Changing Lanes: NOMA, Dat Dog, and the French Quarter

Yesterday we arrived in New Orleans in the early afternoon. Although not the typical thing to do upon arrival, John and I went to a Laundromat to do some laundry (haha). We had a lot of dirty clothes from Ultra and decided to just get the laundry done with so we could do fun stuff after.

After doing our chore (the laundry, haha, life is really rough for us these days), John and I decided to check out a local place called Parkway Bakery and Tavern. John’s been finding amazing local restaurants and things to do through Reddit – just a travel tip for all of you, it’s a great resource! Parkway Bakery and Tavern was SO GOOD! We split the Parkway Surf and Turf Po-Boy Sandwich and the Homemade Alligator Sausage and Roasted Turkey Gumbo. Both of our selections were unbelievably tasty. By the time we finished up dinner we decided to head back to our apartment and do some relaxing since we were both tired from waking up early for the drive.

This morning we woke up and checked out the NOMA (New Orleans Museum of Art). The museum was great, but one of our favorite parts was the outdoor sculpture garden. The gardens were beautiful and there were numerous gorgeous art sculptures throughout the park. After checking out what the museum had to offer, John and I walked to the New Orleans City Park.

We did a lot of walking and exploring, which led to a hungry appetite, and we decided to eat at another great local favorite called Dat Dog. With a selection of about a dozen different homemade hot dogs and sausages ranging from alligator sausage to Turduckin (turkey, duck, and chicken sausage), and over 20 possible hot dog toppings, John and I each selected a delicious meal with all of our personal favorite toppings. We tried some of their popular beverages too – John got the homemade red cream soda and I tried their drink special of the day – Very Cherry Jerry Garcia.

We stopped back at our place for a few before going to check out the French Quarter and Bourbon Street. Bourbon Street is crazy! There were people drunk out of their minds at like 6pm! John and I did more exploring, watched several street performers, browsed at some of the shops, and admired some artwork at several of the many art galleries in the French Quarter. We also went to Jackson Square and were able to take some great pictures of the Cathedral, which is so gorgeous.

Not sure what our plans are for tonight yet, but we had a very busy day and are excited to see what the rest of the weekend brings!