New Orleans, Louisiana – Part 1

*This post contains affiliate links. Clicking on them will not cost you anything.*

Imagine walking on streets that were full of vibrant colored architecture and ornate wrought iron balconies that were adorned with flowers. Every corner you turned, had something interesting for you to look at. Sometimes, your ears would fill up with the sound of someone playing the saxophone and all you could do is get lost in the music.

This place is known as New Orleans and it’s one of the most colorful and alive cities I have ever been to. I went in May of last year with a friend and it was a blast! We went everywhere from the French Quarter to the Garden District. Wherever I went I felt like I needed to snap a bajillion pictures. So brace yourself because this post is going to be focused on the beautiful facades of the French Quarter.

We reached NOLA (New Orleans) in the late afternoon and immediately went in search for the famous Cafe Du Monde. If you don’t already know, this place is known for its beignets which is one of the main reasons I’ve always wanted to come here.

Entering the cafe, the first thing I noticed was that the floor was covered in powdered sugar, it was everywhere! We found a table, ordered some and patiently waited for these perfectly fried dough covered in powdered sugar.

When they finally came…I was a little disappointed. I had heard so much about them so I was a little surprised when I took a bite and felt that they were dense rather than airy and fluffy. They were okay and not as good as I’ve had before (outside of NOLA). If this place is your favorite place ever, I apologize!

Booking.com

Even though I left feeling unfulfilled, I did not give up on my search for good beignets! As you continue to follow my NOLA posts, (SPOILER ALERT) you will see that I succeeded in my mission!

Then to digest those, it was only obvious that we strolled around and got acquainted with the area. One of the main attractions here is the French Quarter which is one of the oldest neighborhoods in NOLA.

It was founded in 1718 by French Canadian naval officer Jean Baptiste Bienville and was designed like a military-style grid of 70 squares. It was developed around a central square which is now known as Jackson Square that features a park and the St. Louis Cathedral.

This whole area is so vibrant and full of shops, restaurants and people making music.

Once we felt we had burned off those beignets and were ready for dinner, we took a cab over to a place that my friend’s coworker recommended, Jacque Imos, a Creole soul food restaurant.

This restaurant was so cool! The people were super nice and friendly. We ordered fish and fried chicken. It all came with a spinach salad and fried oyster. Everything was delicious. At the end they gave us free dessert! Yes, FREE DESSERT! It was a coconut bread pudding which was really good and had just enough of the coconut flavor to add something extra for your taste buds. Unfortunately, the lighting in here wasn’t good so my phone camera couldn’t capture the food.

After dinner, we headed back to our hotel which was located near the French Quarter and decided to catch a streetcar instead of a cab.

These streetcars are the oldest mode of transportation in NOLA and are really cheap and efficient! They are such a great way to get around in this city and I loved using them! Once we figured out which way we were going, it was easy.

The fares are $1.25 (exact change) one way but you also have the option of one-day and three-day unlimited pass for $3 and $9 respectively. For further information on streetcars, you can click here.

Part 2 features the Garden District, Frenchmen Art Market and of course, more beignets!Save