Summer Road Trip, Days 7 & 8: New Orleans

Friday morning was a bittersweet one—we were leaving Gulf Shores, but headed to New Orleans, where none of us had ever been! We grabbed breakfast on the road and arrived at our destination in just a couple of hours. We had to valet park the car ($34! Yikes!) and leave our luggage with the concierge as we set off in search of a lunch worthy of a trip to NOLA. 

Hot and hungry, we trudged along Bourbon Street as Jamie and I attempted to calm our paranoid husbands, and finally I spotted an eatery I had seen on Groupon but didn’t know much about. At Olde N'Awlins Cookery, we received excellent service and delicious food, quite appropriate for a lunch celebration of Jamie’s birthday. Drew and Jamie split a giant shrimp po’boy, and Chris and I split the most enormous catfish platter you’ve ever seen.  Drew supplied some cupcakes for the occasion, and the server also brought out bread pudding for Jamie.

 I think we can say this was the best lunch we had all week! Our short stint in New Orleans meant no time for naps, so we pressed on to see the sights of the French Quarter. We stopped at a fire station and chatted with the firefighters, then continued on in time to see the steamboat Natchez pull away for an afternoon sightseeing cruise.

 We scoped out Café du Monde in anticipation of breakfast, and took pictures of the beautiful Saint Louis Cathedral.

Noah also was treated to a balloon sword from a street clown before we made our way back to the hotel to clean up for dinner.

We had reservations at Commander’s Palace, the #1 place to eat in New Orleans, according to my sources. ;) Despite Chris’ misgivings, we took a streetcar and transferred to a bus to get there. We allowed extra time to tour the famous No. 1 cemetery, but were disappointed to see that it was already locked up for the day.

Our meal at Commander’s Palace was exceptional—Drew, Jamie and I all ordered the citrus-glazed redfish and Chris had the pecan-crusted whitefish. Jamie indulged in a praline dessert, while I couldn't resist the blueberry lemon curd scone and Chris and Drew sampled the drunken peach ice cream. Noah and Audrey enjoyed the homemade vanilla ice cream as a reward for their good behavior in such a fancy restaurant. We couldn’t find any fault with that restaurant if we tried; the staff were professional and courteous, the meal was exquisite, and the setting was perfect for celebrating Jamie’s big day! We even had the chance to cut through the gleaming stainless-steel and copper kitchen on our way to buy a cookbook at the bar. Cool experience! After dinner, I asked the valet about anything interesting within walking distance, and he grabbed me a map of a walking tour right there in the Garden District. We walked a portion of the tour, gazing at gorgeous mansions dating back to the 1830s. The sun began to set and we wished for more daylight, but had to head back to the bus stop for the short trip to the hotel.

We set our alarms to wake up early on Saturday so we could beat the rush to the famous Café du Monde for their binge-inducing beignets and café au lait. The walk was about fifteen minutes, and we arrived just before the crowds. We weren’t sure whether to stand in line to order or go inside, but an older Asian lady working there succinctly instructed us to “Sit down! Order here!” 

When we were waffling about how many beignets we needed, she told us, “You order four. Four orders are what you need.” Yes, ma’am! She told us she made sure we would get hot, fresh ones from the kitchen, so Jamie walked around with Audrey a bit while we waited. When the beignets and coffee arrived, Jamie came back, and the beignet Nazi told her, “Sit down!” We were a little afraid that we’d be in trouble if we didn’t eat them all, but that turned out not to be an issue. The only one we didn’t eat was the one Audrey licked clean of powdered sugar, although I may have considered eating it anyway…

On our walk back, we stopped and spoke to one of the drivers of the carriage rides you see all over New Orleans. She was friendly and talkative, and explained to us why they use mules while the kids petted Dixie, her mule. It was a beautiful morning to view the architecture, the city rush, the stumbling drunks… well, anyway.

 We packed sandwiches and loaded the car for the long drive back to good ol’ Texas, our Texas. In Louisiana, we were aiming for a nice rest stop but it turned out to be closed, so with no end in sight, we drove pretty far off the freeway to Chicot State Park for a scenic picnic lunch and some playground time. 

We were home by about 8:15, safe and sound and full of great memories. I really treasure this week of our lives we were able to share with Drew, Jamie and the kids. 

Click HERE to see my full album from our road trip!