WHEN DID WE GO: August 2-4, 2017

WHY DID WE GO: USA Road Trip

HOW LONG WERE WE THERE: 2 nights

The accomodations

Where We Stayed: The Shogas Suite Air BnB

Admittedly, when we pulled up to our Air BnB in NOLA, I was a little bit skeptical, especially after our experience Nashville. It just really wasn't what I was expecting from the outside. But let me just tell you, that as soon as we got inside, that first impression was completely washed away!

The Shogas Suite was a beautiful, perfect one-bedroom apartment! It had gorgeous wood floors, a great little sitting area off the kitchen, are really nice bathroom, and of course, a quaint little bed and bedroom. And of course, great furnishings.

The one thing that was a bit of a bummer about the unit was that there wasn't a full kitchen. There wasn't even a microwave, which proved to be a little bit of an inconvenience on a few occasions. But, really, it was quite functional!

The unit was also really close to downtown! The first evening we took an Uber downtown. And as we were waiting for our Uber, these really friendly ladies down the street helped us track down our Uber. Then the next morning we walked downtown to Decatur street to check out the French quarter.

Overall, we really enjoyed staying here!

The Bummers

THE WEATHER. I don't know NOLA weather, but when we were there? It was storms on storms on storms on storms. The fact that it was nice enough to even go walk around without having to duck under cover was amazing to me. But, still, it was dark and gloomy and wet almost the whole time that we were there and it was wonderful.

THE UBER SERVICE. From the first Uber we took to get to Bourbon street on Night 1 to the one that picked us up at the end of Day 2, the Uber service in the city was just bad. I don't use Lyft, so I'm not sure if it's the same way. But I have never in my life had to walk more than a block to find my Uber that ordered, and in NOLA, we had to walk like 6 blocks to meet one Uber. To me, that's pretty ridiculous. I know, first world problems, but it was pretty irritating.

The Highlights

THE ART. One of my favorite things about this city was the art! After our first breakfast in the city at a quaint little open-air restaurant, which naturally featured live music and the sweetest waitress ever, the first thing we found was Local Artist's Co-Op! This is the kind of thing I personally look for when I'm traveling. Local stuff! Not the kitschy stuff you find at travel stores. We spent a ton of time in here, checking out the art, talking to the local artists, and naturally buying some very awesome street art. Also, you can't talk about NOLA without talking about the exquisite masks! I would seriously come back here for Mardi Gras just to see some of the mask's people wear! We went into one shop where we spent a ton of time just walking around taking pictures of the different, incredibly immaculate masks.

THE MUSIC. One of the reasons I wanted to go to both Nashville and NOLA was for the wonderful opportunity for live music! The very first night we were in NOLA, we made a B-line to Bourbon street for some drinks and entertainment. As a whole, Bourbon street wasn't really my scene. I'm not really into the clubby atmosphere, but there were a handful of places on Bourbon street that were a bit more authentic! And those were incredible! I could sit and listen to the music at these kinds of places for ages.

THE FOOD. I'll admit it, we came to NOLA for the food, primarily. Gumbo. Etouffe. That's what we came for. And there was really one place in particular that was definitely on the list of places that we had to go - Cafe du Monde! If you don't know, Cafe du Monde is famous for their beignets! If you want to actually sit inside the cafe, plan on an incredibly long wait! But, if you just want to sample the goods, fortunately they have a takeout window! I definitely recommend stopping here for a $3 beignet! It will definitely satisfy your sugar fix! Then, we asked the locals for some of the best places to go! We ended up settling on the Gumbo shop, because how can you go to NOLA and not get Gumbo! This ended up being even better because we could get a sampler! Not having to choose between all the wonderful New Orleans delicacies?! Yes, please!

JACKSON SQUARE. I really enjoyed Jackson Square! It was a quaint little square right off of Decatur and considering it was really close Cafe du Monde, it was a wonderful place to sit and enjoy our beignets and coffee. And lets not forget a cute little place to people watch.

ROYAL STREET. Of all the streets we hit up--Bourbon street and Decatur street--I really enjoyed Royal Street the most. It's a block down from Bourbon street, but a quarter as crowded and doesn't feel nearly so touristy, nor was it as touristy as Decatur street. It had a lot of the more authentic stores, mask shops and voodoo shops! Of all the streets, Royal street was my favorite one!