NOLA: (Po-)Boys, Beignets, Bugs and Brides (#94, 228 and 259)

I had such a great autumn because I not only crossed off one major US city I had been wanting to visit, but two: Austin and New Orleans.  While in New Orleans, I wanted to do a couple things in particular  on my bucket list including enjoying a mini street parade (#94), eating beignets at Cafe du Monde (#228) and visiting the Insectarium (#259).

A friend and I had been talking about a trip to New Orleans for some time, so when I heard that yet another high school friend was planning a trip, it was a meant to be and we coordinated our dates so that we could enjoy the sights, sounds and southern cooking of the city.  

Our first night in town was incredible.  You can feel the energy of the city from pretty much the minute you walk out of any building.  As we made the couple block walk to Bourbon Street, we were greeted with the most amazing band.

We stopped into a bar that had been mentioned by a local for a quick drink and some food and of course were again greeted by much more mellow live music.  

 

Music has always been a part of my life as my dad has played drums in bands his whole life and I grew up playing the piano.  Of course when my dad recommends a historical jazz venue in a city that is already known for their music, I have to listen and check it out so an evening at Preservation Hall with the house band was in order!

During the next day, we ventured to the Insectarium, which I had read about in a magazine (although I think it was an article for kid-friendly activities)!  I was intrigued by the prospect of being able to enjoy food featuring bugs.  There were beautiful displays and of course, a little cafe where you could get all sorts of bug-infused sweet treats.  They even had a chocolate fountain set-up so you could indulge in a chocolate covered bug.  I felt like a kid at heart indeed.

Evenings were spent exploring the nightlife that New Orleans had to offer.  One night, we ventured to the infamous Frenchmen Art Market, which featured incredible art, jewelry and other handmade products from local artists.  When I think about it, art and music go hand in hand, but before coming to New Orleans I had no idea that they had such a robust artist community.  It was awesome to see!

Another night, we walked around the city and caught a solid street parade celebrating a wedding.  

We also people watched on Bourbon Street and doled out beads when we saw fit.  We may have used phrases like "you look well educated" in lieu of having people show skin.  Good thing we are true to our authentic selves.

 

While we were visiting, we had to do the typical tourist activities like take a boat tour of the Mississippi (it brought back such fond memories of Memphis!), eat some beignets at Cafe du Monde (we may have accidentally cut in line) and learn all about the history of the city (bachelorette style, which meant we did a cocktail tour complete with learning all about absinthe preparation).

The city does everything loud and proud.  Even just walking around was a feast for the senses with the incredible city views and music on virtually every corner.  

Halloween decorations were out in full force in preparation for the holiday and the southern charm of the houses was unreal.

Even the cemeteries were beautifully designed and decorated.

My friends and I joked about moving to New Orleans, but it was definitely one of those cities that wrapped its arms around me and jived well with me.  Regardless, I am looking forward to my next visit!

The Perfect Combo: Texas + Cowboy Boots (#174)

Austin has been on my bucket list for quite some time because if some town is even more hipster than Portland, I am totally down. So when a work training brought me to Houston, I knew I had to make the 2-ish hour trip to Austin for the weekend. 

I fell in love with cowboy boots during my drive from Seattle to Minneapolis for a summer internship when I stopped at Wall Drug, the most random drug store in the middle of nowhere that has a bunch of themed shops, including a boot shop.  Ever since, I am always on the lookout for good boots, but they are a rare find in the Pacific Northwest.  What better combination is there than cowboy boots and Texas?  I don’t think there is such a thing.

There are a couple famous cowboy boot shops in Austin, but since one primarily does high-end, specialty boots (aka boots that were like $600 a pair), I opted for the more mainstream store (aka boots that were more like $100 - $200 a pair), Allens Boots.  I had no idea being a real cowboy cost so much money...

I spent so much time in awe of all the incredible styles they had in the women’s section, but unfortunately my wide feet don’t fit into the cowgirl ideal, so I had to shop in the men’s section.  No worries, though, because I was able to find some adorable styles that were on the feminine side.  

Just when I had found my perfect purple and dusky blue embroidered pair, the salesman said he had another pair and prefaced it with “I’m not sure how much you love Texas, but I might have another option” and brought out the below gems.  I had gone in telling myself that I would only splurge on one pair of boots, but I couldn’t resist the Texas flag boots as well so I walked out with two new pairs of boots to add to my collection.  It’s okay, though.  I’m totally worth it and some Texan cowboy boots are indeed a good investment in my future, right?  Since I couldn't fit both pairs in my carry-on sized suitcase, I rocked the Texan boots on my flight home and am 95% sure I was the envy of everyone in the airport. The poor North Face-clad PNWers didn't realize that I was actually one of them...

While getting my fill of cowboy boots was top of my list, no trip to Austin is complete without also seeing all of the amazing graffiti art around the city (and the Hope Outdoor Gallery in particular).

Other must dos include visiting the UT campus and seeing the brunt orange long-horn symbol anywhere/everywhere, going for a dip in Barton Springs and witnessing the migration of the bats from under the Congress Avenue bridge.  It is amazing the crowds that gather in the grassy park below and in the water near the bridge to watch the daily migration, but it was very cool to see! 

It’s a little hard to see what is going on in the video (gotta love the cell phone video quality!), but the bats are leaving the bridge area just below where we were standing and move towards the skyline, so they are the fuzzy black specks moving against the backdrop of the river.  I couldn’t believe there were so many bats because this went on for 10-15 minutes straight!  It is estimated that there are about 1.5 million bats that move out from under the bridge in a nightly ritual during certain times of the year!

I could see myself wanting to move to Austin…if it was about 20 degrees cooler on average.  And to think I wasn’t even there during the hot part of the year!  I do hope that Austin always stays weird.