New Orleans:

There are so many incredible cities in the US that give you a taste of the old and the new. There’s Savannah with its historic southern charm, there’s New York City with all its sparkling shiny buildings, and then there’s San Francisco with all the cutting-edge food and wine options. But, I believe that there’s only one city in the US that gives you a combined taste of the French, Spanish, and Voodoo culture and that’s the wonderful city of New Orleans. We have seen the crazier side of this city when we went to Mardi Gras in 2014 but this trip provided us with a more softer and historic side of N’awlins.

We took the terrific Allegiant airlines (sarcasm!) to New Orleans and quickly Ubered our way to Hilton Riverside hotel in downtown. (Pro tip –  Uber can’t actually pick people up from the airport terminal, so walk across the street or take a van to a nearby hotel). At the Hilton, we were pleasantly surprised to learn that we had been upgraded to a river view room on the 19th floor! The views were fantastic as you could see the ferry boats on one side and the whole downtown on the other.

It was getting late so we hit up a local favorite spot for a genuine New Orleans sandwich called Verti Marte. You know when they say that don’t judge a book by its cover…well that’s exactly what this place was like. It looked shady from the outside with bars on the entrance door and dim lighting but once you get in you feel like this is where the locals shop and eat. We split a giant roast beef sandwich with some Zapp’s voodoo potato chips and washed it all down with some root beer. It was a great first meal in New Orleans.

After filling up and getting some energy, we hit up one of the oldest jazz bars in New Orleans called Fritzel’s European Jazz Pub. The inside of the jazz club looked rustic and authentic with a lot of character with its exposed bricks and B&W photos of famous jazz legends. Then the music started which instantly brought smiles on our faces. The sweet sound of clarinet, the deep sound of bass, the magical fingers of the pianist, and the perfectly timed beats of the drummer all filled the air with sensational music. If you ever go to Fritzel’s, make sure you go on the night that Richard Scott is playing. We were mesmerized by his unexpected deep baritone voice and his incredible piano skills.

We woke up nice and early on Friday morning and went on a walking tour put by a company called Free Tours By Foot. All the tours they offer are free of charge with the expectation that if you liked the tour then you’ll appropriately tip the tour guide. We took the French Quarter tour and got to learn everything about the city in 1.5 hours. We learned about the annual Tennessee Williams Literary Festival that culminates with a “Stella!” shouting contest.  Heard stories about the famous pirate Jean Lafitte who, with the help of his gang of pirate brethren, helped Andrew Jackson defend New Orleans against the British in early 1800s. We came across historic buildings with gorgeous courtyards and Spanish style wrought iron balconies and the metal spikes on them called the “Romeo Catchers” which would “catch” a guy sliding down a neighbor’s balcony pole.

After the tour, we decided to check out the French Market. The market was buzzing with all sorts of food stalls selling juices, hot food, and sweets. There were rows of vendors selling handbags, paintings,hand-made jewelry, and all sorts of trinkets and souvenirs.

As suggested by our tour guide, we stopped by this little booth called Alberto’s Cheese & Wine Bistro to try their famous Muffaletta. It took a while for them to make us one but boy was it worth the wait. If you have never had a Muffaletta, it is a sandwich consisting of layers of olive salad, salami, ham, and slices of cheese. This is then toasted to give it a nice crunch. It’s pure heaven as the flavors of olives and ham melt in your mouth and end with a crunch from the toasted sesame bread.

 

One great thing about New Orleans is that it is legal to drink on the street! We came across this busy place called Organic Banana selling a drink called the “Flaming Monkey” which contains baileys, rum, banana and coconut cream all blended together with real bananas. The drink was like $9 but tasted very refreshing and worth the money.

Since it was Halloween, it was a charming sight to witness spooky decorations on historic buildings like the one below.

One of the things that we love the most about this city is that no matter where you are, there is always some kind of fabulous music that can be heard. In front of the cathedral, we saw an eclectic performance by this tuba player. Right besides him, there were Tarot card readers and people selling paintings.

We then went inside the St. Louis Cathedral that faces Jackson Square. Unlike many cathedrals of Europe, this one was free to enter and provided a nice break from the buzzing crowds of French Quarter. I recommend walking around and seeing the beautiful stained glass windows.

All around French Quarter, they have horse head poles which just add to the charm of the city. Here…I decided to have a staring contest and the horse obviously won.

