I hold traditions near and dear to my heart! I have old traditions from my childhood that I still continue, I have traditions that we started with the birth of our daughter and some new ones we have added since. One of those traditions began years ago when we started leaving to go to New Orleans on Christmas day after gifts were opened and breakfast was had. This began as Bella got older and toys weren’t on her list anymore, we no longer had that fun filled Christmas day of unwrapping toys, getting them out of the boxes, placing batteries in them and playing all afternoon. Unfortunately, that chapter had closed as she was beyond the stage of toys. We wondered now what Christmas afternoon would be like. And that’s how our new tradition began years ago. Well then the world did what the world did, we all know what I’m referring to. And that tradition along with travel was put on pause.
Pause is now in the past and here we are in 2022 with our finger on the play button! There was much excitement with this trip to New Orleans. It was an unusual combination of having such familiarity with the city mixed with the newness of not being there for two years! So we researched a hotel and landed on The Olivier House on Toulouse Street in the French Quarter. It was built as a personal home (or shall I say a mansion) in 1839. It now has 42 guests rooms, all of which are very unique! I can not say enough incredible things about the staff here. Every one of them was so kind and had that Southern hospitality that adds to the charm of NOLA! Now I know each room is different in size and layout. We were blown away with our room. It had a small kitchen with a full size refrigerator, sink, coffee maker and coffee. It also had 2 full separate bedrooms and 2 bathrooms along with a living room. The doors in the bedrooms opened up to a small courtyard that was a quaint spot to enjoy a morning cup of coffee. It is located around the corner from Bourbon Street which is my least favorite street. But we always felt safe and we heard no noise in our rooms. One of my favorite parts of The Olivier House was the giant common area or lobby where hot coffee and a freshly made espresso were always available! There were also small snacks such as cookies, fruit and biscotti available. There was no charge for this, but we always made sure to tip the employee that made our lattes. This common area was two expansive living room style areas to relax in. The property also has 3 cats that live there and it was fun to just sit and pet them. This hotel really added to our stay and we will be staying here on all future trips.
As I previously stated, we leave on Christmas Day after gifts and breakfast. We jump in the car and head to Slidell, Louisiana. We always stay here because when we wake up the next morning, it’s a quick 40 minute drive into the French Quarter. And by the time we would arrive on Christmas night, not much is open and we are worn out. So we have found that staying just outside the French Quarter upon arriving in Louisiana works best for us.
We wake up to a crisp and cold morning on December 26th and make that quick drive over to New Orleans with excitement in our bones. It feels like forever since we’ve been to this special city! And now we are back and boy does it feel good!! I’m full of anticipation of what my first meal will be, too many good choices! But first let’s get settled into The Olivier House. Once unpacked, we grab our jackets, it’s certainly cold to us Floridians! Stepping into the French Quarter never loses its charm! The sounds of the jazz music, the smell of chicory coffee, the crisp Mississippi River air! We walk through the booths of the artists set up just outside the breathtaking St. Louis Cathedral. From there we head onto the two malls just outside the French Quarter. First we pop into The Outlet Collection at Riverwalk. This is an indoor outlet mall with a large food court and views of the Mississippi River. It’s actually where Carnival Cruises docks. By this point we were starving so we went with the food court. I know, I know, I’m disappointed in myself. But I redeemed myself by having some beignets and iced chicory coffee. There is a Cafe Du Monde in The Outlet Collection at Riverwalk. And now we are moving on. With shopping bags in hand and traces of powder sugar from the beignets on us, we stopped at the Canal Place shops, this is an upscale indoor mall.
Next it was back to the room to relax, cuddle with the cats and get dressed for this evening’s activity, a New Orleans Pelicans NBA game! This is also a tradition of ours. Except that we had purchased tickets to Wednesday night’s game but saw that they were doing special tickets that included a shirt with the ticket. Since it was last minute, we couldn’t find 3 seats for sale together so we bought 3 random tickets and watched the game inside the arena in the concourse area near all the food spots. The televisions were large, the chairs and tables were comfy and we enjoyed being at the game and cheering the Pelicans on. We haven’t done it this way before so it was a first for us. It was easy access to the food which was a plus. We had nachos that were delicious and all you can eat popcorn that had different flavoring oils that you added yourself. That popcorn was so good!! And it wouldn’t be a Pelican’s game without a couple glasses of Pelican Punch! We took an Uber there and back for convenience. The only times we used Uber on this trip was for basketball games, other than that, we walked everywhere.
