NOLA: Part II

I recapped part I of our New Orleans trip last week. I'm back today with part deux of the trip.

Since there were 15 of us, we needed accommodations that could fit and sleep all of us. The MOH found a home in Belle Chasse, LA, which was about 15 minutes outside of New Orleans. It was a rental, so we weren't sure what to expect. Krob and I Ubered to the home, which seemed fairly normal from the outside. However, you were in for quite the surprise when you actually made it inside. The entire house was painted in 33 different colors. The bedroom Krob and I shared had some purples, pinks and yellows on the walls. It was also still undergoing construction, but more on that later.

Mine and Krob's room for the weekend. This iPhone photo doesn't do it justice, but there were some serious colors happening in here.

As it turns out, the house belongs to Antonio Banderas' stunt double:  Dino dos Santos. Yep, you read that correctly. We got Dino to do some stunt tricks for us.... never a dull moment. We got to the house, Dino made dinner for the group and we spent the rest of the evening in the pool. We ended the night with Andy's lingerie shower at the house.

The following day, we were scheduled to go on a plantation tour, but a last minute change of plans had us headed to a rum distillery and brewery instead. We rented a party bus for the day, so we sat back and enjoyed some mimosas, while the driver took us to the Old New Orleans Rum Celebration Distillery. We partook in the tour and tasting- my fave was their Gingeroo, which is a spicy, ginger flavor, with rum (Krob and I each took a bottle home), hopped back on the bus and made our way to NOLA Brewing. No tour here, but they do serve lunch by McClure's BBQ, which was delish.

Sidenote: The staff did seem a bit annoyed that such a large group came in. The bartender at one point had some eye rolling going on. I understand there were 15 of us, but none of us were rude or obnoxious. We were there because had heard some great things about the company and wanted to check them out.So- note to anyone wanting to try NOLA Brewing- I wouldn't recommend coming in with a large group - or at least give them a heads up before said group arrives.

Aside from that little hiccup, we all got lunch (loved it) and most of us tried out their flights (delish). They had some unique flavors, which you don't find everywhere.

Next stop: back to the house to get ready for Andy's big night out. First on the agenda for me, though, was a quick power nap. After a quick nap and a quick shower- I threw on my black dress, did my hair and makeup and was ready to go! One of the girls brought along flash tats for everyone, which was a super fun way to "accessorize" as a group. I was put in charge of bringing along the umm... how shall we say... "adult items" for the evening. I had to class them up a bit though, so I pre-purchased some purple shot-glass necklaces for all, I bought Andy a super classy one that hung from a pearl necklace, some glow-in-the dark straws, some whistles, some bubbles... you know.... the usual ;) A good friend from college brought along a blow-up Willy.... Willy accompanied us everywhere that evening.

The group right before dinner!

The driver dropped us all off at Brennan's , which was very accommodating of our group. They gave us a private room upstairs and a fixed menu, which worked out well. The only downside- were the adult beverages, which were also fixed (so you were stuck with the house wine, margarita or a martini). Not the end of the world, but some options would have been nice. Dinner was yummy and once the bill situation was figured out, (Thank you, Venmo, by the way- which is a lifesaver for paying someone you owe very quickly) we were on to our first stop.

Bridesmaids+Bride

Now, I highly recommend a good game for a bachelorette. This time, we had group challenges, where you have to have photo documentation of the bride partaking in the challenge. Super fun and the Pat O' Brien's crowd was also up for it! We stayed there for a bit, and head to the Cat's Meow for some karaoke fun. We ended the night at the Beach- which was an experience in and of itself :) At the end of the evening, some of us Ubered back to the house- and some of the girls took a cab back. All was well, and all had fun!

I'll be back tomorrow with our last day in NOLA!

NOLA

I forwent a vacation this summer in lieu of an out-of-town bachelorette party in New Orleans (I don't have the extra time at work at the moment and I did not want to miss Andy's bachelorette). So, Krob and I turned it into a 5-day weekend, and headed to the bachelorette a bit early to do some exploring.

Now, I've been to New Orleans only one other time, and it was to watch our friend run a marathon. If you have done any race spectating, you know it's a great, but different way to see a city. So Krob and I wanted to do some touristy things while we were there.

