Getting Around

Free Wheelin’ Bike Tours

Ditch the car rental.  Take a cab into town and save yourself the hassle of parking and dealing with the traffic.  Sit back and relax instead.  Uber is in town, and the cabs are some of the cleanest we have seen in our travels.  For your day of adventure, we recommend renting a bicycle.  We found Free Wheelin’ Bike Tours and loved everything they had.  Their cruisers are amazing quality, and you can rent your bike after your tour.  Yes, take the tour.  Family owned and operated, you are going to see a part of the city you would never have seen, and get the from-the-heart stories from a family that has lived there for generations.  Got that?  Tour, then rent. You can bike to all the places we share below.

What To See

New Orleans City Park

Yes, it’s a park.  Yes, it’s worth the ride.  Ride?  Well, with a park that is twice the size of Central Park in New York City, you are going to need more than your two little feet to get around and see the sites.  With the amazing landscape, trails, and wide open space, this is the quintessential look for New Orleans landscape wrapped up in an incredible package.  Your bike is going to be your best friend for this journey, but be sure to pack some bottled water and maybe even some snacks to enjoy while enjoying the outdoors.

Get A History Lesson

The National WWII Museum

Did you know the the National WWII Museum is in New Orleans?  Nope?  Don’t worry, neither did we.  But when we found it, we were amazed at all it had to offer.  This is not your standard one floor, one campaign kind of war museum.  Instead, you have multiple buildings, displays big and small, artifacts from all sides, showing multiple campaigns in a visual, historical, and interactive timelines that you get to walk at your own pace.  You are assigned a war veteran, a real person whose story has been saved for the next generation to hear, and get to follow along as they tell you about their life in the war.  It is incredible, heart breaking, and eye opening.

Honor The Dead

Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 Tour

Tour a cemetery?  Well, yes, it’s almost required while in New Orleans.  With the unique topography of the city, all the cemetaries are above ground, and many of them open to the public.  Take a tour with one of the local experts, such as Robert Florence of Historic New Orleans Tours, to learn about all that has gone into this unique form of honoring the legacies and families of those no longer with us.  From well maintained lots to broken down and forgotten plaques, these cemeteries carry the history of the city truly on its face.

Honor The City

Grammy-Award Winning  Rebirth Brass Brand at the Maple Leaf Bar

The Rebirth Brass Band is a New Orleans institution founded in 1983.  Playing every Tuesday night at the Maple Lead Bar, it is one of the must see music experiences of the city.  The style and format is traditional to New Orleans, and they know how to keep the party going for hours on end.  Every bit of their performance really keeps the tempo, and if you don’t feel the culture waving over you with every note played, you might be visiting for the wrong reason.  While there are amazing groups all around, even playing in Jefferson Square in the evening, we found something magical about the Rebirth Brass Band and they played into the night in a packed (very very very packed) venue.  Your ears might hate you, but your soul will thank you.

To book your trip to New Orleans, visit VisitNewOrleans.com.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of New Orleans Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. The opinions and text are all mine.

The post The Must See Places in New Orleans appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

In these travels, the food-voice of the area is often well defined, with small variations here and there on the main dishes, but the commonality of many of the places serving noticeable.  Until I visit New Orleans, I thought very naively that this was how it was in most cities.

I thought wrong.

Many of you had recommendations on where to eat prior to this adventure, listing off the places I had to visit, sending tips through all forms of medium, and helped me build what I thought would be a great road map to follow.  Each suggestion researched and taken into account; I thought it would be a breeze to discover the best.

I had three days in New Orleans, and by the end of the first, my taste buds were already on the roller coaster of a lifetime, unable to define the melting pot of flavors, techniques, styles, backgrounds, and options that had been presented.  From the modern techniques and inspired meals at Carrollton Market to the beyond-craft menu of the drinks offered at Loa Bar in the International House Hotel, and even to the iconic Brennan’s, the food was so exceptionally amazing and wonderful, unique and creative, that it was an eye opener for me.

The mixture of French and Creole cooking, alongside English traditional, Southern comfort, and Caribbean spices, brought together by natives and expats alike in their own, unique styles was amazingly overwhelming.

And as I went on this culinary whirlwind, it was clear that this was not just the standard tourist’s fare often found in popular cities, but the food of the people, the food that represented the city and its melting pot of cultures, ideals, and history.  I could not look around a corner and not see another restaurant, shack, or stand that wasn’t serving something that just enticed and drew me in.  The smells, the sounds, the people, and all their passion behind the food and traditions, be it new or old, made the experience even more a wonder.

