Ahh, my favorite city: The place where I grew the most and where I have some of my fondest memories. The city that holds my heart... New Orleans. I hadn't been back in what felt like forever! I finally convinced the boyfriend to make a weekend trip with me and we had a fantastic time.
Amelia had to go to her father's for Thanksgiving break. She was gone several days so Taylor and I took those days to go on a trip together to visit some family I have in the city. Although we were only there a few days, we managed to pack a lot of activities into our trip. After dropping Amelia off the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving, we started driving. We drove through the night (when I say we, I mean I. I drove through the night because I didn't want a grumpy, sleep deprived Taylor on my hands).
I woke up the sleepy Taylor as we approached one of my favorite views of the city. I always feel an immediate calm when I can finally see New Orleans in view. We were both happy to finally get there. It was about 4:00 AM when we arrived so instead of waking up my family to let us in the house, I decided to stop at Cafe Du Monde and get beignets and coffee. My dog, Beau, came on the trip with us. He loves New Orleans probably about as much as I do and he was thrilled when we got out of the car (Taylor didn't believe me but I swear he knew where we were at).
After the beignets, we headed uptown towards my old neighborhood which is where my Aunt lives now. We drove by my old apartment and down Maple Street- where I used to get coffee, do my laundry, go out to eat, and where my favorite boutiques is located! I always loved living in walking distance to so many things.
We stopped by my Aunts for a little bit but soon after decided to go for a walk at Audubon Park. This park is my favorite park. I used to walk or run there everyday, I've spent a lot of time with friends there, and I've spent a lot of time with Amelia there when she was just a baby. It was pretty chilly outside, but it was nice to feel the fresh air and see so many people out and about. After walking the park, I drove us through The Fly (located on the river in the back of Audubon Park) and the showed him The Tree of Life. This tree is one of the prettiest oak trees and it's also where I had my baby shower for my little Amelia, what feels like a lifetime ago.
We took a long overdue nap after an active night and morning and then headed to my grandmother's house in Covington, a short (ish) drive from New Orleans. It was great to see everyone and introduce them to Taylor. Eventually we headed back to my Aunt's, still tired from the previous 24 hours. We ordered pizza when we got there and stayed in to watch the game (the Saints were playing and they won).
We got up the next day with plans to explore; starting with walking around NOCCA, taking senior photos for my cousin (who's name is also Taylor). She was kind enough to snap some of me and boyfriend Taylor while we were there and I love them! We walked around the French Quarter, stopping in shops, looking at art, and listening to street performers.
After a few hours we were tired and hungry. We left the quarter and went to a spot off Magazine Street that I used to frequent, The Rum House. My favorite thing on the menu, by far, are the "Damn Good Nachos". If you didn't already guess, they are damn good!
That night Taylor and I went out. We rode the St. Charles Street Car from the beginning of the line to the end, getting off at Canal Street.This was his first trip to New Orleans, so we of course had to go down Bourbon Street for the experience! We stopped by The Roosevelt Hotel to look at their beautiful holiday display and grabbed a drink at Domenica while we were there. We headed over to Hotel Monteleone to stop in at Carousel Bar- a place where I have so many fond memories with close friends. After Carousel we headed down Bourbon Street, stopping in a few different bars along the way. We made it through Bourbon, with some time to spare, so we headed to Frenchman Street. We found what seemed to be a secluded bar, through a hallway and up a couple flights of stairs- only to see it was packed once we got inside. The music was loud and fun! Taylor doesn't often dance, but I managed to convince him that night. We eventually called an Uber and headed back to the house. I went to sleep happy and thankful that I got to share that trip with him.
We went to the zoo the following day, a couple shops down Magazine Street, and then went to Celebration in the Oaks that night. Celebration in the Oaks is one of my favorite Holiday activities. It's a magnificent light display in City Park. That explanation does not do it justice- if you are ever in New Orleans during Christmas, go to Celebration in the Oaks. After looking at all the lights, I wasn't ready to go back to the house. I knew we had to leave the next day and I was feeling sad about it. We went across the street to play mini golf (Taylor actually beat me this time) to prolong our night just a bit more.
We left on that Sunday, later than I had wanted and we also got stuck in a storm. It took us longer to get home than expected and I was exhausted by the time we got back. I have to give Taylor credit here though because he did drive most of the way back to Florida. It was kind of a sad trip home. I was thrilled to be able to see Amelia, but it's always hard for me to leave New Orleans. Taylor liked it too and wasn't quite ready to come home either.
We did it though; we made it back to Florida. I'm so happy he was able to come with me. New Orleans is so much more to me than just a city. It's difficult to explain. I changed into the person I am today when I lived there. I met my dearest friends there. It's where I learned to love myself. I got pregnant with Amelia there. It's Amelia's birth city. It's just got so much history for me, personally, and it was really special to be able to share that with Taylor.
The next place we head to is Seattle, where Taylor is from. I'm still missing New Orleans... but I can't wait to explore the city with the man I love. Amelia gets to come on the Seattle trip too! I can't wait and am counting down the days!
#travel #familieswhotravel #boyfriend #relationshipgoals #relationship #travelblogger #travelblog #coupleswhotravel #couplestrip #coparenting #holidays #celebrationintheoaks #bourbonstreet #magazinestreet #hotelmonteleone #carouselbar #theroosevelt #domenica #neworleans #neworleanstravel #onetimeinnola #nola #onetimeinneworleans #nolatravel #holidaylights #christmasinneworleans #thanksgivingweekend #thanksgiving #rumhouse #frenchmanstreet #frenchquarter #frenchquartertravel #adventure #photography #wanderer #wanderlust #audubonpark #audubonzoo #cafedumonde #beignets #roadtrip #drivingallnight #momblogger #adultstrip #nextvacay