The English Maximalista

Sadly, Mr Maximalista and I are NOT in New Orleans on this St. Patrick’s Day… however, we were there four years ago, and I have to tell you, it was THE best St. Patrick’s Day I have EVER had!

In 2022, March the 17th fell on a Thursday, which is when we flew out from Chicago O’Hare, staying in NOLA until Monday. It was the perfect amount of time to spend in this vibrant city.

By the time we landed — and given that it was March — it was dark when we got to our hotel. We ended up asking the Uber driver to drop us off down the road from where we were staying, because crowds of people were spilling into the roads, making it impossible for any vehicles to get anywhere. It was gridlock.

But we really didn’t mind, given the high spirits of the crowds, who were very festive indeed. It was so much fun walking through the streets with all the revelers, even though Mr M and I were both thoroughly sober at that point. We were eager to remedy that.

And so, after briefly dropping our luggage off in our lovely suite at the gorgeous One11 Hotel, we headed back into the throngs toward Tujague’s historic restaurant in the French Quarter, where we had dinner reservations that evening. 

We dined on their fabulous Cajun fayre in the courtyard, loving the warmth of the evening, given that we had just flown in from the Arctic Midwest. We took our time to savor the phenomenal meal, which we washed down with a bottle of red. Getting away for a long weekend is so therapeutic.

By the time we headed back to our hotel, we didn’t feel quite as out of place amongst the lively pedestrians, and loved the swell of laid-back vibes from the St. Patrick’s Day parade. It was so much fun walking along the fringes of the parade, amongst young adults with painted faces, green top hats and matching shamrocky outfits.

Alas, after a long day of travel, and with our bellies full of great food, we were exhausted. Back at One11, we only stayed for a quick little tipple in the hotel bar before heading up to our suite. 

These two old farts were pooped out!

*****

The rest of our visit to New Orleans was mostly filled with the cultural pursuits that we adore: exploring the French Quarter, hitting the Presbytère Museum, Faulkner House Bookshop, Saint Louis Cathedral, et cetera. Basically soaking up the NOLA vibes.

Our first day, we caught one of the famous streetcars to the New Orleans Museum of Art, where we spent a good portion of the afternoon. Another day, we took a boat cruise through the bayou, catching glimpses of the local wildlife, including about a dozen ‘gators. It was great!

Our meals were spent at some incredible eateries. One evening, we took a jazz cruise down the Mississippi River, which was a special experience. The food in New Orleans was delicious.

Mr M and I are not the hard partying types one usually associates with St. Patrick’s Day; we are not fans of noise, nor are we noisy people. Nevertheless, it was wonderful to experience things out of our comfort zone.

I can’t say I’m in a hurry to ever do it again, but I can say I had enormous fun, that time when we went to NOLA for St. Patrick’s Day.

Lots of love,

M xo