New Orleans: Bourbon Street After Dark and Alligators in The Bayou

When we booked our trip to New Orleans in August I was worried about the weather. If I had my pick I definitely wouldn't travel there during this time, but by the time we got around to planning our trips for the year our options were limited. June to September is considered the off season for New Orleans due to the heat and because that’s when you can expect the most rain. Hurricane season is June 1 to November 30. August is considered one of the worst months to travel there, but that's when we could go so we went for it. Our flight would leave for New Orleans on the day Hurricane Katrina hit 16 years ago, and we had a swamp tour scheduled for the day Hurricane Ida hit last year. Who plans a trip to New Orleans during hurricane season? We did! And while I was hopeful that we wouldn't have to cancel our trip or be stuck in a storm I knew without a doubt that the humidity would be bad. 

 

We took a red-eye, so we got to New Orleans early, around 08:30am. Luckily, we didn't have too much time to kill before we were able to get into our room around 11:00 am. We stayed at the beautiful Roosevelt New Orleans Waldorf Astoria. The building is 116 years old and underwent a major refurbishment in 2009. It felt so grand and fancy from the red carpet up the steps at the entrance to the beautiful floors, ceilings, and chandeliers inside. Our room was perfect. We got upgraded to a one bedroom King. I felt at home right away. The location was just a few blocks from the French Quarter.

We unpacked, took a nap, and ordered room service. I wasn’t sure if it was breakfast, lunch, or a snack. That’s what happens when you travel overnight into a different time zone. 

I’m super into true crime and horror so I signed us up for a true crime/ghost/voodoo walking tour. Our meetup spot was right outside Armstrong Park. We got some history on New Orleans slightly scary criminal origins. We didn’t learn anything that you can't find on google but this was much more interactive and fun. We had a bar break half-way through at Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop Bar which dates to 1722 making it the oldest building currently in use as a bar. It also may or may not be haunted. One of the stops was The Lalaurie Mansion where Madame Lalaurie tortured and murdered her slaves. Season 3 of American Horror Story has a character based on her. The property is three stories and 10,000 square feet. It was owned by Nicolas Cage at one time until he lost it due to foreclosure. They weren’t part of the tour, but this is where we saw the first of many roaches in the street. Just like the ones we saw in New York City. And they are huge.

We checked out Frenchmen Street around 10:00pm and hung out there for a while listening to a band. Frenchmen street is known for having tons of live musical performances from local artists. 

During the day they clean the streets and it’s pretty quiet, but Bourbon Street after dark is a whole different world. By the time we made our way over there it was around 12:30 pm. One of the first things we see is a woman on a stretcher outside of an ambulance hunched over a silver bucket no doubt hating life at the moment. I’m telling you. Bourbon Street after dark is a whole different world than it is during the day. By this time the smell of vomit was already in the air and people were getting buck wild. I knew it would be lively, but this was probably about ten times wilder than I expected. Certainly, it blows Vegas out of the water in terms of pure reckless abandon. You really get the feeling that almost anything goes up to and including nudity and possibly even beyond that. People are there to party hard. There are flashing lights and people everywhere. The lines between the club and the streets are blurred. I cannot even imagine what Mardi Gras is like. I don’t think I will ever want to experience that because this was plenty. Throwing garbage on the ground is the norm. The street is littered with trash and various liquids that you really don’t want to know too much about. We stopped for water on the way back to our hotel and there was a man on the ground right behind us in front of CVS. An ambulance came and took him away. I am so glad we did not stay in the French Quarter. I initially thought we would want to, but I wasn't a fan of most of the hotels I came across and it would have been too chaotic.

The next morning, we got up just in time to make the 11:00 am cut off time for breakfast. We didn’t have anywhere to be at a certain time, so it was the perfect day to take advantage of the rooftop pool and relax. 

 

That evening we headed to Cochon for dinner. I highly recommend it if you are interested in a really cute restaurant with some good Cajun Southern food. He was hoping for Alligator, but it’s seasonal and was not available so he had to settle for Rabbit. The food was excellent. The dinner rolls were so good, and they did that mac and cheese right. I was stuffed but determined to eat it all. We ended up back at Lafitte’s after that. They have a piano bar in the back, and we had a good time hanging out there and singing along with the songs. 

I had to check out Bourbon Street after dark again, because I was curious about how it would be on a Monday night, and it did not disappoint. It was just as populated and crazy as it was the night before. This time, we even caught a bit of nudity when someone lifted their top. And there were a few people who had already partied past their limits and were on the verge of vomiting. It's always a party on Bourbon St. Yes, it's wild, but it was interesting and fun to get to experience what it is like there.

Watch it on YouTube: See those wild gators up close

On our last day, there it took us about 45 minutes to get to Honey Island swamp. Transportation on a nice air conditioned charter bus was included in the tour price. The Honey Island Swamp tour was really cool. It was hot, but this is a really great time of year to make sure that we would see what came for. Gators. And lots of them. At one point we were surrounded. We were so close to those gators that we could stare into their eyes. Our guide told us that they are born with 80 teeth, and if one falls out, another one grows back in its place. If we fell in he said we could just stand up. The water isn’t that deep. They probably wouldn’t eat us if we fell in, but nobody wants to test that theory. We also learned that they can jump at least half of their body length. I’m glad to report that no gators chose to exercise that ability into our boat. There was no breeze to be had it was just hot, sticky, and muggy. The only relief was when we went fast enough on a straightaway section to create a breeze. The tour was so much fun. At the end of the tour MJ got to hold one of the baby Alligators that they have in an aquarium.

 

That night we tried to go down to one of the hotel restaurants for dinner, but it was fried chicken night, as in that was literally the only option so we headed back to our room for some room service. We thought about going out for a drink, but I just really didn’t want to get sweaty again, and then I’d have to take another shower. It’s a whole thing. So, we stayed in and watched murder documentary shows. And it was actually really nice to get a chance to enjoy our hotel because normally we are so on the go that we don’t always get to do that. 

 

I think we had just the right amount of time in New Orleans. Three nights was perfect. I would have liked to explore a little bit more during the day. I loved looking at the Creole style architecture with the balconies, and the pretty iron railings, but the heat is just not conducive to leisurely stroll. You just kind of want to get from point A to point B, with as little exertion of energy and sweat as possible. The temp was high 80's but it felt warmer. Because of the heat and New Orleans being kind of a party town we kind of figured this would be a trip that we stay out late and sleep in. And we did it for the first two nights! We were out until 2:00am that first night and 11:00pm the next. I'm so proud of us. The humidity is definitely a factor this time of year, especially when you aren't used to it. I brought dresses and skirts, and one pair of shorts for the Bayou tour day. My glasses fogged up as soon as we stepped outside the airport and you end up having to take multiple showers because you just get so sticky and sweaty. We lucked out and it was mostly gloomy the whole time. The sun is what REALLY kicks your butt, so it's better not to have any. There was only a little bit of rain on Saturday and Sunday. It only came once during the day and didn't last very long. I think it may have rained in New Orleans on the day of our Bayou tour, but we didn't get any at Honey Island.

We really enjoyed our time there. This was my first visit and I’m really glad that I finally got a chance to go. 

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