new orleans

this post has been long overdue but, life and class really got in the way of blogging this semester. thankfully, its over (finally!!) and i can catch you up on our adventure of a trip to new orleans back in october. this year marked our fifth anniversary and we felt it deserved something extra fun. i had my sights on exploring new orleans for awhile but it kept getting placed on the back burner. then, T had a blast there during a recent business trip and it re-ignited my thirst for all things nola. sadly, we only had a long weekend to explore it so, each day was jam-packed with any and all fun things we could squeeze in. 

thursday:

we had a pretty easy drive from ok to la up until the last hour of the drive into the city. an intense storm came through that really dragged things out so, we dashed our first night explore the city plans for low-key airbnb neighborhood hanging. at first, our change in plans seemed like such a bummer but, it led us to find a gem of a dive bar with some of the friendliest locals you'd ever meet. the cocktails were great, the atmosphere cozy, and our friend-making skills helped steer us towards some amazing local eats that weekend. seriously pals, you were one of the best accidental finds we could have ever had!

[hollywood starlet-themed cocktails]

[exploring our darling neighborhood]

friday:

after ride okc helped us discover our love for bike tours, i knew we had to do check out a local tour while in town. if you ever have a few hours to burn, are interested in seeing the city from a local's perspective, and are ready to work up a sweat (from the biking and the humidity) then, make sure to book a tour with flambeaux. our guide was friendly, energetic, and engaging. we learned so much about the history and culture of the city while getting to see some amazing street art (my favorite). 

[amazing talent left and right]

[mid-mural viewing bliss]

[banksy sighting, nbd]

[love this sculpture of buddy bolden and the story behind it]

[cemetery touring; gorgeous and haunting]

after our dynamite tour, T and i were feeling famished (not surprising since we had been biking for four hours). so, our guide pointed us in the direction of his favorite po' boy shop and we were off!

[we were not prepared for how delicious these would be]

[darling little nooks]

we spent the afternoon popping in and out of different neighborhoods, shops, and bars. and after finding some jems, we set out for the next recommended eats from our buds at pals. 

[my favorite oysters, maybe ever]

we first set our sights on sampling tasty cocktails, oysters, and empanada combos at the auction house market. once again, we were not prepared for how killer everything would be and could have very easily spent the rest of the night there. but, we had reservations to get to, and boy, were they worth it. peche, you have my heart and stomach and were the ultimate anniversary dinner. such a treat and you left us feeling a little love drunk from such a beautiful experience.

saturday:

we started the day with a dynamite brunch spread at willa jean's where i fell in love with the combination of braised short ribs, grits, and a poached egg. it was a beautiful match made in harmony and i cannot wait to re-create it. and, in true blue indulgence, T and i had their deconstructed red velvet cake. if you ever have the chance to try it, do it! it is...divine. 

[my favorite date]

[shades of brown]

[the heavenly red velvet cake, deconstructed]

[gorgeous]

after such a filling brunch, we had to walk the decadence off before our afternoon plans. so, we found little shops and sights to keep us busy. 

[literally, dead]

then, T and i spent an entertaining few hours at a distillery tour learning all things new orleans rum. our guide, bob, has one quick wit and kept us all enthralled with the rum making and tasting process. before that tour, i felt a little uneasy about diving deep on rum since it's not exactly my favorite spirit. but, this distillery tour made fans out of both T and i. 

[oyster and shrimp taco happy hour]

after finding some tasty nibbles at the french market, T and i set off to explore studio be. it was one of the most powerful, engaging, and moving exhibits i have come across. i cannot recommend it enough that everyone see it, at least once. i could have easily spent all afternoon there and still felt like it wasn't enough time. 

[you are still here]

[neighborhood happy hour]

after freshening up for our evening plans, we met up with friends at coterie for tasty louisiana classics before checking out all the touristy dives for drinks. while T and i don't particularly care for the bar trap scene on bourbon street, it was pretty fun to take it all in.  

sunday:

after our late night festivities saturday night, we were feeling a little sluggish and decided to take a leisurely-paced brunch at the beautifully delicious, jack rose. 

feeling the need to walk off another indulgent meal, we checked out the sculpture garden at the new orleans museum of art. personally, i have always loved paintings but, there is something about sculptures that really calls to me. know what i mean?

