new orleans, i love you

i think i already loved new orleans before even arriving.

i loved that it has a french influence. i loved that it is unique. 

i love that it has the feel of the south, but with its own

spunk and spirit in the air. i loved that it is unpredictable, 

crazy, wild, and exciting while also remaining charming.

and now that i've visited...

new orleans, you are irresistible. 

you are hard to ignore. 

you are happy and friendly 

and unlike any other city.

i love you new orleans, and

i already want to come back to you! 

you are a feast for all senses ... 

you taste AMAZING with your beignets and

fried everything, you are a babe with your iconic 

pastel homes in rows and balconies, & with the 

sound of jazz music playing all through the streets

you have such a tangible feeling in the air! 

you made us leave wanting more.

we stayed in the french quarter and were quickly

smitten with the lively, darling area. all the streets

have french names, there is food and music and

laughter everywhere, and i wanted to move into

every single home. it's a dream. we happened to

be here leading up to mardi gras, so we saw it

in it's prime...and it was still darling even with the

craziness! we wandered and wandered all through

the french quarter, loving it more at each turn.

we walked all the way from the quarter uptown into 

the garden district, and somehow i fell even more in love.

what is this city with so many amazing aspects to it??

i was wearing a pretty fitting shirt to explore the garden 

district in, especially with the heavenly blooming magnolias!

the homes in the garden district >>> i have no words.

when can i move in ...to any//all of these?

i like that although this is the most expensive part

of the city, the homes are still classic and not all modern.

back to café du monde for our second time in 12 hours,

because they're never better! and because of all the walking. 

we even got some to-go AFTER having them inside.

do you think chase liked them? haha! ^^^^

^^ and this is saying a lot! hah, we also stocked up on 

a few of these beignet mixes for when we 

are missing new orleans once we get home ^^

we had a tour of one of nola's famous cemeteries.

the reason they are so beautiful and unique here is

because the city is below sea level, so there are no

underground burials. all cemeteries are above-ground

graves which i kind of love. they are really pretty to

stroll through, and a lot of locals walk through often.

we made our way back into the quarter for some

more exploring as it got a little bit cloudy. we

saw the city in all different weather and loved it all!

you can tell we're in the french quarter because somewhere

along the way someone gave me pink beads to wear... ha

around mardi gras, beads are just part of the city's decor.

it's hilarious! i loved this magnolia tree sprinkled with them.

time for a stop to try po' boy sandwiches!!

{more on this amazing place later...}

^^ the praline candy is BIG in new orleans, and once we

sampled it we were big fans. we ate so healthy here! :)

this little glimpse into new orleans makes me miss it

already... i hope it shows the beauty and pizazz of

this town! i'm a big big fan. i'm excited to still share

our crazy MARDI GRAS experience here!! it showed

us new orleans at its best {and wildest} and it just

made us feel even more connected to it!

xo

... more about mardi gras soon ...