NOLA Darling
Hey heyyyy! I’m back yall, so let’s get right to it! My first trip of the year was to one of my fave places, New Orleans! NOLA is always a good time and this time I went to celebrate my friend Whitney’s 30th birthday!! We decided on a long weekend trip arriving on Thursday, March 10th and heading back home on Sunday, March 13th.
There were about 10 of us on this trip and instead of our usual hotel stay, we ended up staying at an Airbnb. I don’t know what’s going on with the airlines these days, but for us girls leaving from NYC our flight got delayed for 2 hours so we didn’t end up arriving in NOLA until after 8 PM. Is it just me, or does the airport look brand new? For the life of me I did not remember the airport looking the way it does now. Last time I was there the airport seemed a bit outdated, but it looks so good now. Anyway, once we landed we were hungry and in search of food but nothing was open in the airport 😩. We decided to call an Uber to take us to We Dat Wings so we could get some food and head to the house.
The ride from the airport took around about 20 minutes and once inside, we placed our orders, got a drink and called another Uber to take us to the house. The house ended up being on a quiet, empty block but it felt so secure with a code needed to enter the front gate and another to enter the home itself. Once inside, we were hype to see our friends. We ate our food really quickly because we were getting ready to head to the French Quarter to bring Whit’s birthday the right way!
By the time midnight hit we all had some of the famous Hand Grenades to drink and found a spot to dance and turn up. One thing about those drinks is that the sweet taste will fool you, but they sneak up on you so quickly. After drinking and dancing we headed back home cuz we had plans for the next day.
The next morning we woke up early to get started. My friend Anna is really talented with decor and balloons are her speciality. She has a company Designed & Decorated (so book her if y’all want a fly setup). She woke up early as hell to create a balloon backdrop for Whit, it gave off disco ball vibes with a mix of Mardi Gras. Now we tricked Whitney into thinking that we would be heading out to brunch, but we really paid for her fave TikToker Jo Jackson to cater a brunch for her. He came by and set everything all up before we finally let her out of her room. She was so surprised to see that he was there. He ran down everything that he made and wished her a Happy Birthday before leaving. Everybody served themselves and we sat down to eat. The food was too good, let’s get the bill, purrr lol.
After eating we chilled a bit before getting ready to head over to Cafe Du Monde for some beignets. Our Uber driver was prepping us for the line we would come across, but once we pulled up she let us know how lucky we were that the line wasn’t too bad. I ended up getting two orders of beignets (they usually come three in a bag, but I got four in both of my bags and a bottle of water). By the grace of God we found three tables all next to each other and I couldn’t wait to take a bite. After eating and chatting for a bit we walked around before heading to Felix’s to get some alligator bites and other food. Since we had to get back to the house so Whitney could get her makeup done, we got our food to go. I ended up getting some chargrilled oysters, fried alligator bites and a fish poboy.
Friday’s Day Outfit:
While Whit got her makeup done, I took a quick nap then got up in time to get ready for dinner. It started storming, but we had dinner scheduled at Domenica an Italian restaurant so we headed out. There was a bit of a mixup with the reservation, but they made sure to accommodate us. The vibe was so nice inside. I ordered the spicy rigatoni and added a meatball to the side with an amaretto sour. We had the last seating of the night, but the food and service were great regardless which I love in a restaurant.
Friday Night Dinner Outfit:
Similar Dress: Naked Wardrobe All Snatched Up Sleeveless Bodycon Dress
After arriving back to the house, we changed into something more comfy before heading to Vandal which is a hookah bar. When I tell you it was freezing that night! We got to Vandal and they were able to seat us outside in the tent with heat lamps. The music was right and the fries and drinks were good, but chile it was so windy I thought the tent was gonna fly away 😭😭. After singing our night away and enjoying the vibes we headed home for the night.
Friday Night Chill Outfit:
Boohoo Hem Detail Ruched Sleeve Shirt
For Saturday, we planned on brunch before heading to a swamp tour. It was freezing again that day which sucked, but we made the most of it. First we headed to brunch at Up & Adam Eatz which is black owned. Babyyyyy, the food was amazing! I ended up getting the Tchoupitoulas omelette (which includes crawfish, shrimp, green peppers and onions with a crab meat cream sauce) and after tasting a piece of Anna’s catfish, my friend Janyce and I ended up getting a piece to share. This place def made it to one of my top 5 brunch spots in NOLA based on the food alone. Before heading to the swamp tour we walked to Walgreens on the corner and to get some liquor and throws because heading out on the water in the cold would be uncomfortably cold. The thing I love about Walgreens in New Orleans is that you can get bottles of liquor from behind the counter. We ended up getting Hennessy to mix with our to go drinks from brunch before calling Ubers to head to the swamp. Our Uber driver was so nice and held great convo with us on the ride there.
Saturday Day Outfit:
Fashion Nova Life is a Beach Crop Top Similar Top: Tie Front Linen Blend Top ; Shein Floral Print Tie Front Top
Fashion Nova Wild Child Printed Straight Leg Jeans Similar Jeans: BDG Ecru Tiger Print Juno Pant
Once we arrived to the swamp we checked in and got on the boat. Our driver/tour guide made for a good time. It was freezing even and the gators didn’t really come out to the boat they sat on the sides, but at least we got to see them. I would’ve been disappointed if none of them came out at all. The company arranged transportation back to the French Quarter for $10 a person. We got some lunch to take back to the house before getting ready for dinner that evening. We got changed and headed out to Morrow’s for the evening.
Now let me tellll you! I love the food at Morrow’s, but we had a reservation and they asked us to wait at a bar on the next block until they could seat us. When I tell you they had us waiting forever. Anna went over there and got them to honor our reservation. Come to find out they didn’t want to seat us right away because they had some celebs coming in that evening and wanted to make sure the big tables would be open for them. After finally seating us at around 10ish, we ordered and vibed out. The celeb guests showed up and it turns out that Jamie Foxx and Bow Wow were booked for two tables. Our food finally came and we started eating, drinking and singing, we had a great time after all of that. Jamie even came over and recorded us singing at the top of our lungs, it was so much fun. I will say that the staff seemed a bit overwhelmed that night as I had to ask for one item that I ordered twice and it never came out, so I told them to cancel it. I also want to point out that the owner walked by twice and didn’t even greet anybody, he was more concerned with the celebs which I get, but it doesn’t take much to greet your patrons in passing with as little as a “Good evening”, “Hope you’re enjoying”, or something!
Saturday Night Outfit:
Fashion Nova Metallica Washed Top Similar Top: Urban Outfitters Iron Maiden Graphic Tee
Zara Faux Leather Flared Pants Similar Pants: Wide Leg Faux Leather Pants
We ended up getting back to the house after midnight and Anna, Janyce and I just started packing up right away since we had to leave for the airport at like 3 AM. Also it was daylight savings so it went from 1 AM straight to 3 AM. We scheduled our Uber ride ahead of time and said our goodbyes before heading out. Once we made it through security we waited until Starbucks opened and got some coffee before boarding the plane.
All in all, New Orleans is alwayssss a great trip. I could go there just to eat and drink and I would be content. I am including the Airbnb info below in case you are interested, and if you have any questions please feel free to let me know in the comments below. Don’t forget to like, subscribe and share and speak to you soon!
