Strolling Frenchmen Street (October 2025)
I had almost a full day following my second night in New Orleans, before I had to catch my flight back home. Therefore, I made the most of it by visiting the places I couldn’t get to during the previous days in town, and I managed to cover a lot of ground before I left. Between all of the sightseeing, I also tried a lot more of NOLA’s iconic dishes (e.g. beignets, po’boys, muffulettas), and I certainly ate my weight in good, Southern food.
First bite of the day was at Café du Monde, a world-famous institution known for its beignets that are piled high with powdered sugar. I went just before 8h00, and although there were already people sitting and eating, it wasn’t crazy with crowds just yet, so I was able to secure a table and place my order of beignets and café au lait. Know that Café du Monde is cash-only, but there’s an ATM machine inside in case you need to withdraw money!
Breakfast came, with three beignets absolutely buried with powdered sugar and a small café au lait. While tasty enough, I found Café du Monde’s beignets a bit too doughy, but I’m happy I got to try them at such a classic NOLA institution. Stomach satisfied, I was ready to head out and continue my visit of the city.
Beignets and café au lait at Café du Monde
I strolled colorful Frenchmen Street, just around the corner from Café du Monde. It was still early in the morning and few people were out and about; I can imagine that the street gets packed later in the day.
Frenchmen Street
From there, I headed to Baldwin & Co. Bookstore, dedicated to the late writer and civil rights activist James Baldwin. I spent a some time wandering around, even grabbing a cayenne latte inside its coffee shop (called “If Beale Street Could Talk,” with many drinks named after books written by black authors). I also grabbed a book and sat down to read while enjoying my drink, and it was nice to stop and take a pause from sightseeing.
Mosaic bookshelf of James Baldwin
Cayenne latte “If Beale Street Could Talk”
I had to check out from my hotel soon thereafter, so I took the streetcar back to pack up and checked out by 11h00. I left my luggage with the front desk and headed back out to continue exploring NOLA– I still had four to five hours before my flight, and I wanted to make the most of my time in town. I returned to the French Quarter, where I was able to go inside Saint Louis Cathedral and check out its impressive nave. Definitely something that rivals cathedrals in France!
Saint Louis Cathedral
Inside the cathedral
Next was a stroll to the French Market, an open-air market that spans six blocks of the center. It was historically a Native American trading post and today sells all sorts of local cuisine and handcrafted souvenirs to pass the time. I didn’t get any souvenirs there, but I did stop to grab a crab beignet and praline at one of the food stalls. In fact, I enjoyed the crab beignet more than the sweet ones I had at Café du Monde, and it was interesting trying a savory beignet this time around.
Inside the French Market
Crab beignet and praline
The crab beignet was just a little snack before lunch, and I ordered a fried shrimp po’boy at another corner grocery, picking it up and heading to Louis Armstrong Park for a picnic. Po’boys are a NOLA staple, and although I’ve had them before in other cities, I wanted to try it in its city of origin. Unfortunately, I don’t think I ordered well, as the sandwich was dry (since I forgot to add mayo to my online order). However, the fried shrimp were well-seasoned, not to forget abundant– the corner grocery certainly didn’t skimp!
Shrimp po’boy
I returned to the hotel to collect my bags and soon headed to the airport, where I caught my 18h30 flight back to Los Angeles. Just before leaving, I grabbed a muffuletta to-go at the airport for my dinner– although it was only a quarter of the sandwich, the portions were enormous and chock-full of different meats. I also enjoyed the sour punchiness of the olive tapenade and overall was a delightful little meal on the plane.
Muffuletta
As I hadn’t paid extra for seat selection, I ended up sitting in the very last row of the plane, which has only happened to me once before as a child when I was on stand-by. Any case, the sunset views were lovely, and I even saw the Mississippi River from the window, long and winding and expansive! It was an uneventful flight, and soon enough touched down in Los Angeles around 20h00 local time. I was back home by 21h00, tired but happy to be back.
Views of the Mississippi River from the plane
…and there you have it! My three-day weekend trip to New Orleans was short, but packed full of food and activities. While I had a good time, I will say that the city is more-catered to the party crowd, with its bars and music in the French Quarter. You’ll definitely come across tons of loud, drunk people on the streets, although it’s harmless and all in good fun. Considering that I don’t drink anymore, nor go out too late at night these days, that particular scene didn’t interest me, and perhaps I missed that aspect of what makes NOLA such a popular place to visit.
Maybe it’s just that my priorities on travel have changed. However, it’s not for the worse, as I still found enjoyment outside of NOLA’s drinking and partying culture: I really appreciated learning about the city’s history through its architecture and cuisine, and I got my fill of gorgeous buildings and delicious food during my stay. I made the most of my time in New Orleans, and even if you don’t drink or care to party, I believe that the city is still worth visiting for its vibrant atmosphere filled with music and friendly locals to have a good time.
Thanks for reading my New Orleans series! I hope you enjoyed the posts as much I did writing them, and I promise more travel posts are coming soon! 🙂
— Rebecca
