top of page
Writer's pictureErin Schoen Marsh

New Orleans: NOLA with the Girls


Two women standing in front of Sazerac house logo

I have been wanting to visit New Orleans for years. When I saw tickets for under $200 from Detroit -- a boon if you are willing to travel during hurricane season -- I messaged two of my friends and they both said yes without hesitation. So thankful for my free-spirited friends.


Since I was able to use Delta Skymiles for the plane ticket and our AirBnb was less than $200/person for 3 nights, the only expenses I needed to plan for was food/drink, entertainment and transportation.


The food was surprisingly reasonable in NOLA (and I don't drink much), and even though it rained all 4 days, forcing us to mostly use Lyft, I spent a total of $365 outside of the AirBnb. Not bad for a mini-vacation! That price included excursions, eating out 2-3 meals/day and a fancy 3-course dinner at Commander's Palace. You could definitely reduce that cost by cutting corners.


Here is how we spent our 3 days: Day 1️⃣:

One Afro-Latina standing in front of a teal and pink New Orleans wood house

Day 2️⃣:


Day 3️⃣:


the jerk spiced pork tenderloin from Cafe Amelie

What I loved about NOLA

First of all, THE FOOD. I knew the food was going to be good, but no one prepared me for how absolutely delicious (and affordable) it was going to be. Every single restaurant I listed is worth visiting and they are all completely different. I can't pick a favorite restaurant, but a few of my top items are the green beans from Mother's Restaurant, the jerk spiced pork tenderloin from Cafe Amelie, and the blueberry coffee cake cobbler from Commander's Palace. My mouth is watering just writing about it.


Secondly, who knew NOLA was so queer-friendly? Not me! I envisioned the Deep South as pretty conservative, so it was a pleasant surprise to feel like I was walking around Chelsea or the East Village in NYC most of the time.


Lastly, as someone who lived in and misses Europe dearly, the Spanish and French architecture of New Orleans made me feel at home in a way I can't explain. Something about tightly knit buildings of concrete and stone just makes me go, "Ahhhhhh...this feels right."


Afro-latino holds the phone and smiles into it as a white woman signs "I love you" behind her

Accessibility

The sidewalks of NOLA are a mess. I suspect because of the frequent rain and the water underground, but they are littered with cracks and potholes. Because of my peripheral vision loss, this meant I had to keep my eyes trained on the ground to avoid twisting an ankle or stepping into a hole full of water. I was glad that I am low vision and do not rely on a cane, to be honest. The crosswalks do not have sound or vibration and are altogether absent at many intersections.


At all of the events we attended, none of them had any access for Deaf/hard of hearing visitors (like captions, headsets or interpreters). While a beautiful and wonderful city, NOLA has a lot of work to do on making the city more accessible for people with disabilities, the largest minority group in the country.





Comentarios


bottom of page