Big Love, Big Easy
Guest Blog by Jenn Z. Cordell
Ever get that little itch to stretch your legs in a different state? That’s exactly how my husband, Charlie, and I felt two weekends ago. It’s been a stressful few months, full of family health scares, life lessons, and planning for the future - to say we were feeling a bit claustrophobic is an understatement. So, where does one go for an outrageously good time? New Orleans, baby!
Luckily, we’re no strangers to NOLA and we knew exactly how our ‘there and back’ trip would play out. But there was an epic twist to this go-around, our good friend just landed a first-floor condo on Tchoupitoulas St. - right in the sweet spot between Bourbon St. and the finer side of New Orleans. Now, before we could get any kind of party started, we had to fill our bellies at Willie’s Chicken (okay, I’m not going to lie this was also a boozy slushie stop). Anyways, any one of Willie’s locations is a beacon for tourists and locals alike with the menu being slightly different at each.
Willie’s Tip: Depending on how hungry you are, one basket of chicken tenders (comes with fries and a honey butter biscuit) is the perfect thing to split with your SO on the go. Charlie and I also reccomend the Hurricane slushie (it’s the NOLA OG).
After setting up our stomachs for a night of pretending like we were still 21, we followed the generously “seasoned” brick roads back to Tchoupitoulas. There we found ourselves amongst old friends, reminiscing and making new memories.
No one is going to deny (or really complain about) the ‘tourist tax’ in New Orleans, but there are a few methods of madness that will minimize your costs.
Our Rule of 3 in the Big E:
1. Pre-game
2. BYOB
3. Family Style Meals
Under the spell of the Bayou, we escaped reality in the midst of vibrant scenes before us. New Orleans was alive, full of vigor and charm not seen during the heart of the pandemic. Street performers decorated the sidewalk, setting a rhythmic tone to our jaunt. It was a stark juxtaposition to our experience in April 2021 when the streets were bare and the doors to some of our favorite spots closed.
It’s amazing how much you can accomplish when you’re drunk and determined. This may have been an impromptu trip but we would be damned before we let an opportunity pass us by. A quick, late-night stumble through Jackson Square led us to the bank of the Mississippi River where we took in the breeze and I promptly twisted my ankle on the rail track (all pretty standard). Amazingly enough, we were in bed by 2 am on our first night, leaving us feeling pretty refreshed the next (late) morning and ready to tackle a Sunday on Bourbon. Each day is pretty much a “Wash, Rinse, Repeat” kinda deal so Sunday looked a lot like Saturday except we kicked things off around 4 pm at a cowboy bar.
After successfully liberating ourselves from conventional bonds, we left New Orleans 48 hours after our arrival with no regrets. It was an incredible interlude before the mountains to come.
I would definitely recommend New Orleans to anyone who needs to escape reality and not to worry…there’s more to NOLA than the ‘party’ - an immense amount of culture, history, food, shopping, and games of chance awaits you.
LLRM City Guides COMING SOON!
