NOLA Momcation 2022
It’s been a while since I shared about a good vacation so for this month I am going to highlight my recent trip down to New Orleans! NOLA is a place I have been wanting to visit for YEARS! I have had at least two other trips to NOLA that have fallen through, so this time I was not going to cancel it for ANY reason. I told my friend we were going to pick a weekend and see it through and that’s exactly what we did. As busy moms with a new school year looming, it was so important to get some time away while we could. The trip was slated to be a whirlwind: we were flying in midday Friday and leaving late Sunday evening.
I remember trying to convince my husband to visit NOLA with me and he asked “what on earth do you want to do in New Orleans?” My reply: “I want to eat all the things.” I have a deep love of seafood and dreams of authentic beignets that both needed to be fed!
First, huge shout out to Southwest Airlines. They easily had the best deal on flights and I was able to use points that had added up from previous trips to cover all my airfare. They event sent me some fresh drink tickets, just in time! I am a big fan of their Rapid Rewards program. If you aren’t part of it or are in the market for a credit card with good travel rewards, check out their options by clicking above. Note: that is for sure a referral link ;-)
Next, shout out to our Uber driver, Felicia! She picked us up at the airport and practically gave us our own tour of New Orleans on the way to our hotel. She was throwing out so many interesting facts, pointing out cool spots, and giving us so many recommendations that I thought my thumbs were going to fall off trying to tap them all down. I think my favorite part about Felicia was just that she loved her hometown and you could tell. She also told us what streets to avoid late at night (Rampart, Burgundy, and Dauphine) and she also told us where to go party besides Bourbon Street (Frenchman Street). We stayed at the Wyndham French Quarter, which could not have been more centrally located. It was within walking distance to Bourbon street, Jackson Square and so many other quintessential NOLA spots.
After getting checked in our first stop was for food, obviously! We went to The Original French Market Restaurant and Bar for a late lunch where I had crawfish bisque that what heavenly, seafood pasta that I believe had mostly shrimp and more crawfish, and a hurricane drink that I couldn’t even finish! On the way back to our hotel we stopped by the LaLaurie Mansion, which is privately owned but famous for it’s murderous and haunted past. Random: did you know Nicolas Cage used to own it? We also stopped by Lafitte’s Blacksmith Bar which is supposedly the oldest bar in the United States, as well as the Old Absinthe House, which is a historic spot where Andrew Jackson apparently met with forces during the War of 1812.
The next day we started bright and early for the ever sought after beignets from Cafe Beignet, which was just across the street from our hotel. They were warm and powdered and amazing. From there we got picked up at our hotel by VIP City Tours for a 2 hour tour of the city! We got to see the mansions, the garden district, the 9th ward, several key spots in regards to Hurricane Katrina, cemetery #2 and ended at Cafe Du Monde. Our tour guide said his name was “Chris, topher, or whichever you prefer” and he was really good! Again, you could tell he was proud of his hometown and happy to share it with us.
A couple things that stood out to me from the bus tour: first, it was crazy seeing and hearing about all the systems that failed them leading up to Hurricane Katrina. Christopher told us there was even a federal investigation afterwards that did show the Army Corps of Engineers to be at fault, only to turn around and give the government back the contract to fix the issues. My libertarian brain was thinking that if a private company failed to that extreme there is NO WAY they’d be given that contract back. And ALL of it was done with tax payers dollars. Shame.
Second, my brain could not handle what I learned about their burial practices. I kept wondering why “cemetery tours” kept showing up as something we should do while visiting. Apparently, New Orleans is below sea level so they actually can’t bury their dead under ground. The bodies would literally float up. So, they bury them in tombs above ground. Some of the tombs are very old and ornate, so it’s become a thing to visit them. What I was shocked to learn was that it was not uncommon for entire families to be buried together in these tombs. The tombs are not that big so I was very confused at first. But Christopher explained the tombs basically process the bodies in a “natural cremation process” which allows for entire families to share these tombs over the years. Do you find that as crazy as I do or are you normal?
For dinner, we went to Oceana Grill where I had seafood gumbo that had shrimp and was oh so spicy and perfect and these “world famous oysters” which were basically equal parts oyster and butter with some garlic. They were worth all the hype!
Before heading home Sunday, we rented a car and went out to tour the Whitney Plantation. I have always wanted to tour an authentic plantation, but it was important to me that it be a place that was going to tell the true story of slavery. I found myself overwhelmed for most of the plantation tour. The atrocities that humans committed against other humans just makes me want to weep. Even more devastating was realizing that this was a global system at play. It was not just one country or one man heralding an ideology, it was a world wide system slated against our fellow man. In libertarian circles it is not uncommon for me to run into people who seemingly want to deny our country’s part in this system and I simply cannot understand that mindset. If you are ever in Louisiana, please do yourself a favor and make time to visit Whitney. We cannot change the past, but we CAN educate ourselves and do better for future generations. <3
NOLA, thank you for an amazing weekend, I WILL be back!
XO - Olivia
