Hi guys! Welcome to my first trip of 2024 to New Orleans, Louisiana!

I wanted to go to a destination that was fun and convenient for a few days. I also didn’t want to go during Mardi Gras due to the high prices and crowds, so I am so glad I went when I did!

As always, let’s break down the pre-travel costs:

Spirit Airlines: $313

Budget Economy Vehicle: $308

Airbnb: $425

Total: $1,046

I’ll admit that I found this to be pretty pricey for a 5-day trip but it was much more affordable than when I was considering the Big Island, Hawaii. It’s so crazy to travel with prices these days but this is the new normal!

Wednesday, March 13

My flight out of LAX was at 9am, so I got to the airport a couple hours early. I know everyone has mixed reviews about Spirit Airlines but I found my experience to be enjoyable! Spirit also had the most flight versus the other competitors so that is why I chose them. I was also greeted by a Jazz Band at Louis Armstrong International Airport!

I stopped at my Airbnb to drop off my luggage and then headed down to Second Line Brewing for a beer ($6). This was the only time I stopped at a brewery and I ordered myself a Pilsner that was very light and refreshing!

Near the brewery was one of the tourist spots I wanted to visit and my pay respects: the Katrina Memorial inside Charity Hospital Cemetery. The memorial honors the 1,100 lives lost during the hurricane in August 2005 and the devastating aftermath. The Airbnb host I was staying with actually lost her home during the hurricane and it took about a year to rebuild.

I still needed to eat dinner, so I went to the south end of town to Heard Dat Kitchen, also known as “The Best Hole in the Wall and Soul Food Kitchen” in New Orleans. It was recommended to order the Gumbo Combo with Grilled Cheese and a Potato Salad ($16, I got it for free though due to multiple credit card issues). The potato salad was homemade and tasted light and creamy while the gumbo was a bit too salty yet spicy.

Afterwards, I headed back to the Airbnb for some well deserved shut eye.

Thursday, March 14

This was my first full day in New Orleans and I spent the day in the French Quarter (aka Vieux Carre), which is the oldest historic district in with Cajun eateries, jazz music, museums and other attractions. I was shocked at how cheap my parking was: $28 for 12 hours!

I started off by ordering some Beignet’s (3 for $4.75) from Cafe Beignet, known for having the best ones in town. They were huge but delicious! I also ordered a small Iced Vanilla Latte that wasn’t too sweet!

Next I headed over to Jackson Square in the French Quarter dedicated to President Andrew Jackson. Nearby was St. Louis Cathedral, which dates back to 1720 and is considered the oldest Catholic cathedral in the U.S.

I then went to the New Orleans Jazz Museum ($8) inside the Old U.S. Mint to see exhibits on the jazz history of the city. Fats Domino was probably my favorite exhibit along with artifacts from the Mint!

Next I headed toward the Sazerac House (free), home to the New Orleans Sazerac cocktail that gained fame during the 1850s. The house hosts two levels full of whiskies and a history of the cocktail. I had a bitters sample along with a Sazerac cocktail itself (it tasted like an Old Fashioned). It was very fun and I highly recommend it!

I then went to a unique art museum called The Art of Dr. Seuss, which has never before seen art pieces from Author Theodor Seuss (the prints are not the originals BTW). I loved “Cat in the Hat” growing up and I highly recommend visiting this!

I had heard about this bar that was in the shape of a merry-go-round, so I went to Carousel Bar inside Hotel Monteleone for a cocktail. I ordered a Peychaud’s Aperivo Spritz ($18) that was very citrusy and refreshing! It was fun to spin around the bar as well. Check out my TikTok!

Just down the block from the hotel was the Birthplace of the Dixie plaque that I found on Atlas Obscura.

Someone had mentioned to visit the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum ($10), which has pharmaceutical artifacts dating back to the mid-1800s. My dad was also a pharmacist in his life, so I wanted to capture these photos for him!

