Shopping in New Orleans on Magazine Street | New Orleans, LA

 

In my research about places to visit on my trip to New Orleans, there was one road in particular that kept coming up. I searched for restaurants and unique shops along with many other places of interest before heading to the Crescent City. After adding the suggestions I found to my Google map, I realized that a trend was beginning to emerge. What I found was that the majority of businesses I was adding were all clustered together on the same stretch of road.

Little did I know at the time how serious this shopping district in New Orleans really was. While I had about 15-20 Magazine Street merchants on my New Orleans map, that was nothing compared to the collective of shops actually located on this strip, which totaled approximately 160+ retailers and restaurants. I mean, we're talking about a 6-mile stretch of “mom & pop” specialty shops filled with everything from home décor to clothing & jewelry. Magazine Street is truly a shoppers dream.

For some odd reason, I thought that my Sister and I would make our trip to Magazine St. a quick stop, but boy was I wrong! Typically, I'm not a big shopper when I've traveled such a long distance, or any time, really. Plus, my carry on was already overstuffed as it was; even my souvenirs had to be mailed back. However, despite the fact that I am not an avid shopper, I really enjoyed strolling around this beautiful neighborhood, peeking in at the places that piqued my interest.

We stopped in at many the Magazine St. shops in the Uptown area of New Orleans and oohed and ahhed over all the items that I would have loved to purchase. Cute dresses, neat jewelry & unique home decorating items were all things I could have easily went home with had I not exercised some restraint. But I fought the urge to splurge! It's wasn't easy, though, with all of the awesome stuff we kept spotting. To a seasoned shopper, the temptation would be impossible to overlook because you're bound to come in contact with many I-can't-live-without-items on display begging you to buy them. Even I don't know how I resisted & I'm not a big shopper to begin with! 

Our first order of business was to get a bite to eat, although our original plan, which was to buy a bag of boiled crawfish from Big Fisherman Seafood, was thwarted because they were all out and wouldn't get any more in for 2 weeks. Forced to improvise, we kept walking until we stumbled upon another suitable option. What we found instead was Joey K's, a popular Magazine Street restaurant among locals who are in the mood for homecooked food at reasonable prices.

This hub in the heart of Magazine Street in New Orleans has a funky flair and has been featured on the Food Network's Diners, Drive-ins & Dives. While we could have sampled any number of delicious dishes named after neighborhood streets, such as the Shrimp Magazine & the Trout Tchoupitoulas, we opted for a seafood sampler of fried fare to fill our tummies. The platter had fried shrimp, oysters, catfish and hush puppies all of which were rather tasty, although next time I might try one of the signature dishes.

Even after stuffing ourselves we were still up for exploring. We popped into the Poet's Gallery to soak up the visually stirring “A Carnival of Saints & Souls” exhibit featuring fine art dolls and photography. The display of dolls showcased were created by an array of artists and they ranged from cool to creepy, although still darling. I wanted to adopt one myself.

FunRock'N was the next place we stopped in at. It was crowded with fashion and other quirky finds, there was something for everyone to be found in this modern day five-and-dime.

A fast forward from fashion to furniture lead us to take a quick look inside Nadeau (furniture with a soul). This store housed many hardwood pieces from India and Indonesia. I was somewhat surprised by the reasonable prices most of the items were listed at, although they were still out of my range. Not entirely, though, there were a few smaller (more affordable) decorative pieces that I would have totally walked away with had they been local.

Once our full bellies had time to digest, we decided to stop in at Sucre to satisfy our sweet tooth. I was seriously delighted to be stepping foot through their doors because I've actually ordered from their store online in the past. Walking into the brick & mortar store was like stepping inside of a sweet treat with the mint green coated walls. Glass cases were overflowing with confections of all kinds from cakes to chocolates to parisian macaroons.

The mini-desserts were all magnificently presented which made making up our minds rather painstaking, they all looked scrumptious. I didn't want to pick on looks alone. I also wanted to pick one that was big on taste, too. Although I'm sure you couldn't pick a bad one no matter how hard you tried. My Sister and I decided to share the Turtle dessert, a chocolate bread pudding, chocolate mousse, salted caramel mousse concoction that was pure bliss. I'm glad that we shared because it was really rich.

