enJOY it

This trip was decided on a whim. Paul was training in Mississippi and I was up in Sacramento staying with my parents. He mentioned how boring his weekends were going to be. I sympathized and said he should drive over to New Orleans. He said he'd think about it. We got off the phone. I had the brilliant plan to fly to New Orleans and meet him there. I started searching online for a good hotel with a week's notice and priced out some flights using Southwest credit from other flights we have had to cancel due to schedule changes recently.

And then TA-DA! We ended up at the in the same (very crazy, but awesome) city on a very rainy Friday evening.

Here's the thing about us. We enjoy travel the same way. VERY LOW-KEY. Lots of wandering. Little planning. No tours. No reservations. No excursions (unless it's snorkeling). No waiting in line. We just like walking, eating and drinking. Which it turns out New Orleans is perfect for. Especially the drinking part.

We stayed in the Renaissance New Orleans Arts Hotel. It was a little bit off the beaten path and I think that was a really good thing. We ended up eating at a lot of restaurants on our side of town. All were fabulous and there was never a line because we were not in the main tourist area. The hotel itself was beautiful and really lived up to the Arts part of its name. There was a gallery attached and tons of cool art all over the walls of the lobby. Highly recommend. We'd go back in a second.

We ate dinner the first night at Cochon on the recommendation of Kelly Purkey. We tried alligator! It was chewy! Very good cajun food. We ended up just splitting a bunch of small plates and skipped entrees all together. I wish I had photos of the nighttime activities, but I only carried my big camera during the day. The iPhone photos paint a pretty good picture.

Then we wandered Bourbon Street which was quite the experience. I had to laugh at the walk up bars. I had to laugh at almost everything, actually. People like to draw links between New Orleans and Las Vegas, but I actually think Bourbon Street had more in common with Sixth Street in Austin. Except a slightly older crowd. The street + high energy + crowds + heat + humidity made the atmosphere feel like a pot that was about to boil over. Always right on the edge of ultimate pandemonium. Luckily, while we were there, the lid stayed on the pot.

Saturday morning, we wandered down to Cafe du Monde because apparently that's THE place to eat. Turns out EVERYONE got the memo. The line was ridiculous so we smiled and nodded and walked on. Just down the street there was a place called Stanley's that turned out to be fabulous for brunch. (And we still ended up trying Beignets at a Cafe du Monde off shoot.)

My one recommendation for Stanley's is be sure to get a Bloody Mary. Out of hand.

We walked some more and gambled at Harrod's. I am always a kid in a candy store in a casino. It's sort of a disaster but always fun. We were super up at Blackjack then down at Craps and then down further at Blackjack. Good times.

We ate dinner on Saturday at Capdeville which was a little bit like a hole in the wall but AMAZING. If you go, get the truffle mac and cheese. We loved it. And good beer selection too. After dinner we wandered back to Bourbon Street. Once again, I marveled at the ease and efficiency of these walk up beer counters then we settled in for some free music from the best cover band I've ever heard. My left ear is still ringing which is a bit alarming, but that night? It was the best ever.

Sometimes Paul and I laugh until we cry and in those moments I feel like I might explode with happiness. The two hours we spent at that insane bar listening to that cover band is going in my "Greatest Marriage Moments" file.

After that, we met up with two of the guys Paul has been training with in Mississippi who had drove over for the weekend. They were hilarious and I am so glad Paul has them to hang out with these next few weeks. We laughed and talked and then for some unknown reason went to gamble more. Because obviously, we are really good at it.

Sunday morning, we woke up and it was pouring rain all over again. We had brunch at a place called Luke. Super good. I had some sort of ham sandwich covered in cheese and topped with an egg. It had a fancy name and was unbelievable. The rain lightened, so we walked some more and tried very hard not to fall asleep.

And then before I knew what happened, it was over and time to go back to the airport. A whirlwind weekend but so wonderful. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

We had an amazing time. Best ever. More details coming soon!

snaps grabbed with the ShakeIt app for iPhone.