Girls' Trip to NOLA

Vieux carres at the Carousel Bar

Ok, so I go to New Orleans a fair amount on business. It's become more of a work city for me, rather than a fun city. (Crazy, I know.) But recently, I noticed that the national tour of the Broadway hit Dear Evan Hansen was visiting Memphis and New Orleans, skipping right over Jackson! And I couldn't bear to miss this show.

So, I booked a couple of tickets and called my sister, Laura, to see if she'd spend the weekend playing the city with me. A few reservations later, we were all set!

We drove down on a Friday afternoon, checking into a hotel I'd never stayed in before - the AC Hotel New Orleans Bourbon. This cute boutique hotel had a great location, spacious rooms (though the bathroom was a little tight) and a nice hotel gym (especially as New Orleans hotel gyms go - I can't begin to tell you how pitiful some of them are; depressing).

After dropping our bags, we hit the street for dinner at nearby Domenica. We started with the roasted cauliflower (served with a divine whipped feta for dipping), then I moved on to the gorgeous duck breast washed down with a glass of red. Laura had a pasta dish and a martini. I sipped my wine and felt the tension in my lower back dissolve as we chatted, laughed, filled our bellies and contemplated the weekend.

After dinner, I'd promised Laura a quick cocktail hop. We started at the Carousel Bar with the vieux carre. Ya'll. This drink is all booze. (We are cheap drunks, and we probably could have split one!) The place was PACKED, but we found two unoccupied club chairs and settled in to nurse our drinks. (You'll find that at many NOLA bars, the bartenders are nothing short of amazing. They handle huge crowds with apparent ease.) There was a band playing lively music, and we soaked up the NOLA of it all while getting in our cups.

Afterwards, we took a quick walk to the French 75, which was also busy. We slid right into two seats at the bar just as they were being vacated, ordering champagne cocktails and savory palmiers. The French 75 here really is wonderful, and it's delicious with the warm, slightly crisp, cheesy palmiers. Recommended. We'd planned on one more stop (Pimm's Cups at the Napoleon House), but we were full enough, tipsy enough and tired enough to call it a night! We strolled back to the hotel and tumbled into bed.

The next morning, we awoke with one thing on our minds - beignets! Instead of walking all the way down to Cafe Du Monde by the river, we opted for a much closer destination - Cafe Beignet on Royal Street. We got there fairly early, allowing us to snag a cafe table, stand in a short line and feast on hot coffee, sugary beignets and a fruit cup. Delish!

After breakfast, we spent some time shopping on Royal Street as the stores were opening up. I got a lovely pair of brown touch gloves with a snakeskin detail on the back. The same shop offering those also had a plethora of crowns and tiaras on offer, and I vowed to return later to select one! (I'll post later about my commitment to royal headwear.)

In the meantime, though, we had an appointment to get to. Laura had told me she wanted to tour a cemetery while we were in town, and I booked us a walking to of St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, home to the grave of famed Voodoo queen Marie Leveau. (Incidentally, Nicholas Cage's odd pyramid-shaped tomb is also in this cemetery.) We met up with Loretta, our guide from Two Chicks Walking, and then got down to business.

St. Louis Cemetery No. 1

We learned so much on this tour - so much history all around us. First of all, this cemetery is one that you have to tour with a guide. They won't let you in without one. Secondly, as this is one of the oldest cemeteries in New Orleans, you will pass by the tombs of many notable New Orleans families, many of whom shaped the evolution of the city and the Southeast United States. (Some, like Homer Plessy, changed the whole nation.) Loretta did a fantastic job making history come alive for our group, and I was so glad we'd booked this experience.

We popped back to Royal Street afterward for a little shopping (I *may have* bought a crown.), then headed to a restaurant I'd never been to before - SoBou - for lunch. We had a noon reservation, and we were surprised to discover that the restaurant had recently started offering a burlesque brunch on Saturday, for which we had a front row seat! The show ended up being very tame, and the dancer and the musicians were fantastic.

Burlesque brunch at SoBou

We ordered the sweet potato beignets as an appetizer, then I had a frittatta. We finished up with the bread pudding lollipop. All of the food was good (but not amazing). The place was packed, and I'm not sure that the waitstaff was prepared for the influx of folks. It took us nearly two hours from start to finish, which was way too long.

