When life gives you Monday, dip it in glitter and shine all day. Feeling shiny and new after a few days exploring NOLA, followed by a family and food extravaganza over the Thanksgiving holiday. So much thanks to give this time of year…for the man behind the camera who humors my every whim (and photo request), explorations in new cities and a cuddly pile of wrinkles who’s always thrilled when his pawrents come home.

New Orleans was filled with newfound treasures that had me throwing gratitude like confetti on the jazz-filled streets. Read on for my favorite food and fitness finds!

P.S. Jump to the bottom if you just want the top 10 list. 

New Orleans is probably best known for Bourbon Street and Mardi Gras, but we wanted to get a vibe for how the locals live day-to-day. For the first two days, we spent out time in a quaint Airbnb in the Uptown neighborhood on the east bank of the Mississippi River. Most of the homes were built in the 19th century and still feature a lot of the quintessential architecture like intricate ironwork, colonial style homes and gas lanterns that flicker all day and night. We were just a few blocks from Magazine Street, which featured rows of locally owned shops, restaurants and art galleries. We were also just a few skips from St. Charles Avenue, where streetcars still run past some of the most renown mansions. You can ride the streetcar for just $1.25 to the French Quarter or buy a day pass for just $3.

Another surprising oasis in Uptown was Audubon Park, which was filled with centuries old Oak trees, a 1.8 trail that looped around the exterior of the park and Oschner Island, better known as Bird Island for the hundreds of birds that nest there. It was a welcome retreat for a morning run as well as a meditation walk the next day to the Labyrinth and Tree of Life. The stone Labyrinth was laid to symbolize healing following Hurricane Katrina and the Tree of Life is 280-year-old tree that is a local favorite for climbing and potential giraffe sight-seeing since it grows alongside the giraffe complex at the Audubon Zoo. We hadn’t read up on the giraffe sighting beforehand so we were pleasantly surprised to spot the clan on our walk!

After our jaunt through the park, we happened upon Max Well on Magazine Street, a plant-based cafe serving veggie-filled bowls, salad and fresh pressed juices. If there are greens to be found in New Orleans, you bet I will find them. Currently obsessed with the kitchari that topped my salad adorned with spirals of raw beets, carrots, red cabbage and avo. Check out my post on kitchari to find out more about this cleansing Ayurveda dish.

If you fancy white table cloths or just like being fancy, La Petite Grocery was an adorable corner spot on Magazine Street for a traditional dinner. The restaurant was home to a grocery store in the early 1900’s and features creative spins on traditional Louisiana dishes like the Turtle Bolognese I enjoyed with hand cut linguine and a fried, soft-boiled egg.

Honorable mention also goes to Toast for delectable little Aebleskivers, puffed pancake balls that are a traditional Danish dessert served with a variety of sauces for dunking, like the lemon curd shown.

We enjoyed our low-key time in Uptown, but had to experience the quintessential French Quarter. Our trip ventured to an Airbnb in the Central Business District, a few blocks from the hub bub of Bourbon Street. And what did we do first? Indulge in the infamous beignets at Cafe du Monde. We visited in the middle of the day, so the line out the door was expected, but relatively fast-moving and only a 15 minute wait for a small table under the canopied patio. We ordered the traditional chicory coffee and order of beignets, which included 3 pillowy pastries the size of a palm. Light, fluffy and slightly crispy from the fryer, it was worth the trip and the hype. Interestingly enough, we learned that the inclusion of chicory in coffee was a cost-savings venture during the American Civil War when the port was blockaded from receiving coffee shipments. The chicory root delivers a similar flavor, but without the caffeine. It’s a tradition that has since stuck over time.

Next, we had to find some traditional Creole/Cajun food. And not the touristy stuff or the new age spins at fancy restaurants. The legit, down home soul food. Post beignets, we took a walking tour and our guide tipped us off to Coop’s Place for the ultimate soul food sampling. Zagat even says Coop’s is “where the not-so-elite go to eat”. We split the Coop’s Taste Plate to get a sampling that included a cup of seafood gumbo, shrimp creole, cajun fried chicken, red beans & rice and sausage jambalaya. We were scraping for more after that teaser of a feast and ordered what was the best thing I ate the entire trip: Jambalaya Supreme. This wasn’t your average jambalaya as this was embellished with shrimp crawfish and the game changer: tasso, a smoky cut of pork that was juicy, smoky and crisp on the edges. If you have just one day in New Orleans, this is a must.

We were filled to the brim post our visit to Coop’s, so what else other than to work it off the next morning? I discovered that we were staying just a half mile from Tour Cycle Studio in the Central Business District, known as the CBD. If you follow my blog, you’ll know that I have pretty high standards for spin studios since I taught for many years and this studio lived up to those standards. I was able to sign up the night before on class pass and the studio offers free shoes (a bonus for travelers and those used to paying at studios like Soul Cycle). The 45-minute high intensity class was a combination of performance driven sprints and climbs measured by computers that tracked your rpm’s and resistance, as well as more rhythmic moves like jumps, tap backs and presses. The class also lit up with a cosmic array of lights in the dark room orchestrated by the instructor, which electrified the sprints and choreography throughout class. This is the place to spin in NOLA.

A workout deserves a sweet treat and Willa Jean is the place to indulge. While Willa’s is on every list for the best of brunch, the gem to order is the cookies and milk. This plate is only $5 and comes with three salty sweet warm chocolate chip cookies laced with salted caramel and a glass of vanilla sweetened milk to wash it all down. There’s not cherry on top, but there is a whisk laden with cookie dough for those of you who prefer your cookies in dough form. Definition: yum.

All good trips must come to an end and we saved the best for last: Bacchanal. This isn’t just a wine shop, but a passage to the best backyard patio in the city. Situated in the Bywater neighborhood, but it’s worth the hike for a low key evening outside while sipping wine and indulging in the charcuterie plate of your dreams. Here’s how it works: enter through the wine shop to select from an array of bottles, then choose a couple of cheeses and meats for the kitchen to create a masterpiece of a plate. We selected a genoa salame, proscuitto, goat’s milk cheese and an aged cheddar that the kitchen then paired with warm slices of bread, a Valencia orange chutney, sundried tomato spread, black olives and sweet pickles. It was the perfect relaxing way to end a trip that was filled with open air music and food that will have us coming back for more soon.

Looking for the Cliff’s Notes of our trip? Here’s the short list of the top 10 hits.

NOLA FAVORITES

Uptown Neighborhood
1.) St. Charles Streetcar for a ride down Millionaire road in style.
2.) Audubon Park for an urban oasis including the Labyrinth and Tree of Life
3.) Max Well for fresh plant-based eats
4.) La Petite Grocery for a creative spin on traditional Louisiana fare
5.) Toast Cafe for pancake puff pastries that are heaven-sent

French Quarter / Central Business District
1.) Cafe du Monde for the infamous chicory coffee and beignets
2.) Coop’s Place for a sampling of the best cajun/creole food
3.) TOUR Cycle Studio for a high intensity, illuminated spin class
4.) Willa Jean’s for the milk & cookies
5.) Bachannal for the wine, charcuterie plates and backyard tunes

Yes, we ventured down Bourbon Street and it’s absolutely worth the stroll too, but these were some of the less obvious corners of New Orleans that made our trip.

Did we miss anything? If so, would love to hear your tips for our next visit!

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