A Weekend in New Orleans

This weekend trip almost didn’t happen. I got really sick a few days beforehand and was pretty sure I was going to have to sit it out. But I recuperated quickly and, even though I wasn’t 100 percent better, I felt good enough to decide to go for it.

But, even though I’m not that mature, I’m mature enough to know that it would not be a good idea to absolutely stuff myself this weekend. So, the plan was to take it slow and easy. Which I think is the point of New Orleans anyway. I had never been before and was excited to see what it was all about.

I went straight from the airport to Parkway Bakery and Tavern for a po’ boy, which is one of my favorite sandwiches. I got mine with fried shrimp, pepper jack cheese, lettuce, tomato, and spicy mayo. The shrimp were perfect and the rest of the sandwich was great as well. I think I would ask for extra mayo next time.

From there, I walked along the Lafitte Greenway for as far as it went on the way to my next spot. This was not on my itinerary at all; I saw it from the Uber on the way to get my sandwich and knew I had to check it out. It reminded me a lot of the 606 back in Chicago, but it’s not elevated. I actually preferred this because it means businesses can line up right alongside it, so you can easy walk off to get a coffee or a bagel and walk right back on.

The part of the trail in the photo above is where the city is planting 1,000 cypress trees! There was a sign there with all the benefits of cypress tress but I didn’t write any of the information down so you will just have to look it up or use your imagination.

Next, I popped into The Orange Couch for a Vietnamese iced coffee. It tasted good, but I was more into the ambiance. I sat on the actual orange couch and absolutely loved how open and airy the shop was. I could have sat in there all day. It was 65 degrees! In February!

Then, I walked the few miles to my hotel, passing through the tourist-heavy parts of New Orleans that I would explore more the next morning (foreshadowing: more than I expected to). I took a breather for a bit before heading to Gris-Gris for dinner. I liked my meal here but probably wouldn’t make a return trip. The mocktail I had tasted like many other mocktails I’ve had before. The gumbo had good flavor but was a little thin. And the grits part of my shrimp and grits were absolutely divine, but the shrimp was a little too salty.

I don’t know if they would let me come back and just eat two bowls of shrimp and grits without the shrimp or any of the other toppings. It could be worth a try.

This is where the trip went off the rails a little bit. I woke up the next morning to get to Cafe du Monde early to beat the rush. I am putting this part in bulleted form for dramatic effect.

• I get to Cafe du Monde at about 9:30 a.m.
• I realize it is cash only.
• I go to the ATM.
• I decided to check out Bourbon Street while I’m by the ATM since it’s close. (P.S. I love the tiled street markers. I wish every city had them.) 
• I realize I left my camera battery plugged into the wall at my hotel.
• I sprint the mile back to the hotel and retrieve the camera battery.
• I speedwalk the mile back to Cafe du Monde.
• I realize the $20 has fallen out of my pocket.
• I go to another ATM.
• I arrive back at Cafe du Monde at 11:30 a.m.

It was quite the stressful morning and I wasn’t really in the mood to eat anything for the rest of the day. But I’m happy I stuck to my itinerary. Even though Cafe du Monde is a tourist spot, I would probably go back on each future trip to New Orleans. I thought the beignets tasted great and the frozen café au lait tasted just like a Starbucks Coffee Frappuccino.

I was now two hours behind schedule so I didn’t have a lot of time to linger in the area. And by that point I had done so much back-and-forth that I was ready to go somewhere new. But the views were wonderful, especially of the river.

I’ve been wanting to try Turkey and the Wolf ever since it was named Bon Appetit’s Best New Restaurant in America a number of years ago. So, for lunch, I headed over and waited in a long line for a collard green melt. This sandwich was absolutely delicious and I wish I would have been in the mood to eat more of it, but I’m not too upset as I will certainly be making a return visit the next time I am in New Orleans. I may even make it my first stop.

I walked along Magazine Street for a mile or two and ended up at Undergrowth Coffee for a Mardi Gras Lemonade. This drink is so elusive that the cashier had to ask me what it was. I was just going off the store’s online menu so it could have been an awkward exchange but the cashier and I had similar sense of humor so we found it funny. I thought I had mixed up online menus I was perusing throughout the day but it is in fact a real drink at Undergrowth Coffee!

It’s called a Mardi Gras Lemonade because it’s lemonade layered with lavender matcha. I completely messed up the purple layer when I stuck my straw in the drink, but I promise you could see all three colors before I ruined it. I loved these three flavors together and want to try making something like it at home.

I still didn’t have much of an appetite at this point so I decided to make Cure my final stop of the trip for a mocktail and some snacks. I got pimento cheese with pepper jelly, pickles, and Ritz Crackers. No complaints there. And the mocktail was definitely in the top five percent that I’ve had. It was absolutely beautiful drink, and while you might not think that grapefruit and cinnamon go together, I discovered they, in fact, do!

Now I had a choice. I could either go to one more restaurant for dinner or see the Lil Wayne mural. I decided to walk to Hollygrove to see the mural because I am forever a Lil Wayne fan and it was a different type of activity than the rest of the weekend. Hollygrove is the neighborhood that Weezy grew up in, so it was pretty cool not only to see the mural, but also to walk around a little afterward and explore the neighborhood. It’s not the safest part of New Orleans, but I didn’t have any issues.

Then I went to the Costco parking lot to watch the sunset and then stood outside the adjacent IHOP to call my Uber and head home.

It was an amazing weekend in New Orleans. I can’t believe it took me this long to get there, and I think I want to go back at least once a year moving forward.

What are you favorite things to eat or do in New Orleans? What did I miss? Let me know!

And, as always, safe travels.