The Big Easy, The Crescent City, NOLA or Home. No matter what you call it, New Orleans, Louisiana is one of the most interesting places in the world. Known for Mardi Gras, Voodoo, wild parties and earning beads, there is so much more to New Orleans than just these things. Believe me, I have seen and experienced a lot in this city. However, there is more to French Quarter than Bourbon Street and there is most certainly more to New Orleans than the French Quarter. Both of which are mandatory stops when visiting NOLA.
Over the past 12 years or so, I have had the good fortunate to have spent nearly 65 weeks in this amazing place. That’s one whole year and almost a quarter of another. WOW! I jokingly have said my honorary residence card is in the mail. I have been named an honorary coon ass by some local friends. I accept that!
In this post I will highlight my last trip which was in October of 2019. I will highlight some of the restaurants that are always on the schedule when I’m in town. I also did a photo shoot that I was pleased with the way it turned out. I love NOLA near Halloween. The close connection between the voodoo roots and the ghoulishness of Halloween make for an amazing experience for sure. We were with some colleagues so we didn’t get too crazy, but we had a great time nonetheless.
Gumbo Shop, Saint Peter, NOLA
Gumbo is a mainstay of Gulf Coast cuisine. Made from a roux which consists of flour and fat used as the base and either okra or filé powder to thicken the mixture. The meat can be anything from seafood to beef, chicken, sausage or a mixture of any. Nearly every restaurant serves gumbo, but the best, in my humble opinion, is from the award winning Gumbo Shop in St. Peters in the French Quarter. A definite must when in the Quarter.
Cafe Du Monde, Decatur Street, NOLA
Chicory coffee is definitely an acquired taste. But when you have acquired it, you look forward to a great cup of coffee. The use of chicory root in coffee or as a coffee substitute dates back to the mid 1760’s in Prussia. The French introduced the practice in America during the Civil War when coffee was often in short supply. The Union Navy had blocked the port of New Orleans, every good soldier needs his coffee, so in order to make supplies last longer, chicory root was added. The practice became a tradition and the tradition has become the norm.
…and beignets… Who among us can pass up a hot beignet? NOBODY!!!
Cafe Du Monde has been open since 1862. With the exception a couple of days each year and about seven weeks (mandatory) after Hurricane Katrina passed through, they have been open for 158 years. The Decatur Street open-air Cafe du Monde is a must on your trip to the Crescent City.
Seither’s Seafood, Harrahan
One of our first trips into New Orleans, we were introduced to Seither’s Seafood in Harrahan. It is off the beaten path and not on the typical tourist trail. Local crawfish, blue crabs and shrimp are always some of the best in town. The oysters are big and always plentiful. We always make sure to stop in one every trip to New Orleans and love introducing new people to this great little stop.
Seither’s Seafood has received numerous accolades, including Louisiana Cooking Magazine’s Best Crawfish, Poboy-fest’s Best Poboy (5 years with 5 different Poboys), Nola.com’s Top Crawfish as well as , a visit from Guy Fieri as part of Eat Up New Orleans Season 29, Episode 13 of D3 (Diners Drive-Ins and Dives).
Pat O’Brien’s Piano Bar
Hard Rock Hotel Collapse
From haunted tours, Katrina damage, the Spanish invasion and subsequent burning of the Quarter (twice) to the most recent disaster, the Hard Rock Hotel Collapse, New Orleans is a hotbed for dark tourism. (Dark tourism is not a quest to gain pleasure from seeing tragedy, but rather a real and present reminder that life is fragile and shouldn’t be taken for granted.)
Saturday, October 12, 2019, tragedy struck the Hard Rock Hotel in New Orleans. The structure partially collapsed killing three and injuring nearly 30 people. Recover efforts were virtually nonexistent for months as engineers struggled with a plan to secure the cranes. This delay left one of the victims’ bodies unrecoverable. A tarp was placed over the body that was exposed to the view of onlookers. Three months later, the wind finally blew the tarp back exposing the victims body. As of this post, the body is still unrecovered and the site is still not cleared.
Random Pics
