louisiana

bourbon street.

Over a week ago I checked off my 28th state—Louisiana. Since the Rock n' Roll Half Marathon and Marathon series launched in NOLA, I've been looking to go. However, I didn't go for running reasons on this trip. Although I did have good intentions of getting a longer run in and take advantage of warmer temps. But my sneakers remained in my bag since there were non-running on the agenda. 

My friend Sue is getting married in March and she chose NOLA to celebrate her last weeks of bachelorette-hood. Her friends from high school, college, and NYC converged onto the Big Easy. Unfortunately there were some travel issues. Apparently the south can't handle the mild winter conditions us Northeasterners are used to. Fortunately everyone arrived—eventually. 

oak alley plantation.

We stayed on Bourbon Street and got a snapshot of what Mardi Gras would look like (or even the summer) and I'm glad we went when we did. I won't get into too many details of the weekend (I do want the bride-to-be to maintain some level of mystery from her fiance). There was drinking, eating, live music, and dancing. There may or may not have been a fake (or real) penis that made an appearance. That's all I gotta say. 



One fun excursion we did go on, was a plantation tour. We headed out of the city to Oak Alley Plantation in Vacherie, about an hour from New Orleans. It was pretty cool. We got a tour of the mansion, while drinking a Mint Julep of course. We learned a little bit of the history of the family that has owned it during the late 1800s and how it became what it is today. Even with the beauty of the place, you can't help but think of the existence of slavery all over the south. We saw a list of how much slaves were bought for and where they lived. We didn't get much history about the slaves that were at Oak Valley, but they are expanding the tour and will be including a more detailed history in the future. 

live music.

I had a great time and very glad I went. But two nights were definitely enough for me. When I go back, it'll be less drinking and more wandering around and exploring. Eating and music would still be on the agenda though.