New Orleans has always been one of my favorite places to visit. No matter how many times we’re there, we always seem to discover something new. Last month we were there for a friend’s wedding & stayed in the Central Business District. The CBD is an area between the French Quarter & the Garden District. We had not spent much time there before this trip & I was excited to explore a new area of the city. The CBD had plenty of art galleries, shops, restaurants, & bars to keep us occupied for the whole weekend! We didn’t venture outside of the area, except to visit a cemetery on the way out of town.
We arrived on Friday afternoon, just in time for happy hour! Our Mardi Gras Krewe’s new royalty happened to be in town for a bonding trip, so after having a quick drink at the hotel, we met them at John Besh’s LUKE. We had a private area near the kitchen, where we could watch the food being prepared. The food was amazing! We started with crispy brussel sprouts, followed by crab & corn bisque. Patrick had a ribeye with crab meat & I had etouffee over homemade cavatalli pasta. We ended the day with a nightcap at Emeril’s bar.
The next morning, we were up bright & early to visit the National WWII Museum. Patrick is a huge military history buff, so he was happy to finally visit the museum. I had no idea how large the campus was! It’s comprised of 5 buildings, each full of exhibits. We could have spent the entire day there, walking through the artifacts & restored planes. We hope to go back when we have more time to spend reading about each artifact & watching all of the documentary shorts. After the museum, we ducked into Peche Seafood & Grill for lunch & to get out of the rain. I have to admit, I am not a huge fan of raw oysters, but I couldn’t resist trying one.
The wedding & reception were held at The Chicory, just a few blocks away from the hotel. The building originated as a coffee warehouse in 1852. Now an event venue, it maintains the original feel of the building with coffered ceilings, wood beams, & exposed brick. It was a stunning place for a wedding! I had originally planned to wear the same strappy sandals both nights, but made the rookie mistake of wearing them without breaking them in. Luckily we were a few blocks from the Riverwalk, so I snagged a new pair of shoes for the wedding!
Dress: Leith // Earrings: Kendra Scott // Necklace: Kendra Scott // Shoes: Steve Madden, similar here, here, & here
On the way out of town, we stopped at St. Vincent de Paul Cemetery No. 1 in Uptown, where my mother’s family tomb is located. Although I did not personally know anyone buried there, it’s become a tradition to stop & pay respects while I’m in town. The uptown area is a grid of streets just upriver from the Garden District & is home to Tulane University, Audubon Park, & the Audubon Zoo.
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