This past summer was probably one of the best summers of my life. It was full of so much love and so much laughter. There were so many great memories this summer but by far my favorite was the day I spent in New Orleans. I went on vacation to Gulfport, Mississippi. Not really anyone’s first choice for a beach vacation but there was one special reason we chose to go here. It was only 1 hour away from New Orleans. We decided that staying in Nola didn’t really make sense because 1. It was EXPENSIVE. And 2. Because only 1 out of the 3 of us were 21. ‘nough said. So we decided to drive over and spend a whole day doing all of the tourist-y things that New Orleans had to offer. So if you only have one day in NOLA these are definitely stops you should make!
1. The Presbytère & the Cabildo
The former home of the priests who worked at St. Louis Cathedral has been turned into a museum housing a terrific “Living with Hurricanes” exhibit. This museum is really cool to walk through. In the first floor you have the opportunity to see of New Orleans was affected by Hurricane Katrina; There are even some real doors and personal belongings that were found during that time, that survived the storm, in this museum. The second floor… Mardi Gras! Costumes and floats all over the place. And if you have your student ID, you get a discount on your ticket!
2. Walk through Jackson Square
This was by far my favorite part. People playing music and selling art pieces and dancing all over the square. There was even a man that trained his dog to take off his glasses that we saw, and that same man wrote me poem on the spot.
3. Carriage Ride Through the French Quarters
This can get a little pricey, but DO IT. Also, if you are gonna spend all that money anyway, you might as well pay a little more and take the private tour. Our tour guide took us through some of the most cool places I had ever seen. Also on this tour I learned that people who live there have to have permission to paint their homes and they have to follow they color pallette that the city has in place so everything will match and keep its historic feel. Talk about aesthetics.
4. The Food
We ate more times that day than we did all week. If you go to New Orleans and do not eat, WHY DID YOU EVEN GO?! From Shrimp and Grits to Jambalaya to Po-boys, my stomach has never been happier. My favorite restaurant that we ate at was “EAT New Orleans.” I ate the shrimp and grits and boy did they put any other shrimp and grits I had ever eaten to shame!
5. Café du Monde
Beignet, done that, bought the T-shirt. All I can say is WE. WENT. TWICE. These fried donuts with powdered sugar I swear were sent from heaven. I probably consumed 3-4 all by myself. We stopped in on our way through the shops of the colonnade and on our way out. And really i did buy the t-shirt.
6. Take Pictures by the Mississippi
As we began to end our night we found some benches and just sat and watched the sun go down and just thought about our day. Our bellies were full and our wallets were empty. So all that was left to do was take some fun pictures with this beautiful background.
10/10 would recommend spending the day (or many days) in NOLA. I can’t wait to go back!