New Orleans, Here We Come!

~ Julia
New Orleans, Here We Come//list Maker Picture Taker
Global and Co

For several years now, Eric and I have been wanting to venture south for a winter getaway. Chicago winters can be tough to endure, and they tend to drag on well into the months when other parts of the country are enjoying Spring. So to have even just a long weekend to ditch our heavy winter layers would be bliss.

Every year we’ve wanted to get away, yet every year we’ve managed to talk ourselves out of it for one reason or another. Not enough money; not enough time off; who’ll take care of the dogs? There’s always something. But since our trip to Paris this past fall, we’ve both caught this sort of wanderlust and reached an important conclusion: we want our lives to be about what we do, not what we own. Because when it comes right down to it, it’s the memories we make together that are really going to matter and make us happy. With that in mind, and after much deliberation around when we could manage to get away, we booked our tickets for a four-day trip to NOLA this coming March!

We’ve been talking about New Orleans as a destination for a while now. My oldest sister did a year of AmeriCorps there and the way she described the city has always piqued my interest in checking it out. It doesn’t hurt that I’m a bit of a Francophile and the French influence on the region is still very well-preserved. I’ve also heard that New Orleans has some of the coolest cemeteries in the country, and so there is definitely a tour or two in our immediate future. For Eric, NOLA’s reputation as a foodie town is definitely at the forefront, and he’s super excited to eat his way through the weekend. Me, I plan to indulge in a cafe’ au lait and a yummy plate of beignets at the infamous Cafe Du Monde.

What else should we do while we’re there? We have four days of fun, so send your best New Orleans tips via the comments below!

19 thoughts on “New Orleans, Here We Come!”

  2. Take the St. Charles Street Car and look at all the homes (plus there are plenty of top notch restaurants along the Avenue). The Zoo and the Aquarium are very good. Listen to some Jazz in the Marigny. Riverboat cruises, while sometimes pricey, can be fun (and historical if you take the one the site of the Battle of New Orleans). And don’t wear dark colors the day you go to Cafe Du Monde!

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  4. I’m jealous. I’d love to visit New Orleans someday (and have considered the French PhD program at Tulane, once everything settles for a little while). Many of the streets are named for French cities but the architecture is very Spanish – a terrific mix of cultures from its colonial past. Enjoy!

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  5. Hey, Julia – thought I’d drop in from my blog and see what you’ve got going on with yours! Your earlier commenter Kurt from Nola Nerd Couple had great advice, especially about what not to wear when you eat beignets!

    I was interested to see that you work in social services – I work for a community action agency that provides a broad range of social services in rural West Texas.

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    1. Hi Melinda – Thanks for dropping by and for your NOLA tips. Definitely will pack some lighter colors to wear for beignet day 🙂
      Always happy to connect with a fellow social service provider. Looking forward to seeing more of your photos and hearing more about your work.

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  6. Greetings: Are you familiar with Ray Laskowitz a professional photographer who lives – and loves – New Orleans? just google his name. He blogs on Word Press and has a website too, etc. Nice blog yours!

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    1. Hi Vera – Thanks so much for stopping by and for pointing me in the direction of Ray Laskowitz. His work is incredible and I’m so looking forward to sifting through the archives and reading more of his writing. Thanks again 🙂

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  8. I’m so jealous, I visited NOLA in August 2014 and it was amazing, you will have so much fun.
    The garden district is beautiful and seeing as you mentioned cemeteries you could visit Lafayette Cemetery while you are there, it is nothing like I have ever seen before and has even been used for a bunch of films and tv shows.

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    1. Thanks so much for the tips! Definitely planning on stopping by Lafayette. We have heard mixed reports that you can’t tour alone- was that your experience?

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      1. We just caught a street car from the French quarter to the garden district then walked around the area and Lafayette ourselves. We were not aware of any rules about going alone? So I think you can. If you’re interested in learning about the history a tour would probably be better, depends on your interests I guess

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  9. New Orleans is one of the American cities I reaaaaally want to see one day! I love the culture and the history behind it, the creole food… That’s a lovely trip you have planned there, I can’t wait to read about how it went, here on the blog!

    Best wishes from Romania!

    Gabi

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