Down in New Orleans - 9.19.25

My boyfriend Avery and I headed off to our most recent adventure on a Friday afternoon to New Orleans, Louisiana. We were traveling to NOLA for the weekend to attend a baby shower for Avery’s friend. Our adventure started by dropping our car off at an off-site parking lot and then taking the complimentary shuttle over to the Philadelphia Airport. Since the trip was only for a weekend, we just packed individual carry-ons. Without a checked bag we went straight to security and then we went to a bar near our gate. I am a firm believer that once you make it through security, your vacation is in full swing which calls for a celebratory drink, or perhaps a nerve calming drink, depending on who you ask. 

Our flight was smooth, Avery slept, and I read and before we knew it, we were in Louisiana for the first time in both of our lives. We took an Uber from the airport to our hotel, AC Hotel New Orleans French Quarter. We quickly settled in then we were out on the town. 

Avery and I wandered around the downtown area, popping in and out of bars. We stopped briefly at The Carousel Bar & Lounge and Mahogany Jazz Hall. While we did not get drinks at either bar or stay longer than a handful of minutes, I was glad that we were able to pop in to see the scene live. The Carousel Bar & Lounge is inside the historic Hotel Monteleone and has been open since 1949. The bar has a subtle rotation that comes full circle every 15 minutes. The bar also offers live entertainment and bites. Mahogany Jazz Hall was another intimate venue playing live music and serving crafty cocktails. Both of these venues were fun, lively, and packed. If there was room for Avery and I to sit and see the bands, we might have stayed but alas there was no room, so we kept moving along. As fate would have it, as we were exiting the Jazz Hall, we ran into Avery’s friend and his girlfriend. We were excited to run into other members of our group as we were under the impression that everyone else was flying in on Saturday. 

With the new additions to our night, we regrouped over our first meal of the trip at Voodoo Chicken & Daiquiris. We reassessed our plans over samples of too sweet of frozen daiquiris and chicken tenders. The four of us decided to take action and continue the night by bouncing around the Bourbon Street bars. 

Our first stop was at Pat O’Brien’s which has a main bar area, outdoor patio, and piano lounge. Pat O’Brien is a known figure who ran a speakeasy until the repeal of the Prohibition. In 1942, O’Brien and his business partner Cantrell purchased the Historical Building that was built in 1791 as a private home that later became the first Spanish Theatre in the United States and is now one of the most iconic nightclubs in the United States. This place felt like home to me which now makes sense knowing its Spanish heritage as I myself have Spanish heritage. 

At Pat’s we enjoyed the world-famous Hurricane drink that was invented here. The drink came to life in the 1940s during World War II when manufacturing replaced distilleries. During this time, rum was readily available from the Caribbean which led to the experimentation of new drinks. The Hurricane is rum based and combines fruit flavors of lime, orange, and passion fruit. I enjoyed the drink and the history behind it. 

We spent our time at Pat’s enjoying the outdoor patio and the piano lounge. We sang along with the admiring crowd to popular songs. From Pat’s we went to The World-Famous Cats Meow.

The World-Famous Cats Meow has the title of the best karaoke bar in the world (perhaps self-given). This place was lively with music, singing, and dancing. During our visit I participated in a conga line around the establishment and our group signed up for karaoke. However, the wait for karaoke was long, and our group got the pre-show jitters and decided to continue bar hopping before we were called to the stage. Our last stop of the night was at Fuego Bourbon.

Fuego Bourbon is a venue that features Latin and hip-hop music with DJs and an open courtyard for dancing. The reviews online are mixed, either you loved it or hated it and thankfully I did not see the reviews in advance and loved it. The Spanish music drew us in, and I loved the lively atmosphere, especially songs by Bad Bunny. The establishment was also screening the movie Shrek on the TVs which gave Fuego bonus points - listening to Bad Bunny and watching Shrek in the club is an elite combination.

After Fuego, we left Bourbon Street and headed back to our hotels as we had an action-packed day planned just hours away.