Gettin’ Dirty in the Dirty

Hey ya’ll! My name is Kia and I’m stopping by to tell you about my recent escapades in the Den of Sin otherwise known as Nawleans (New Orleans, LA). Now I have traveled to New Orleans several times for various reasons: family vacation, Mardi Gras, school conference; but this time I was celebrating my Dirty 30 Birthday! And let me tell you, Nawleans is the best place to celebrate turning 30 or maybe celebrating any birthday for that matter. The people are friendly and the free drinks are plenty! While there I found out that it’s local tradition that on the day of your birthday, you walk around and people pin dollar bills on you. Talk about a sweet birthday present.  So by the end of the day, I racked up about $25 in cold hard cash!                                                      

Now you can’t go to the NO and not eat some great Cajun food. New Orleans is one of the best places to get some awesome seafood. We ate nothing but seafood every day except the last day I did need a greasy burger to soak up some of the juices from the Hurricanes (will talk about Hurricanes later). I must tell you that I’m not a fan of oysters; in fact I absolutely do not like them. But when I got a look at the charbroiled oysters from Drago’s Seafood Restaurant, and I listened to the oohs and ahhs my friends were making eating those things, I had to try one and they were AMAZING!!!!! They are the best thing that you could ever possibly eat, they’re almost orgasmic. We couldn’t get enough of them; in fact we went back the next day to get them as a “snack”. So if you’re ever in the dirty dirty, you must stop by Drago’s and grab yourself a half or whole dozen of charbroiled oysters.  Oh yea and I also had this fantastic lobster.

    

 Drago’s is just one of many many many restaurants. So if you’re ever looking for more good eats in the NO, you may want to also check out the Trolley Stop Café on St. Charles Avenue, Deanies Seafood (they have amazing fresh shrimp and crawfish) and The Gumbo Shop on St. Peter Street. Of course don’t forget to eat some gumbo, jambalaya, barbecue shrimp and gator at some point while you’re there and  don’t forget to stop by Café Du Monde for some beignets and coffee for an after dinner treat.

Those hurricanes that I previously mentioned, we’ll they ain’t for the faint of heart that’s for sure. If you like to indulge in a cocktail beverage then you must try a hurricane. They are a fruity drink that packs a powerful punch. But if you want something a little stronger then head over to the infamous Bourbon Street and grab yourself a grenade.  One or maybe two of these and you’ll be dancing in the street or on top of a bar.

Speaking of Bourbon Street, there are plenty of bars and you can be like a kid in a candy store but pace yourself and remember it’s a marathon not a sprint and watch out for those Jello shot girls along the way, they can really trip you up.  If you’re over the drama of Bourbon Street and you want something that’s a little more chill and “mature”, then hop in a cab and travel to the far end of the French Quarter to a tucked away spot that the locals love called Frenchmen Street. There are plenty of bars that offer live jazz bands and of course the best nights to go are Friday and Saturday. But don’t forget your cash because it’s a must that you tip the bands and help out Phillip (as in “fill up” my tip jar).

Besides parading through the drunken masses on Bourbon Street, there’s plenty to do in New Orleans. If you’re into history or if you’re feeling lazy like we were, you can take a horse and buggy tour of the upper and lower French Quarter.

The mighty Mississippi runs right through Nawleans, so you can always hop on a ferry or take a river boat tour. For all of you who want to try your luck, there’s a Harrah’s Casino and if it’s your birthday, you get a free birthday spin. If you’re looking for something a little more atypical, in the French Quarter is a nice little local rum distillery called Old New Orleans Distillery and for $10 you can take a tour, have a rum cocktail and sample the rums that they make. The distillery is a great way to kick off your day, we sure did enjoy it! Don’t forget to stop by the French Market and try to test your bartering skills-may the force be with you! Of course there’s always plenty of shopping to do and a few museums and art galleries to check out and if you’re really brave you can take an evening ghost tour of the old cemeteries.

That’s it for now. I hope I have given you some unbiased insight into one of the best places on Earth. Going to New Orleans for whatever reason is a guaranteed good time! I hope that you continue to follow Around the World With Meredith and thanks for letting me be a guest blogger! Until next time friends.

Kia