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!