New Orleans - Sass and Brass

New Orleans - known as one of the epicenters to jazz music.

Where sass and brass come together to gyrate your shoulders and snap your fingers.

We went to New Orleans looking for fabulous music, food and a culture to excite the palate. We had 3 days to play and we did it well.

“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.” –Saint Augustine

What to Do

Your goals should look like this:

• Listen to Jazz Music

• Sample the food

• Walk Bourbon Street

• Watch street performers

• Do a ghost tour/cemetery walk

• Do a Swamp Tour

We had 3 days, so we had to be selective. Plus, it was August with heat advisories, so we skipped the swamp (since we've done it in the Everglades) and opted for a pool day at our hotel - see below - which was a fabulous idea.

The ghost tours are interesting - you will walk by haunted mansions, churches, jails, see the oldest bar in the US and be told ghost and witch history which continue on in modern day times. Prepare to be entertained and have your walking shoes ready though!

Jean Laffite's - the Oldest Bar in the US

The "Music"

The music scene was one of the most important factors to this trip. We read that Frenchmen street was the best for jazz music but that you can also hear it on Bourbon Street. I will tell you that this is rather FALSE. We only found 2 bars that were playing jazz music on Bourbon Street (Fritzel's European Jazz and Maison Bourbon) . Otherwise, the majority of the music was bass-thumping club mixes that rang out into the streets from each club. I like club music, but this wasn't the setting that I was hoping for. Bourbon Street is clearly a party every night, even when its not Mardi Gras. Still fun to see, but I recommend going to Frenchmen Street if you want to hear jazz music.

Street Performers - yes, they are everyone and SO much fun to see. There are people randomly playing horns or beating on make-shift drums and this excited me more than the bars. Go to my Instagram or Facebook page to see some video of the Young Fellaz Brass Band. They stopped the entire street and gave so much life to the sound. (Plus they even inspired the drunk homeless man to perform push ups during a set - I mean, that's some talent to motivate the drunk in that fashion!!)

Where to Stay

Everything says to stay in the French Quarter on your first visit to New Orleans for the experience. Then it suggests to stay elsewhere on subsequent visits. We are very happy that we skipped this advise and stayed about 2 blocks from the French Quarter, as it is a very loud party scene down there with older (probably poorly insulated) buildings.

We stayed at the NOPSI Hotel --- I was absolutely impressed by the NOPSI hotel in New Orleans. It was my diamond in the raw for New Orleans! Its location and amenities were perfect, the staff were very friendly plus they gave me free drinks. Free coffee, unlimited bottled water and 2 free drinks per night. They kept me caffeinated, hydrated and tipsy - this is my kinda place! They also had a roof top pool that was a perfect way to relax and cool off during the August humidity. We actually spent a whole day here and had a blast! The price was also comparable to others in the area, so I felt as if I got a great bang for my buck! Its location was close enough but not too close. The walk to Bourbon Street was an easy 5-10 minute walk on well lit and trafficked streets. Lots of food, Walgreens and other needs within a 5 minute walk. They have food on property and live music in the downstairs bar most nights. I highly recommend this place.

Fun Food

New Orleans is known for its food. There are an abundant amount of choices from Creole food to Seafood to fancy steaks to Subway and McDonalds. No matter your taste or your budget, you will find something. Our goal was to try all of the authentic cuisines (Gumbo, Turtle Soup, Crawfish, shrimp and grits, red beans/rice, beignets).

Mambos - Our Absolute Favorite!! Our taxi cab driver actually recommended this place. The crab cakes were mouth watering - the best crab cakes that we have ever had. They weren't greasy or heavily breaded and had a sauce that was incredibly flavorful. My husband was apprehensive of the "mushroom crawfish sauce", but agreed that it made the crab cakes amazing. Everything that we had was really good - the gumbo, red beans/rice, crawfish etouffee, popcorn shrimp. Nobody at the table had 1 complaint. This will be our spot every time we go back.

Cafe Du Monde - a staple of New Orleans - a must do! Enjoy a coffee and a bag of beignets while listening to the street performers. You will enjoy this plus it's a lovely walk around the park and the district as well.

Daisy Mae's - Chicken and Waffles!! I'm not a chicken and waffles fan and I actually really liked these plus it was entertaining to watch my cousin licking the bones. The chicken had a little bite to the batter which is what I really enjoyed. Their red beans and rice were also my favorite out of all of the places that we tried.

Public Service - this was the restaurant attached to the Nopsi hotel. We all really enjoyed their shrimp and grits. They had a nice sauce, shrimp was done well and the grits were neither slimy nor lumpy. The burgers and fries were average, nothing to get too excited about.

Galotoire's - this was our fancy dinner. We had an amazing steak dinner. Quality steak, great flavor and cooked perfect. I tried the Turtle Soup to get it of my list. I wasn't really a fan, but it was worth the try.

I will be honest and say that we went to GW Fins based on a large amount of online reviews, but were sadly disappointed. The staff and atmosphere were absolutely amazing, but I feel like they were trying so hard to be fancy with the food that they missed the flavor. Plus, they are a little pricey - so I don't recommend this place. If you want fancy - try Galotoires.

Ways to Save Money

• Do not get a rental car. It is very expensive to park downtown plus most hotels have daily parking fees that can really add up. Therefore, walk, use the street cars or Uber.

• Rides from the airport are cheaper using the taxi services ($36/ one way) versus an Uber ($45).

Overall, the Best Part about New Orleans was the street performers!! Their unblemished excitement for music with all of their horns are a truly exciting part of the culture. It's what gives the New Orleans streets their easy going yet lively vibe.

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