Valentine's Weekend in NOLA

We had a lovely weekend in New Orleans. This has been a Valentine's tradition for the last three years and we love it. The kids had a day off of school for President's Day and Michael had the day off.
Martha and Clark spent the weekend with the kids and they seemed to have a great time. Martha took Davis to STEM fair and Clark fished with the boys and Davis did his science project with Martha! They played lots and lots of games and took good care of Holly and the dogs and I am forever and ever blessed to have them as my in laws.

Michael and I flew into New Orleans early Saturday morning and dropped off our stuff and took off for the quarter. We had an early lunch at the Green Goddess. The sweet potato biscuits were drool worthy, but it was chilly in the shady alley so we didn't linger over lunch. We walked up and down Royal Street, ducking into shops and holding hands, lingering to hear the street musicians. We stopped at Michael's favorite store called Italy Direct and bought him a shirt and a pair of gorgeous shoes.


By mid-afternoon we found ourselves on Frenchman Street and found the need for a dozen raw oysters and a glass of wine. We indulged and then did some bar hopping, stopping when the music poured out of a doorway and invited us in.
Eventually we made it back to the quarter and our favorite bar, Patrick's Bar Vin, where we made friends with some other patrons and drank wine. We stayed there about an hour, before I decided I had to get some food and some rest. We took a taxi back uptown and stopped at the Delachaise wine bar for Moules and Frites before retiring to the condo for the evening.

Sunday morning, Michael and lazed about in our pajamas, sipping coffee, looking at pinterest and plotting our new house decor, while Michael's clothes went through the laundry cycle downstairs. He had brought his bag still packed from his work trip to Vegas, and planned to repack since he was flying directly from New Orleans to his next work week.
When laundry was done, we went downstairs and met our friend Gary. We walked down the street to Superior Seafood where I had an amazing brunch. They have the BEST bloody mary's there and I had fried oysters with fried green tomatoes and grits. Perfection. Then we walked back to Gary's new house to have a tour. After we said goodbye, we took a walk down Magazine street to do some more window shopping, but everything was closed on Sunday afternoon. We still enjoyed our walk and the opportunity to look at the gorgeous houses and magnolia tress in the neighborhood.

We took a rest at the condo as I have been feeling under the weather for days, and Michael needed to pack, but after a cup of coffee, we headed back down to the quarter on the street car. We walked and walked, stopping to people watch in Jackson Square and again at the French Market to buy some presents, but eventually we made our way back to Patricks Bar Vin for a glass of prosecco before our Valentine's dinner.

I had made us a dinner reservation at the newly reopened Bombay Club. It was surprisingly wonderful! The food was absolutely amazing and very reasonable. I had a fantastic Martini and Michael had a blueberry cocktail that was light and refreshing. We ordered four small plates that were all amazing. The mushroom toast and bbq shrimp were clear winners in my book, but we also loved the brussel sprouts. We shared a large plate of fish and chips, which Michael enjoyed as I was too full to continue eating!
We took a taxi home and curled up in the condo to watch a movie. My perfect ending to a Valentine's day!

Monday morning we packed and cleaned the condo and both headed to the airport to fly away. Our taxi driver was absolutely crazy, but we made it safely to the airport. I flew home first and Michael left shortly after to fly to North Carolina for for. It was a fabulous getaway and a wonderful weekend for Michael and I to share.