New Orleans

Last month I headed down to NOLA for the first time ever. The annual American Academy of Optometry meeting was held there this year, and I had a great time meeting up with some of my classmates and attending many hours of continued education - most of which were enjoyable and beneficial to my ever-increasing ocular wisdom! And we got to play with new diagnostic equipment (that's my retina below).

Thankfully this meeting coincided with fall break, so Erika and I decided to make an extended trip out of it. The girls and I enjoyed a few nights in the part of town we could access by foot near the convention center. Then, on Saturday afternoon Jesse and Brian drove down to meet Erika and me. We had a cute home rented for the weekend through AirBnB. As soon as we settled in, we were ready to explore.

We had lunch at Mother's where we all scarfed down po'boys. But first, you must wait in line outside until you're called, about 10 customers at a time. Then you're allowed in and instructed to stand single file along the counter until your turn to order. And they weren't kidding. The kitchen crew is running about delivering plates of food to customers and to the front counter, so it's best to stay out of their way. But we quickly forgot the brash attitude as we ate our po'boys, which are topped with "debris," This is a scoop of the tiny, tender fibers of meat left in the bottom of the pan. Delicious.

You can't go to NOLA without walking around Jackson Square. The adjacent streets are lined with artists, musicians, and street performers. And if you're lucky (as were we) you might even walk right into a wedding (or three)! This is the heart of the French Quarter, and rightfully so with a backdrop as beautiful as the St. Louis Cathedral.

Just across the street is the famous Cafe du Monde. It's on every list of "must-do/must-eat." I've heard about these beignets for years, and couldn't wait to taste them! We took the impatient route and chose the "to-go" line, where we (somewhat) quickly had our beignets and coffee in hand. If you're not familiar, they are also known for their chikory root coffee. Y'all, the beignets were incredible. They are served in orders of 3. They're so simple - fried dough fritters covered in powdered sugar, but they know just how to do them at Cafe du Monde.

We strolled the streets and admired the French-inspired architecture.

Then we had to experience Bourbon Street at least a little. As you can imagine, it's not my preferred scene, but it was quite the place to people watch! Where else might you see an 80 year old lady in a red tutu have a crowd dancing with her in the street?  You have to walk around a while to absorb it all, except the smell - try not to absorb that (although inevitable). Also worth noting was the number of babies and strollers on Bourbon Street, as evidenced by the photo.....

For brunch the next morning we took some local recommendations and ate at the Ruby Slipper. Our wait time was an hour and a half (!!), so we grumbled and walked with growling bellies all the way to the Super Dome and back. It was chilling to think that people made that same trek to "safety" during Katrina.

The Ruby Slipper's specialty is their take on eggs benedict, which they call "bennies." I had the Smoked Salmon and Eggs Blackstone bennies. Everything on the table was delicious and worth the wait!

We spent the afternoon at the WWII Museum. I will be the first to tell you that history is not my forte, so I enjoy going through museums like this and learning along the way. The museum is stretched out over three buildings and is rather new and impressive. Their display of various aircraft is really neat.

On our way out of New Orleans we stopped for a swamp tour near Lake Pontchartrain. This was my favorite part of the trip. It was a perfectly beautiful day outside, and the boat ride was relaxing. The swamp is not like anything I've experienced before. Our guide would bribe alligators toward our boat with marshmallows, even getting them to jump up out of the water!

I'm really glad we went to New Orleans, and I'm happy to have experienced it with friends!