Afterward, we hobbled to the car so that we could hit up another section of Magazine Street further up the road before heading back home. The next stop was GoGo Jewelry, by far one of my favorite stops along the way. Their foundry was jam-packed with necklaces, cuffs, earring & rings, you name it, they had it. The designs were uncommon and unlike any other pieces I have seen before. Very cool stuff, indeed.

Next door to GoGo was a different kind of Magazine Street boutique called, UP/ Unique Products. What caught my eye when walking by was the life-sized alligator crafted entirely out of melted green Mardi Gras beads. Inside they had a lot of other items made from recycled materials that would otherwise be discarded as well. It was wonderful to see a store dedicated to environmentally friendly retail products where items are being handmade.

Across the way, we decided to swing into Spruce. From the outside one might get the impression that this is a gallery as opposed to a home décor/design studio, the showroom was clean and contemporary with eco-conscious style in mind. I wanted everything in that posh place, it was beautiful.

While Magazine Street is a mecca for shoppers and is considered the “Best Shopping Street in New Orleans”, it's more than a mere shopping destination. With its diverse array of restaurants, shops and other businesses to keep you coming back for more, I can see why it's such a popular place for locals and tourist alike. Just make sure you take an extra suitcase for all of the wonderful goodies you're bound to find!

Related Links:

• Magazine Street Merchants Association | Website  
• Joey K's Restaurant | 3001 Magazine Street | (504) 891-0997 | Website 
• Poet's Gallery | 3113 Magazine Street | (504) 899-4100 | FB Page
• FunRock'N | 3109 Magazine Street | (504) 895-4102 | FB Page
• Nadeau Furniture | 2728 Magazine Street | (504) 891-1356 | Website
• Sucre | 3025 Magazine Street | (504) 520-8311 | Website
• GoGo Jewelry | 2036 Magazine St | (504) 529-8868 | Website
• Up/Unique Products | 2038 Magazine Street | (504) 529-2441 | Website
• Spruce Eco-Studio | 2043 Magazine Street | (504) 265-0946 | Website
  
  

Photo Essay: Bourbon Street by Night | New Orleans, Louisiana

I'm well aware of the stigma that is synonymous with Bourbon St. It has a seedy reputation for reasons that are readily apparent once you've seen so for yourself. The wacky and weird are everyday occurrences on Bourbon St., so be prepared to witness the odd and outrageous. Some things will make you laugh while others will make you gasp.

My first trip down the strip was rather alarming to say the least. A homebody like me felt extremely out-of-place with the party people at first, but I quickly came around. The electric energy was impossible to resist mingling with no matter how hard I tried.

Day or night, the streets are teeming with bead wearing, oversize drink toting pedestrians who are ready to PAR-TAY! It also seems as though no matter what day of the week you venture to this non-stop party spot, it's always Fat Tuesday. 

Strolling down the strip flanked by the blazing glow of neon lights along with the flooded streets and balconies overflowing with fellow party goers was a lot to take in at times. And I was told on many occasions that what I experienced was nothing compared to Mardi Gras. Seriously, I can't image.

It's no wonder that nightlife fanatics from all over are flocking to New Orleans to let loose. After all, the city was named the #1 destination for nightlife in the world by tripadvisor.com. Not to mention the fact that they pretty much invented the cocktail. Bourbon Street is most definitely a tourist attraction on its own with numerous bars, restaurants & night clubs to keep you occupied.

While it's wildly popular among tourists it's pretty much loathed by the locals. And I can't really blame them. Tourists can be obnoxious, especially when large quantities of alcohol are added to the mix. Bourbon St. is an anything goes kind of place with no laws regarding open containers, which allows people to walk around the streets with cocktails. Even the bars don't have specific closing times that they must adhere to. They can stay open until 2am or 5am, it just depends on whether or not people are still drinking. With barely any rules, things can get out of hand, people start acting like fools. That's why locals don't step foot on that strip.

 

I was warned, but I went against my better judgment and took my chances. And it was fun while it lasted.  Maybe even too much fun! There were only two nights during my trip that we braved Bourbon St. After the second night, I declared that I'd had enough. There is much more to New Orleans than Bourbon St. and I still had a lot left to explore. But staying up till all hours of the night made that an extremely difficult task to undertake. It was an experience that I won't soon forget even if I'm not ready to repeat it any time in the near future!

