The Big Easy

Dada served on a safety board and had a conference in New Orleans the first weekend of June. The kids and I decided to tag along and explore while he was at the conference. It was hot and humid, but bearable. I wasn't sure about New Orleans with kids, but there was actually a ton of stuff to do! We stayed right outside of the French Quarter and could walk most places. I decided that I was not renting a car, dealing with car seats, or even bringing a stroller this trip. It was the first time since we had kids that we didn't have to deal with all those items and it was amazing! I bought the kids little booster seats for the Uber ride to the hotel and they were both excited. While I won't let them use them at home, it was fine for the short rides. We took buses and streetcars in town and the kids thought it was so exciting. One bus driver actually made a comment about Emmett being excited to ride the bus (unlike most people who don't want to). It was super easy to get around.

We got in late on a Saturday and basically went to our hotel and to bed. Sunday, the kids and I took a streetcar to a botanical garden that had a huge miniature train that drove around through a miniature New Orleans. It was pretty cool and Emmett loved it. Clara was more interested in seeing "wild animals" (aka a turtle and squirrels) throughout the gardens. We also went to a storybook play area attached to the gardens. The biggest hit was a giant dragon where the tongue was a slide. Clara got what I thought at the time was a bee sting, but now think was a spider bite, while we were there. Being the super laid back when it comes to health person that I am, I let her put some ice she found on the ground (it looked like it had been poured out of an ice chest) and kept on trucking. When it turned  into an oozy sore the next day I considered getting some Neosporin, but couldn't find a pharmacy. Luckily it turned out fine! We let Emmett nap and after Dada finished we headed to the river and ate some beignets (dessert before dinner) and walked around the French Quarter. We finally ate a super late dinner and headed back with some tired kids!

Walking her dog Chicken Noodle

Monday, the kids and I headed to an aquarium and insectarium. The aquarium was much better than I expected and we even got to watch a couple 3D movies. There were different exhibits including a Mississippi River exhibit and we got to see a lot of local animals and fish. The insectarium wasn't huge but there was quite a bit to do including taste food with bugs in it. I tricked the kids into eating cricket cookies (I ate one too) and Clara was so mad when she realized what it was! We finished the tour in a giant room filled with butterflies that could fly all over. It was pretty awesome! We went to dinner a a nearby place that had a ton of restaurant booths and seating and a bar in the middle. There were tons of vegetarian options and we all found something we liked!

The best part about New Orleans, walking
down the street drinking alcohol!

She didn't want the paparazzi taking
pictures of her giant salad

Tuesday, the kids and I went to the zoo. We took a bus there and Emmett was so excited! It was a pretty good zoo and had a lot of different areas all decorated to match where they were from. We saw so many animals, including a large exhibit of native animals. Although it got pretty hot by the end, we enjoyed ourselves! Emmett was so exhausted that he fell asleep on the bus on the way back and stayed asleep while I carried him back to the hotel and put him to bed! 

Just measuring the bus stop

After naps, dinner I made in the hotel, and some wine, beer, and juice, we headed to the river for a steamboat jazz cruise. It was the perfect night and the breeze made it very enoyable. The kids loved the music and we danced, drank, and enjoyed the sights.

Wednesday, the kids and I spent the morning at a children's museum that was literally a block away from our hotel. It was three stories of awesomeness and they had so much fun they didn't once ask me for snacks the entire four hours we were there. Of course, the second we left they realized it was past lunch time and they were starving! 

Clara convinced him that he would be a super
hero if he wore this sticker on his face.

Dada finished early since it was the last day and we headed to the French Quarter. We strolled down Bourbon Street, checked out the cute houses and awesome balconies, and tried not to melt. Emmett fell asleep while I gave him a piggyback ride down Bourbon Street and didn't wake up until we got back to the hotel.

Shiner Bock on Bourbon Street

Thursday, Dada was finally free so we went on a swamp tour. We saw a ton of alligators, probably because they feed them marshmallows to get them to jump out of the water. We saw one of the other guides grab a gator out of the water to give it a kiss! Clara got really excited when a dragon fly landed on her! After the tour, we headed back to New Orleans and checked out market and Dada finally had his fried alligator! We also went on a tour of an old house. Clara really liked it, Emmett could have cared less. We fed the kids and headed to a place we wanted to eat with the hopes of getting them dessert. Emmett fell asleep immediately and slept through dinner. Clara was content to drink freshly made passion fruit juice and then go to a dessert place afterwards. Needless to say, Emmett did not wake up and it involved me carrying him from place to place. He finally woke up in time for dessert!

Emmett was so excited about the trombones and
spent the rest of the day pretending to play one!

Friday, we got up at 4:30 to get to the airport. The kids were troopers and didn't complain. Emmett, Dada, and I slept a lot on the plane, but Clara stayed awake the entire time watching Puffin Rock. We got home in time for her violin recital followed by her dance dress rehearsal and were all exhausted. We had a fabulous time in New Orleans and both kids say they want to go back. Emmett has requested to move there!