Hey everyone! It’s Demetra, for my first official Travel Blog post I will be writing about my trip to New Orleans for Mardi Gras two weeks ago. I flew out of Chicago O’Hare Saturday morning at 8 AM and arrived in New Orleans around 10:45. My friend Melissa and I took the airport shuttle into the city center, to our hotel the Ambassador on Tchoupitoulas Street. We checked in and decided to go to the bathroom and get dressed in our Mardi Gras gear while we waited on the hotel staff to put our bags away. We then headed out towards Canal Street to watch the parade. We eventually made our way over to Bourbon Street to check out what all the fuss was about.
One of the awesome things about NOLA is you can drink out on the street. So, the streets were packed with college students chugging alcoholic beverages and local street performers trying to make some money. I honestly did not see anyone flashing for beads! I did see two older women, shirtless, with painted chests so that was interesting…. We decided to grab some lunch to soak up all of the liquor in our stomachs so we headed into Remoulade Oyster Bar and decided to order a Shrimp Po’ Boy sandwich. It was absolutely delicious! After this trip to New Orleans I definitely added Po’ Boy sandwiches to my list of top 5 favorite foods. We became best friends with the bouncer at the door who talked to us about Hurricane Katrina and the effect it had on the city and the people of New Orleans. We then decided to head back to the hotel around 4 because a morning full of drinking can take a toll on you (plus it was check in time). We rested up for an hour then met up with a friend of mine who I had gone to school with in London, Greg. The three of us got a handle of Jack Daniels and had a few mixed drinks before Melissa and I headed back to Bourbon street. We made a few drunken appearances in several bars – one of which ended with me arguing with a man from Greece because he said I was lying about my last name and who my family was (which I was not lying. asshole.) The night eventually came to a close with me getting a King’s Cake from a food cart and passing out in our hotel room. The Kings cake was definitely stale but i insisted on buying one – it was also overpriced because the city jacks up a lot of prices during this time of the year and obviously i was a DRUNK tourist so the combination made me a perfect target for a 10$ stale king cake.
The next morning (Sunday) we decided to go shopping for souvenirs and “voodoo” gear. We walked up and down Royal Street and eventually came across some really cool street artists. We went to get my favorite – PRALINES ! – from southern candy makers. Pralines are so delicious if you have never had one you must try one, but be warned they are terrible for your health and your teeth, I think I earned three cavities from one praline alone. We grabbed lunch (gumbo and jambalaya) at The Gumbo Shop in the French Quarter. We continued shopping around and grabbed dinner – Po Boy Sandwiches from MOTHERS on Poydras St and I can truthfully say it was the best thing I have ever eaten. We then rested in the hotel for a bit before heading out to the street for the Sunday night parade. We grabbed drinks at Lucy’s retired surfer bar and hung out around Tchoupitoulas Street, waiting for the parade with the locals. Two of these people being a married couple, the husband – a high school principal and the wife a preschool principal! We were getting hammered and screaming for beads with somebody’s high school principal – how awesome is that? Celebrating Mardi Gras with the locals was SO much fun – they showed us how to get the most beads and told us a bunch of great stories. It began to rain but we didn’t even care we were having so much fun. We eventually dragged ourselves back to our hotel where we passed out.
The next morning (Monday) we awoke at 8 AM hoping to get some delicious New Orleans beignets for breakfast. Unfortunately we were not able to get beignets at cafe du monde, so we had to get frozen coffee and beignets at “New Orleans famous beignets and coffee” They were amazing! The frozen coffee was so good – it is like a frap only not too sweet. We then walked over to Lafayette Cemetery to see where the infamous Mary LaVeau’s grave is. In New Orleans they bury the dead above ground due to the water table being too high. If you ever take a trip to New Orleans it is essential you visit a cemetery, the above ground “cities of the dead” are absolutely beautiful. After visiting the cemetery we decided to try oysters (which I had never tried before!) They were a pleasant surprise. After this I insisted we needed to hop on a street car because for the first time since we had been there they were running! So we got on a street car for two stops – some of the locals were cracking jokes about how we couldn’t have walked the distance but we really just wanted to see what they were like! We then headed back to our hotel where the shuttle was there to take us to the airport. We didn’t want to leave! New Orleans is such an interesting city – so full of culture. The people are extremely friendly and the food is amazing. I was a bit nervous to travel there during Mardi Gras, just me and one other girl but if you are smart about it, it is not a dangerous place. We stayed mostly in the French Quarter but just don’t flash your money and phone around and you should be fine. A trip to New Orleans is one that everybody should take.
Runaway Blond 