My last museum of the day was the New Orleans Voodoo Museum ($10) that explores New Orleans’ voodoo history and culture. The voodoo dolls with pins in them were my favorite! People had also distributed money all over the artifacts.

For dinner I was craving oysters, so I found an oyster bar called Pier 424 where I had a Hurricane drink with rum and fruit juices (I can’t remember how much it was because there was a guy at the end of the bar who bought my drink, LOL!), a dozen Raw Oysters ($22) and a cup of Corn and Crab Bisque ($10.50). This was some of the freshest seafood I have had in awhile, maybe even better than when I visited my parents in Florida!

My last stop of the day was at the famous Preservation Hall ($40) for a jazz concert with Wendell Brunious and his band. It was such a fun time listening to live jazz music and interacting with the band! The hall dates back to the 1950s and has the original woodwork and windows. I highly recommend doing this!

After my long day of touring, I headed back to my Airbnb for my beauty sleep. I had a long drive ahead of me the next day.

Friday, March 15

This was a very exciting day because I headed to Kentwood, Louisiana to visit Britney Spears‘ hometown! It is only 1 hour and 15 minutes north, so I thought, why not?

But first, an Iced Vanilla Latte at Pontilly Coffee. It was strong coffee with just the right amount of syrup!

The biggest reason I wanted to go to Kentwood was because I wanted to donate an authentic piece of Britney Spears’ clothing that I bought at an online auction back in 2003 to the Kentwood Historical & Cultural Museum.

I purchased a wool, argyle skirt that Britney herself owned and wore for $75. It also came with a film canister and Certificate of Authenticity. I tried to sell it for 20 years with no bites, so I felt that the museum was the right home for it.

A special thank you to Fay Gehringer, the curator, for letting me donate the skirt to the museum! Fay will be sharing my donation story as well to future museum attendees. Make sure you check out my TikTok as well!

Fans from around the world have also donated photos, CDs and posters as well as her dad, Jamie, donating copies of RIAA certifications, artifacts from from her tours and even her childhood bedroom furniture!

The next house stop was Serenity, the mansion Britney build for her mom. The address is 74319 N. Lewiston Road. I was tempted to call her mom on the intercom but didn’t due to the cameras surrounding the property.

The last stop was at Britney’s favorite burger joint called Nyla’s Burger Basket. I ordered a small Cheeseburger with Onion Rings ($15). The onion rings were ok but I loved the cheeseburger with a special sauce (like a mayonnaise with a slight kick). There was also a hand drawing of Britney on the wall as well as a magazine article.

I chatted with some of the locals as well who own Britney’s first ever car, a Chrysler Sebring, and who are friends of the family. Everyone is super nice in Kentwood!

Afterwards, I headed back down to New Orleans and stopped at the Milneburg Lighthouse built in 1839 near my Airbnb. The historic lighthouse is now fenced off but it was still neat to see!

About 20 minutes east, I had to stop and see this cool house called Fisherman’s Castle at the Irish Bayou, which was constructed in 1981 by Simon Villemarette for the World’s Fair. It is currently up for sale!

My final stop of the day was at City Park. It has a lot to offer from a big lake to a carousel and a botanical garden and trails. I really just wanted to take a walk around the 2 1/2 mile loop, but unfortunately, it started to rain pretty hard, so I just did a brief walk around the Sculpture Garden.

For dinner I was craving a salad, so I drove over to City Greens for a Southwest Salad with avocado, black beans, corn, tomato, onion, pepper jack, corn chips, romaine, mixed greens and jalapeño lime dressing along with a Root Beer ($16). It was so fresh and reminded me of Health Nut in LA!

Saturday, March 16

This was my last full day in New Orleans and I began by visiting the Hurricane Katrina Memorial near Shell Beach. The memorial consisted of a cross in the water to remember the 163 individuals who perished in the area. Fort Proctor from the Civil War is also in the distance.

