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.