After lunch, we headed back to the hotel for a lovely shower and a nap. That evening, we got gussied up and headed to Antoine's for a pre-theatre dinner. We ordered drinks and a variety of items to try - oysters Rockefeller, their famous puffed potatoes and the divine Gulf fish amandine. We let our waiter know we had theatre tickets, and he was judicious about getting us in and out in time for curtain! The food was delightful, the service thoughtful and professional, and the ambiance sublime. You can't beat this place for old New Orleans.

Then, Laura and I walked to the Mahalia Jackson Theatre. (Note: This show was originally scheduled for the lovely and historic Saenger Theatre. However, after the tragic collapse at the Hard Rock Hotel construction site, it was relocated. I applaud the Saenger, the Mahalia Jackson Theatre and Ticketmaster for working so quickly to make alternate plans, notify ticket holders and re-book arrangements. It must have been quite the job.) We got in easily and found our seats. Then, the show began.

I LOVED this show!!

I understand now why Dear Evan Hansen has won so many awards, and why so many people rave over it. Heartbreaking, hopeful and so utterly human, the show follows Evan Hansen, a high school boy who has trouble connecting with other people. When a fellow classmate commits suicide, what starts out as a mercy mission for the dead boy's family quickly turns into a set of complicated relationships for Evan. By the end of the show, you've laughed. You've cried. It really has become a part of you. If you have a chance to see this show, go see it. Just go see it.

It actually made me think of two other pieces of media I've consumed - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time (which I read as a book and then saw as a live show at the Kennedy Center) and the book Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. It's refreshing to see stories about characters that have been, in the past, less mainstream showing up on our shelves and stages. I applaud how art continues to strive towards giving us a rounder picture of humanity. Bravo.

After the show, we walked back to the hotel and hit the hay.

The next morning, we. Slept. IN! Oh, how we slept in! Lovely to stretch under the warm cocoon of high-threadcount sheets and downy pillows with no urge to rush! I did pop out briefly to hit the hotel gym for a bit of cardio/abs, but I took my sweet time about it.

A perfect day on the water.

Once we were finally roused, we walked the scant few blocks to Luke for a lovely late breakfast. We adored this place! It was full (It was, after all, a game day.), but we had reservations, and we were seated quickly at a perfect little two-top in the back. I ordered the giant Southern breakfast - two eggs, sausage, bacon, a biscuit and grits. Oh my goodness! The food was delicious, and our waiter was fantastic. This was one of our favorite food finds of the weekend.

Pleasantly full, we went back to the hotel, packed up and checked out. We had one last adventure to go on, and we didn't want to be late! We pointed our GPS to the Jean Lafitte National Preserve. We'd pre-booked an airboat tour with Airboat Adventures, and we couldn't WAIT to get out on the water! We found the place with ease, parked in the generous lot and checked in at the register. I was a little concerned when I saw the size of the operation - tons of folks and boats. We'd purposely booked the small airboat tour (6-8 people) in the hopes of a more personal experience. (Plus, we need speed, ya'll. And you can't go fast on those boats that hold 25 people.)

Girl + Airboat = Happiness

I shouldn't have worried, though. Once we boarded the boats (Laura and I sat right in front!), all of the boat captains took off in a staggered manner. And after the first 10 minutes or so of the boat tour, we hardly saw another boat for the next 1.5 hours. Our captain, Corey, was a master at maneuvering the airboat through tight spaces and close to the shoreline so we could spot wildlife. We saw tons of gators, herons, egrets, turtles, deer and even a few enterprising raccoons!

We couldn't have ordered more perfect weather, either - clear and sunny, with a high of 70 or so. Amazing day to be out on the water. This was a fantastic experience, and I'd recommend it (and this tour company) to anyone. I was almost sad to leave our little boat when it was over!

After our tour, we stopped to purchase the (really hokey but really fun) tourist photos they take of you when you check in. Then, we jumped back in the car to head home. Along the way, we stopped for a late lunch at Middendorf's. (Because it's tough to drive by Manchac, Louisiana, and not stop there for some thin fried catfish. The stuff is amazing.) Then, it was back home!

Going to New Orleans for fun again made me remember how fun the city can be! I'm going to do a better job in the future of keeping that in mind and looking for adventures there!