Day 2 is usually my ritual day. Whenever/wherever I land if it’s too late the first day on the second day I schedule some sort of self care. A massage is my go to especially after being tense from a long, dehydrating flight. But with regulations in the city places were slow to open so I opted for a pedi! Across the street from our apt is a spot called Nail Bar Nola and I called the night before to schedule an appt at 10 am when they opened. I opted for the opulence pedicure that included a signature essential oils scent.
Before my pedicure we walked down the street to Congregation Coffee Roasters for a couple quick iced lattes. It’s a scarcely decorated space (mostly due to Covid) that has a short but sweet menu offering. A great quick pick me up on your way throughout the day.
Around noon we decided to try our luck walking to the french quarter. Now distance wise this isn’t a problem but just after lunch it gets HOT and humid. This was before we got our rta app and rode the trolley everywhere (more on that on the next post!) We walked past Lafayette park and the shops on Canal street and I stopped into a place called “Hippie Gypsy” there was a LOT of hemp and tye dye, which aren’t exactly my jam but they had 2 things I loved. This cute little yellow shorts jumper and palo santo. The dress I was wearing was a bit heavy and dark for the heat and humidity that day so I literally bought and ware the jumper out of the store. It was a good call.
Strolling through the french quarter was quite leisurely. Adrian had never had a hurricane before so of course stopped at the famous Lafittes Blacksmith Shop for a hurricane to go. These are dangerous because they just taste like juice and 10 minutes later you’re hammered on Bourbon street so proceed with caution!
We strolled around for a bit and realized we shouldn’t be drinking in 100 degree heat with no other substance so we headed over to Stanley for lunch. Stanley sits right next to the St Louis Cathedral and Jackson Square so if you can bear the heat the patio seating offers excellent people watching and snippets of both jazz on the corner of Decatur and music from whoever may be performing outside of the cathedral.
I got the breaux bridge benedict & Adrian got the fried chicken sandwich and a second hurricane. Everything was delicious and our server was lovely! I’ll admit though, after a few more sips of the hurricane, heading upstairs to the restroom was slightly precarious, but I survived and we continued our walk.
Last time I was in NOLA I stumbled upon a vintage shop with Mia that also carried modern art, prints & photographs and I finally found it again after some instagram archive sleuthing. Secondline Arts & Antiques not only has a cool little courtyard with tons of architectural & scrap art pieces but also has lots of stalls from local artists selling their prints, attire, stationery & more. It also hosts a stall from one of my favorite artists, Leroy’s Place, who I got my Dolly and Dali earrings and several of their Monster prints that hang happily in my home. They even had 2 guillotines for sale at Secondline, which we did not take home and are most likely still there for anyone who might be interested.
At this point it was 4pm and peak heat and humidity around 93 with a feels like temp of 103. Mix that with the hurricanes and the sun beating down on the pavement for 10 hours now and it was time to head home. I really recommend taking a break between activities if you’re coming in the summer and having planned downtime/rest/reshowering around 2-5pm when the city is absolutely at it’s hottest and there are way too many people out and about anyway. We headed back to the apartment and made dinner plans!
That evening, I made reservations at Herbsaint which is also a short walk away from our apartment. Immediately upon arriving we knew we made a great choice, I truly feel the design of a space says a lot about the quality of the restaurant and I personally feel like if you feel a little sketched out, check out the restrooms, if they’re clean, shiny and designed well you can bet the back of house and overall culinary team probably matches. The bread was fresh baked and fabulous and the menu was chock full of amazing options. I ended up getting the filet au poivre that came with french fries with a great chipotle aioli and Adrian got the grilled chicken which was cooked to perfection. We also started with the cremini mushrooms which had star anise that I’m not a huge fan of but overall was a light, interesting choice! I was bummed not to get a cocktail because there were some awesome ones on the list but my stomach was a bit upset and I wanted to invest in some kombucha first to make sure I felt better before drinking. It was a fabulous endcap to day 2 of our trip and I highly recommend making a resy for either indoors or patio seating (judge the temp when you arrive, it was still in the upper 80s for our resy at 9pm and I opted for inside instead).
I’m sure you’ve seen a million recommendations for cocktails in Nola (hello Sazerac!!) and rightfully so! But did you know there are a ton of really incredible, and beautifully designed coffee shops and breakfast spots? Here are 10 of my favorites! Also, please keep in mind these were only the ones that were open during the Covid shutdown so there are even more great options out there that will hopefully be available again soon!
1 Stumptown
As you might already know, Stumptown is the other coffee chain to come out of the pacific northwest. It is a lot smaller of a boutique coffee roaster but personally one of my favorites. They only have a handful of spots, mostly in Oregon, a few in NYC and this one in NOLA! Stop in for a great cold brew, latte or any other traditional espresso or coffee drink! It’s attached to my previously mentioned Ace Hotel so if you’re staying there or nearby you can walk over for a perfect cuppa. Also, they have the most wonderfully designed tumblers and other coffee accessories if you’re trying to cut down on plastic & single use!
2 Drip Affogato Bar
Affogatos are one of the most beautiful yet underrated inventions ever. If you’ve never had an affogato, it’s traditionally a scoop of vanilla gelato “drowned” in a shot of espresso. You get the marriage of two of the best inventions on earth together in a single cup. It introduces the soft, buttery sweetness of the gelato to the piping hot acidity of the espresso and creates a perfect little pick me up. Thus why Drip Affogato makes the list early on as a must-go. Drip offers the traditional ice cream by the scoop, all your favorite espresso based barista made drinks as well as a variety of different types of affogato like the Cookie Monster which is chocolate drizzle, cookie crumbles, whip cream and a hot chocolate drip. No matter your affogato style or craving, you definitely have to stop in to indulge!
3 Mammoth Coffee Roasters
We swung into Mammoth coffee roasters right before stocking up on boxes of Aunt Sally’s Pralines right around the corner. They are a smaller boutique coffee. shop with a cute cozy modern aesthetic and pretty decent coffee! Social distancing was in place so technically they didn’t have any dine in but there were a couple cafe tables outside we sat in to sip our coffee. It’s past Julia St. on Baronne and is a don’t miss if you’re in need of a quick hit of espresso!
3 Cafe Bon Ami
Cafe Bon Ami is located just behind Poydras St behind Le Pavillon hotel. It’s a small, unassuming spot in a row of architecturally beautiful rows of buildings with lovely filigree accents. Another mini spot, there are a few hightop options and a short but sweet menu. It was a great stop along our way to the jazz museum before the rain started and because it’s off the beaten path we had it practically all to ourselves the entire time!
5 Sacred Grinds
Sacred Grinds is a fun and funky mid city spot located adjacent to it’s sister company The Herb Import and is a brightly painted building across the street from the hurricane katrina memorial and most notably smack dab in between 2 historic cemeteries. You can even enjoy a fabulous vegan donut while sitting on their off street lounge that, in their words “features a great view of our quiet neighbors.”
6 PJ’s Coffee
PJs coffee is a New Orleans chain but totally worth an honorable mention
7 French Truck Coffee
Another great chain worth mentioning! The most popular one is located in the french quarter but there are actually 3 locations all along the Magazine st Corridor (and one just a block away on Poydras). They have fun yellow branding and have a variety of bean options - my personal favorite is the sumatran blend!
