ROAD TRIP
Day 9, Part 1
New Orleans
I have been dreaming about visiting New Orleans for a lonnnnnng time now. So when I started to plan the road trip I made sure New Orleans was on the list and that we stayed for 2 nights instead of our usual one night in other cities.
I wanted to make sure that I got adequate time to explore the city!
I was a little concerned that maybe the city wouldn’t live up to my high expectations.
But the minute we drove in to the French Quarter, I fell in love- the cobblestone streets, the people walking and laughing, the colorful buildings, the worn doors, the musicians playing in the streets, the glow of the lights in the night, the smell of the air…the city felt alive and I was hooked.
I could barely sleep that first night because I was so excited to be there.
Our first stop in the morning was Cafe Du Monde to try the famous Beignets that I heard so much about before my trip! Everyone told me they were a must. I don’t really care for donuts so I didn’t expect much from this experience but I was game to give them a shot. When we walked up to the cafe there was a line around the block. A LINE AROUND THE BLOCK FOR DONUTS?! I wondered how bad I really wanted to try these famous beignets. I decided that I would tough it out because I couldn’t imagine coming all the way to New Orleans and not trying beignets.
An hour later we were seated and had a plate of beignets in front of us. For the record- I was not disappointed. Those little fried, powdered and doughy bits of heaven could change the world. Best damn donut I have ever tried. I could have eaten 20.
This just in- I am officially eating my way across America.
I just can’t help myself!
After eating my weight in beignets we set off to explore the city by foot. We wandered the streets taking pictures of colorful buildings, perused voodoo stores and sat by the Mississippi River listening to street music- its intoxicating.
After an afternoon of fun I decided to go back to our hotel (conveniently located in the heart of the French Quarter) to do a bit of work before a night out on the town. It was such a pretty day that I decided to bring my computer out onto our patio and order a spicy bloody mary (Hey I am on vacation and all). It was a perfect place to spend some quiet time by myself, reflect on the day, my life and my joy and gratitude for this experience. I still can’t believe I am on a journey across the USA and sometimes I have to pinch myself that my dream came true.
Our evening out on the town coming next…
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For Rachel’s take click here!
365til30.com 
Can’t wait to get to NoLa myself. Thanks for taking me there…
You must go Brian! The city is magic…
You made me more eager to v isit New Orlens.Hopfully l will take the trip this summer.Thanks for sharing .Best regards.
I hope you do too!!! I can’t wait to hear about your experience!
Loving that you ate biegnets – Enjoy!
What did I tell you…it’s a wonderful city.. mmmm beignets, yummy!!
I love that city! I could seriously eat beignets all day long!
I’ve never wanted to visit New Orleans til reading your description. Hope you are still enjoying it. Out of curiosity what are your other stops? I tried searching your blog to see if you had talked about it but found nothing.
Thank you for your kind words Sophia!
Here is the flyer with our other stops!
https://365til30.com/2012/03/21/109-road-trip/
By the way I love your photography:)
Hey Kate,
I just checked out your flyer. I see you are going to Savannah. I went there a couple years ago and loved it. Here is my blog about it: http://wp.me/pvFep-67. It looks like the place where I stayed may no longer be an option but I highly recommend VRBO.com if you don’t have a place to stay already. Savannah also has an old graveyard you would love and don’t forget the Wormsloe Plantation. I saw another stop was Charleston and if you like vintage type jewelry and you are there on a Saturday go to the Charleston Farmers market and stop by the Scarlet Poppy: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Scarlet-Poppy/243772389243. The horse carriage rides are okay but it you have a short time there you may be better off asking an individual about how to see specific things you want to see because the rides are not all the same.
Lastly I’m glad to hear you like my photography:) because I was hoping to meet the both of you up at one of your stops or maybe on your way up from Wilmington to D.C. I live in Raleigh (well technically I just moved to Cary). I would love to do a photoshoot with you maybe doing one of the things you have on your itinerary and post it on my blog. I think it would be really great to blog about the actual event and how WordPress brought two people from opposite coasts together! I may be hard pressed not to run off with you two and get back to Cali, I partly grew up in Newbury Park, Ca. I believe it has been usurped by Thousand Oaks on Google Maps. Anyhow let me know what you think and if this could be a possibility. Happy (and safe) travels!
Hi!!!! What a great note to receive from you!! Sadly we are already home (got back a few days ago) but will still be posting road trip posts for the next two weeks:) Do you ever come to LA?!
That makes sense. I saw your twitter feed yesterday from a restaurant in LA and I was perplexed. I haven’t been back to Cali since a friend’s wedding in 2009. How is the french learning going? I went to visit my family in the north of France last year and told myself I would learn more but I have been a slacker. If only I could carry a french person with me to practice;). Have a great week.
French is proving to be impossibly hard!! That doesn’t mean I am quitting though! I am LOVING you idea of carrying a French person around to practice. That’s brilliant:)
Hope you have a great week as well.
I love to hear how fresh eyes view my backyard and my neighbor’s. I know how I feel about home (read Southern US) and am always hopeful visitors experience a little of the emotion I hold in my heart for Place.
I am with you on this!
Tag!
Oh, how I love New Orleans! Truly one of my favorite cities in the U.S. – it has a culture like nowhere else. I can’t wait to read more about your experiences there.
It really is a special city!
The donuts look yummy, especially with some coffee on the side. Your description of the city makes me want to visit as well. Happy & safe travels!
We just came from the Big Easy…and could very easily move there tomorrow. It truly is a magical place.
right?!! New Orleans is a seriously magical place 🙂
Je ne parle pas Francais! Works every time. 😉
Oh, and welcome back to your own terra firma.
Ha! You crack me up:) oh and thanks its good to home!