New Orleans

The Saint Louis Cathedral

It feels like forever ago that we went to the French Quarter, but it was really just last weekend. I feel like it's been a complete whirlwind since we have been back, so my dear blog has been neglected. Hopefully I can get back on track this week. So back to our trip...part of Matthew's job is holding an annual meeting each January. This year it was in New Orleans so I decided I was going too. Overall, I would say it's a good place to go once, but I don't think I need to go back.

Garden District Home

I did do a lot of stuff on my own because the majority of the time Matt was working. Friday morning I went on a historic tour all around the French Quarter. It ended up being a private tour since I was the only person who showed up. It was kinda nice, though. I got to ask all about what I should do and where I should go while I was in town. My tour guide also suggested a hole in the wall for Po Boys so that's where I had my lunch. I spent the rest of the afternoon walking about town being a tourist and then Matt and I walked down Bourbon Street late night. Now, I'm not really sure what I thought NOLA was going to be like, but the best way I can describe it, and Bourbon St. especially, is Vegas slums. This place make Vegas look tame. And clean. Anyway, walking down Bourbon St. is something everyone should do once in life.

Saturday I went to Cafe Du Monde to get some beignets and cafe au lait. This was a much more pleasurable experience than I expected. Being a lover of all things salty and spicy, my hopes weren't all too high for a sweet breakfast and chicory coffee, but I really enjoyed these. I even made Matt go back before we got on our plane back to DC. After this brunch I ventured to the Garden District. I would say this was my preferred part of NOLA. I went through Lafayette Cemetery which was interesting, but a little creepy with it's above ground tombs. I then went famous home stalking with the help of my iPhone. I found Ann Rice's home, Archie Manning's home, Sandra Bullock, and a bunch more. Saturday night Matt's friend (also Matt) took us uptown for a great dinner at Jacques-Imo's where I tried alligator and crawfish for the first time in my 29 years.

After Matt was finished with his job related duties on Sunday we went to the Monteleone Carousel Bar, which actually rotates, and had some Gin Fizz's. This was definitely an interesting drink. We had dinner at the Palace Cafe and then went people watching and did some bar hopping on Bourbon St. I think Pat O'Brien's dueling piano bar was probably my favorite. The creepy Blacksmith Shop was also interesting.

Like I said, I don't need to go back to NOLA, but I am glad I went. My top three favorite things about the French Quarter were the food, people watching, and I thought it was pretty cool how you could hear music everywhere you went...even just walking down the street in the middle of the day. If you are interested...I will post the rest of my pictures on FB!