New Orleans Bachelorette Weekend

Greetings from New York! Yes, I am back in New York City even if it is only for a short time before I am off again. As I you may have seen on social media I spent a long weekend in Louisiana. I had never been to New Orleans and it was a truly great time in the city and I spent three days in New Orleans for my good friend’s bachelorette weekend.

After a few delays my early Friday morning arrival became a late morning arrival but was still able to join a friend for a late brunch of Seafood Benedict before we headed up to Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 in the Garden District. We were planning on just walking around but happened upon a last minute tour which was quite enjoyable, despite it being a cemetery .  The part that got me the most excited is that it was the same New Orleans cemetery from this Double Jeopardy scene (an truly excellent movie)

From there we headed back to the heart of the city for our French Quarter walking tour where we started at Jackson Square and explored the area. Leaving the walking tour early we met up with most of the group at the original location of Cafe Du Monde, a French Market Coffee Stand famous for their beignets. My goodness were they good.

After some relaxing we went to dinner at the Palace Cafe before going to the Carousel Bar, Pat O’Brien’s, Bourbon Street, and Frenchman Street before calling it quits in the wee-hours. I had heard stories about Bourbon Street but seeing it calm and collected at 3pm and our walking tour and then again at midnight on a Friday I can truly say I have never been to a place that crazy. 

On Saturday morning we had brunch at Commander’s Palace, a true New Orleans classic and one of the top rated restaurants in the city. The three course price-fixe breakfast was delicious and with a dress code and four piece jazz band we definitely felt quite classy. From brunch we went straight to the Natchez Steamboat Cruise where we sat in the sun, going up and down the Mississippi River. After the cruise we headed back to the hotel as it was already time to get ready for our big night out.

For dinner on Saturday night we ate and Pêche Seafood Grill and holy crap was it delicious.  With eight people we tried almost every dish on the menu and my favorites were the gulf shrimp and marinated crab claws from the raw bar, the hushpuppies appetizer and the  jumbo shrimp with bacon and shell beans entree.  After dinner we went out, hard, and truth be told, I was one of the first ones home, leaving the bar at 2am – huge props to the ladies who were out past 4am!

By Sunday morning we lost one member of the team with an early flight but seven of us made it to Broussard’s Sunday Jazz Brunch where we opted for coffee and iced tea instead of drinks and where I tried to the Fried Chicken and Waffles. Afterwards we spent a casual few hours wandering around, stopping at the other location of Cafe Du Monde for more beignets, and picking up a few tourist souvenirs before heading to the airport.

We were only in New Orleans for a little over two days but we certainly fit a lot in! I loved taking tours, exploring the city, picking out my dream mansion, and celebrating my friend who is getting married in less than five weeks!

Have you ever been to New Orleans?