First Time in the Big Easy

Do you have a destination place that you’ve read about so much that you feel like you almost know it—as if you’ve almost been there? Places that you’ve thought about visiting for such a long time, but never had the time to visit? For the longest time, that has been New Orleans for me. So with a little bit of time before summer and the heat, I wanted to take advantage of my gap year and popped on over to Louisiana for the first time!

New Orleans is known for its bright colors and Mardi Gras celebrations, but I really wanted to get to know the city without the huge mass of tourists and parties that occur during festival season. Even still, after taking a cab from the Louis Armstrong Airport, we spontaneously arrived in the midst of a Gay Easter parade! It was drizzling and a bit overcast when we arrived but we were staying spot center in the French Quarter and were taken completely by surprise by the traffic and crowds. We convinced the taxi driver to drop us off a few blocks away from the hotel and made our way with our bags (packing lightly is always best!) through the crowds, enjoying the music and people as they passed by and tossed beads at us!

After freshening up a bit at the hotel, we headed out almost immediately to grab something to eat. We found this hole-in-the-wall restaurant, Bennachin, that specialized in West African food. I don’t know if it was because I had been starving all day between our flights, but the cope ni cone (boneless chicken, broccoli and garlic sauce over rice) was heavenly. It was so simple, but it had just the right bit of heat to it without being spicy.

Still a bit early for the night, we took our time to walk down Frenchman Street with all the incredible music. There is this little place called the French Art Market just around the corner which featured local artists and some gorgeous works. There were beautiful prints, jewelry and clothes—basically a trap for someone like me!

I’m not a heavy drinker (not to mention underaged) so Bourbon St., known for its line of clubs and bars, didn’t really appeal to me. We ended up staying at this adorable hotel just a block away and right on Royal St. Super convenient and a perfect little spot. It also happened to be the same location where Marcel throws a party on The Originals, a TV series my best friend and I are planning to spend the summer watching now that Vampire Diaries has ended. (Anyone else out there, watching The Originals?) So it’s the perfect place if you want to live like a Mikaelson for a night or so–just don’t die!

The next day we headed to some amazing sights in New Orleans, especially with a walk in the Garden District and World War II Museum, so stay tuned for that next post! You can follow my blog on Bloglovin’ or just keep an eye out on my Twitter account, where I’ll always let you know there is a new blog post.

What are some of the places that you’d love to visit? Comment down below and let me know!

XOXO