Of course, I had to get my coffee fix before I went to my next destination. I stopped by PJ’s Coffee for a Sugar Free Iced Vanilla Latte and a Ham & Swiss Croissant ($10). It was a strong coffee but good! The croissant was a bit mushy but doable.

I then headed over to the National World War II Museum ($35), the nation’s largest collection of artifacts from the war. You can spend all day reading about the history, watching videos and viewing artifacts from the war and Holocaust! I highly recommend it but like I said, be prepared to spend a good amount of time there!

Down the street was my next destination: Mardi Gras World ($22), a float construction museum which dates back to 1932. We watched a video before the tour of the construction area and were given a piece of King Cake, which takes like coffee cake with colored frosting on top.

The official Mardi Gras colors are Green (Faith), Purple (Justice) and Gold (Power) to represent the spirit of Mardi Gras. It was absolutely amazing to see the props come to life at this site!

A few blocks down from the museum, I stopped at another Hurricane Katrina Memorial called Scrap House by artist Sally Heller. The sculpture is made from metal scraps and Mardi Gras beads.

My final museum of the trip was at the Mardi Gras Museum of Costumes of Culture ($15), which hosts a variety of glamorous costumes worn over the years for Mardi Gras. Local Carl Mack owns the costumes in his private collection. It’s very jaw-dropping!

At that point I desperately wanted to have a cocktail and unwind, so I stopped by the Empire Bar inside Broussard’s and ordered a Isadora Duncan ($13), which consisted of Buffalo Trace Bourbon, blackberries, lemon, honey and sage syrup. It was citrusy and not too sweet, perfect for me!

Time for “The Last Meal” portion of the blog: I had an early dinner at a place called Zesty Creole ($44), where I ordered an Apreol Spritz, Shrimp Creole with white rice and Beignets. All of it was amazing: The spritz was refreshing, the creole had the perfect amount of spice and the beignets were small and easy to eat.

I then stopped at Louis Armstrong Park to view the statue of the famous jazz singer, along with Mahalia Jackson and other Congo Square Jazz statues.

My last stop was at the Wooden Quilt Doors by Folk Artist Jean-Marcel St. Jacques. It contained assembled wooden scraps from various doors during Hurricane Katrina.

Sunday, March 17

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! My flight was at 4:30pm, so after I said goodbye to my Airbnb host, I went to Avenue Cafe for a New Orleans Style Coffee with chicory, cane sugar and whole milk and Ham, Cheese and Egg Croissant ($15). The coffee was strong with the perfect amount of sweetness and the croissant was my favorite on the whole trip! Everything tasted fresh.

Afterwards, I went to fill up the gas in me rental car and headed to the airport. Because of the thunderstorms, my flight was delayed 1 hour and 30 minutes and I got into LA around 8pm.

Random Shots

These were some random shots of the architecture, art and other historical points of interest I took around the French Quarter and Downtown New Orleans. Also, check out my TikTok with the Top Sites!

Overall Thoughts

Roadways

The GPS can be confusing and misleading when navigating the backroads in New Orleans. I felt like I was have déjà vu driving Boston all over again! I got through it but be alert!

Internet

The internet is very slow and sketchy in most part of the city. I dealt with it but it was also funny because at one coffee shop I visited there was a local yelling out how frustrated he was with the slowness!

“Big Easy” Vibes

Before I say this, I want you to know that I talked with a few locals and my Airbnb guest about the “Big Easy” and they agree with me. New Orleans has a heart of gold and the people are so kind and friendly. However, everyone agreed that the city is not well-maintained and it’s not because of Hurricane Katrina from 20 years ago where they have rebuilt. It is historic but rundown and some of it is due to certain political figures. The “Big Easy” vibe is great in the sense that the city is chill and fun to be in but it also comes into play about why people don’t maintain their properties (not saying all of them, but most).

Cultural Appreciation

I really appreciated the history, art and jazz of New Orleans along with the amazing food. I definitely would recommend visiting it at least once in your lifetime to take it all in!

If you have visited, what was you favorite part? 🙂