New Orleans

Weelll I am back! Not 100% better, but it will do for now. Getting sick on a trip like this is the worst..we don't have a ton of down time and I don't want to miss out on a city so I end up pushing myself instead of resting. It's just a bad cold but the problem with colds is that you feel good enough to still do things but bad enough that you don't really enjoy it.

Today Zack worked again in the morning while I rested. Austin ended up coming home early from his morning med school assignment so Zack took a work break and we all took a walk in the park. In the back of the park there was a tree called "The Tree of Life". This thing was huuuge!! It was an old oak tree the was planted in the early 1700s that now had branches that were so big and heavy that they drooped down into the ground and back up again as if need a little more support.

The rest of the park was one of the prettiest parks I had ever seen. It was a quiet afternoon with a few joggers here and there. There were big trees everywhere and a pond that basically confirmed to me that I would love to live near a big park one day.

We also walked around some of the neighborhoods and fell in love with the houses. Have you ever seen "Princess and the Frog"? I was surprised that it was pretty accurate with all the homes and streets. The homes had gorgeous white columns and porches that I couldn't get over! Every time I walked past a house I thought to myself "That is my dream home" "No wait! That is my dream home!" too bad all the homes are several million dollars....I'll just start saving now.. :)

For dinner we went to a restaurant that was once a shotgun house! The food was classic New Orleans food - or what I think of classic - Gumbo, shrimp, cornbread, the works. It was so good..except I couldn't fully enjoy it because I can't fully taste because of the cold, so maybe it wasn't that good but because my tastebuds are out of wack it was way better.  

Commentary by Z: No. It was friggin amazing.
After dinner we drove do to the French Quarter were we stopped at the infamous Cafe Du Monde for some beignets. They pile the powdered sugar so high that I had to be careful not to inhale the slightest bit while taking a bite or I would choke! This was another first for me. Everyone I talked to when they found out I would be in New Orleans told me I HAD to try the beignets. Well I did and I loved it so for those that have not had them before, go to New Orleans and get yourself one.

Commentary by Z: Personally I thought the cafe we had heard so much about would look a little more vintage and less like a bus station cafeteria...I think I saw more waitresses on their phones than helping customers. Good beignets though!




We walked off (or tried to walk off) the beignets by exploring deeper into the French Quarter. Thanks to Austin and Annie, we learned all about the history and how to navigate through the streets. I had no idea how big it was and how many streets there were. There were I felt like a million different bars, shops, and restaurants which I loved. Of course we hit Bourbon Street, because that's what everyone does, right? Most of the streets were pretty quiet (the calm before the storm of Mardi Gras is my guess) but once you hit Bourbon street, every thing came to life. Neon lights were above every bar, music was blasting in the street and people were busy hitting up different bars. It was such a contrast from the rest of the area but it was fun to walk a few blocks and take it all in.

The last stop of the night was an ice cream break! My Favorite! Also if you haven't noticed..we had waaaay too much sugar tonight...totally worth it though.

Commentary by Z: apparently her new "favorite" is refusing to order something for herself and helping herself to my order. yaaaaay marriage!