New Orleans Trip (Part 2) — Fashionably Kate

In February, I visited my sister in New Orleans. I went the weekend before Mardi Gras, so I was able to experience some of the festivities without them dominating the entire trip. It was super fun to get to watch some parades and see the whole city decorated for Mardi Gras. I had been to New Orleans during my sister’s freshman year too, but it was nice to visit again now that we are both over 21. Being under 21 definitely doesn’t hold you back much in New Orleans, but we were still excited to go to some more sophisticated restaurants and cocktail bars this time around. Here’s what we got up to over the weekend:

Friday

I took a red eye from San Francisco on Thursday night. There aren’t many direct flights to New Orleans, so I had to fly through Houston. While this was a bit of a pain, taking the red eye was a good use of my time. I landed in New Orleans on Friday morning at 8:30am and had the whole day ahead of me. I was a little shocked when I landed because it was so cold outside! I had been tracking the weather and it had said it would be in the mid-60s during my trip, but it ended up being in the low to mid-50s for most of the weekend. New Orleans weather is definitely a bit unpredictable, so I’ve learned it’s best to pack layers.

I called an Uber to my sister’s house from the airport and took some time to relax and settle in once I got there. Later that morning, we went to La Boulangerie on Magazine Street for brunch. It’s a cute French café with yummy pastries, sandwiches, and salads. We had gone there during my last visit as well, but I was happy to go back.

That afternoon we went for a walk through Tulane’s campus and around Audubon Park. Audubon Park is very pretty and peaceful and has a flat paved path that’s appealing to walkers and joggers. It’s usually a popular picnic spot for Tulane students on Friday afternoons, but the weather was still too cold for that at this point.

In the evening we went to happy hour at Cure, a trendy cocktail bar on Freret Street. They have a wide range of craft cocktails to choose from, and their charcuterie plates are really good as well. We had a reservation on the early side so it was quiet when we arrived, but the place quickly filled up while we were there.

After Cure, we headed to St. Charles Avenue for the Krewe of Cleopatra parade, which is one of the popular parades that kicks off the Mardi Gras celebrations. This parade was super fun and lively. It was “Greatest Hits” themed, so all the floats were based on songs. People of all ages lined the street to watch, and the people on the floats threw tons of beads and cups into the crowd (I came home with quite the collection!). Cleopatra was supposed to start at 6pm, but the parade happening before it ran late, so it got a bit delayed.

We had a dinner reservation at The Chloe for 8:30pm. The Chloe is a grand, old-world hotel in an Uptown mansion on St. Charles Avenue. The property is stunning, and they certainly thought of every last detail when designing it. At first we were a little bummed we had to leave Cleopatra to make our reservation. However, it actually worked out perfectly because we were able to sit on The Chloe’s outdoor patio and continue watching the parade from our table. There was a great atmosphere, and all of the staff were so friendly. They had a smaller set menu for Mardi Gras consisting of mainly salads, burgers, and sandwiches, but it was all really good. We were pretty tired after our busy day, so we headed home after dinner.

Saturday

On Saturday morning we went for a walk around Tara’s neighborhood and admired the gorgeous houses on the surrounding streets, such as State Street, Palmer Avenue, and Nashville Avenue. Her neighborhood, which is close to Tulane’s campus, is considered Uptown New Orleans, and it’s known for its grand, historic homes.

Tara had a sorority event that morning, and we went to brunch afterwards with some of her friends at a restaurant called The Ruby Slipper Cafe. It wasn’t anything amazing and I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it, but it was a good spot for a group. I will also say that they had great boozy iced coffee.

After we got back from brunch, we strolled down to Magazine Street. Since New Orleans is so flat, it’s very walkable. Uptown New Orleans is also quite residential, so it feels safe and you don’t need to cross busy streets to get around. Magazine Street has a lot of really cute boutiques and restaurants. It was about 5pm at this point and some of the stores had already closed, but we popped into a few that were still open, such as jeantherapy and Stella Dallas.

We had come across an adorable cocktail bar called Picnic when we had first gotten to Magazine Street, and we decided to go back for a drink after we were done shopping. All of the decor was picnic-themed (so clearly I loved it) and it had good casual cocktails and appetizers.

That night we went to dinner at Domenica, which is an Italian restaurant inside The Roosevelt Hotel downtown. This restaurant is on the fancier side, so it was fun to get more dressed up for this dinner. Our food and cocktails were so delicious, and it had a cool, sophisticated vibe.

We had made reservations a week or so in advance for our dinners both nights. I would say reservations are always valuable in New Orleans, but even more so at this time of year when so many people are in town.

That night I got to experience Tulane’s local college bar The Palms. This was definitely a stark contrast to the upscale restaurants and cocktail bars we had been to previously, but it was fun to see where the Tulane students go out.

Sunday

We finally woke up on Sunday morning to sunny weather, and it got pretty warm in the afternoon. We originally had a brunch reservation that morning at Birdy’s Behind the Bower, which looked really cute. However, it would have taken a while to get there with all the parades going on, and we felt like it would be nice to do something more casual after so many sit down meals. Instead we walked to French Truck Coffee on Dryades Street for coffee and breakfast sandwiches. French Truck Coffee is another New Orleans staple that never disappoints. They have a couple locations around the city, and I highly recommend a visit to one of them.

On our walk back, we came across another parade on St. Charles Avenue, the Krewe of Carrollton. There was a huge crowd at this parade. While the parades are surely an excuse to party for some New Orleanians, they’re also very wholesome and family-friendly at the same time. All of the kids would stand up on step ladders so they could see and catch goodies that people threw from the floats. We watched for a little bit and caught some more cups and beads to add to my collection. There were other parades going on in the French Quarter that day, but we didn’t want to get stuck there when I had to get back to the airport that afternoon. Instead we had a leisurely walk back down Magazine Street to get home. We also had to make a final stop at Creole Creamery, which is some of the best ice cream I’ve ever had.

When trying to get around the city during this time of year, the parade schedule and routes are definitely important to keep in mind (Tara would use an app to track them). There were a couple times when we had to take some longer detours or get out of Ubers early and walk for a bit in order to avoid streets closed for parades. Though this can make it a little harder to get around, it’s also fun to casually run into parades!

Overall, it was a quick but very successful trip. I always enjoy eating, shopping, and just walking around the beautiful streets in New Orleans, but I was grateful to be able to experience some authentic Mardi Gras festivities this time around too. My trip even inspired me to have my own Mardi Gras party at home, complete with Kings Cake and all.

I would definitely recommend the week before Mardi Gras as a fun time to visit the city. It worked out well for me because I was able to stay with my sister and we didn’t venture too far out of her neighborhood. However, I know hotels can be pretty expensive at this time. Additionally, if you’ve never been to New Orleans, it might be better to go at a different time of year. While the Mardi Gras mania is exciting, the city has so much more to offer as well, and it’s certainly harder to experience it all when there are parades going on.

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Mar 21 New Orleans Trip (Part 2)

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