Nola Part Deux

I've posted on New Orleans before, but promised an update. Here it is.

We again went over Halloween, well technically the weekend before, which I think is a great time to visit. The weather is nice and it's a happening place then (probably always is).

Getting There
This year we flew American Airlines round trip and instead of taking a taxi to our hotel, an Uber was actually cheaper and easier. The airport has convenient ride share pickup spots making it easy to find. We also Ubered back to the airport upon leaving, and that driver made us promise to go to his house for dinner when we return! The locals are just super nice and welcoming and both of our Uber drivers were very nice and offered great tips.

Where We Stayed
We couldn't resist another stay at Hotel Provincial.
It's such a cute place in the perfect spot in the French Quarter. You're close enough to everything, but far enough to be able to sleep at night. Unfortunately, there were no ghost encounters this time. 

The Food
Felix's Restaurant & Oyster Bar
This trip was primarily booked in order to return to Felix's. I'm not kidding. Their chargrilled oysters are amazing!
Between Chris and I, we had a ridiculous amount (ok....5 dozen!) between us. They really are that good. And though we've tried, we've never been able to find any comparable around home.

Clover Grill
Perfect for greasy breakfast after a long night, or for a meal at the very end of your night (it's open 24 hours a day) is the Clover Grill. The food is greasy and buttery and delicious.
 
Cafe Du Monde
We made it to Cafe Du Monde this trip! Chris's first time. We happened to walk by and noticed the short line, so we jumped in. In no time we had a bag of fresh beignets. We headed to the river, found a spot to sit and enjoyed our treat.

Sylvain
Originally, I had reservations made at the famous Commander's Palace in the Garden District.
I ended up switching last minute as we didn't pack appropriate clothing (a couple places here do have a bit of a dress code) and we wanted something closer (if you're staying in the French Quarter, you have to take a car to it). I changed reservations for that night over to Sylvain. It's a very moody, local favorite in the area, and we enjoyed our meal.

Brennan's
Brennan's is another New Orleans institution. If you have the chance, have some brunch here. That's exactly what we did. Chris gave their oysters a try (while good, they're not as good as Felix's) and the rest of us had some amazing meals. A word for the wise- dress up a little here. This is the only place we felt a little under dressed.

Food Tour
This time we took a food tour with Destination Kitchen. What I liked about the tour is that it introduced us to some food we'd normally never try (and likely won't try again) and some spots we hadn't noticed before.
I think a food tour is great in new cities, but I might look for a different tour if I went back again. If you're a picky eater, there may be some items you won't even try. Nothing too weird, but a rice mixture in a sausage casing had a weird texture, the gumbo had duck in it, and there is mayo on the po' boy. So if those aren't your things, you may want to skip this one.


Other Activities
Music
There is live music almost everywhere. We popped in a few places and saw some great bands.
 
People Watching
You can't beat the people watching. We ended up finding a balcony at a bar that amazingly wasn't crowded and we had a great time watching the people and costumes down below.
 

 

 
Frenchmen Street
Last time we tried to visit Frenchmen, everything was still shut down from COVID. We gave it another go this trip and it was great! Definitely plan a night here. You can easily walk from the French Quarter. Find some live music and grab a drink. We ended up watching a couple AMAZING bands at the same bar and really enjoyed our night. If you get hungry, definitely check out Dat Dog. It's a great brick and mortar hot dog place! So good.
 
Garden District
We also headed to the Garden District. Take the St. Charles Streetcar from the French Quarter for $1.25 each one way. You can find a self guided tour of the Garden District on Google and then walk around and see the houses of the rich and famous.
It's also home to the famous Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, which was closed at our visit.
After our quick little tour we grabbed an Uber back to the hotel, or you can jump back on the streetcar.
 
Ghost Tour
We took a tour with Hottest Hell this trip.
I did enjoy this one. I learned some things I hadn't known about the area, and overall it was fun.


New Orleans is such a fun time and I love the history. I'm curious how pretty it is over Christmas.
Grab some friends and have a great time!

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