New Orleans April 2009
Ah, a girl’s weekend in New Orleans! I’ve done a few of these over the years, and I never get tired of it. New Orleans is a crazy place; sometimes crazier than others, but always interesting. I’ve been there with boyfriends, girlfriends, marathon runners, and had a fantastic time every time.
This weekend was girl’s only. 5 of us for some food and fun. Unfortunately, I got a bit left behind and arrived a day late…not mentioning any particular airline’s name, but NEVER FLY THROUGH NEWARK!! I managed to get myself there by noon on Saturday however, and quickly made up for lost time. After a bonus celebrity sighting, I met Lori and Jean at our lovely hotel; the Maison Dupuy. It’s located in the French Quarter, but towards the outskirts, so it’s not quite so loud as being right in the center. But still only a 5 minute walk to the debauchery of Bourbon St. Because of my late arrival, I missed my scheduled cooking class (Deb and Rhonda went and said it was fun).
Anyway, on to the next activity; getting a tattoo. I’d been planning on getting one for quite some time and New Orleans just seemed like the perfect place to do it. We had done a little research online and found The Electric Lady tattoo parlor located just outside of the French Quarter in Snug Harbor . One reason New Orleans is a perfect place for a tattoo is the Go-cup; whoever came up with the idea that you can walk around the streets drinking your Hurricane (or whatever you fancy) deserves a prize. Just a little liquid courage to take the edge off. My first tattoo, and the experience was really good! They had a huge selection of designs to choose from, or they would custom design something if you wished (Lori went back later that day and had a custom tattoo done). Now, I know some people say getting a tattoo is painful, but I can honestly say it didn’t hurt a bit! A little uncomfortable for a few seconds, maybe, but I wouldn’t say painful. I’d get another one. And my husband loves it!
Deb and Rhonda’s room at the Maison Dupuy had a balcony that overlooked the courtyard and we decided to be voyeurs at a wedding happening there that evening. Sorry to the wedding guests if we were a bit too loud! And we also got to see the guests from another wedding in the quarter walking around the streets following a jazz band after the ceremony. What a great place to get married!
Food: great food, bad service. We just didn’t have good waitstaff karma this trip. But when the food did finally arrive (everywhere!)…gumbo, etouffee, crabcakes…it was all good. Petunia’s for breakfast (so big you can easily split an order with someone), and Red Fish Grill are 2 of my usual favorites.
Jean took a Garden District tour on Sunday afternoon; Lori and I perused some of the shops and a street festival (as well as guiltily watched an episode of ‘Millionaire Matchmaker’) and gawked at Brangelina’s house on the edge of the French Quarter. The architecture of the houses in the Quarter is very distinctive…the wrought iron balconies just beg for flowers and plants to cover them. We also took a walk to the cemetery where the Voodoo Queen is buried…not so scary in the daytime!
We saved Café du Monde for the last night…good thing or we would have been permanent fixtures there all weekend! How can fried dough taste so good??
There’s always something happening in New Orleans…even when it’s not a biggie like the Jazz Festival, or Mardi Gras (been to both…stories for another day). This weekend happened to be a triathlon right in the Quarter and a Pirate Convention…yes, a bunch of adults dressed up like Captain Hook. Not hard to figure out who was there for what.
Love, love, love this city and can’t wait to bring my husband back with me sometime to try out some of the romantic spots/restaurants.
