New Orleans

When I found out I needed to head to New Orleans for a work function, I thought it would be fun to invite Celeste and Jess to come out and join me, since many of my evenings would be open. They very generously agreed to make their way out to the Big Easy and we did, indeed, have a blast.

The first night, we went to Arnaud's on Bourbon St. and were treated to a wonderful jazz trio and stellar service. The whole night was just so relaxing and beautiful.




The next day, we did a walking tour of the Garden District, at which point C&J busted out their cameras to take pictures of some of the beautifully designed homes. It was like something out of an Anne Rice novel and then, of course, we walked by Anne Rice's house. Perfect! We even had the opportunity to walk through Lafayette Cemetery and see the mausoleums erected by storied New Orleans families.

[the lovely photographers responsible for most of the pictures you're about to see...]

We took the long way home, stopping at various must-see spots, including a short driving tour of the Lower 9th Ward, Cafe Du Monde for beignets, and Jackson Square. We split some po-boy sliders at Stella's and then headed back to the hotel.





That night, we had our "fancy" dinner at Meson 923, a "hot spot" selected for us by our wonderful concierge (she was "on" all weekend). After a great meal, we went home to change and then walked over to Pat O'Briens for a nightcap, conversation and a little dancing.




Unfortunately, C had to head out the next day, but J and I had a wonderful dinner at this hip little Japanese spot with killer sushi and sake.


The next day, we explored Magazine St. and had lunch at Cafe Rani. Very fun. We grabbed gelato, I picked up a souvenir for Heath and then we primped for dinner at Clancy's. After a delicious dinner we threw on our jeans and went back to Bourbon St. for some live jazz. It made for a perfect last night, since we got to be right up close to the quartet.





We finished things up with brunch at a local spot called Eat and then were off to the airport. So glad to tie in a girls weekend to an otherwise typical business trip.