The first time I went to New Orleans I was 18 and I fell in love. It was a crazy weekend trip. I got my first ever bonus check from my first photo job and I treated my then boyfriend and my roommate to a whirlwind trip. We were so excited to be able to drink. We basically showed up at about 2 am Saturday morning and I don't think we slept until we got home late Sunday evening.
The second time I went was for Mardi Gras in 2001. I went with my boyfriend (different one) and I soon learned that Mardi Gras is no place for a date trip. Luckily it was only for the day and that relationship soon ended after that trip. The following year I went back to New Orleans for Mardi Gras with my roommate, his brother and cousins and a friend from work for a weekend. Much more fun! Everyone under the age of 30 should go to Mardi Gras at least once.
The next time I went to New Orleans was to see the Police in concert after Katrina. You could see the water line stains on the building still in and around the super dome. The town still just as fun and vibrant as before. I went with 2 of my best friends and my husband and it was such a wonderful time.
Last year my husband was in a tattoo convention in New Orleans for Halloween. My step-father had just passed and I lost a dear friend earlier that month. Me, my mom and my kids really needed a distraction so we made my husbands convention a family vacation. While he was busy competing and modelling his ink we were site seeing as a family and with our other friends who also were a part of the convention.
My kids decided to be vampires (fitting for this city) and my son got to trick-or-treat on Bourbon street.
We rode the trolleys all over town. We ate beignets and drank chickory coffee.
My daughter has her palm read
We found haunted places full of history (above is the original home of Delphine LaLaurie featured in AHS Coven)
Marie Delphine Lalaurie (née Macarty or Maccarthy, c. 1780 – 1849), more commonly known as Madame LaLaurie, was a New Orleans Creole socialite and alleged serial killer, infamous for torturing and likely murdering her household slaves.
We also watched a local Halloween parade, complete with floats and beads and moon pies. My daughter decided she wanted to come back this year for her 21st birthday. Fast Forward to now...we are 4 days away from an epic all girl birthday trip back to New Orleans. I don't know what it is about this town that keeps drawing me back but here I go again.