A Weekend in New Orleans

Linda Andreson/ September 20, 2020/ Lifestyle

My husband and I were recently comparing cities to one another and I said “New Orleans is like…well there’s no place like New Orleans”.  If you have ever been to the “Big Easy” you know it’s like stepping into a different world.

We began our little weekend getaway at Hotel Monteleone in the heart of the French Quarter.  If you want to experience pure New Orleans charm, this hotel is perfect and in walking distance to most attractions.  After we settled in the room, we had to check out The Carousel Bar in Hotel Monteleone. The bar is an actual carousel that revolves around the bartender and though we didn’t get a seat at the revolving bar, we did enjoy some delicious cocktails before heading out to explore the city. We ate at Deannie’s seafood, based on a recommendation from a friend, and I must say their shrimp po-boy waa delicious and massive.

Overly stuffed from dinner, we decided to take a nice stroll to the beautiful River Walk. Just a bit of advice, if someone tries to “ask you a riddle” or “shine your shoes” at the River Walk you are going to want to get out of there. Though we weren’t feeling particularly lucky, we went to Harrah’s casino and played games for a bit. The walk back to the hotel was very entertaining with music blaring out at every turn and large parties of intoxicated young and old friends laughing and dancing through the streets.

The next morning, I knew our first stop had to be Cafe Dumonde and it was everything I had hoped it would be!  The beignets and the coffee were the perfect way to start off the day. We spent the morning pursuing quirky little specialty shops and having an impromptu tarot card reading. After a morning of shopping, we headed to the place we had been waiting for – Willie Mae’s Scotch House.

We watched a special on Food Network that said the fried chicken at Willie Mae’s is amazing so we knew we had to try it. I’m so glad we did! The fried chicken was delicious and the red beans and rice were the best I’ve ever had. Completely satisfied, we decided to do a bit of sightseeing on the City Sightseeing New Orleans Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour.  The tour guides were great and we were able to listen to the history of the city while seeing the sites.

When we go back, I definitely want to take some in-depth tours of different areas. We finished our day with dinner at Cochon and this Cajun restaurant did not disappoint! My husband loves all things pork so we knew that this would be the perfect place to cap off our short trip to New Orleans.

I have always heard so many wonderful things about the city of New Orleans and it seems that once people have visited they just keep going back.  I understand why now, New Orleans is the type of place where you can truly relax and let loose. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from, people just want you to have a good time. I know that I cannot wait to go back to New Orleans!