To say that we had a great time in New Orleans this past weekend would be an understatement!  Not only did we attend a beautiful wedding, but we also got to experience the city in multiple ways – restaurants, site seeing, nightlife, the casino, etc.  And I must say that New Orleans is a beautiful city with some of the nicest people!  Don’t be fooled – there’s more to NOLA than Bourbon Street!

We started our day super early on Friday.  And by super early I mean 3 am.  Vishnu really wanted to explore the city before all the wedding events started  This meant we had to take a 6 am flight out of Fort Lauderdale (30 minutes from Miami).  While the early start wasn’t so fun, I’m glad we planned our day that way and had the opportunity to see New Orleans.

After dropping our bags off at the hotel, we took a cab to Surrey’s Cafe.  Thankfully, we didn’t have to wait at all because we got there right as the restaurant opened.  And the food was fantastic!  I ordered the migas with seasoned spicy potatoes – such a flavorful dish.  It definitely hit the spot and surpassed my expectations.  Vishnu ordered the shrimp and grits  couldn’t say enough good things.  The grits were super creamy, and the gravy was slightly spicy and infused with great Cajun flavor.  We were two happy campers after this meal!

Next, we walked.  And we walked and walked some more.  We walked down Magazine Street and Saint Charles Avenue, stopping to check out the Garden District and Lafayette Cemetery.  Then we made our way to Audubon Park and even got to see the Mississippi River.

We were meeting friends for lunch at noon, so we hopped on the street car/trolley (I wish every city had this) and rode it all the way to Canal Street and the French Quarter.  We had lunch at the Gumbo Shop, where I had vegetarian gumbo and delicious garlic mashed potatoes.  The four of us also enjoyed two rounds of Cajun Bloody Mary’s.  YUM!

We then met up with two more friends at Cafe Du Monde for beignets and coffee.  Totally worth the hour long wait!

We then headed back to the hotel to get ready for the sangeet/garba.  And boy did we garba (dance!).  A bunch of us started when the music started and didn’t stop until the very end.  Definitely got my steps in on Friday!

Later that night, about 20 of us headed to Pat O’Briens on Bourbon Street.  So much fun!  In fact, we didn’t get back to our room until a little past 3 am.

The wedding and reception were on Saturday, and both were beautiful events.  Because of our late night/early morning, Vishnu and I took naps in between the events.  Thank goodness because between all the dancing we did at the reception and our night at Harrah’s Casino, we didn’t go to sleep until a little past 4 am.  Again, totally worth it because I won $100 playing Blackjack!

Thankfully, our flight home wasn’t until 11:15 am on Sunday, so we could sleep in a bit.  And then we slept some more when we got home.  And because I was still tired, I went to bed at 9:30.  I. Was. Exhausted.  So much so in fact that my legs literally felt heavy!

But we’re all rested now, and ready for our trip to Italy, which starts this THURSDAY!!

Have you been to New Orleans?