The Highly Recommended Guide To New Orleans
A year after I moved away, Ryan and I returned to NOLA and here's where I think you should eat, drink and sleep there.
Last week, I went back to New Orleans for the first time since I moved away! It’s crazy to think that the last time that I was here, I was driving a rented minivan behind Ryan in a U-Haul containing all of my earthly belongings. I think I have been resistant to return because the move to Milwaukee has not felt good for me and I did not want to have a basis for comparison about what used to be.
New Orleans was not a perfect living experience by any standards. Like actually, in the short week I was there, there were at least 4 murders. Mentally and emotionally, that city stretched me incredibly far. I moved to a place where I did not know anyone but I also did not really understand the culture of the place I was moving to–0 out of 10 recommend doing that. Visiting a city gives you a really surface level experience, but living somewhere every single day, you can’t escape the hard things or the inconveniences or the chunks missing out of the street. And still, it was such a major thing for me to move to a new place where I did not know anyone and start my life over. I edited my first book and wrote my second there. I fulfilled a lifelong dream and got a horse, who I subsequently had to give up to move to Milwaukee. I met Ryan there (the reason I had to move to Milwaukee). It is an emotionally charged location and I think I was fearful of going back but I’m happy to report that it went really well! While I wished that I could just go back to my apartment, which would have been more familiar than living out of a suitcase and using tiny skincare products, I saw a lot of friends, had a lot of laughs and ate all my favorite things.
So that brings me to today’s newsletter, which is my guide to New Orleans! If you are visiting the city, this is where I recommend staying, hanging out, dining and exercising. A lot of people have asked me for this since I moved down there because it is a city that depends on tourism and hospitality, so there’s a lot to sift through especially if you are looking to avoid the tourist traps and whoever pays the price to dominate SEO results. So I am excited to finally share the places I love in a city I love and I hope you like them too. Here’s what’s highly recommended: New Orleans Edition.
To Stay: I am an extremely picky hotel person. I think that where you lay your head at night is so important and that place should feel as clean and well designed as your own home. If not, why would you leave your home??? So actually it should be BETTER. With that in mind, know that like I said, hospitality and tourism are the primary industries in New Orleans so the hotels are RAN THROUGH. Here’s where I would recommend staying:
