things i did in new orleans
new orleans.
the name of this city alone brings to my mind a particular kind of energy- it is a vibrant mix of all that is youthful and spontaneous, paired with a deep and complex relationship to culture, ancestry, and time-honored practices. it is a city for the loud, a city for the curious, a city for the free-spirited.
i traveled to new orleans for the first time in march of this year, accompanied by two of my oldest and best friends. it was the kind of trip that I know i will always remember fondly- i was young, i was in good company, and i felt free and full of life.
new orleans- in all its openness, its humidity, its stickiness- gave me a breath of air at a time when I needed it most. i reconnected with an unbridled version of myself, leaning into my most wonderful and bold impulses. being in this glorious and wild city reminded me of how profound and powerful it is to experience and celebrate the full force of life with friends and strangers alike.
new orleans reminded me to take it easy- to live life easily, lovingly, wildly, and fully.
new orleans- thank you for all that you are. thank you for all that you gave me. i can’t imagine that i won’t be seeing you again.
~moments in new orleans, march 2019
eat-
- the pork street taco from juan’s flying burrito (it is so good I could cry)
- gumbo from gris-gris
- order a foamy chicory coffee from french truck coffee
- eat crawfish (ideally, eat a fistful of crawfish given to you by a friendly stranger at a st. patrick’s day parade)
- fresh beignets from café du monde (or really just beignets from anywhere. just eat beignets)
- have a lovely dinner at k-paul’s louisiana kitchen
- if you’re out for a drink, get a hurricane, and also get a hand grenade
go to-
- walk around the lower garden district
- go to jackson square
- have many incredible nights out on bourbon street (my favorite spots: the cat’s meow and bourbon heat)
- explore the french quarter
- go on a walking tour of new orleans
- stroll around the louis armstrong park and congo square
- enjoy some live music on frenchmen street (definitely stop by the spotted cat music club and also go to the maison)
- go to the voodoo museum
- walk around the saint louis cemetery
- visit the whitney plantation
- take a drive out of the city, and hike a swamp trail
- explore the french market
- *if it happens to be st. patrick’s day- try to catch a cabbage from one of the parade floats (it’s good luck)*
songs I listened to-
- in the night- professor longhair
- just my imagination (running away with me)- the temptations
- good to me- floppy circus
- a kiss to build a dream on- louis armstrong
- man down- shakka, aluna george
- funky friday- dave, fredo
- boasty- idris elba, wiley, stefflon don, sean paul
- sugar- louis armstrong
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a special thank you to the incredible musicians performing all throughout the streets of the city, and an even more special thank you to all the wonderful people I encountered on this trip- some strangers, some friends, but all life-giving.
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originally posted: november 11, 2019.
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