The next morning we woke up hungry and ready for a southern breakfast, so we headed to Oceana Grill on Conti Street. It was just a few minutes walk. This place is open from 8am to 1am. It’s known for seafood but their breakfast options are not to be missed! We had the Pain Perdu (french toast), Maw Maw’s Cajun Breakfast (scramble eggs, rice, bacon and shrimp) and the Crab Cake Benedict. Wow! Everything was so full of flavor and absolutely delicious!! There was also a Bloody Mary and a Tropical Drink that accompanied this meal. Service was stellar!
With full bellies, we head to meet our bus for a 2 hour city tour with Cajun Encounters. This fantastic tour took us to a cemetery, City Park (another beignet and chicory was had at the Cafe Du Monde there), the 9th Ward, Garden District, Treme and so much more. There were a couple stops to get out and see things closer. Overall, I highly enjoyed this tour as we were able to see so much that was out of walking distance and our guide was extremely knowledgeable of the areas. It was well worth the cost of $55 a person.
After we departed the tour, we took a stroll around the French Market. In the past, we have purchased some awesome items from very talented artists! Each day is different so if you fall in love with something, it’s best to buy it right then. There’s many vendors, artists and food options in this outdoor market.
It was then back to our hotel to get dolled up for tonight’s dinner. I made reservations for a restaurant that has been on my list for some time. It’s known not only for its food but for the ghost that resides there. So much so, that a table is set for the ghost each night! I’m talking about Muriels in Jackson Square! They open for dinner nightly at 5:00. The restaurant is adorable and very antique like. It’s located in a 19th century building which adds to the charm! We had bone marrow, goat cheese crepes, duck, pork chops and creme brulee. Their drink menu is not too large but creative. I had 2 of their signature drinks, All Shook Up and the Fleur De Lis. The staff is attentive and on top of things. Each table is assigned 2 servers. My only disappointment was with how quickly this meal was moved through. Afterwards we went upstairs to the outdoor balcony terrace. We fell in love with this spot. As you can order drinks from the bar and bring them up here to relax and take in the incredible view! The bar and balcony open at 3:00 each day. From there we headed back to our room to relax as you don’t realize just how much walking you do here.
The next morning finds us again at the French Market. I did not heed my own advice so we are back hoping to find an item we saw yesterday but didn’t buy. But guess what, that vendor is not here now. Now our tummies are growling. So off to lunch we go. We decided on visiting a lunch favorite of ours from years past. Crescent City Brewhouse is across from the Mississippi River on Decatur Street. Now I will say that it’s not the food that brings us back but rather the view. It’s a large brewery with multiple floors and a live music area inside. We love going up to the 2nd floor balcony and eating outside with the views of the river and the entertaining people watching. The menu is small and the food is good but nothing out of the ordinary. We had an alligator sausage po boy, a shrimp po boy, roasted potatoes and mac and cheese. No complaints and our leisurely lunch was enjoyed. After we stopped in Jackson’s Square to have Nelson’s palm read. Regardless of how one feels about palm reading, it was a fun experience and I’m glad we did it.
Tonight’s plans involved 8th row seats at the Pelicans versus the Minnesota Timberwolves. These were some of the closest seats we have ever had at an NBA game. And they were spectacular!! It was a treat to really see the players and coaches up close. And to add to the excitement it was a high intensity game with the Pelicans pulling out a win! One perk of the seats is that you can mobile order food and drinks to be delivered to you. Oh yes!! I could get used to this! We chowed down on loaded nachos, popcorn, hot dogs and jambalaya. It was all very tasty! It was a great night!
