Today is my 38th birthday, but that is not why I'm excited. Today I have breakfast with my sis, then a date with Sean, then last minute preprations because at 3:30 a.m. Thursday morning I leave to the airport. I am bound for New Orleans and I have to say I am so excited I could die. And so anxietal I could have a heart attack. Thank you makers of Xanax or I honestly don't think I could do this.
I have written out an entire itinerary for the trip. When we arrive we shower and get ready then go to dinner, then head out to a music venue on Frenchman Street. I have done my research and it's supposed to be a great spot with local jazz musicians. It is going to be amazing.
Friday morning we will hit up Cafe Du Monde for beignets then wander through the Garden District. We have lunch at Willie Mae's Scotch House, then more wandering before we head back to the hotel to get gussied up to go out to one of John Besh's restaurants, Restaurant August. Then it's back to the hotel to change in to comfy clothes and a local friend comes to pick us up to take us to some hidden local dive bars. If I pin a $5 bill to my shirt, apparently people will buy me drinks or pin more money to me, so I'm all over that. The fella we are getting shown around by is a 6' 5" cutey face so I'm totally going to hold his hand and make out with him like he's my cross country boyfriend.
Saturday morning we have a light breakfast planned, as we are going on an airboat swamp tour and don't want to puke on the gators. Then lunch at a po boy shop, and a cemetery tour. After that we have dinner at Elizabeth's then we are meeting another local. She has the same birthday as mine, as does her gay best friend. Saturday night is gay bar/club night. I am SUPER excited about that.
Sunday morning we are going to wander the Garden District some more then have brunch at a very old establishment called Commander's Palace. It actually has a dress code and we are very happy to be going there. Apparently they have some really fantastic turtle soup. Shut up! It's going to be lovely!
We are both looking forward to seeing the old architecture, the history, the music, and the heartbeat of such a wonderful city we have never been to. I just know I am going to fall madly in love with it and have a hard time coming home. It's a short visit so I'm sure I'll be back every few years to fall in love with it all over again. I will be nowhere near a computer from Thursday until Monday, and I'm also pretty ecstatic about THAT. Have a lovely weekend everyone, and make a hurricane at home in my honor would ya? The drink, not the storm. Don't be a jerk! :)
Happy picture of the day: The gift that Matt brought me last night. It is called "Somos Novios" (We Are A Couple for you gringos out there). It may be the sweetest gift any man has ever gotten me. It almost made me forget this is my first bday without gram. Almost.
happy birthday!! have a great time on your trip!!
ReplyDeleteHappy, Happy Birthday Melanie!! You just described the NOLA trip of my dreams. I wish you all of the best, and an absolutely amazing trip. Please take lots and lots of pictures. xo
ReplyDeleteThanks! It's going to be a great trip.
DeleteI will take pictures, but when I travel I often forget a lot I should take because I'm just taking everything in.
Your plans sound so exciting! If the itinerary was that interesting, I can't wait for the follow-up post :) Have fun with that cute boy, too!
ReplyDeleteI love Matt...he's a keeper.
Have fun!!!
The post should be good. I can't wait to get there!
DeleteI love Matt too. Very much.
Happy birthday, my friend! Hope it's a fabulous trip!!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteHappy Birthday and have a wonderful time!
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday!!! Whoo hoo!!!! How awesome. For my world's fastest tourist jaunt of NOLA, I looooooved it and so want to go back. I hope it delivers for you as well, and I am sure it will. I too, ALWAYS fall in love with places I visit and want to go back - or move there. We would have lived all over the place by now had we actually picked up and gone everywhere I exclaimed, "I could soooooo live here!!!"
ReplyDeleteI'm with Kianwi - the itinerary sounds like a blast! You'd probably go bonkers on a trip with me though - I"m more of a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kinda girl. I like to get a map, hop on a bus or some local transit and go explore. Maddening, I know.
Hope you have a great time!!
We had so much fun. We walked a ton or took the streetcar.
DeleteHappy birthday again! That sounds like a dream trip... and I like that your itinerary took barfing on the wildlife into account.
ReplyDeleteI think it would be awesome to go on a trip with you some day. I can't imagine not laughing ourselves half to death.
We had so much fun. We didn't puke on a gator but we did see a heroin junkie's tit fall out while she was dancing. That's almost as good.
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