But to pick a favorite, to sit back and feel that there was one meal that represented the city best; now that is a challenge.  Many visitors would pick Café du Monde, and others would go for Brennan’s; I feel there are two joints, together, that just represented the forward thinking, tradition following, and rogue atmosphere of New Orleans.  Cochon and its neighbor Cochon Butcher, both dominating the gallery below, stand out as the best representation.

Now, I know some of you might be shifting in your seats, writing me hate mail, or otherwise cursing my name with that bold claim, but hear me out.  Sitting down at the table inside Cochon, looking around, I didn’t see the standard tourists.  Instead, I saw business people, couples, and locals enjoying their lunches and each other’s company.  Right away, you knew this was a local’s joint, and with that, the idea that it serves local food is automatic.  Second, each of the dishes brought out, from the ham knuckles to the desserts, were magnificently prepared, utilizing old techniques and flavors that felt like a melting pot in each of the bites.  And next door at Butcher, where fresh Boudin was made in front of me and served still warm, all at the hands of one of the most skilled butchers I have had the pleasure of speaking with, I couldn’t help but feel that, at that lunch, that meal, I had found New Orleans.

What can I say?  I walked away from this adventure full, thinking of the hours ahead of me in the gym to make up for the copiousness of food and flavors, knowing full well each moment burning it all off was worth it.  I found, in these culinary treats, my New Orleans, my where to eat, my centering point that will always call me back, be my point to start and probably end each trip to the area, and it became this foodie’s dream come true.

To book your trip to New Orleans, visit VisitNewOrleans.com.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of New Orleans Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. The opinions and text are all mine.

The post New Orleans: A Foodie’s Dream appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

Welcome to New Orleans, a city so far behind that it is ahead. A city of diversity and culture that is seen nowhere else in the country. A city worth getting lost in.

New Orleans, or Nola, was anew adventure for me. I have never been to the true south, and I can’t really say I have been there yet. The city, described by some as the North Caribbean, feels so incredibly different than any other place I have explored. Every street was packed with something new, from the leaning homes to amazing boutique shops, all with the common flow of outward Nola charm, hospitality, and culture. From the French side to the English side, all intermixed with the Colonial styling, this melting pot of influence has stood the test of time year after year, hurricane after hurricane, and no doubt will continue to do so long after I am gone.

Hitting the streets of the city, walking down towards Jackson’s Square in the French Quarter, the sites and smells just drew me in, and the constant music in the air enhanced every bit of the walk. Wandering in and out of the little shops, including the amazingly delicious Leah’s Pralines to the back alleys between restaurants, my sense of direction was gone. I only knew where I was going, but probably could never navigate back to where I had been. And that was heaven.

But this was more than food, it was the beauty in the art, the history, and the architecture. Intermixed with the modern shops were classic elements, historical connections the locals never let go of as they fought to maintain their individualistic identity. From the gas lamps on the sides of the buildings to the bright colored paintings framed by colonial windows, every new block walked had something amazing to look at, check out, and take in, all while being able to walk into the small shops and see craftsmen hand building so many of these elements around the city. I was culturally intoxicated by everything around.

And no matter the neighborhood I wandered into, the corner I turned, it was all amazing.

There is something to say about this adventure. The start of new memories, but maybe more of a premonition of what was to come. To sit back and be overwhelmed by a cities true identity, but a people so proud of their heritage and independence, was only the first step. I was lost in this city. My mind wandering, exploring, and in love with everything around. And I had just arrived. This part alone was worth the adventure, the flight, and now cannot wait to return. I feel it’s safe to say no matter what happens around it, New Orleans will always be the same.

So here is to the start of getting lost, the start of finding my Nola and losing my heart among the charm. Here is to your adventure, where I hope you can join me.

To book your trip to New Orleans, visit VisitNewOrleans.com.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of New Orleans Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. The opinions and text are all mine.

The post New Orleans: Worth Getting Lost In appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

• 2 parts Basil Hayden’s Bourbon
• 1/2 part Cajun Spice Syrup*
• 5 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
• 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
• Lemon Zest
• Sprig of Thyme

Combine all ingredients into a mixing glass with ice. Stir until well chilled and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with the zest of a lemon a sprig of thyme.

*Cajun Spice Syrup

• 1 cup Water
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1 tbsp. Cajun Spice

Combine all three ingredients in a saucepan and warm. Stir until sugar and Cajun Spice are fully dissolved into the water. Strain into an empty container and set aside.

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