Although I originally categorized Simone Says Food as a food blog (aka “flog”), I can confidently say that this blog is also my travel diary. From my Denmark/Sweden/Norway trip during last year’s Spring break, my Israel adventure not too long ago, and to my family’s annual trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Simone Says Food gets the attention it needs to be called a travel blog as well. So of course, without further ado, I present my most recent getaway, New Orleans, Louisiana. Just in case you didn’t get the reference in the title of this post, the acronym for New Orleans is “NOLA” (New Opportunities…). But you may be wondering, why Louisiana? Before I started venturing out of my New York bubble a few years ago, I thought that the rest of America consisted of farms and such things in similar categories. Though that might be the case in some of the middle states, a city like New Orleans in Louisiana falls on the opposite end of the spectrum. Rolling street cars come down the boulevards instead of rolling hills, and bustling people clog up the streets, instead of roaming cows. The city is erupting with culture, from beignets to the old French Quarter. Being a culture seeker myself, I enjoyed every moment of my trip – which happen to only be approximately 36 hours. Although there was a time limit and a only few thousands steps I can walk per day, my dad and I took NOLA by storm and used every minute of our adventure to explore the city and appreciate the southern hospitality. Oh – and I visited Tulane University… that was kind of the reason for our trip, but certainly not the only thing I took away from the trip… the food was amazing. Now I’m here to exhibit my eats from my trip this previous Thursday to Friday.
My dad and I left our house a 4:45am, we caught a 6:30 flight, and landed in NOLA by the time the city was waking up. By 10:30, we were walking in Jackson Square and around the French Quarter. Although we were typical tourists, we preferred to get out of the touristy French Quarter and find a restaurant on Canal Street. We ended up at Creole House, where my dad and I got incredible salads to fill us up for lunch. Here’s a snap of the meal:
Honey glazed grilled chicken came on top of spinach, apples, cheese and dried cranberries; certainly a nice treat for this hot and humid day.
We took a street car into the Garden District of New Orleans, which was right outside of the Downtown area. Beautiful mansions and French-style houses stand on each side St. Charles street. I’ve always been so accustomed to fast moving travelers and commuting in New York City, so this street car’s slow speed was a nice change. Our street car ride ended when we got to the Tulane University stop. We stepped off and there it was! My dad and I took an eye-opening tour in which I learned all there is to know about the university. After walking the length of the campus for a few hours, it was only appropriate to find the local ice cream shop for a refreshing snack. (Plus, we deserved it as our Fitbits told us that we’ve walked 20,000+ steps… and the day wasn’t even over!)
We stopped at Creole Creamery, where we were greeted with the smell of the homemade ice cream. After trying quite a few flavors, my dad and I settled for our favorite selections: I had a scoop of chocolate walnut with a scoop of bananas foster on top, and dad had the same chocolate walnut and a scoop of salted caramel on top. We usually prefer vanilla over chocolate for ice cream flavors, but the chocolate ice cream at this store was suuuper fudgey, and it was worth getting. This ice cream detour was perfect for this hot and humid Louisiana afternoon.
Eventually we made it back to the hotel and washed up for dinner (step count update: 25,000 steps!). For dinner, we went to Josephine Estelle, a southern-inspired Italian restaurant. To start, my dad and I split two half-portions of pasta: one plate had Scarpinocc noodles and the other had Campanelle noodles. Here are photos of both:
My dad and I also had swordfish with the most incredible spices on it. Super fresh and yummy.
Although our full day in NOLA was coming to an end, we still had all morning and a bit of the afternoon of the next day to explore the city. On Friday morning, my dad and I took a nice run along the Mississippi River (definitely a new “destination run” for us), we washed up and prepared ourselves for more exploring. We went over to Magazine Street, which is known to be shopping central for Tulane students. Since it’s festival season, floral dresses lined every women’s boutique, and Mardi Gras beads hung from every tree in sight. The little shops were so inviting, from cute clothing stores to cafes. Since we were ready for lunch, my dad and I stopped into Magazine Vietnamese Cafe, where we were greeted and seated right away. The light and airy cafe was the perfect place to relax and grab something to eat. To start, my dad and I had spring rolls with whole wheat noodles, lettuce and shrimp. Here’s a snap:
On the side, the peanut sauce complemented the rolls very nicely. Truly a refreshing treat, and it came out in minutes after we ordered!
Afterward, we got a zucchini vermicelli bowl, which came with the same brown rice noodles from before, fresh vegetables, zucchini (obvs) and tofu sauce, which made the meal incredible. Here’s a snap:
Again, here’s my cute (partial) dad eating.
After lunch, we packed up our things from the hotel and headed home. Although our trip was capped off at 36 hours, every minute spent in New Orleans was a minute well spent. Whether it was good food, a beautiful college tour or traveling with dad (and getting his traveling advantages, like flying first class), I had the best time, and it was great to get away to the South.
Ta ta for now! Until my next adventure!
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