despite babies and school and jobs and life, we managed to pull off a girls' weekend in new orleans, louisiana this year. i love this group of dear friends (but missed you, hannah!) and i love that we can always pick up right where we left off. we flew in from san francisco, dallas, los angeles, durham, arizona...and bobby drove in from baton rouge. it made the trip to have bobby as our tour guide extraordinaire and expert in all things NoLa, like jambalaya and the bayou.
we rented a hundred year-old flat in the french quarter and were serenaded by marching bands randomly throughout the day. and being 100 years old meant those rickety locks took magic to open them. alex became the official key holder because she had the touch.
for appetizers we taste tested hot sauce, then headed to mr. b's, where we put on bibs and ripped barbequed, buttery shrimp apart with our bare hands.
we waited in line to see live jazz at preservation hall, which was phenomenal. it got pretty sweaty in there as we sat scrunched up on the floor in a packed house, but the whole experience seemed so authentic.
"angelic jeffy" (according to his sign) read our palms and tarot cards, and ensured me that my husband will be very successful, but i should be "open to a little more ambition and networking". i'll get on that, jeffy ;)
i slept in until 9am on saturday. heaven, i tell you! we booked it to the new orleans school of cooking for a lunch demonstration on gumbo, jambalaya, bread pudding, and pralines. it was all delicious, but that gumbo especially stood out.
we drove outside the city to the bayou for a swamp tour. gators, snakes, blue herons, cranes, fish, and spiders as big as my fist did not disappoint. i never knew a swamp could be so beautiful though. it was like a scene from the notebook when our boat sat still surrounded by the green-topped water, spanish moss, and swamp flora.
yet, i still think my personal nightmare is being stranded in a swamp at night...
we lived in chicago together, so we all love good food. that translates into something like five meals a day and 10pm dinner reservations at peche seafood grill because it won the 2014 james beard award for best new restaurant.
my favorites were the brussel sprouts with chili vinegar and, surprisingly, the ultra fresh and perfectly crispy fish sticks. we had to try one of each dessert among us because how can you pick just one from such an amazing menu?
we wandered bourbon street after dinner, which felt crazier to me than vegas. carol and ange were thrown mardi gras beads for some solid dance moves in the street.
we rented a hundred year-old flat in the french quarter and were serenaded by marching bands randomly throughout the day. and being 100 years old meant those rickety locks took magic to open them. alex became the official key holder because she had the touch.
for appetizers we taste tested hot sauce, then headed to mr. b's, where we put on bibs and ripped barbequed, buttery shrimp apart with our bare hands.
we waited in line to see live jazz at preservation hall, which was phenomenal. it got pretty sweaty in there as we sat scrunched up on the floor in a packed house, but the whole experience seemed so authentic.
"angelic jeffy" (according to his sign) read our palms and tarot cards, and ensured me that my husband will be very successful, but i should be "open to a little more ambition and networking". i'll get on that, jeffy ;)
i slept in until 9am on saturday. heaven, i tell you! we booked it to the new orleans school of cooking for a lunch demonstration on gumbo, jambalaya, bread pudding, and pralines. it was all delicious, but that gumbo especially stood out.
we drove outside the city to the bayou for a swamp tour. gators, snakes, blue herons, cranes, fish, and spiders as big as my fist did not disappoint. i never knew a swamp could be so beautiful though. it was like a scene from the notebook when our boat sat still surrounded by the green-topped water, spanish moss, and swamp flora.
yet, i still think my personal nightmare is being stranded in a swamp at night...
we lived in chicago together, so we all love good food. that translates into something like five meals a day and 10pm dinner reservations at peche seafood grill because it won the 2014 james beard award for best new restaurant.
my favorites were the brussel sprouts with chili vinegar and, surprisingly, the ultra fresh and perfectly crispy fish sticks. we had to try one of each dessert among us because how can you pick just one from such an amazing menu?
we wandered bourbon street after dinner, which felt crazier to me than vegas. carol and ange were thrown mardi gras beads for some solid dance moves in the street.
we got a peek of the garden district when we drove to church, then wandered around jackson square, making an essential stop at cafe du monde for beignets of course.
can you believe i tried eggs benedict for the first time ever in my whole entire life at stanley?
a stroll downtown on canal street
goodbye, hot and humid new orleans. perfect weekend!
This looks like such a fun trip. And how does your hair look so good when it's so humid there?
ReplyDeleteGah will you take over my blog please. Your captions and pictures are perfect.
ReplyDeletetake me back! so perfect!
ReplyDelete