Discover New Orleans

Discover New Orleans

Join me and let's take a mini journey to New Orleans, Louisiana (NOLA) where I traveled solo last Spring to attend Wanderfest, the world’s first outdoor travel festival for women. I joined hundreds of travel lovers from around the world for a weekend filled with inspiring speakers, live music, dance, engaging conversations, and formed connections that will last a lifetime.

Day One: The NOPSI Hotel

After checking in at the NOPSI Hotel, a boutique hotel in a historic building located in the Central Business District just a five minute walk from the famous Bourbon Street and French Quarter, I was welcomed by warm and thoughtful staff with a delicious King Cake at check-in along with food, beverage and tour credits. Imagine my surprise when they upgraded my room upon arrival to a Deluxe King Room! The room was immaculate and spacious with an oh so comfortable bed!

Day Two: Food Tour

My second day began with a New Orleans Food Tour hosted by Wanderfest’s incredible guide, Jeannine from Atlanta GA. Our group met Uptown in the Garden District on Magazine Street known for grand mansions, St. Charles Streetcar, shopping and Audubon Park & Zoo. And I visited several restaurants during our food tour:

📍 Mahony’s is known for their delicious and filling po-boy sandwiches. Some popular options include the fried shrimp po-boy, roast beef po-boy, and oyster po-boy.

📍 At Dat Dog, you can enjoy unique hot dog combinations such as the crawfish étouffée dog, alligator sausage dog, and duck sausage dog. The vegetarian and vegan hot dogs are also popular options.

📍 Basin Seafood and Spirits is a great spot for seafood lovers. Aside from their signature charbroiled oysters with Parmesan & Pecorino butter and blue crab beignets, they also serve other menu items such as gumbo, seafood platters, shrimp & grits, and seafood pasta dishes.

📍 Joey K’s Restaurant & Bar is known for their southern-style comfort food with a Creole twist. Other notable dishes besides the Eggplant Napoleon include their famous red beans & rice with sausage, shrimp remoulade salad, soft shell crab dishes during season.

📍 Finally at The Vintage Nola you can find delicious coffee drinks along with classic beignets - they're incredibly fluffy on the inside with a slight crisp on the outside coated with powdered sugar.

We also stopped by Terrance Osborne Gallery in the neighborhood.

Day Three: Walking Tour

I started Day Three taking an energizing walk from NOPSI Hotel to The Daily Beet on Girod Street for a fresh pressed juice, breakfast taco and a matcha at Wilma Jean. Next was a tour recommendation to Le Musee de f.p.c. - a private tour of the country's few attractions dedicated exclusively to telling the story of free people of African descent in New Orleans and throughout the country.

After our tour, we walked to Bayou Road and met with local business owners. We bought books, handmade jewelry, candles, soaps & body butters at King & Queen Emporium and had authentic jerk chicken at Coco Hut before enjoying delicious bread pudding at Cupcake Fairies.

Day Four: Wanderfest

Day Four marked the beginning of Wanderfest at Riverwalk where I was thrilled to meet Beth Santos, Founder and Creator of Wanderful. Later, we met Emmy Award Winning Journalist and World Traveler, Oneika Raymond and the Creator of Masala Bhangra, Sarina Jain. The day ended with an epic second line parade dancing with the famous Baby Dolls along Spanish Plaza at Riverwalk.

Day Five: Local Boutiques

The second day of Wanderfest filled with more amazing speakers and I even found time for an impromptu trip to Coffee Science to meet up with my dear friend and local clothing designer Adriane from Lasalle & Jackson whom I met 10+ years ago in my hometown Santa Barbara. Adriane recommended some Garden District restaurants Gris Gris for their Oyster salad and Shrimp & GRIS-GRIS Grits along with some local boutiques Trashy Diva, Saint Claude Social Club & Century Girl Vintage Boutique along Elizabeth Street Cafe Nola for their Vietnamese-style café & bakery adjacent Hotel Saint Vincent where I stayed along By George Boutique in Hotel Saint Vincent.

Later that day after exploring these hidden gems; I moved over to the Marigny District on the other side of French Quarter to Hotel Peter & Paul formerly a Catholic Church dating back to the mid-19th century now refurbished into a charming boutique hotel with a modern vintage aesthetic that I just fell in love with. The staff here is so kind they even let me try a few different room types during my stay as they are each so unique.

Day Six: Kayaking in Nature

I woke up at 5 am on Day Six to get ready for a 2.5 hour Kayaking Ecotour through a 400-year-old Cypress and Tupelo Swamp with Honey Island Swamp Tours where we paddled under a gorgeous tree canopy while learning about flora, fauna, wildlife conservation and wetland loss. I am grateful we didn't see any alligators while kayaking!

After my breathtaking tour, I enjoyed lunch back at the Elysian Bar & Restaurant located next door to Hotel Peter & Paul before taking a much needed nap. Later that day, I visited local friends across town for dinner.

Day Seven: Last Day

My last day started off running some personal errands including shipping gifts picked up during my stay back home from The Roosevelt Hotel nearby which has a convenient UPS store location. Later that evening, I decided to treat myself to a solo date night at N7 named after Parisian Highway offering French/Japanese tapa bar cuisine tucked away in the Ninth Ward.

Thank you for journeying with me; I miss NOLA and look forward to visiting again soon. I am so grateful for the genuine connections I made on this trip through Wanderfest. These connections have lasted beyond the event, and continue to inspire me. I am in touch with all of the women I met, and we still get together once a month in Los Angeles, CA to share our adventures and triumphs. Seeing each other grow our businesses and travel the globe has been a true honor.

Until next time...Au revoir!