For our annual Girls Trip this year, we wanted to do something new and a place we had never been. We chose New Orleans. So, the first weekend of October, I hopped on a plane and met Tash in the South! We got there in the late afternoon on a Thursday and Uber'd to the Garden District to check into our adorable Airbnb in the Garden District.
The Irish Charmer!
First thing we did....was take a nap. She took a red eye and I took a 5AM flight, so we were tired.
We did walk up the street and get some lunch. But we were too hot and tired to walk back, so we called an Uber.
That night, we just hung out at our little house and watched movies and relaxed.
We did head outside when it got dark to check out the neighborhood. Some of the neighbors had awesome Halloween displays up already!
We met one of our neighbors, DeeAnn, and ended up talking to her for like an hour! People are so nice in the South!
Friday, we slept in a little and then headed into the French Quarter!
First stop...Beignets from Cafe Du Monde. They did NOT disappoint! The OJ was delicious too!
We spent the morning walking through the quarter and taking in the sights and sounds...
We grabbed lunch at a market on Royal Street and then we went on our first tour of the weekend, the VooDoo/Cemetary Tour!
This was pretty cool. We learned so much about the city's history and walked all over. Our guide was awesome and the cemetery was so interesting. St. Louis Cemetery #1:
We even participated in a VooDoo ritual of luck and Marie LeVeaux's (VooDoo Priestess) tomb.
Nicholas Cage already has his plot picked out and built...
He also purchased the plot in front of it, so that no one would block his. It is shaped like a pyramid, because he considers himself a "God".
We walked back the way we thought we came. But we got a little turned around and found ourselves about to cross Bourbon Street. We were told by everyone, not to go to Bourbon Street. We literally stopped, not knowing what to do! We finally ran across the street averting our eyes! The few quick seconds where I caught a glimpse was enough to scar me for life! Crazy people!
We made it back to Jackson Square and went up the steps to view the Mississippi River...
We had some time to kill before our Jazz Cruise on the River, so we took a carriage ride through the streets. We learned a whole bunch of new things about the city. It was a fun way to see more of it.
Then we headed up to the banks of the Mississippi again, to board our Steamboat...
We took a very nice ride along the river, caught this beautiful sunset as we left, and enjoyed some live jazz as we sat and relaxed for 2 hours.
It was a great first day! We saw and did and learned so much! We caught our Uber back home, where I discovered just how much the bugs love me! Ouch!
Day 2!
We slept in a little, then headed down the street for an amazing southern breakfast at the "Ruby Slipper". I'm in love with grits, btw. And, we wore the cute BFF shirts that I got us for Tash's belated birthday gift! How cute are we?
After our breakfast, we took a morning stroll through the Garden District to see all the beautiful homes...
We stumbled upon another old cemetery and went to check it out...
Then it was time for our next adventure!
An Airboat Ride on the Bayou...in the RAIN!
We Uber'd back to Jackson Square and caught a bus that took us out to a cool National Swamp area and it was pooring rain!
But, by the time we got to the dock to board, the rain subsided. Phew!
It was so cool riding through the swamp...
And checking out some gators!
This is where Disney came to get inspiration for the animation in "Princess and the Frog". So magical!
We got so lucky with the rain. It started up again as we were leaving. And there was quite a bit of lightning. That worried us a little, since we were in a metal boat. Luckily, we survived!
And we took the St. Charles street car home!
That night we decided to check out a little outdoor local joint close to us for dinner.
The Tchoup Yard!
Literally one of the coolest places I've ever seen. An empty lot with picnic tables set up, big screen tvs and food trucks. The food and atmosphere were my favorite. And the people, so nice and welcoming...and drunk!
Walking back to our house, one of the neighbors lit his house up for all to see. He is a Hollywood VFX operator and his house shows! The whole neighborhood came out to see it...It was all queued up to music, lights and cool effects. So much fun to see!
Day 3 - Sunday!
Another Beautiful (Hot & Muggy) Day!
We walked to a yummy cafe for breakfast. Then Uber'd back downtown to go on a Plantion Tour.
On our way, I caught Saint Vader praying for his Saints...
We had a little time to kill before our tour, so we headed back to Rouse's Market for some snacks and checked out the Art Walk in Jackson Square...
Then we hopped on our bus for a drive to the countryside.
Oak Alley Plantaion-
This place is so beautiful..
But so sad to think about and see how the Slaves lived on these properties. And learn about how they were treated.
We walked all over the grounds and took a tour of the house...
The Oak Trees out front were enormous and gorgeous!
The tour was cool, but it made me really dislike platation owners.
On the drive back, we caught glimpses of some of the other plantations in the area...
As we were riding back to New Orleans, we tried to think of where we should spend our last night in the city! We kept googling and yelping and couldn't decide on anything. Then our tour guide mention the ferry to Algiers. We hadn't done that yet!
So we found out where the ferry stop was, took this quick shot with the NOLA 300 sign, because NOLA turned 300 this year! Woo Hoo!
We took the ferry across the river to Algiers and were greeted bu this Louis Armstrong statue...
We grabbed some really greasy fish and shrimp from a dive bar, but enjoyed watching the football game and chatting it up with the locals.
Then we hopped back on the ferry to head back home, before it got dark.
The city is so pretty at night, but it can feel a bit scary.
We got back to the house and packed up all of our stuff. NOLA was good to us, but it was time to head home.
Day 4- HOME!
Awww! I had so much fun adventuring with Tash. I love our getaways and all the time and talks we get to have together. It is such a wonderful thing to have such a wonderful friend. We were sad to leave our little shotgun home in the Irish Channel, but were so happy and grateful for the memories we made this weekend. Thank You NOLA! You were good to us!
