back to the big easy
My last pre-quarantine travel hurrah was a girls trip to New Orleans: March 6-9, 2020. I had a good time, but there was definitely a weird vibe in the city; a frenetic party energy that edged past normal Bourbon Street shenanigans and into an “is this our last night out ever?” nervous-laugh territory. On the way back from the trip, I had my “oh shit” pandemic moment. It was a Monday morning at Logan airport, and there was no line at Starbucks… OR DUNKS! Silly as it may sound, it was a turning point for me. I literally called my Dad about it.
Two years later: back in NOLA, still wearing sparkly things, and there was a line at Dunks in Terminal C.
I first visited New Orleans during my college years at UNH. I took a class called “New Orleans: Place, Meaning, and Context” to fill an elective requirement… and it rocked my world. It was taught by Absolute Library Legend Bill Ross, a UNH fixture who loves all things Big Easy. The class culminated with driving giant vans down to New Orleans and back, falling hopelessly in love with the city along the way.
Still following Bill around the Crescent City 10 years later!
Since that class I’ve visited New Orleans as often as I can get away with. I’ve stayed in touch with Bill and other student alumni, and when a reunion weekend was proposed, I said… DUH!
Happy clams catching a sidewalk band at Vaughan’s..
I’ve been talking big game about New Orleans being my favorite city in the US for a few years… but after this trip, I’m upgrading it to IN THE WORLD. It is an epicenter of ridiculousness, traditions, good food, partying, and music that I just can’t beat. Music! Food! Partying! Traditions! General ridiculousness! Every time I am lucky enough to be there, I find something else new and magical. And so, instead of trying and failing to write up an amazing weekend, some snapshots of food & fun with Bill, Bryan, and Tess.
A warm welcome at Louis Armstrong International Airport
Ukrainian flags at Vaughan’s, now home to the “Kyiv Mule”
BBQ at The Joint
Bikes and brunch at Satsuma’s + Elizabeth’s
Baratarian 🐊s
Not sure what this was but I liked it
And the highlight of the weekend… Super Sunday!
Cheers to a return to Bacchanal!
where: new orleans, LA//ancestral lands of the choctaw and chitimacha
when: warm and lovely may
how: palmetto trail, 3 miles full of things that would like to eat you
