NOLA Highlights

I'm home!  And finally starting to feel back to normal.  :)  Our trip to NOLA was fantastic, and I cannot thank Sam and Kait more for planning their awesome wedding so I could finally get to this city!

As most of the world has heard, KCMO was hit with a HUGE snowstorm on Thursday.  As in, send people home, get stuck on the road, trucks sliding off the highway huge.  So my flight out was canceled.  Wah wah.  Thankfully I was able to get out on Friday, and even made my connection (so happy to not have checked luggage!).

Once I got to NOLA, I headed to the hotel and checked in.  Nick and I had reservations at Restaurant August and it was FANTASTIC.  So good!  Afterwards we headed to Bourbon Street and met up with the rest of the bridal party.

Saturday was busy!  We hit a walking tour of the Garden District (highly recommend Free Tours by Foot!) and then grabbed some lunch on Magazine Street (because I REALLY needed a Roast Beef Po'Boy!).  Nick had plans to get a shave with the other groomsman for the afternoon - was I surprised when he walked in with no goatee!

Saturday night was the welcome soiree, and boy did we soiree.  Never seen more oysters on a half shell in my life.  We were pretty pooped at that point, so we headed back to the hotel to grab a drink at Bellocq, the awesome associated bar.  It was well worth it.

Sunday morning we got up and did the Jazz Brunch at the Court of Two Sisters.  Yummy!  Then I wanted to sightsee in the French Quarter.  Nick was a good sport and participated in my scavenger hunt until it was time for him to head off to the groomsmen lunch and to get ready for the wedding.    At that point I rolled on my own.  I'm pretty self-sufficient, so it was fun.

Finally it was time to race back to the hotel and get ready.  I may have cut it a little close in the end, as I had hair issues and was almost late to the wedding.  But I was there, and I was not the last one in.  :)

Sam and Kait had the coolest wedding ever.  Over the top and amazing.  I didn't take any pictures on my phone that night, and I wish I had.  Nick has some, but I've only seen the ones I was tagged in so far.  It was just amazing.  Of course, after the wedding we headed out, and then out again.

Monday morning came too soon.  But we made it to the brunch, and were amongst the first there.  At least we didn't embarrass ourselves!  Afterwards we went back to the hotel, packed up our stuff, and checked out.  We had enough time to grab lunch and do a quick tour of the WWII museum, so we grabbed lunch at Mother's.  So darn yummy!

Of course, at lunch I learned that my flight had been cancelled AGAIN.  Kansas City was getting hit with another blizzard.  Thankfully I was able to make all of the necessary arrangements and check back into my hotel.  Then we hit the museum, which was really amazing.  Highly recommend if you are ever in NOLA, especially now that they are expanding.  Our only complaint with the main museum was that it got congested in spots because there was so much to see and so many people.  I can really see how the new spaces will help with that.

Nick left.  :(  And I went to Cochon for dinner.  :)  I seriously ate so much good food that weekend, I cannot even begin to tell you.

I decided to take advantage of my extra day in New Orleans and see the things that had been planned for Friday.  I rode the St. Charles Streetcar and then headed out to Bywater, which is more of a local neighborhood.  After another great meal I strolled back through Bywater and Marigny to the French Quarter - which was completely different on a Tuesday, and in a good way.  :)  I ended up riding the streetcar as far as I could in the other direction and seeing the BIG houses past Garden District.  At that point I was pictured out, but it was nice.

I was so nervous about my flight that I headed to the airport nice and early.  Thankfully we were delayed, but not cancelled.  What seemed like an impossible long time later I finally landed and fought my way through the snow to get home and crawl in bed.  

I'm still recovering from you NOLA, but I hope to see you soon!