We headed out Thursday night. And over my dead body heck no were we making the drive all the way from Houston to NOLA. Ain't nobody got time for that.... We flew out Thursday evening, so we could both work a full day (the things we do to be functional adults). Stopped for the obligatory adult beverage at Pappadeaux in Hobby where our bartender told us about the elusive Abita Strawgator that we had to try while in NOLA (if you are an Abita fan- that would be a mixture of their Andygator and their Strawberry beer). Hopped on our flight, and made it to NOLA within an hour- we were there by 10:30 p.m. If you were on the fence about saving some extra cash by not flying, please trust me on this one- do yourself a favor, buy the flight and thank me later!

That wonderful fiance of mine didn't want Krob and I wondering the streets of New Orleans, so he got us a hotel on Bourbon Street. Now, we stayed at the Royal Sonesta the last time we were there- and once again- it didn't disappoint. We Ubered to the hotel, stashed our stuff in the room and made it to Bourbon Street for a late dinner. If you have not previously thought yourself to be an Uber person, please also consider changing your mind. Krob and I Ubered all over NOLA - super easy, no exchange of cash necessary and we never had to wait longer than 5 minutes for a driver. Bonus: you can split the fare with your friends very easily.

I was obsessed with the beds!

We wanted to try some oysters (when in Rome...). We stopped into the first busy restaurant we came across (we were hungry) and ordered some chargrilled oysters. And.... we weren't fans. I don't know if it was the size of the oysters (they were quite large) or the fact that they were warm... or maybe it was a texture thing. We just weren't feeling them. Then, we walked around Bourbon Street in search of the Andygator (no luck) and headed back to the room about 1 in the morning. We had an early start the following day...

A stop later in the trip!

Day 2

We had big plans Friday before we headed to bachelorette festivities, which began Friday evening. We signed ourselves up for a 3 and a half hour bike tour of the French Quarter and the Garden District. Before the bike tour, we ate at the Ruby Slipper Cafe on Magazine Street. We split the Florentine omelet and some fruit. Delish and perfect right before our ride!

The bikes were super cute and came with a basket to store your personal items!

The bike tour was a such a neat way to see the city. There were about eight people in the group, and Buzz Nola did a fantastic job at navigating us through key points around the city. Biking will always be one of my favorite ways to discover a new place.

Before we stopped for a snack!

Cute little home on the tour!

One of the houses in the Garden District.

The famous "Commander's Palace" across the street from the cemetery we stopped at.

The bike tour took us through one of their above ground cemeteries.

Obligatory bike pic- and hey there- you can see my trusty Barrington bag in my bike basket!

The only downside to the bike tour, was that Krob and I had to check out of our hotel prior to the bike ride, so we stored our luggage with the concierge. We were hot and sweaty after the bike ride and needed a place to change/freshen up. We had to resort to the bathroom in the hotel lobby.

The evening before, we got smart and made reservations at NOLA, one of Emeril's restaurants. It was a short walk from the hotel. (Please note: the Royal Sonesta was nice enough to let Krob and I store our luggage there the full day before we met up with the rest of girls). We were seated right away. It was super cute inside - it had an almost warehouse/industrial feel. We started off with some cocktails- I forget the exact name of mine, but it was citrusy and delicious. We decided to split the shrimp and grits and the pizza of the day. The food came out quickly, the waiters were fantastic and the food was tasty. The shrimp and grits were topped off with bacon and their special red chili sauce. Our pizza was a combination of mushrooms, and several meats. It was also very tasty. We decided to skip out on dessert, but only because we were way too full.

Outside of Nola. Yes we were matching- we have no shame!

Shrimp and Grits

After that, we had some time to kill while the rest of the ladies made their way into New Orleans. One of the places we stopped on our bike tour, was one of the oldest bars in New Orleans - Jean Lafitte's. You can read more about the history here, but it was built in the 1700's and was believed to have been used by the Lafitte brothers. We stopped by for an adult beverage- it is very dimly lit inside- and I would love to go back in the evening on a return trip. Krob and I did some shopping in the French Quarter for a bit and headed back to the hotel to grab our luggage to meet up with the rest of the group.

Seen while shopping

Jean Lafitte's Bar.

Bourbon Street pic on our way back to the hotel to grab our luggage.

NOLA Part II tomorrow.