New Orleans… This was one of those places that I couldn’t tell if I felt like visiting it or not. I don’t know why I felt that way! Well, as it turned out, I loved it so much I went back for more!
The city is divided into districts. The French Quarter, being the most popular one, is where you will find the ever so famous Bourbon Street and Café Du Monde. Both times visiting I stayed at “Place D’Armes”. Such a nice place with a very pleasant staff. The hotel has that French Quarter vibe with gas lanterns and wrought iron balconies that scream “Welcome to New Orleans”. The food… I don’t think it’s possible to find a bad dish of creole, gumbo, or oysters!!!
Bourbon Street… The street that doesn’t sleep! People everywhere, walking up and down with hurricanes in hand. Just off of Bourbon street is an awesome piano bar called Pat O’Brien’s. I highly recommend going in at night for a jolly old time!!! After all this partying, you’ll be ready to walk on down to Café Du Monde for a coffee and a beignet. This is a MUST, trust me!!!
Other than all of this eating and drinking, believe it or not, there are other things to do! There’s plenty of walking tours that meet outside hotels. Very easy to find them. They range from haunted type tours to food tours. All walking around the French Quarter. After all this eating and drinking that’s being done, these walking tours will be just what you are looking for!! One of (if not the) oldest pubs in the French Quarter is Lafitte’s Blacksmith. You should take the time to see this bar which was once an old pirates pub, or so I’ve been told anyway.. There are also all kinds of river cruises to take. There are quite a few plantation tours as well. My friend and I did the Oak Alley/Laura one and they were actually very interesting! The houses were stunning too!! Now, back to food and drinks, in the Garden district is where the famous Commanders Palace restaurant sits. It’s a great place for lunch simply because they have .25 cent martinis at lunch time!! I believe there is a limit of 3 per person from what I remember.
Finally, located in the warehouse district, is Emeril’s restaurant. The food is soooo good and so worth going the extra mile out of the French Quarter to eat. In fact, as my friend and I were sitting waiting for our meals, Emeril Lagasse came out from the back in his chef outfit to greet some guests at a table!! On his way back into the kitchen, he gave me a wink and a little wave. You know what that tells us?? Our food could have ACTUALLY been cooked by Emeril Lagasse himself!! That’s what we are gonna continue to think anyway!