And here we are on our last full day here. We spent the morning shopping throughout Canal Street and taking in all the sights of the area. We had learned on the bus tour that the Popeye’s Chicken on Canal Street is the original one. So as tourists, we felt we had to pop in to each eat a chicken tender in the original location. Yes, we are those people! It was yummy, we took a picture and now we can cross that off our list. We were trying to find a restaurant that served a soft shell crab po boy as that is my husband’s favorite. I found one nearby so off we went to Gallier’s Restaurant and Oyster Bar. This place was our least favorite stop of this trip. Menu was limited, the place could have been cleaner, overall just not worth returning when there are so many amazing other restaurants. But Nelson had the soft shell po boy, a little disappointed as it was dry with sauce lacking any true flavor. We also had a fried seafood platter and a hamburger with fries. It wasn’t a “bad” meal, just nothing special about the food or ambiance. I was in need of some caffeine, so I grabbed a New Orleans Iced Coffee from French Truck coffee. It was a refreshing and caffeinated cup of coffee but I wasn’t sure what made it “New Orleans” as the name stated.
We had booked a private carriage tour for 6:00 this evening. A carriage tour is a tradition of ours. It’s a neat way to see the sights and hear more about the history. In New Orleans, tour guides have to go through classes and testing to ensure their information is factual. SInce this was a private tour for just the 3 of us, we were able to let the guide know what we were interested in. And if you know us, you won’t be surprised that we chose haunted history! Our guide was a lovely local and it was easy to see just how much love and knowledge she had of the city. We use Royal Carriages each year, you can book online or find them lined up in Jackson Square across from Cafe Du Monde.
Since this was our last evening in New Orleans, we were not ready for the night to end. There was one last tradition that was still left undone. A haunted walking tour. We used French Quarters Phantoms Tours for the first time. We booked it by calling an hour before the tour was scheduled to begin and got lucky. This tour company runs a ton of different tours. We went on the Ghost and Vampire tour. We found it to be very inexpensive at only $22 a person. It was just under 2 hours long and was a fantastic tour. We have done so many walking ghost tours in New Orleans and they all seem to cover basically the same sites and stories. But this one was different and we loved it! It was interesting to hear new stories and visit different locations. We were shocked to learn about the vampire community and that there was a place you could go with the supervision of a nurse to partake in some vampire rituals. I told you that we learned new stuff on this tour! Our guide was phenomenal! We will definitely be doing a tour with them next year!
By now, we were starving! Too hungry to hunt down a new place late at night and 2 days before New Year’s Eve (the crowds were rolling in to celebrate and for the Bowl game), we went back to Oceana Grill. There was about a 10 minute wait for a table at 10:00pm. Totally worth it though! Just like when we had breakfast here the other morning, this restaurant was outstanding! We had an oyster po boy and this beyond delicious dish that consisted of french fries topped with this magical crayfish and alligator sauce. Oh my goodness, it was the best dish of the trip in my opinion. I was stuffed after that but I couldn’t leave without getting an order of the bread pudding to go. I am a firm believer that dessert tastes even better in pajamas! And let me tell you, I was not wrong! So back to the room after a fabulous last night!
We woke up the next morning to rain, non stop rain. That made it a little easier to say goodbye, or better yet See You Next Year NOLA! But we made one quick stop on the way out at Rouse’s Market. This grocery store is fantastic! They offer muffulettas from Central Grocery and Deli (Central was damaged from Hurricane Ida and is undergoing repairs). We picked up a few as souvenirs… who wants a shirt as a souvenir when they could have a muffuletta?!?! I also couldn’t leave Rouse’s without a king cake and bread pudding. I loved this grocery store and next year I’ll be bringing my cooler so I can really stock up! From there we hit the open road with a stop at Bucee’s for lunch and gas. And 11 hours later, we pulled into our driveway. We missed New Orleans the past couple of years and it felt remarkable to be back. It was fun to visit our old tried and true spots as well as incorporate some new places. New Orleans, you didn’t disappoint and we will see you in December 2023!
