For New Years Eve 2022, I visited NOLA for the first time! Unsurprisingly, NOLA was nothing short of amazing. The infamous Bourbon St. left little to imagination as it was bursting at the seams with standard drunks being carried through the crowd and women flashing for Mardi Gras beads. I wasted no time getting showered and settled in at the Sheraton New Orleans before heading to Bourbon St for mischief. Krystal was my first stop, and I was not disappointed with the assortment of slushie options. Krystal has food too, but I didn’t want to pack on too much since my night was just getting started!
The first restaurant I visited was Pier 424 Seafood Market, and it was a 10 out of 10. I tried fried alligator for the first time. Although good, fried alligator is definitely an acquired taste and not something I would eat frequently. After eating we headed back to Bourbon St where endless “Shot Girls” had every liquor you could think of for sale. I kept it cute and took 2 shots only, because I’m not trying to stumble down Bourbon St…at least not on the first night!
Even though I was strongly advised to NOT wear heels on Bourbon St, I decided to do it anyways. I thought I had on my “comfortable” heels, but I’ve come to learn there’s really no such thing. I looked stunning, but I regretted it towards the end of the night and definitely learned my lesson 😅
The next day was the main event: New Year’s Eve baby! I dined at Creole House Restaurant & Oyster Bar for brunch and my waitress was a NC native who relocated to NOLA years ago for love ♡ I had the Gulf Shrimp & Grits, and it was pretty good but definitely didn’t blow me away. The shrimp could’ve had a bit more seasoning. I heard great things about this dish, so maybe they were just having an off day. I’ll give it a 7 out of 10.
Now it was time to sight-see! I stumbled upon the Ashley Longshore Studio Gallery on Instagram when I was searching for cute areas for pictures. The studio was, of course, unexpectedly closed during my time in NOLA. However, the gallery had the cutest window decals, and I was still able to take a peek inside.
I looooove gorgeous architecture, and NOLA is full of multicolored French colonial and Greek Revival styles. Needless to say, I was very touristy as I was gazing at every building and snapping pics consistently while walking through the French Quarter.
I knew I didn’t want to be confined to a club for the New Year countdown, but I definitely wanted to be in the streets surrounded by infectious, good energy. This led me to the famous Café du Monde. Although the line was literally down the block, people were being shuffled in pretty quickly. I got my hot chocolate and beignets right in time for the New Year countdown. Pro tip: Dip your beignets in the hot chocolate. Thank me later.
In addition to me learning my lesson about pumping through Bourbon St in heels mixed with me not really having a set plan for NYE led me to opt for flats for the celebration. The outfit I had planned for NYE was shamelessly worn the next day for breakfast and pictures. I found the sexiest boots on ASOS. They’re currently sold out, but here is a similar style.
Now I know I literally just mentioned that a comfortable heel doesn’t really exist, but these boots are the closest a woman can get! The platform and thick heel make these beauties (and your feet) long-lasting. I’m currently freeing myself from thinking a NYE outfit has to have some type of glitter, sequin or sparkle 💀 but Rome wasn’t built in a day! Therefore, I added a sequin mini skirt from Zara. This exact style is sold out, here are similar styles. I kept it simple up top with a black crop also from Zara.
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