Our first stop- New Orleans.

We decided that we would stay two nights in the city, since there were so many things we wanted to see. On Wednesday morning, we got up bright and early and drove downtown. We weren't sure where we would be parking, but we knew there were lots of options. We settled on a parking lot that was $6 for eight hours, a good price, but then had to walk a mile to the French Quarter. The damage left over from the hurricanes is most evident outside the tourist areas (for obvious reasons).

We started our day at the Cafe du Monde, which is a New Orleans classic. They only serve beignets (which are like doughnuts covered in powdered sugar), coffee, and soda. We chose to get the Frozen Cafe au Lait, because it was so hot.. Amazing! Very sweet, and the perfect thing to drink when walking around the city in the morning (there are better things to drink at night haha).

After that, we began walking around the city. We got a little guidebook, and found some cool places through it. We went to a mask store that was full of the most amazing masks we had ever seen. All the masks were made by local artists, and the best thing was that you could try on the masks and take pictures! I can't remember the name of the store offhand, but I have their card somewhere.

We were thinking about getting our fortunes told, but the first place we found was closed, and the other was pretty expensive. We had some fun wandering around a voodoo shop for awhile. We wandered around the city for several hours, checking out the French Market, tourist shops, and the old US Mint. The mint was really neat to look around, and the top floor had an exhibit on the drug trade in the US. It was somewhat morbid, but also very educational. They even had wreckage from the World Trade Center and the Pentagon from 9/11. You could touch the wreckage, which was a very emotional experience.

We hit up Margaritaville for lunch (since Megan is very accepting of my obsession with all things Jimmy Buffett). After that we were hoping to get to go in and look around the Astrodome, but it isn't open for tours. We also wanted to go check out the Jax Brewery, but there we struck out again. We resolved to walk the mile back to our car, and go home and nap. On the way home, I had the great idea to check out River Road, and see if we could find any old plantations (according to websites, that is where they are mostly located). What the sites don't tell you though, is that the few plantations that still exist are not located anywhere near the city. After a little while of searching, we decided to turn around. We had managed to go way out of way though, so what should have been a 15 minute ride home turned into an hour excursion through Waywego and Harvey, Louisiana.

After a nap, we got ready and headed back downtown. We found a parking garage closer to downtown, and headed to the Carousel Bar. The bar is literally an old carousel that they put inside a hotel. It rotates very slowly (though, after my margarita it seemed to be spinning faster). It was kind of expensive, but neat to have a drink at. After, we headed over to Bourbon Street. We decided to just grab some pizza for dinner. There are tons of little places all over the French Quarter that have neon lights inviting people in for pizza and daiquiris. Back to those drinks that are nice to walk around the city with- at night, get a daiquiri in a to-go cup, and head out to wander the streets. We went to sit in the Music Legends Park, which is a very small "park" with a few tables and a cafe, but at night there is live (and free) music. After awhile we met up with my friend Danielle and some of her friends, and discovered the Hand Grenade. I have no idea what is in it, but it is quite yummy! We then managed to find a club that was featured in MTV's Real World, and enjoyed a very nice drag show. It was only about midnight at that time, but we decided to call it a night since we had another long drive the next day.

All-in-all, the Big Easy is a loud, fun, and shenanigan-filled place. If you visit, you should try to stay as close to the city as possible so that you can experience everything there is to offer. I am definitely planing a visit for Mardi Gras when I move home, if anyone wants to join me (in 2012)!