It’s not my 25th birthday but my parents decided to surprise me with a trip to New Orleans. I had flown down to Dallas, TX for the weekend and spent a great day with the family. That night we were all drinking wine and playing domino’s when the doorbell rang and my parents told me to open it?!

The Night before New Orleans

I didn’t want to answer it, but then I could see balloons through the door and I knew something was up. Opened the door and I was surprised to find that the balloons had tiny foam letters inside. My twin brother and I had the challenge to open them up, which was very challenging. We had to pop 50 balloons with just a fork and when we popped them the tiny foam letters would fly all over the room! It was quite entertaining and equally annoying.

Once the balloons were all popped we then had to place the tiny foam letters on a piece of paper and put them in the right order to solve a clue. 42 letters soon spelled out “Celebrating Your First Quarter Century Tomorrow.” So in short we had to wait until the next day to find out what was going to happen. My dad kind of slipped though and said something about a plane, so I figured that we may be traveling to a different city.

6:00 am

Got up the next morning and we were given some clues that seemed like we were going to Las Vegas. 6 of us got in the car and drove down south to Dallas Lovefield so I knew we were definitely going to a new city. I still thought it would be Las Vegas since my dad said “you’re going to get lucky,” but I had also guessed that it may be New Orleans. I asked my mom and the first thing she said was “No way, New Orleans is too dirty!”

Well, as you may have guessed, it was New Orleans, a city that I have never been to. We board our flight and an hour and a half later, we were already landing in New Orleans. After collecting the one bag that we checked in we hired a driver to take us to downtown New Orleans, but then went back towards the airport?!

I just assumed that we were going back to pick up somebody else and didn’t realize what was happening. My dad had another surprise up his sleeve and around the corner and into the van came my boyfriend! I was shocked and happy to see him because I really thought that he was going to miss out on this trip! Well my sister started to cry and I started to cry. It was really cool of my dad to fly him out just for a day.

So shocked and overwhelmed but I was glad that my boyfriend was able to fly down for the day and celebrate with us for our birthday. The whole set up was so unexpected and it took me a couple of hours to realize that he was actually there.

A Day in New Orleans, Louisiana

My dad had set up a perfect day in New Orleans and I felt I got to see the best parts of New Orleans. And I did it in 24 hours!

First we dropped off our luggage on Canal Street at the Marriott tower. It looks kind of dated on the outside but once inside it’s really well put together and has a beautiful entrance. We were checked in and left our bags and now it was time to explore!

10:30 am

Out the doors we head south on the famous Canal Street. It’s the street where the trolleys run up and down it and go to other parts of New Orleans. It’s a cute way to explore the city but when we rode it later in the night it was only partly open.

So we walked down Decatur Street and enjoyed the iconic New Orleans architecture including the famous central church St. Louis Cathedral. It’s this gorgeous church that sits in the middle of the French Quarter and is right across from another institutional landmark, Cafe du Monde.

Okay I don’t know what I was expecting when I heard about this place but I was told earlier, that they serve some of the best and messiest beignets, a french deep fried pastry. Cafe du Monde had a longe line to sit down and for take out. Luckily we were able to grab a waiter and got our order after like 15 minutes of waiting. It was so good and so messy. Literally you have to hold on the beignets so that the powder does not fall over your shirt. Cafe du Monde is something that you have to do while in New Orleans!

12:15 pm

After we left Cafe du Monde we headed north on St. Ann Street where I posed in front of St. Louis Cathedral as well as the Louisiana State Museum. On Rue Royal, the shopping street, we found an interesting voodoo shop and we wanted to bring back a little souvenir from New Orleans. We went to ‘Erzulies Authentic Voodoo Shop’ and immediately the owner went on a tangent about not touching any of the stuff because of spirits, etc. So while basically being yelled out we were also told what voodoo was all about and that the dolls we wanted to buy could help us in certain ways.

For most people it’s kind of kitschy but I did get in the spirit of being in New Orleans and I did buy a voodoo doll. My boyfriend and I bought a voodoo doll for balance, love and compassion and I was told that I could put the doll in a room that need to be cleanse of drama back at home.

