Roadtrip to New Orleans, Louisiana | Part I | San Diego Photographer

Put it on your bucket list. If you haven’t been to New Orleans, Louisiana, you should really look into it. I think it may be one of the most unique, bustling, yet relaxed cities in the United States. New Orleans has the very distinct French influence that easily shines through in the architecture, but it also has the down-to-earth, comfortable, southern hospitality feel. Oh, and does this city know how to party! I can only imagine how crazy it gets during Mardi Gras. It seemed like every day, half of the people in the city (granted, there were many tourists) were out celebrating something.

My husband, Rex and I drove from San Diego to Clearwater, Florida in three days. That must be some kind of record. I only take partial credit, as my husband drove for longer shifts and I “navigated” AKA slept  upright with my sunglasses on.  After spending three consecutive days as beach bums in Clearwater, Florida, we doubled back to the Big Easy with clear intention of indulging in the fresh seafood and the adult beverages that the city has to offer around the clock. The first mission as soon as we checked into the hotel? Hit the gym to make room for a big, hunk of a shrimp po’ boy and an ice-cold cocktail, or two, or three. 🙂

Our first night in New Orleans, we sought out a small, local bar called Bar Tonique, a quaint little bar in the French Quarter that offers an eclectic list of hand-crafted cocktails served by unpretentious bartenders that have an incredible appreciation for their craft. Cocktails that were popular in the 1800s and the 1900s can be found on their extensive menu. Sitting upon the bar stool, I watched one of the bartenders pour, and shake with vigor, various liquours into something delicious. I watched, a little bit mesmerized as she gently peeled the bright, yellow rind from a lemon, dip the lemon curlicue  in a house-made syrup and trail it around the rim of the glass ever so expertly, all the while joking with a bartender from another bar stopping in for a sazerac on his night off. I thought to myself, “Oh yeah, we’re gonna be here a while.” You must go here. What I ordered: a True Kick (loved it!) and a Moscow Mule. I forget the third drink I ordered. This place can do that to you. The hubs got a Sazerac and other very strong whiskey drinks that will make hair grow on your chest.

The next day we walked around and explored the city, taking in the sights. We were here in late July, early August. In other words, it was HUMID. Neither of us could go ten steps without beads of sweat forming pretty much everywhere. HAHAHA We strategized and ducked into an air-conditioned store, fake-browsed while simultaneously mooching off of the air conditioning and then resumed our trek. It was like doing hot yoga everywhere we went. It wasn’t always pleasant, I can’t lie. There were times when I gagged because with the extreme humidity,  the sweltering summer heat, and the remnants of the previous nights’ debauchery lingering in the streets, a rancid smell wafted from Bourbon Street. Sadly, New Orleans has to hire and pay for a company to rinse the streets each morning because many people (mostly tourists) go a little crazy. There’s more, but I won’t go into it. This should not stop you from coming to this incredible place for all of the amazing things you can see, experience, and eat. For foodies, like us, you’ll really get down. It’s a culinary town, and we did not have a single bad meal during our five-day stay in NOLA.

For breakfast, we headed to the famous Cafe du Monde for some beignets and cafe au lait. These puffy, sugary, fried doughnuts are delectable. Rex and I went here twice in one day. Beignets make for an awesome midnight snack, and conveniently, Cafe du Monde is open twenty-four hours. That’s right, french doughnuts 24/7. See? You’ve forgotten about the humidity and other unpleasantries already.

My husband, the thoughtful man that he is, planned a night out on Bourbon Street for the two of us to see the legendary Preservation Hall Jazz Band. We avoided Bourbon Street for the most part, except for a couple of nights for short visits. We weren’t really interested in a “Spring Break” experience with tourists, so we tried to find off-the-main-road local bars and jazz clubs. Before the show, Rex and I ordered a drink at the Boondock Saints. This place is a cool little dive bar on Bourbon Street that serves inexpensive drinks compared to other bars on Bourbon.

Preservation Hall is about the size of someone’s livingroom. There’s no air-conditioning, no large amplifiers, no microphones, no fancy lights. It’s undiluted, it’s traditional, it’s jazz in its purest form. We sat in the “VIP” section which were old, wooden benches, while the room began to fill. Pillows were on the floor to sit on, and some open space behind the benches for the audience to stand.  The band began to play, half of them men in their seventies, blowing with all their might into a 40 year old instrument. We clapped along, we tapped our foot. I loved it. I looked over at Rex and I could tell he was loving every minute of it.

The following day, we stopped by a bar in a hotel. The bar is called the Carousel Bar and Lounge and the the name is no misnomer. It is literally a carousel that moves. I ordered a couple of their specialty drinks with Rex and as I took a sip, it was a knee-jerk reaction to shrug the shoulders a couple of times and do a little shimmy. The bartender caught me and called out smiling, clearly pleased with himself, “You like it huh? I saw you shimmy.” Caught being a dork. I laughed and raised my glasses.

Later that afternoon, we walked a couple of miles to W.I.N.O. (Wine Institute of New Orleans). Here they had liquid candy for adults readily available at the push of a button. 120 different kinds of wine from all over the world were on tap.

Later that evening, we walked to Cochon Restaurant.  Ooh, wee!  This is another place you must go to. Anthony Bourdain said so and I whole-heartedly, second the recommendation. I ate alligators! And liked it! This place is awesome, not just for the food, but also for the modern, airy decor, and the great playlist. Rex, an avid hip-hop listener, bobbed his head to sounds from Rakim, KRS-One, and The Roots. They serve some dishes in cast-iron pans, including the rabbit dumplings entree that the hubs ordered. We shared fried alligator with chili garlic mayo for an appetizer, and I had the pork cheeks. I was content.

Each day we took a stroll through the city of New Orleans and discovered new places. Many times, it felt like being in a foreign country.

This was taken at a street fair in the Frenchman Quarter. Various vendors displayed their ware: soapmakers, jewelry-makers, painters, cinematographers, photographers, and other artists.  A day or two later, I got to explore two miles of the beautiful bayou on foot, encountered an alligator, but not at a restaurant, all the while, sweating my face off and still having fun. I will be blogging about the rest of our trip, including the amazing live music we were lucky to experience during the Satchmo SummerFest in an upcoming blog post. We had too much fun to fit it all into one blog post. New Orleans deserves a play by play, in my book. Stay tuned for more!

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Cheers!

Kristine