” entrees (meaning anything with eggs or bacon). Gris Gris is definitely more classified as a solely-lunch & dinner restaurant, I wouldn’t recommend their brunch.
To experience Louisiana beyond New Orleans, we took a 30 minute drive to St. Bernard’s State Park for the afternoon. This nature reserve brought us out of the cityscape and into the wetlands. Unfortunately, the paths to the water were closed off, but the groomed woodland trails were ideal for a quick dog-walk.
To finalize our NOLA weekend, we drove back into town for the renowned beignets at Café du Monde. This classic staple of visiting New Orleans was obviously packed, so we waited in a 30 minute line before ordering. Liam is convinced this cash-only business has something sketchy happening behind the scenes. Our order was wrong, the register attendant demanded we tip him since he took our order twice, and you can see directly into the dirty, overcrowded kitchen.
If you want beignets… go literally anywhere else. There are hundreds of clean, beautiful, friendly shops around New Orleans that are just as good, maybe better (and won’t harass you for money). I might ruffle some feathers with these harsh opinions, but Liam and I truly thought Café du Monde was extremely overrated & not worth the hype.
Overall, I’m extremely impressed with New Orleans. Incredible food, friendly locals, but what really stands out to me is NOLA’s dog-friendly culture. Almost every restaurant, bar, coffee shop, local attraction, and hotel allow dogs inside. Even the highly rated restaurants! Everyone wanted to pet or feed Ellie – remember I said Gris Gris cooked her a hot meal!? This makes traveling with a pet much easier, where most cities treat pets as burdens, and gave me peace of mind knowing Ellie was welcome in New Orleans.
If you have any follow up questions about visiting New Orleans, please email me at alostblonde@gmail.com
♡ Abigail Reagan
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I love reading your blogs. It’s amazing all the traveling you get to do.