Sarahritchie17 Yesterday was one of my favorite days here in New Orleans, even being in COVID-times and all. So today, I wanted to share the things that made my day so special. Maybe they’ll inspire your next birthday, special occasion, or trip to New Orleans.
1. A Fresh Mani/Pedi
I kicked off my birthday weekend with a trip to the nail salon. My go-to nail place here is Nail Bar NOLA. They do a great job and offer free drinks while you get your mani/pedi. Located in the Central Business District, it’s a short walk from downtown hotels and only a 20 minute walk from the French Quarter. Highly recommend if you need a chill afternoon on your New Orleans visit.
2. Decorations
Saturday morning, I woke up to find the apartment decorated with balloons and a happy birthday banner. The kitchen table had presents and a bottle of champagne. I was so surprised and impressed by the work my boyfriend did to transform the apartment overnight into an Instagram-ready rose gold wonderland.
3. Breakfast Outside
I made French Toast for breakfast, and we enjoyed it with mimosas outside on our balcony.
4. Dressing Up
With no set plan for the rest of the day, I took my time to do my hair and make-up and get dressed up just because (and for pictures of course). If my apartment looked this cute, then I should too, right?
5. Gentilly Cake
Last year, my boyfriend got me the most delicious cake I’d ever had. If he hadn’t told me it was from the local grocery store, I would have thought he had gone to a specialty bakery. This was the one thing I asked him for this year for my birthday. He clearly outdid himself with everything else.
Side note: You can still enjoy cake even if you’re not having a party. I enjoy a piece while it’s fresh, refrigerate a few more pieces worth to enjoy throughout the week and wrap the rest in plastic wrap and freeze. Cake will stay good in the freezer for months! Pro tip: instead of wrapping the leftover cake as one giant slab, cut it into sections and wrap those individually. When you’re in the mood for cake, bring a section of cake from the freezer to the fridge to defrost and enjoy the next day.
6. Exploring the French Quarter
It was such a beautiful day that we decided to go for a walk. We hadn’t been out to the Quarter in a while since we’d been staying home for months to stop the spread of COVID-19 and didn’t know how crowded the most touristy part of the city might be. But equipped with masks and hand sanitizer, we ventured out.
We felt like tourists in our own town, exploring the streets we had at one point gotten bored of. We found new places, wandered old streets, checked out local art galleries, and enjoyed an afternoon of window-shopping.
7. Pere Antoine Restaurant
Wandering Royal Street, having had only cake for lunch, we stumbled upon a place called Pere Antoine Restaurant and decided to stop for a snack and drinks. We ordered the crab spinach artichoke dip and a couple of fruity cocktails, all of which were delicious.
8. The Court of Two Sisters
One of our friends met up with us right after we’d left Pere Antoine, so we decided to find another place to grab a drink after a little more window-shopping. We were looking for a courtyard where we could sit outside when we stumbled upon The Court of Two Sisters. The restaurant has a picturesque courtyard that was exactly what we were looking for.
Currently in New Orleans, restaurants cannot be operating as bars, so we had to order food with our drinks. Our friend got the bananas foster to share, and it was incredible. Our waitress made the dish in front of us while telling us it’s history. The original bananas foster was created at Brennan’s, a classic New Orleans Restaurant, using ingredients they had in surplus at the time in the 1950’s.
9. Tommy’s Cuisine
I guess an alternate title for this blog post would be “Food Tour of New Orleans.” We pretty much ate the whole way through the city. But if you’ve ever tried any food in New Orleans, you understand why.
Our last stop of the day was at Tommy’s Cuisine. (We’d made a reservation earlier in the day. Reservations are key at the finer NOLA dining establishments, especially when things are more crowded.)
In the month of August, New Orleans has a month-long event called “Coolinary.” Participating restaurants designate a specific menu of 2-3 courses that they offer as a package deal for a discounted price. For example, we got a 3-course meal last night for only $24.95 each. I was worried they wouldn’t have Coolinary this year due to COVID concerns, but I’m so glad they did. It’s such a great way to try out restaurants that we normally wouldn’t and indulge in New Orlean’s finest cuisine.
Visit <https://www.neworleans.com/coolinary/listings/?skip=60&sort=rankTitle> for more information on Coolinary. This year there are 72 participating restaurants.
10. Spending the Day With My Love
The day would not be complete without spending it with someone I love. Celebrations are not meant to be spent alone, and I’m so blessed and thankful that my boyfriend lives with me and is considered part of my household in these weird times. I really owe this perfect day to him. He did everything in his power to make the day special for me and make it feel like a real birthday and not what people are calling a “quarantine birthday.” My heart is filled with so much joy.
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Cheers!
Sarah
