Hitting Up New Orleans


When you have a jazz trumpetest for a niece, it was a no-brainer when she announced she wanted to go to New Orleans for her graduation.  I immediately jumped on the bandwagon and contacted our travel agent to get things rolling and I also signed up for New Orleans festival website to get information on festivals taking place.  For our stay, we chose the beautiful Bourbon Orleans Hotel  (which I truly recommend).   It was located on Bourbon St and all the action was right outside our hotel.  Shops, sites, sounds and good eats.  I’ve always wanted to go to New Orleans, (crossed off my bucket list) and this was the perfect opportunity to spend it with some of my favorite ladies.  I’m not going to do a lot of talking because I took so many pictures, but I will say, this town is all that I imagined it to be and I truly enjoyed my visit.  I look forward to going back.

The homes are artistically decorated with plants and greenery.

While out walking one night we passed this jazz trio!

To our delight, we were like kids in a candy shop when we walked into the record store

Walking past the restaurants we could hear live music in every venue.  It was so difficult to make a decision where to stop to eat.   Walking around and venturing into clubs with bands playing and singers blaring was quite an experience.  This night we visited a club called Vaso and had the pleasure of listening to Angelica Matthews – I wish I had recorded her that night, but I did find a clip of her singing on youtube

How he was able to nap during the music I’ll never know..

To our luck, while we were there, the Satchmo Festival was going on.  This festival was by far the most gem of the town.  With a  musical line-up from 9am to 9pm on two stages, with a ticket cost of $5.00 each day.  The festival lasted 3 days and it was a music lovers treat and deal of the decade that’s definitely worth going for.

Jazz great Nicholas Payton was in the house!

and Nayo Jones, a super talented songstress, tore the house down with her vocals.  You can sample her tracks here

During the festival, the museum was open for patrons to visit the gallery and also view documentaries on Louis Armstrong.

A chilling sight to see was Louis Armstrong’s first cornet..We also visited the gardens at New Orleans Museum and the statues were breathtaking

Isn’t she a bronze beauty

My lovely niece indulged all the peace and tranquility in the garden – which later inspired her to write, produce and sing her first song Flower Girl where she also is playing the guitar –  so I would truly appreciate if you show her some love and click on the link to hear her premier song.

While there I also had the chance to meet one of my Instagram buddies, Whitney of WhitneyJDecor.   She was every bit of a friendly person as she is online.  Her warm beautiful smile reflects her charming personality.

I bid so long to a city filled with culture, talent, and good vibes but I’ll soon be back.  Have you visited New Orleans? If so share a memory with me.  I’d love to hear about it.  One last moment,  we took the tour of the Whitney Plantation and I’ll be sharing my experience with you on the next post.  Until next time lovies..   Smooches!

 

 

 

 

12 thoughts on “Hitting Up New Orleans

    • Wonderful!!!! I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.. I didn’t want to go during Mardi Gras as I heard it is completely jam packed. I like to be able to walk around.. when we went it was just the right amount.. and the Satchmo Festival absolutely fantastic. Next on my list is Washington,DC – the african american museum! I look forward to that trip.. have you gone yet?

  1. Jamala, I know you guys had a blast. You captured fantastic images of the beauty of NOLA! The last time I was there, was over 16 years ago and I hope to go back real soon. My favorite thing to do there is eat!!!!! I hope you guys did a lot of that. Thanks for sharing.

    • Yes, Marsha, we thoroughly enjoyed our meals. Sometimes I wished I had a bigger stomach – lol — Thanks for reading

  2. I would love to hear more from such a talented young lady….loved the song and her voice. Has she posted anything playing her trumpet? Glad y’all enjoyed New Orleans….the pictures are great!

    • Hi Cindy, thank you so much for listening. I’m so glad you enjoyed her tune. I appreciate you asking, she’s done several concerts and we’ve recorded them on our phones, but she hasn’t done anything on soundcloud yet.. she is working on another tune.. I’ll keep you posted. Thank you again for your wonderful compliment

  3. Wow!!!!! I’m so glad you were able to cross N’awlins off your list! It’s a fun town with SO MUCH to do 24/7/365. I’ve been there many times, and each time there’s something different to enjoy. Sure hope you had a chance to eat one (or more!!!) of those world famous beignets at Cafe du Monde!!! You seriously haven’t lived until you do!!!!!!!!! They are melt in your mouth goodness unsurpassed by any other! If you didn’t, there’s one good reason to get back there!!! I’m glad you guys had such a good time and had a chance to rake in so much history and culture. It’s the ultimate vacay!!!!!!!!!

    • Hey Alycia!! Did we!!! We ate and we walked and ate some more!!It truly was action around the clock.. it should panned like New York, the city that never sleeps! I can’t wait to go back! and of course we had the beignets..(OH MY GOD).. you are so right.. melt in your mouth.. I even bought a box of the mix home.. can’t wait to make them

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