Happy Sunday everyone. I am BACK from my first solo vacation to New Orleans…and am totally worn out. Thank goodness I took today to recover before going back to work. I needed it.

Before I left, I was a little nervous but excited. And then I arrived and got really excited!

Seriously, is planning and going on vacation is that easy? I used to think it was so taxing and time consuming but it’s really not and it’s so worth it. And going by myself, while nervewracking, was awesome. I don’t know what I was so scared of.

And having a break from email, computer, TV and Blackberry (mostly) was awesome.

Normally, I’m a planner but I went to Nola with ideas and a list of things to do but with nothing nailed down. I was trying to be…somewhat spontaneous, which I rarely am. And I got to do some cool stuff.

Touristy stuff:

I mentioned Thursday that I loved wandering the French Quarter and that was my favorite part of the trip. I spent a lot of time doing that, taking photos of the architecture and streets. You can see a lot of crazy stuff there that it was fun to just take in the history walking around.

I also took a cemetery and Katrina tour. The former was really interesting. And despite it being 90, sunny and humid, it was amazing to wander through the above ground graves, seeing how gorgeous and ornate they are.

The Katrina tour was tough, as expected. I felt awful sitting in a van, driving through areas still devastated and not rebuilt five years later, but it was important to see. I saw the coverage originally from my computer, shocked by the images, but seeing it in person was still tough. We saw homes missing from neighborhoods, the levee that broke and the areas being rebuilt by Brad Pitt and Project Home Again.

Food:

No lie, I was really excited about the food. I am trying to be more adventurous with food and Nola is the perfect place to step out of my comfort zone.

And I did!

Here are some of my food faves:

Fried green tomatoes (with crawfish)

Very tasty and light and slightly sweet

Blackened alligator

REALLY tasty and spicy. Tastes like calamari, not chicken :)

Charbroiled oysters

I love regular oysters but this was taking it to a new level. Really tasty and delicious

Bananas Foster

I’ve grown to love banana desserts and with a tip from EP and tableside preparation, this tasted like heaven on the cloud

Muffuletta

This is one HUGE sandwich. I only got a quarter size and it was huge. The mix of ham, pastrami, salami and housemade olive salad was delish!

Strawberry Balsamic gelato (thanks Renee for the tip!)

I could talk about the food porn for days but seriously, it was amazing food. I could not get enough!

Entertainment:

Street entertainment is awesome in Nola. There are always people dancing, singing, playing music or posing as art in the streets. And the music there was incredible. So rich and fun. I was blown away by the talent.

I also got to check out Preservation Hall for some old school jazz and despite it being 90 and no AC, the sound was incredible. What a great setting.

Now tomorrow starts a new week back at work and the countdown to Vegas continues! I still need to get used to traveling alone but I’m really proud of myself for tackling a two of my fears: traveling and dining alone. Big pat on the back for me.

How was your weekend?

Review blog update: No movies this week but I did find a great SPF lotion from CVS I loved and used on my trip!

Hi everyone and greetings from New Orleans!

Yes, I am still on vacation but I wanted to drop in, say hi and share a few photos from yesterday and today. Tonight, I uploaded 188 photos so far. And that’s with my camera. I have about 20 or so on the SLR Allie let me borrow too! Crazy.

Anyhow, everything is going well and it is HOT in NOLA. It’s around 90 degrees and sunny and wow it is hot in the sun. But it feels awesome. Sitting in the sun with a beer and sweating, not so gross (until my hair sticks to my neck).

I’ve been covering a lot of ground and seeing a ton of cool stuff. And let me just say, I love wandering the French Quarter. I always find something to look at or want to photograph. But I have tripped over myself a few times (oops!) I need to watch where I walk.

So here are some photos before I do a full recap on Sunday.

Cafe Du Monde beignets (amazing!)

Streetcar to the Garden District

Awesome street music

St. Louis Cathedral

Historic Bourbon Street sign (the only thing not sex- or alcohol-related)

New Orleans combo platter (Jambalaya, red beans and rice, Andouille sausage). Yes I know what this also looks like

I’m currently wrestling over where I should eat for dinner tonight and what I want to do tomorrow. Seriously, there are so many amazing things to see, I don’t think I’ll be able to fit everything in :(

Also, thank you to everyone for the sweet tweets, apologies about not being able to reply to everyone! And I will be caught up on blogs again soon too.

What about you? Big weekend plans?