1:00 pm

So then we walked down Royal Street or Rue Royal, the street in the French Quarter with many shops. I really didn’t care about shopping and honestly it was a lot of high-end items, cheap souvenirs and for some weird reason a lot of chandeliers. It was still cool to see the French Quarter architecture and some of the famous landmarks in the French Quarter. Rue Royal is filled with them.

It was actually perfect weather for walking around. Mid 70s with a light breeze, we really couldn’t ask for a better day.

http://youtu.be/iMo2zhrT8cs

2:00 pm

We then started to headed over to the French Market for some Bloody Marys and other frozen drinks. After all we were in New Orleans and drinking something alcoholic will almost be a given!

Well I was told by my mom that the French Market serves some of the best alcohol in New Orleans, so we had to stop over there. The French Market is on the eastern end of the French Quarter and takes a 10 – 15 minute walk from Canal Street. This restaurant was also very crowded and it took a while for 7 of us to sit down. Service was terrible but I did have some Jambeaux Juice and alligator. A good afternoon in New Orleans in my opinion!

After the restaurant we explored the rest of the French Market, an actual market where people can buy all types of souvenirs. Once again I wasn’t really in the mood to buy something I really didn’t need, so I looked around for a bit and then left.

We walked all the way across the French Quarter on Royal street and we got back to our hotel at around 4 to change for a night out, and to rest! About an hour and a half later we all were dressed up and ready to go to a 5 star restaurant called Commanders Palace.

5:30 pm

We board the Canal Street Trolley and head to west New Orleans. The trolley was cute and we had a eclectic driver. She yelled at cars and played with customers who were leaving the trolley. She definitely has done that job for quite sometime.

Well we rode the trolley for some ways but then we had to get off because some of the tracks ahead were being repaired. My dad didn’t have this in his plan but there is nothing we could have done and a bus did come and pick us up for the rest of the way. Whatever, we got to Commanders Palace after taking some wonderful family pictures in front of this brick wall.

7:00 pm

First off, Commanders Palace entrance is so elegant! The restaurant is actually not that big but the dining room has a beautiful interior. The restaurant is in a well to do neighborhood in the central part of New Orleans and very pricey. Commanders Palace is known for their service and food and they definitely didn’t disappoint.

Because it was my “birthday,” I ordered some Champagne with my boyfriend and munched on some of the best bread I’ve had in a while. I ended up getting quail, strawberry salad with bread crumb pudding. ALL of it was really good and the service was top-notch. It was the perfect way of spending my birthday and I’m glad that my dad had found this place.

9:45 pm

After taking a short taxi ride we arrived back at the hotel and quickly changed to go out on Bourbon Street! As Royal Street is known for the shopping, Bourbon Street is known for its bars. And there were a lot!

Honestly, there were people already plastered and drunk. Bourbon street definitely has a variety of all types of people and generally it’s a place where you can find strip bars, gay bars, piano bars, and bars that serve alcohol for only the serious drinker. We walked the length of Bourbon street and really didn’t go into any of the bars but still felt we experienced what the street had to offer. I really didn’t feel like drinking and partying too much anyways.

However we did get the famous Hurricane drink at Pat O’Briens located just off of Bourbon Street on St. Peter Street. They are always an institution in New Orleans and known for their Hurricane drink, piano bar, and their courtyard. This place was also packed and it was actually hard to get a table. I was surprised how many people were actually there. We had our drinks and then left for the hotel to get some rest and to get up for our early morning flight.

What I think of New Orleans?

I was really happy that my whole family was able to come and we all had a good experience. I was happy that my dad was able to fly out my boyfriend as well! I actually really enjoyed my time in New Orleans and I felt like I got to experience what New Orleans is about. From the food, drinks music and culture, it was all present everywhere in New Orleans. In fact it surprised me how much of what I thought would be New Orleans was actually New Orleans.

I loved the architecture and the general whatever attitude of the city. I mean if you can walk in the street of a city with a drink in your hand then how can you hate it! New Orleans does invite some unsavory things but honestly it didn’t bother me too much. Over my years that I’ve gone out I’ve pretty much seen it all.

The city definitely has a lot going for it and if you’ve never been you should go. The French Quarter has so much character and I heard that there are huge mansions outside of the city that people can tour. There is also many parts of New Orleans to explore than the French Quarter but the French Quarter should be your first stop. Overall I had a great pre-birthday celebration and would go back to New Orleans in the near future.