New Orleans Part II

After a super fun night and "staying out late" (midnight for me is late), I was happy to sleep in on Sunday morning. I did wake up a few times to make sure Ben was up and out the door for his classes at 7:30, but I miraculously fell back asleep and didn't get out of bed until 8:30. Hallelujah and amen!!

I got ready for the gym and headed downstairs to grab something light for breakfast, but the line at the in-hotel Starbucks was ridiculous, so I headed back to our room to grab a bar. I don't know what it is about nice hotel gyms, but it takes very little motivation to get me there. I enjoy them so much! I got in a good 30+ minutes on the elliptical followed by 3 rounds of 3 different bicep, tricep and ab moves. I was fully satisfied and ready to enjoy New Orleans!

After a great phone call with my parents to check-in on Henley, I showered and got ready quickly before meeting some friends. They had brunch while I was getting ready, so I grabbed a snack from the hotel and headed out on the streets on New Orleans. I walked about a mile to meet them and then we hit up the World War II Museum just down the street.

Y'all...even if you're not a museum person, this museum was incredible. It was a little overwhelming because there was SO MUCH information to take in and things to see, but it was definitely worth the time and money.

I loved getting to see the planes and automobiles. You could even go up on different viewing bridges and see into the planes where people would sit and where all the different guns went. It was awesome! There were three different buildings and by the last one I just couldn't read or watch everything anymore. My brain was full! Everything was just so interesting! I loved the movies playing throughout each building and how it took you through the entire timeline of the war. There were so many things I didn't know. I highly recommend going to the World War II Museum. It was phenomenal!

It was about 2 o'clock when we finally got done, and I was more than ready to eat something. The friends I was with were going to head back to the hotel, but there were a few different places I wanted to go, so I just set off on my own to explore the city. My first stop was food!

I reached out to people on Facebook and Instagram asking for suggestions of what to do in New Orleans and most of them were restaurant suggestions. A good friend suggested the Ruby Slipper for brunch, and when I looked at my phone map, there was one close by. Thankfully I got there with about a half hour to spare before they closed.

Sidenote: If you have known me for a long time, you may know that this is a big deal for me. I can't say that I've ever really planned my days around eating good (not necessarily healthy) food. In the past, it's been a struggle for me to fully enjoy trips because I want to be adventurous and enjoy every aspect, including the food, but I've always been so wrapped up in my body and weight and all of those things. Anyway, this trip was so fun for me because I have made big steps in the past couple of years. Ben and I talk a lot about how much more enjoyable it is now that I can be present for everything and fully enjoy where I am without stressing. I'm sure I'll discuss this more in another blog post sometime, so lets get back to business.

The Ruby Slipper did not disappoint. I asked the waiter what he would suggest and he gave me a couple of different options. One was a special not on the menu, but seemed huge, so I settled on the Eggs Cochon. Ohmygoodness...it was amazing!! I told myself I'd just eat half, so I'd still be hungry for dinner, but I just couldn't stop. Holy yum!

pulled pork, buttermilk biscuits, poached eggs...how can you go wrong?!

The rest of the day just consisted of me wandering. It was fabulous! I went into lots of different stores and just took my time. Oh how I took this for granted before I had a baby! I ended up buying some awesome basics at the H&M before heading to Jackson Square. I went in and out of lots of shops and enjoyed a lot of the art and shows people were putting on. Around 5, I decided I might want to head back to the hotel. I passed by an Anthropologie and obviously HAD to go in. I thought it was just a stand-alone store, but it was a mall and I just kept wandering. I found so many wonderful things at the Francesca's. My brain was on our trip to Hawaii this summer, and I found some great things for the trip. I can't wait to show you my new pieces!

I finally made my way out of the mall and headed back to the hotel. I met the cutest elderly couple on my way out of the mall who were heading back to the same hotel and needed some direction, so we ended up walking and talking together. I love making friends!

When I finally got back to the hotel Ben was exhausted and hungry. I picked out a restaurant to go to earlier in the day, but he wasn't feeling it when it was dinner time. I went back to my trusty Facebook suggestions, and we headed to Mandina's. Unfortunately, Ben was hangry by the time we got there and the wait was over an hour, plus we needed to be back for an event by 8. We finally decided to just head to the event and see if there was food nearby. The restaurant across the street was open, so Ben grabbed a quick poboy, we split a Bourbon Pecan Milkshake (yum!) and we headed to the event.

Our event was at The Napoleon House and I absolutely loved the venue. It was super dark, so I didn't get many pictures. We enjoyed a night with friends and ended it in our hotel lobby. There was a big restaurant and bar, so we hung out and talked with everyone staying there.

Day 2 of New Orleans was wonderful! Stay tuned for the rest of our trip!