Hi friends! I’m back again today with part two of our remote work travel adventures. Today, I’m sharing all about our time spent in New Orleans – enjoy!
New Orleans
I’d only been to New Orleans once prior to this trip…even that was for a work trip jam-packed with meetings and early mornings. After this stop, the only reason that I was able to leave New Orleans with peace was the promise of getting to see my family and friends in St. Louis after. If not for that, I would have looked into every possibility to extend the trip (it was just that good).
We stayed in a gorgeous Airbnb on Magazine St, set perfectly in the heart of the Garden District in a Pre-Civil War building. If you’ll also be traveling with pets, this was such a great place, as there was plenty of room for Pixie to run around and a fully fenced backyard space behind the building. During the work week, it was also the perfect spot to find ample food and coffee options (and do a little lunch break shopping hehe).
A few spots we frequented were MOJO Coffee House & District Donuts, however we especially enjoyed working from French Truck Coffee Co. Of course we ordered their famous New Orleans Iced Coffee, which is coffee, chicory and milk shaken and served over ice. SO delicious! I felt that this location on Magazine St. in the Garden District was the perfect place to be for a remote work trip, since there were so many things to do, yet it was much quieter and much less of a bar scene than other areas of the city. When we did want to go out and find a more lively area on the weekend, we could do so but retreat to our cute neighborhood for some peace and quiet. ☺️
We’ve all met those people who are overly obsessed with New Orleans, but it wasn’t until this trip in NoLA that I could really understand why. Author William Faulker once said, “The past isn’t dead and buried. It’s not even the past”. Nowhere could that be any more true of a statement than in New Orleans. Of course I loved meandering through charming Victorian neighborhoods and taking in the craziness of Bourbon St. and the French Quarter, but what I enjoyed even more was learning about the absolute magic of the city. From visiting St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 to taking a very informative Voodoo Tour, I felt the New Orleans magic all around. ✨ After learning all about Voodoo Priestess Marie Leveau on our amazing Voodoo Tour, we had to visit where she is buried St. Louis Cemetery No. 1.
*Keep in mind that in order to actually go inside the cemetery, you are now required to go with a guide due to recent vandalism. We however, did not book a tour but instead walked the cemetery’s perimeter and were still able to get some pretty good views.*
Over the weekend, we filled our days to the absolute max. On Saturday, I didn’t take time off from assistant teaching my course at UT Austin, so we hit the town around 2pm when class was over. Even though we just had Friday night, part of Saturday and Sunday to fully explore, we packed so much in (especially since our central location had allowed us to explore plenty of the area during the weekdays also!). From doing allll the typical touristy things like the French Quarter, Jackson Square, Cafe Du Monde, Bourbon St, etc. to a little more off-the-beaten-path things, we felt like we got such a good feeling for the city during our time there.
If you’re like me and not looking to get super crazy on Bourbon St, but still want a good time, Frenchman St is where it’s at. From both my previous visit to New Orleans and this one, if you’re looking for unbeatable jazz music, check out The Maison or Blue Nile…both amazing venues for jazz and so much fun! I’m not sure if you can tell, but even writing down all the events of our time in New Orleans is making me already want to plan my return!
Overall, both Galveston and New Orleans were absolute perfect locations to work remotely from and simultaneously explore. Once we left New Orleans, we spent a rejuvenating number of days working in Memphis on our way to St. Louis. Unfortunately, since we weren’t in Memphis over a weekend, and for the fact it was torrential downpouring the entire time, we didn’t get to see too many things while in town. However, it did allow both Daniel and I (and Pixie) to have some much needed downtime after so much nonstop adventure.
After leaving Memphis, we spent about a week in St. Louis and about week in Kansas City before returning home to Austin. Once we finally made it back home, I realized how exhausting it actually had been to be on the road for that long. Honestly, the most refreshing feeling was being able to sleep in my own bed, wash my laundry and take a shower in my own shower. Sometimes, it’s just the little things. ☺️ Now that we’re a few months post-trip, I feel ready to take on another road trip soon…the only question is where should we go?!
Let me know if you have any questions about our work-remote month! If you have the ability to do so, this is something I couldn’t recommend any more! With both Daniel and I currently having the option to remote work for an extended time, this was such a lovely opportunity to take the time while we could & make the most of it!
xx,
Olivia