Crawfish, jazz, beignets, voodoo, death museums, and huge ass beers - there's literally no reason to not to be weirdly intrigued with the culture of New Orleans. I decided to take a short, three-day trip to to NOLA, just post-Mardi Gras (beads still hanging from trees and all), and if you haven't been there before.. well.. GO, NOW.
If you've read my previous blog entry, you already know have a really big fascination for staying at boutique hotels with a history, preferably haunted, that represent the town I'm staying in. My experience in New Orleans was no different. We stayed at the homey, charming, Lafitte Guest House & Gallery on the very end of Bourbon Street. Despite the amazing location, booking to stay just after Mardi Gras proved to be a money saver.
Even better than the hotel itself, was it's convenient location next to what turned out to be my favorite bar in the French Quarter - Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar. Lafitte's is said to be the oldest bar in the United States, built in the early 1700s. Please, please, do not walk on Bourbon St. and not come into this bar, it is AWESOME. The walls layered in brick, only lit by candle light (there are actually zero lights inside), and a piano that occasionally receives guest appearances from some pretty good players, makes this bar everything that I wanted to experience in NOLA. Personally, I'm a beer girl (in which they had a decent selection), but don't shy away from their famous frozen drinks, and do yourself a favor and read up on the history of this place.
In the measly 3 days we got to spend in the lively city of New Orleans, we sure did see and do a lot. I'm sure no one wants to read details about every single thing we did there, but let me give you a few suggestions for when you make your way down to the Big Easy.
1. EAT AS MUCH FOOD AS YOU CAN.
Do NOT miss out on Cajun crawfish, shrimp po' boys, oysters, jambalaya, and the whole she-bang. You can find these items just about anywhere, but my personal favorite was a Saturday pop up Market. We had fresh shucked oysters, crawfish and to-go beers, of course. SO AMAZING. Here are some of the other food joints we stuffed our face at:
Cafe Amelie - a quaint, contemporary restaurant, with a beautiful courtyard. A great Sunday brunch option.
NOLA Po'Boys - we had a fried catfish and shrip po'boy. But can you go wrong with a po'boy anyways?
Acme Oyster House - Zagat raided, amazing Oysters (my personal favorite), all around New Orleans style seafood.
Channing Tatum's Saints and Sinners - we had crawfish and drinks here, not too shabby.
Oceana Grill - your typical Nawlins eatery, multiple dining rooms with NOLA style art and decor.
Oh - and seriously, do not bother going to New Orleans if you're not going to stop at Cafe Du Monde. I mean, you must live under a rock if you haven't heard of this place, but just to reiterate, I'm not completely convinced these beignets aren't laced with some sort of illegal street drugs, because they are seriously addicting. Let's just say they put everyone's favorite carnival dessert, the funnel cake, to shame. The coffee is pretty awesome too, and a combo of the two will only set you back about $8. Probably the best $8 you'll ever spend.
2. DRINK AS MUCH AS YOU CAN.
Here are a few of the "musts" on Bourbon Street:
Tropical Isle - home of the famous "Hand Grenade". You just gotta try it.
Pat O'Briens - this is an outdoor bar, with a flaming fountain serving $3 tallboys and the famous Hurricane cocktail.
The Olde Absinthe House - a bar making absinthe cocktails, dark and creepy, and awesome.
Bourbon Cowboy - equipped with a mechanical bull.
Huge Ass Beers - self explanatory. This bar offers literally the biggest beers I've ever seen.
Also, refer back paragraph three and go to The Blacksmith Shop Bar!!!
Long story short, don't be afraid to bar hop, there are way too many NOLA specific bars to mention just here.
3. I think you already knew this was coming, but DO A GHOST TOUR (or in our case, a murder tour), and experience the Voodoo culture. We took the Ghost City Murder (for adults only) walking tour, where our guide gave us details about some of the most gruesome murders that have taken place around the city, including Jackson Square, the location of public executions, and the Omni Hotel, the location of the famous Zach and Addie murder/suicide. All creepiness aside though, these are pretty cool spots to see in the day time, if you're not into ghost stories. Jackson Square hosts art shows with live music on the weekends, as well.
If you're a fan of Voodoo history, you can also visit the home of Maria Laveau,the famous Voodoo priestess, as well as visit multiple Voodoo shops all around the French Quarter (don't try and take any photos, though, they will stop you), and for all my fellow American Horror Story fans, you can see the real Madame Lalaurie's home (Cathy Bates character in Season 3 "Coven"). There is currently a resident living there, however, there are some pretty interesting stories revolving around Miss Lalaurie and her home, which were also covered on the tour mentioned above.
Now if you want to get REALLY dark, New Orleans is home to the second Museum of Death (the original one being in Hollywood, California). You can find items such as antique mortician apparatuses, Manson family photos, actual crime scene photos, artworks and letters of some of the most infamous serial killers, and much more. Enter at your own risk, there is some really weird stuff in here.
4. Venture off Bourbon Street.
One of my favorite experiences in New Orleans was visiting the luxury Hotel Monteleone, located on Royal Street. What was so special about this hotel you ask? How about the Carousel Bar & Lounge located inside. It is literally a rotating bar, that looks like a Merry-Go-Round. Be prepared to wait for a seat, but it's well worth it! Royal street is definitely worth walking, besides housing the Monteleone, Royal street is one of the oldest streets in the city and is lined with antique shops, art galleries, and AWESOME street performances.
Frenchman Street is home to some of New Orleans' most popular music venues (e.g., Snug Harbor), as well as restaurants, bars, coffee shops and other businesses. This is a nice break from Bourbon Street, and local-recommended.
Located on Decatur street, the Crescent City Brewhouse was a cool stop. I'm a fan of local breweries, so I recommend trying it out.
We didn't have enough time to visit the Garden District, and see some of the historical houses and buildings, but it's on my list of TO-DOs for my next trip to the French Quarter.
The food, night life and culture of New Orleans fully lives up to the hype. Seriously, do yourself a favor and go explore the French Quarter for a few days. Unless you hate fun, then you should probably avoid NOLA at all costs.
