Magical Weekend in NOLA

What happens when your employer is having a reception in a city you've been dying to go to since forever? You weasel your way in until they feel there is absolutely no other option but to send you! That ladies and gentleman, is how I was able to spend a really magical weekend in New Orleans.

As stated above, New Orleans has always been on my list of places to see.  I'm not much of a Mardi Gras person and I don't know a soul there, so I never had a reason to go.

Friday was spent mostly working so let's skip over all of that and get to Friday night.  After my reception and failing to leave a hotel room key for my wonderful boyfriend who flew down to spend the weekend with me, I joined him in a divey bar in the French Quarter and we had a drink before rushing back to the hotel to shower up for our first night out.  

We were starved, so going off a tip from a kindly bartender at my work reception, we headed up Chartres Street to Masperos  where we both had Muffalettas (Veggie for me) and I marveled how I made it through life without ever having a sandwich made entirely of olives and cheese.  Unfortunately, we had to blow outta there because a large group of students, I'm guessing, came in and spoke so loud I could probably hear their conversation a mile away.  Before that though, the restaurant was charming, seemed local and was reasonably priced.  

After that, we just wandered.  Boyfriend suggested I see Bourbon Street (but whhhhyyy?) so we strolled over and walked right into a movie set for a Mark Ruffalo film.  That kind of killed the dreamy New Orleans buzz so we stopped in a bar, had a glass of wine and called it a night.

The next day we went to the worlds most wonderful place: Cafe du Monde! We waited in line to grab a table but the wait was wonderful because there are musicians EVERYWHERE. I don't think I would own an iPod if I lived there!  

Once we were seated we learned they only served beignets and assorted beverages.

Bummer ;)

We got our fill on french doughnuts and cafe au lait for a cool $10.  No credit cards folks so come prepared.  

Also, I wish I had paid more attention and just got our beignets to go, that way we could have sat in the park and enjoyed them.  Oh wait, I did do that...on Sunday!  

The rest of Saturday afternoon was spent walking through the streets of New Orleans.

There are balconies EVERYWHERE...

The past is everywhere...

Basically, you're back in time.

And the architecture and narrow streets are enchanting.

 

After some strolling, we decided to start boozing.  But! Not before going to the French Market:

I purchased three rather heavy candles specifically because I wanted to carry them around all day (sarcasm!) and they were a great deal.  The market was huge and ridiculous and you could buy alligator on stick. 

After that, we wandered over to a great bar which we later learned was a gay bar and that would explain why they didn't even bother putting a lock on the ladies restroom.  We stayed there for awhile before deciding that we actually really needed to eat and started looking for a bar/restaurant.

Do those clouds look ominous?  Luckily we wandered quickly because the sky opened up and dumped the entire sky on the French Quarter. Thankfully, we were knee deep in some delicious Bloody Mary's and hardly noticed.

We originally were waiting around for the Kreux du Vieux parade but we started getting tired and feeling a little damp so we decided to go and freshen up before dinner.

Several friends recommended Jacques-Imo's Cafe for dinner so we grabbed a cab and trekked over. It was pretty far from where we we're staying in the French Quarter which explains why everyone said to take the streetcar over through the Garden District.
 

We were too tired to figure out how to do that but we will next time! Anyway, the trip and cab fare was worth it. The food was great, the service was excellent and the music selection inspired no less than 15 Wikipedia searches as Boyfriend and I tried our hand at remembering when critical songs from the nineties came out.  It resulted in the discovery of this website.

We returned to the French Quarter and stopped at a little bar to have one more drink.  Luckily, we made it back to the hotel before we fell asleep.  

The next morning we slept in and then Boyfriend rushed off to catch his flight.  In case you were wondering; not all cabs take credit card and there is no Starbucks at the airport (but there is a Cafe du Monde.)

I decided to do some exploring on my own. 

Many of the streets were closed down and musicians used them to perform.  

There were also jugglers, palm readers and magicians.  It was truly magical and wonderfully carnival like. I wandered back over to Cafe du Monde for some more beignets.

Then sat in Jackson Square and ate...

And admired...

And admired some more...

Then I caught another street performance...

 

Shuddered at the human statues and then strolled back to the hotel.

The weekend was brief but definitely one to remember.  It was probably the best 40 hours or so that I've had in quite some time.  Saturday was, without a doubt, one of the best days ever.

I can't wait to get back!