The Big Easy, Part 5 : Our Last Night

Our final night in New Orleans, Sean and I had dinner for two at GW Fins - one of NOLA's favorite seafood restaurants (I had steak). Since it was raining that night, we unfortunately weren't able to go bar hopping like we had planned. Instead, we headed back to the hotel bar for some more drinkies.

Sean's agent thought it would be funny to showcase the two people making out on the couch behind us (think : the honeymooners on "National Lampoon's European Vacation").

HELLO...you are in a hotel! Get a room?!?!
I thought my Cosmo looked too cute perched on top of a napkin bearing the hotel's name:

Here is Sean enjoying one of New Orleans' signature drinks : the Gin Fizz. I despise gin, but this was SOOO good! Unfortunately, we doubt any bartenders up here know how to make it:

Four martinis, two Manhattans, a bottle of wine, one Sidecar, and one Gin Fizz later:

The Big Easy, Part 4 : Bourbon Street

What trip to NOLA would be complete without a trip to the (in)famous Bourbon Street? We actually spent a lot of time down there - you wouldn't guess that by the lack of pictures we took. It's not because we didn't want evidence of bad things, I just didn't want to carry a bag, and my camera doesn't fit in my wristlet.

A shot of the street at night:
Our first evening grabbing a cocktail before dinner. Notice the tumbler I'm holding? That's what they gave me when I asked for a Captain and Coke...definitely got the money's worth!

Before the trip, I bought a couple new pairs of sandals. When I put my cute new silver flats on for a day of sight-seeing, I looked down and realized they looked like little Fleur-de-lis (sp?). I thought it was only appropriate to grab a shot of my festive feet next to the Bourbon Street sign:

The Big Easy, Part 3 : "A Major Award"

The whole reason why we got to go to New Orleans was because Sean was the Unit Manager (sales manager) in his region that had the most growth in sales over the last six months. I am very proud of his accomplishments, and know he will continue to grow.

The second night of our stay, the company hosted an awards banquet in The Blue Room at the hotel. I realized I never snapped a good picture of this historic ballroom - I guess people like Frank Sinatra and Elvis used to play music there, and it was broadcast on the radio back in the 1950s.

Each manager, branch manager, and his or her top-selling agent got to go on stage and get "pinned". In addition, each of the spouses were introduced (I had to stand and give a little pageant wave).

The proud guy and his pin:

Here we are all spiffed up (some people thought it would be cool to wear jeans with sportscoats):

The Big Easy, Part 2 : The Touristy Stuff

Our first full day in New Orleans was spent taking in the sites. We did lots of touristy things including : taking in the unique architecture, walking to Jackson Square (where the artists and Tarot card readers hang out), visiting The French Market, and sipping coffee and eating Beignets at Cafe du Monde.

As expected, New Orleans is filled with all sorts of cool and old architecture:

The Saint Louis Cathedral is the oldest cathedral in the United States:

And the ultimate tourist stop in New Orleans - Cafe du Monde. For those of you unfamiliar, this is the place to grab a coffee and their world-famous Beignets (look like and taste like big, fat funnel cakes). We waited 40 minutes in line to experience it, and it was well worth the wait:

That's right, folks : Julie took up coffee drinking in New Orleans. The cafe au lait was a bit strong for my liking, but I was at Cafe du Monde, so I had to. I have since found the perfect accompaniments for those mornings when I really need it:

I hope Sean doesn't kill me for posting this picture! I told him to look like this on purpose, I thought it'd be funny and would really capture the deliciousness of it all:

The Big Easy, Part 1 : Getting There

Well, after weeks of nervously awaiting my first flight in almost seven years, we arrived safely and without incident in New Orleans. We got a very special and unexpected treat on our first flight : we bumped into one of my former college roommates/teammates/bridesmaids on her way down to Florida to get married! We ended up being on the same flight, and got to spend time catching up - such a nice surprise.

After grabbing our bags in the baggage claim, we saw a driver with a sign waiting for us. We thought we might be escorted to the hotel in a Towncar. Much to our surprise, the company actually had a limo waiting for us! It's been years since we've been in a limo - and we had it all to ourselves (don't get any ideas, we behaved ourselves).
We stayed at The Roosevelt Waldorf Astoria...talk about beautiful! The hotel recently reopened after being closed for almost two years for restoration work. The lobby was very ornate and was a very cool throwback:

Our room was very nice; cozy, but nice. Being such an old hotel, the rooms were a bit teeny, but very well appointed:

They must have had 42" flatscreens back in the late 1800s:

And TVs in the bathroom: