New Orleans: the French Quarter

courtesy of travel.nationalgeographic.com

When I thought no city can top Memphis live-music scene, I was completely wrong. In New Orleans, the city of jazz, there are live music band everywhere: from Bourbon street to parks to Jackson Square, sending everyone dancing on the street like no one’s watching!



I actually love it here, love it because of the blossoming culture unlike anywhere else, love it because of the vibes, and most importantly, LOVE IT BECAUSE OF THE FOOD! And I was so upset for having to leave this soon…

French Quarter

For the first time, I did not care about visiting any museum. I didn’t want to be cultural in NOLA, I wanted to be fed/fat, either way!

Café du Monde

That was 8.45 in the morning. Look at the crowd.
@littlemisshappyfeet

It was crowded as it is touristy, it always is and always will be! We were lucky to get an indoor seating. Here you will have a super simple menu: coffee and beignets, that’s all. I was eager to find out what makes them so famous. I ordered beignets and Cafe au Lait ice as recommended by my friend, Christina. The combination was just TOO brilliant (note that I hated coffee), I have no words for it, you simply have to come here and try it, end of story, full stop.

with perfect amount of powdered sugar.
@littlemisshappyfeet

Moonwalk
It is just a stone throw away from Cafe du Monde. What an enjoyable walk on a sunny day along the great Mississippi river (with a great view) ! You can watch the historic streetcar by the river / rent a bike/ people-watch/ enjoy a picnic.

Jackson Square
There were musicians at 4 corners of the square and a lady who offered to read my palm. It is a good place to start experiencing the eclectic nature of this city. If you are interested in a carriage ride, there are carriage tour services available at the gate of the park.

Art Galleries

He found me! (wearing the same colour combination. )

Highlights: 
Rodrigue Studio New Orleans- Specialize in Blue Dog painting.
Gallery Burguieres- Very likable cute, whimsical animals paintings, especially the fox. Had a quick chat with Scott and Torry, they also consults people who would like to get Ally's art printed on merchandises.
 ????- I don't remember the name of the shop! I found all those portraits without faces eerie, at the same time very interesting. (Someone please tell me the name )

Bourbon Street
The party street of New Orleans it is! In evening, the road will be closed to vehicles and there will be street performance, live bands and people dancing on the streets! When I was there, there was a spontaneous parade (the locals don't seems to see it coming either) with sport cars, trucks with people throwing some merchandises (wrist bands, coupons, necklace...) to onlookers.  

The art of Voodoo
I remember checking out a voodoo and Esoterica-occult shop in French Quarter where the owner of the shop explain “voodoo” to me and show me some really cool herbs, dolls and potion oils. There is nothing to be afraid of, just enter any voodoo shop to experience the city's supernatural vibe!

French Market

The front part of the market are filled with local farm products, it gets more and more exciting as you walk further in… you will come to a point where you are surrounded by all those NOLA unique food and souvenirs! This is the place for you to go crazy on food: aligator bites, frog legs, fresh oyster, crawfish, poboys and jambalaya. The weirder the better! The last part of the market is actually a flea market. Public washrooms are available here.

For the perfect souvenirs from NOLA, come to the French Market and search for these.
Also, those magnets and pins are relatively cheap.  

Tips: This place may be overwhelming and you don’t know where to start. If that’s the case, sign up for a free French Market walking tour and get all the expert’s advises.

Lastly, don't forget to eat, eat and eat more!

Our dinner: Fresh seafood from Mississippi River.  

Thank You for Reading! 

This post is based on my opinion and personal experience. 

Feel free to share your thoughts with me by commenting below!