My Weekend in New Orleans
A girl's trip celebrating 40 year of life and 30 years of friendship!
Marisa, Kelsey, and I have been friends since elementary school, which means we have survived braces, breakups, moves across the country, careers, breakups, and everything in between. And now, we're all turning 40! That felt like something worth celebrating properly, so when Kelsey told us she has a conference in New Orleans, we extended the trip and tagged along.
Before I get into the trip, I have to brag on these two for a second because they deserve it.
Marisa is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force and flies massive bomber planes for a living.
Kelsey is the person who keeps an entire Mayo Clinic transplant department running.
I am constantly in awe of both of them, and getting to celebrate this milestone birthday with women who have built such incredible lives, are changing the world for the better, and have been in my life for 3 decades makes getting older worth it!
Here are the details of our NOLA Girls' Weekend if you want to steal our itinerary!
WHERE WE STAYED
We stayed at the Ritz-Carlton in the French Quarter, and if you are ever debating a splurge for a milestone trip, let this be your sign.
They host a beignet hour, which is exactly what it sounds like and exactly as good as it sounds. They also have a Veuve Clicquot courtyard, a gorgeous bar, and live music every night!
WHAT WE DID
The Cajun Encounters swamp tour was hands down one of the best things we did all weekend. We were skeptical going in, but watching alligators up close in their natural habitat while our guide told stories about the bayou was so so cool. We saw gators, raccoons, an owl, turtles, and thankfully NO snakes (whew). Highly recommend!
We also did the Wicked History ghost tour through the Quarter, which I will say was a bit of a miss for us. Not bad exactly, just not what we expected. I would suggest doing a ghost or history tour, but maybe just find one that fits what you want to get out of it.
We spent a full afternoon wandering Jackson Square, getting a drink on Bourbon Street, listening to live music, and the last afternoon got massages at the spa! The perfect way to detox before going home haha! We also just shopped, a lot...
WHERE WE SHOPPED
New Orleans has some fun shopping! We spent time in Le Heuve Perfumerie finding the perfect perfume scent.
Marie Laveau's House of Voodoo was full of interesting items and history I did not know I needed! I even got Tarot cards read there.
And because I'm a needlepointer, I had to go to The Quarter Stitch. I got an amazing Priestess canvas since it was the main card I pulled with my Tarot reading!
We also popped into every cute souvenir shop we passed!
WHERE WE ATE
If you know anything about NOLA, you know it's such a food mecca!
We had dinner at Muriel's, which sits right on Jackson Square and is supposedly haunted by a previous owner, although I did not get to see his ghost - bummer.
Galatoire's is right on Bourbon Street and is an old-school steakhouse with excellent service and excellent food. They're known for their turtle soup, but I couldn't bring myself to try it.
Then we ended the trip with brunch at Antoine's. It's a gorgeous old restaurant where Oysters Rockefeller was created. In fact, you get a certificate when you order them for what # you are. We were 4 millionth and something.
We had to get drinks at the Carousel Bar at the Hotel Monteleone. It is amazing and has a rotating "carousel" in the middle! The champs were 10/10 too. We also had to get the famous "Purple Drank" at Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar. It tasted like a purple Otter Pop and definitely hits hard!
Then, obviously, we had to get beignets, so we got covered in powdered sugar at Cafe Du Monde.
I still have 55 days until I'm 40 (but who is counting). But honestly, going into 40 doesn't feel so scary. I have the most amazing family, a home I love, incredible friends - some new and some old, a business I can't get enough of, and the privliage of taking incredible trips and making incredible memories.
Cheers to 40 years and 40 more!
Michelle Johnson is the owner and founder of Slow Burn Marketing Co. A boutique Utah-based marketing agency that helps other female-owned and operated businesses create beautiful websites that also work behind the scenes to get you found on the internet. Schedule a complimentary consultation to learn more about Slow Burn Marketing Co.'s services.
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