New Orleans Recap: Part 1

As I mentioned in my first little post about NOLA, my trip was a wonderful way to spend my senior spring break. My mom and I got to spend time together having a ton of fun and we were so lucky with the weather; Monday when we arrived was probably the nicest day! I was so surprised and amused by the fact we got to hop on a streetcar right away and ride around the city, which is actually fairly compact, on this cute method of transportation for the week.

Our flight was Monday morning at 10:30 out of Chicago, so we drove my brother back down to school and then had breakfast before boarding. Already the trip was off to a good start given that the line for security was huge and we were lucky enough to score TSA precheck (the best).

Right when we arrived in NOLA we were greeted by 80 degrees and sunshine, so we dropped off our bags at the hotel, quick changed, and hopped on the streetcar to Tulane University! The campus was beautiful and I'm definitely jealous of the outdoor pool and the fact that students were tanning in March. We walked around the surrounding neighborhoods of Tulane for a few hours before hopping on a streetcar back to the hotel and getting ready for dinner. The houses up and down St. Charles Street and all around the Garden District are simply gorgeous.

We went to Atchafalaya on Monday night for dinner, and the food was fabulous. Our waiter was a gem, and I loved everything we ordered! I started with the seafood and andouille gumbo, had the swordfish for dinner, and tried the dark chocolate crepes for dessert.

Tuesday was our first full day in New Orleans and it was a ton of fun. We spent a lot of time walking around on Magazine Street for the whole trip, starting on Tuesday. However, we actually kicked off the morning walking down Bourbon and stopping at a Cafe on our way to Decatur. I had a delicious iced coffee and then saw the St. Louis Cathedral and Cafe du Monde (we ended up going on Thursday, though!).

After walking around the French Quarter, we walked to Marigny because I was itching to explore the St. Roch Market. We just browsed, but the building was gorgeous!

Walking to the St. Roch Market

St. Roch Market

After, went to the Garden District via another streetcar and walked around a little on Magazine Street before stopping for the best lunch. Tuesday's midday meal might've been my favorite of the whole trip! We went to Basin on Magazine Street and had the crab and crawfish beignets and the mushroom and grits. The food was outstanding. I wanted to try everything on the menu!

Shopping on Magazine St.

Crab and crawfish beignets

Mushroom and grits

We shopped for a few hours before a late happy hour/early dinner at Balise. My mom and I shared a few oysters, both on the half shell and broiled jalapeño (so good!) before going back to our hotel to take a nap and shower. Tuesday night we explored Bourbon Street and had so much fun listening to the music and people watching.