New Orleans

Traveling from Texas to New Orleans was exciting as we were both looking forward to returning to the Big Easy. We tried Airbnb for the first time and settled into a room in the City Park neighborhood. That night we headed to a local bar that is known for their doberge cupcakes – a New Orleans favorite. Unfortunately they were sold out of cake, but good news, we found the hipster hangout (is that really good news?). 

The House Where We Stayed

On the first morning’s agenda was a swamp tour. Not knowing what to expect – or what type of swamp people would be running it – we were cautiously excited. We set out, along with other tourists and our guide Charlie, who reassured us by telling stories about growing up swimming with gators.  As the boat maneuvered through the swamp we were surprised to see numerous alligators approach our boat in hopes of being fed hot dogs or marshmallows. We had a great time on the swamp tour and highly recommend it to anyone visiting the area. 

A Lunging Gator

Another highlight of our time in New Orleans was spending the 4^th of July in the French Quarter. After enjoying many of the main tourist spots (Jackson Square, Bourbon Street, Café Du Monde) we headed towards the river for the firework show. We were greeted by a performance from the Navy Band as we waited for the festivities to begin. Starting off with a bang, the firework show was set to music with a narrative honoring our veterans and truly captured the essence of the day. 

The 4th in Jackson Square (St. Louis Cathedral in the Background)

There were a few other unforgettable moments. One evening thunder and lightning roared through the city and we got a front row seat to the storm on the banks of the Mississippi (while eating beignets, of course). We also managed to get lost on the street car system after midnight; Kaila almost had a breakdown, but only because our host had mentioned New Orleans’ high murder rate earlier that day. And we simply cannot fail to mention the delicious food. We had the best barbeque shrimp poboy ever from Luizza’s and another great poboy experience at the Parkway Bakery. 

Brian Enjoying his Poboy at Parkway Bakery

It is difficult not to have a great time in a city that has such a vibrant culture, interesting people and delicious cuisine. As we expected, we really enjoyed our time in New Orleans and look forward to our next visit.

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