[this piece was one of two that we chatted about the most]

whether you are a fan of sculptures or not, it is worth spending a few hours walking about the exhibit. T initially felt lukewarm about seeing the garden but, quickly changed his mind and fell in love with all of the gorgeous eye candy. plus, it was a great way to soak up some extra vitamin d rays. 

[hello, there]

[my personal favorite]

[does one really say no to swan paddle boats?]

[walking around our darling neighborhood]

feeling snacky and ready for refreshment, T and i spent a gorgeous happy hour sampling a-mazing wines, cheeses, meats, and nibbles. we got to know some fun locals while listening to great live jazz music...it may go down as one of our favorite sundays. 

[taking it all in]

[a stunning mosaic]

feeling ready for dinner and excited to try another local rec, we set off to have the most delectable blue crab raviolo and wine. keeping with the theme of the weekend, T and i were not ready for how tasty it would be. we made more local friends, sampled great drinks, and then set off for our ghost tour. 

so, i will say, the only thing we regretted doing during our trip was this tour. being so close to halloween and with a full moon that night, we expected it to be pretty spooky, if not scary. unfortunately, it was neither and left us thinking we could have better spent our money elsewhere. but, sometimes that happens on trips so, it's not that huge of a loss. 

[classic new orleans moment]

aside from our ghost tour being a bust, our weekend away was everything we could have hoped for and then some. armed with even more recs from our local friends, we can't wait to come back to explore even more. until then new orleans, cheers!

santa maria

a few weeks back, T and i visited our dear friends cat and matt in santa maria for memorial day weekend. it was my first time to see california and i was treated to quite the first experience as we stayed at matt's home on the grounds of his vineyard and winery. ...what! it was such a great trip that was of course filled with yummy food, great wine, and wonderful company.  

day one:

we flew in early in the morning and spent our first hours driving along the california coast where we made a pit stop to play in the pacific. even on a stormy day with chilly water temps, it was pretty gorgeous. later, we met cat and matt at a local shop for lunch where i fell in love with caneles, sampled wines while we unpacked, ate matt's infamous burgers, and took a tour of the vineyard. 

[a rainy romp in the ocean]

[gorgeous winding roads]

[matt working away on his burgers]

[a couple of bros talking all things wine]

[raul, our gucci fiat]

day two:

we ventured up the interstate to tour hearst castle in san simeon, snacked on delicious pastries from a local shop, learned how to make fresh orecchiette, and whipped up an amazing dinner with fantastic wine pairings. two things that happened by this point in the trip - i found orecchiette to be far easier to make than i thought and i found several pinot noirs to fall in love with (i previously swore off of them). 

[hello lovely pastries]

[catching rays and wind]

[stunning views from the top of hearst castle]

[hi there, little ears]

day three:

we had another day of overcast which meant it was perfect for wine tasting. we first stopped by a local restaurant to sample some seriously tasty food and wine. then, we walked down the street to sample more wines and got into some serious corn hole and bocce ball matches (the trash talking was pretty hilarious). after, we took a tour of matt's winery, snacked on cuban food, and boogied to our heart's content to an 80s cover band. 

[my new favorite snack - sardines on crackers with salted butter and sriracha (trust me, its divine)]

[all the deep belly laughs]

[tours of the cave aka tyler's new happy place]

[cat and i taking in the views and gearing up for the dance party to come]

day four:

after a lot of wine tasting the day before, we took it a little slower and headed to pisco beach where T and matt surfed the choppy waters. cat and i cozied up under the pier where we sipped on hard cider and chatted it up. after, we had in and out (no offense to tx, but ca in and out is far better) for lunch, slurped up tasty pho, and spent the night in watching marvel movies. 

[moody beaching]

[perfect cider sippin' weather]

[yum and yes!]

[steak tartare and fries...omg]

day five:

the am was spent with us gals lounging at the house together while the guys went on quite the bonding hike (aka it was pretty dicey at times). cat and i had an indulgent lunch and the guys met back up with us after they finished. on our last night, T and i thought we would whip up our homemade pizzas for our hosts and they treated us to a tasting of matt's wines. they were the perfect pairing and a great way to close out our trip.   

[more wines coming out for the tasting makes for a happy T]

[fresh pizza dough and wines]

day six: 

T and i, reluctantly, said our farewells to cat and matt, took one last drive/pit stop along the coast, and said adios to the gucci fiat. we had such a lovely time and i, of course, loved soaking up all the quality time with my cat. here's to our next visit and our wonderful hosts!