NOLA Day 1: The Drive, Lunch, and some exploring.

Since our hotel check in wasn't until 3pm and we knew it was going to be a 6 hour drive, we did what responsible people do. Woke up at the same time everyday and got the workout in all while still finishing up any chores that needed to get done (see: dishes and laundry) as well as any last minute packing that needed to get done. 

My full tricep burnout! I do this on my #pushday. All the workouts are followed right after each other. I switch between weights depending on the workout because some parts are still weaker. I- starting at top left going clockwise-I Backward tricep extensions @15lbs 1x7 Backward tricep extension hold. I would hold every 5th rep w/ 5 sec pulse. @10lbs 1x10 Skull crushers @20lbs 1x8 Overhead extensions @20lbs 1x8 I- I- #getfit #getstrong #getlean #progress #ketoathlete #bodybuilding #ketobodybuilder #futureproof #fueledbyfat #fitwife #fitness #weighttraining #training #variation #girlygains #girlswholift #girlswithmuscles #getgirly #howwenerd #lifting #homegym #garagegym #fitfam #sparkle #sweatyandproud

A post shared by Samantha H.| (@samanthagetstrong) on Aug 1, 2017 at 2:22pm PDT

Once showered and packed up we did one more sweep and away we went! We ended up only taking three bags total. A tech bag-when you're married to a tech genius and a man who likes to game a tech bag is a must- a larger suitcase for both us, and a gym bag. I had done a little looking ahead to see what the gym situation was going to be at the hotel so knew exactly what we might need and it all needed its own bag too.

The 6 hour drive overall ened up being really easy and surprisingly relaxing. They weather was decent and the hubby and I actually got time together with no distractions. Well...outside of him having to drive part.

After 6 hours on the road we finally reached NOLA it was time to attempt to find the hotel. Like I stated in a previous post we were staying fairly close to the French Quarter which meant our hotel was downtown. Now, we are pretty use to the whole downtown road system. You know the grid with a ton of one way streets. However, we were not preferred for all of the construction that was going and how many roads were closed.

After finding the hotel it came time to find parking. It took all of 2 minutes looking for the parking garage (which was actually not near the hotel) to decide to just pay the extra for valet. After all, it would be safer for the car and we were planning on walking everywhere anyways.

Tip #1: Always check for closed roads.

Once checked in we arrived our room. We went with a bare as possible since we were here be all touristy and knew we would be out more than in the room. Overall, it was a decent room. The bed was a full size and was comfy. The room was clean and cozy. The walk in shower was massive. The one downfall was that the hotel was under renovation.

Tip #2: Find out if the hotel you are staying is under construction.

Due to construction the water was a little iffy when it came to getting it hot or cold. It ended up being either too hot or too cold. We did however get a rubber ducky (it was dressed like a construction worker) and  peeps out of it with a note about the construction and some wordplay  about "remembering to DUCK".

One more thing on the room, and this is the strangest part, the window you next to the bed wasn't exactly an outside window. Yeah. It actually looked into the hotel over the foyer. We kept it closed tight the entire time.

After getting settled in it was time for food because we had not eaten the entire drive simply because we knew what interesting and delicious cuisine was waiting for us. We arrived at an odd time of way too late for lunch and early for dinner. Since waiting to eat wasn't an option we headed down to the lobby and they had flyers for some of the local restaurants and they were organized by type of cuisine and distance. We opted for seafood and the top rated restaurant was just two blocks away.

Deanie's Seafood Restaurant

One good thing about eating at such an odd time was that we didn't have to wait long for a table or our food and since there wasn't a huge crowd around it was a nice was to start off are first few hours in NOLA.

Instead of getting served rolls, chips, or whatever else as a complementary appetizer we were served boiled baby potatoes! If you have ever been to a shrimp boil before the potatoes tasted exactly like they do during shrimp boils. If you have never been to one, they tasted like they were boiled in water seasoned with Tony Chaceres. It was defintly interested and cute to have such a different complimentary type of food.

What we ordered:

Appetizer: Fried calamari. DE-LI-CIOUS. The calamari was very "melt in your mouth" which was such a relief. Many times that we have ordered calamari it was more on the rubbery side. Not horrible, but nothing compared to this. Crispy from the flour coating and perfect once bitten in it.
Drinks: We went with two from the Abita Brewery; Wrought Iron IPA and the Abita Spring IPA. Both beers can be hit or miss in and around Houston and it had been awhile since we had had either one.
Entrees: When in NOLA you eat fried seafood. It is basically a rule. For myself I ordered the Crab Duo. It consisted of soft shell crab with crawfish gratin. It was served with fries, 1/2 french baguette and a variety of sauces. Matt ordered a crawfish platter (not pictured). It came with fried crawfish tails crawfish etouffee as well as 1/2 a baguette and a variety of sauces.

On the walk back......

After lunch we headed back to the hotel to get our bearings and explore the are some. As we were coming back out I looked down the street and saw someone familiar. The waitress from always Sunny in Philadelphia! I had to take a double take and then realized that Charlie Day was walking with her. So naturally I had to stop and get a picture with both of them. 

As we were perusing the street we saw a cute chocolate shop and decided to go inside. The main reason was because "Lolli" is what my MIL is called now that she is "officially" a grandmother. It was the usual run of the mill chocolate and gift shops.

After walking around a little bit, we were obviously thirsty and ducked into one of the hundreds of daiquiri shops that line of the streets of downtown NOLA. We had the bartender inside make us some custom ones. I ended up with a fruity hurricane (Strawberry, Mango, Pina Colada, and an extra shot) while Matt got a similar one sans Mango. They were STRONG and sweet. 

We headed back to the hotel and hung out in the room looking at events going on and deciding on what we wanted to do the next day as well as where we might want to go. When it got darker out we headed down to the hotel bar for our complimentary drinks of the night. I tried a Cherry Whiskey and it was delicious! We also got to know our bartender pretty well and he turned out to be a massive Always Sunny in Philadelphia fan as well! While we were chatting he mentioned that the third person with them was also from the show, but looked completely different! The women (who actually ended up taking my picture with Charlie and The Waitress) was Maureen Ponderosa, however we had bright red hair and apparently those teeth are fake.

Black Cherry Whiskey Sour= OH.MY.GAH. 

For dinner we had some bar snacks (which were so fancy). The favourite one were garlic and herb fries with a mustard sauce. I didn't get a photo because I was took focused on eating them. 

Overall it was a wonderful ending to a really long and busy day in NOLA. We headed back upstairs and went to sleep considering our first full day in NOLA was the next day. 

NOLA: Previous Visits

NOLA Part 1

NOLA Part 2

NOLA Part 5 (coming)