As you walk around in French Quarter, you come across beautiful courtyards like this one with an artist gallery in the back.

Another common sighting in the French Quarter is that of impromptu musical performances. We randomly came across The Vaudevillian and got so mesmerized by their captivating stories that we just sat down on the curb and got lost for a good 30 mins. If you love Medicine Show style of music then make it a mission to find them in French Quarter.

Ok…so either you have seen it on TV or have heard your friends from the south talk about these mystical things called Beignets. Beignets are deep fried square pastry sprinkled with a heavy dose of powdered sugar. They are pure heaven and you must try some. While most people will tell you to get them at Cafe du Monde…which we did, we instead recommend a smaller quaint place simply called Cafe Beignet. This place is more charming and arguably makes tastier Beignets which have to be enjoyed with their house iced Cafe’ Au Lait.

Do you know that there is a 200 year old house in New Orleans which was going to be used by Napoleon after his exile from France?!? Now it is called the Napoleon House and is a superb restaurant making some of the tastiest most authentic New Orleans cuisine. We had their red beans & rice and the jambalaya and loved it. And it was cheap too!

When the sun went down, we descended to the infamous Bourbon Street. Yes, everything you have heard about Bourbon St. is true. This is THE place to grab a drink and people watch. Being on Bourbon St. was extra special on Halloween weekend as we were treated to sights such as a group of 15 waldos, an army of over 10 Minions, and a full cast from the Avengers. Man…we were so impressed by the quality of costumes people had on…they don’t mess around here. There are bars that are open 24 hours and places that sell potent drinks such as the Hand Grenade (gin, grain alcohol, melon liqueur, rum and vodka) and Voodoo Daiquiri (bourbon, vodka, grape juice, and ice). After trying the Hand Grenade and Voodoo Daiquiri last time, we decided to stick to the very famous Pat O’Brien Hurricanes this time.

On Halloween, we woke up with one mission on our mind (besides going to a wedding later in the day). We wanted to see some Voodoo! Ashley did a little research before the trip and discovered the Voodoo Authentica of New Orleans Cultural Center was having a Voodoo festival. How perfect can it get than attending a Voodoo event on the day of Halloween! They started off with some local music and then quickly proceeded to the opening ceremony where they performed rituals to open the grounds. We didn’t take pictures of the rituals out of fear that a ghost would haunt us afterwards (just kidding! sort of..) Then a Voodoo doctor that had traveled to all the big Voodoo sites in Haiti and Africa provided some stories from his spooky adventures. After the opening ceremony, they invited everyone to grab some delicious authentic New Orleans food (red beans and rice, fried chicken, jambalaya, Haitian rice, etc) and listen to some priests and priestesses give lectures. After listening to another voodoo doctor talk about magic, it was time to head to the hotel to get ready for the wedding.

Since the wedding reception was at the Hampton Inn Convention Center, we switched hotels and got a room there. We booked a King Suite and what a suite it was! It was larger than a small apartment! It had a huge entrance hallway that lead to a large living room and kitchen with a full size refrigerator and dining area. Beyond the living room was a bedroom with a king bed so high they included a step stool. We could have had a room half the size and I still would have been impressed.

The wedding was of course fabulous and was held at the Immaculate Conception Jesuit Church. The bride was absolutely stunning and the decorations were simple yet perfect. Then we all headed back through the rain to the hotel ballroom and were treated to a traditional New Orleans reception complete with heavy hors d’oeuvres, lots of drinks, and a second line parade.

Since our flight on Sunday wasn’t until 5pm and it was still raining when we woke up, we thought it was a great day for a museum. The WWII museum was only a 10 minute walk away and voted the top attraction in the city, so of course, we went to check it out. It was fantastic. There was so much information that we could have spent almost all week, and it was presented in a very organized, flowing, and interesting way to keep you focused and entertained. Another neat note about the museum is that you get a little card that you can tap on info signs to store stories for when you get home. I got Jimmy Stewart and it was fascinating to learn what role a very famous and my favorite old-school actor played in WWII and how his agent tried so hard to talk him out of going to war so he could keep making money for the studio. It was fascinating to learn what a great life he lived by becoming an established actor prior to the war, then becoming a commander in the air force bomb squad, and continued with his successful acting career after the war.