Our friends David and Amanda moved from Atlanta to New Orleans last fall, and we’ve been dying to visit them. Neither the bf or I have spent much time in the Big Easy, and we thought it would be great to experience the city with people who live there. We took advantage of the long Memorial Day weekend, and drove down on Friday after lunch.

Friday, May 24, 2013

We arrived at about 7pm central time (yay to gaining an hour!) so we had time to settle in to our awesome, private suite at their cute house before heading out. We drove to one of their favorite spots, Avenue Pub, on St. James Street. On the drive, I was stunned by how beautiful all the homes were (pictured below). We sat on the upstairs balcony, had some drinks and food, and spent a nice evening together in the balmy weather.

Saturday, May 25, 2013

We walked over to David and Amanda’s neighborhood park, Palmer Park, for an arts market. We got to take the dogs, and saw more gorgeous homes along the walk. The market was bigger than I expected, and Sean and I both got some souvenirs: handmade soap and dish for me, and local coffee for him. (No, we did not get the sign for Stella – the picture is enough 😉 )

We spent the afternoon in the Garden District, starting with a yummy lunch at Stein’s Market and Deli (and a stroll through their beer room), 

followed by some window shopping (that hat looks great on you, David!) and gelato at Sucre.

We walked through the pretty neighborhoods of the Garden District,

and ended up at Lafayette Cemetery 1, which was eerie, interesting, and spooky.

For dinner, we went to Boucherie. While the food was good (my blue cheese gnocchi was unique and flavorful), the service was off – it took a long time to get seated even with our reservation, and it took forever to get our food. After dinner, we went to a neighborhood spot called Bruno’s, played darts, and relaxed. A great end to a fun, busy day.

Sunday, May 26, 2013

We went downtown and attempted to have lunch/brunch at Mother’s, but it was so busy that we decided to try something else. Domenica had been recommended to Sean by a friend, so we tried that and were very happy with it. The roasted cauliflower with whipped feta dip was delicious, as were the pizzas – white and wild mushroom. 

Then it was time for the French Quarter! Bourbon Street was…um…gross – there was this terrible smell that just permeated every inch of the air. Ugh. We grabbed a quick photo, and picked up a Hurricane from Pat O’Briens before heading to nicer parts of the Quarter.

Jackson Square and Decatur Street were much more enjoyable, and very beautiful. We strolled through some shops, took pictures, and made a drink stop at Molly’s at the Market to rest our feet and cool down.

David and Amanda took us on the Algiers Ferry (free!) to get a view of the New Orleans skyline. It’s a nice perspective from across the river.

We had dinner back at the house: chargrilled oysters with a creole butter sauce, homemade shrimp and grits, and some local ice cream for dessert. An oyster shell exploded on the grill, but other than that I think everything went smoothly for David and Amanda’s first attempt at making it!

After dinner, Sean showed us a bunch of his card tricks which was so entertaining because David and Amanda had never seen them before. We then played Uno as a drinking game – so fun! And Sean drank this…his favorite beer:

 

Monday, May 27, 2013

David and Amanda took us to City Park for a walk in the morning – I was stunned by how big and beautiful the park was. In addition, the art museum and botanical gardens are both housed there. I didn’t want to leave – I felt like there was still SO MUCH we could do and that we’d barely even scratched the surface.

Lunch was a traditional “Po’ Boy” experience at Parkway Bakery and Tavern in Mid City. A fun, informal spot with good sandwiches and a unique, tumultuous history (read it here), it was the perfect end to a fabulous weekend away. (The picture below is of the stairs, which are made from the bricks that used to be part of the ovens). 

We will definitely be back! See you soon, David and Amanda!