Related Links:

• Pigging Out @ The Oak St. Po-Boy Festival
• Postcard from New Orleans | Ending a Sugar Strike in Style @ Cafe du Monde

Pigging Out @ the Oak St. Po-Boy Festival | New Orleans, Louisiana

In a city that lives to eat, it's no surprise that a food festival centered around stuffing your face can pack in a crowd of people. This is especially easy to do when the superstar happens to be the quintessential staple of New Orleans culinary culture. It's nothing fancy and can consist of any combination of ingredients from seafood to cold cuts and is sandwiched between two slices of french bread, the Po-Boy.

The 30 vendors participating in this years po-boy festival lined a shut-down section of Oak St. Navigating the shoulder-to-shoulder horde of hungry sandwich seekers was trying at times, although that was the least of my worries. Bigger issues were more important, like which of the vendors we wanted to buy a po-boy from. This was no easy feat when it comes to how indecisive I can be at time when presented with an overflow of options. In this case, they were plentiful and seemingly endless. 

  

Once you have narrowed down the choice about what you'd like to devour first, your next predicament is dependent upon whether or not it's worth standing in line for. Some of the lines had upwards of 30-40 people waiting, which wouldn't have been so bad had they not been inching forward at a snails pace. Although once you set your sights on a particular po-boy it was hard to turn your back on the possibility of savoring such a tasty sandwich. Proximity and price also had a lot to do with selections we made as well.

In an attempt to taste test as many po-boys as we possibly could, my Sister and I decided to share our sandwiches. At the end of the day we tried at least 5 different ones. And who knew we would do such a good job of sniffing out the crème de la crème because I later found out that we ate many of the po-boys that were voted the best of the festival. 

One of our favorites came from Red Fish Grill who won the honor of Best Shrimp Po-Boy with their Grilled Shrimp & Blackened Avocado Po-Boy; it was packed with flavor and the shrimp were super fresh and tasty. Our second favorite came from Sammy's Deli who won the honor of Best Specialty Non-Seafood Po-Boy with their Fried Chicken with Chisesi Ham and Swiss Cheese Po-Boy, talk about a scrumptious concoction, it was amazing! Another notable po-boy we tasted was from Coquette Restaurant who won the People's Choice Award for the Homemade Hot Sausage Po-Boy, it was juicy and the least expensive one we had all day at only $5.00. 

I felt really lucky that my trip coincided with one of the many festivals that New Orleans hosts because it allowed me to try a variety of po-boys in a short period of time. There were a whole handful of other sandwiches that I would have liked to sample, however my stomach could only endure so much. Had I not had the opportunity to attend the Oak St. Po-Boy Festival, though, I wouldn't have put a dent in the plethora of po-boy options the city has available. 

 

It was an interesting and amusing experience to say the least and I hope that the next time I venture to New Orleans that my trip will include another festival where I can feast on other flavors made famous by the Crescent City.

Related Links:

• New Orleans Po-Boy Festival | Website 
• Red Fish Grill | 115 Bourbon Street New Orleans, LA 70130 | (504) 598-1200 | Website
• Sammy's Deli | 3000 Elysian Fields Avenue New Orleans, LA 70122-3627 | (504) 947-0675 | Website  
• Coquette Restaurant | 2800 Magazine Street New Orleans, LA 70115-2229 | (504) 265-0421 | Website 

 

Postcard from New Orleans | Ending a Sugar Strike in Style!

My one and only wish for the first day of exploring was to end a five week long sugar strike in style by eating a plate full of deep-fried dough doused in powdered sugar, otherwise known as beignets. Mission accomplished!

We went in with the intention of sharing a plate of 3, however, after plowing through our first few we decided that it was imperative to order yet another plate. The excitement of eating sugar for the first time in five weeks was almost as exciting as the band playing on the sidewalk just outside the cafe. A front row seat was waiting for us when we got there so we could see all of the action.

Afterward, we set out to explore more of Decatur St. by foot. It's hard to believe that I spent a total of five hours touring the city – well, a portion of the city -- and only saw a very small fraction of what this place is really made of. To give you a better idea of how little ground we actually covered, we didn't even walk the entire length of that one road. Luckily, I have plenty of time to see even more while I'm here, which I definitely intend on doing!