April 2020

Rough Draft: New Orleans, Louisiana

Due to the COVID quarantine, I am creating rough draft, “off the shelf” travel itineraries for when travel resumes normal operations so we do not waste any time getting out and exploring!

New Orleans has been my most requested itinerary so this was an easy one to pick. Kevin got one look at the food options and was sold! Here is a three day weekend that I hope to put to use the second half of 2020. With three day weekends, I always like to sneak in on Thursday night to get the full day in Friday. Make sure to go hungry – I cannot wait to eat at all these delicious places! You may think “wow, that’s a lot of food” but my plan is to sample and share dishes to have the opportunity to try more things – the more people, the more you get the try.

While everyone knows about Bourbon Street and the French Quarter, one of the under rated areas to stay in in the Garden District and I think that is where we would choose to stay. Having a car may or may not be necessary given the public transit, including the street car system. Like most three day weekends, I like to leave after work on Thursday to give a full three days of exploring.

		Activity
Day 0	Afternoon	Arrive /check in
	Evening	Explore neighborhood where staying
Day 1	Morning	City Park Explore Treme
	Afternoon	St Louis Cathedral / Jackson Square Museum – National WWII, Pharmacy Cemeteries
	Evening	Preservation Hall Explore French Quarter
Day 2	Morning	Explore Garden District
	Afternoon	Excursion: Swamp boat tour, Barataria Preserve Visitor Center, Whitney Plantation
	Evening	Crescent Park Explore Bywater
Day 3	Morning	Excursion: Swamp boat tour, Barataria Preserve Visitor Center, Whitney Plantation
	Afternoon	Revisit an area you want more time for!
	Evening	Depart

The food scene here is so exciting! It is going to be hard to pick only a few for a few day trip – it feels like snacking and sharing through New Orleans is going to be the way to go. Here are some of the top picks in each neighborhood that I will be attmpeting to fit into this short trip:

Garden Distrcit	French Quarter	Treme	Bywater
Turkey and the Wolf Silver Whistle Cafe Mojo Coffee House Gris Gris Mosquito Supper Club Atchafalaya Commander’s Tchoup Yard	Cochon Butcher Cafe du Monde Cafe Beignet Gumbo Shop Petite Amelie French Truck Coffee Compère Lapin Tiki Tolteca The Carousel The Jazz Playhouse May Baily’s Place Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop	Mr Ed’s Oyster Parkway Bakery Willie Mae’s	The Elysian Bar Bacchanal Fine Wine The Joint BBQ Parleaux Beer Lab