New Orleans...Are You Ready For It?

Day 1-2: If you shenan once, you'll shenan-igan

Kicking off our girl's trip, we hopped in the car and cruised to Auburn to sleep for the night, but not without stopping at Buc-ee's! If you haven't been, you're missing the ultimate snack paradise. I was blessed to introduce this wonderland of beaver shrines to the girls.

The following day, we were on a mission to Louisiana! The back seat was LOCKED IN making friendship bracelets. What better way to prep for The Eras Tour than to make friendship bracelets, sweatshop style?

When we arrived at our Airbnb late afternoon, we were thrilled to find ourselves in a super walkable and historic area, perfect for grabbing coffee and snacks. Our first order of business was finding food. We moseyed on over to Luizza's Lounge and Grill for our first Po'boy experience, and they did not disappoint! In this quaint corner of the street, we had shrimp, scallops, and BBQ Shrimp Po'Boys with a delicious Caesar salad.

That night, we were ready to hit the town. Our first stop was the Carousel Bar at Hotel Monteleone—a must-visit in New Orleans! The bar features a carousel in the center of the hotel, where the chairs slowly rotate around the bar. This place fills up quickly, so if you see an empty chair, grab it immediately! Gaining much-needed caffeine from our espresso martinis, we wandered over to Bourbon Street, where the energy was electric. The streets were filled with Swifties, and her music spilled out from every corner. It felt like the city was singing right along with us! We were feeling the vibes...and the drinks... so we made our way to Tropic Isle—home of the famous and wild "Hand Grenade." This thing was green, loud, and full of promises I totally kept. You don't know what's in it except for fun memories. Fast forward two sips later, and I'm already convinced I can out-dance everyone in this bar and probably run a marathon, right here, right now. This drink took me on a one-way ticket from 'this is my last drink!" to "I'm sorry, WHERE is the flaming Dr.Pepper drink?"

Day 3: Seafood Feasts and Swiftie Streets

New Orleans, you won that round, but jokes on you because I live to see another coffee-fueled day! We took a breezy stroll to Flagpole, where we grabbed our coffee and had a quiet morning before getting ready for the day. We had grand plans of visiting Café du Monde, but the line was longer than the Eras Tour Merch line! Instead, we decided to stroll around, popping into shops and soaking up all the local flair.

After an hour of hunting for food and being temporarily clueless about where to eat, we discovered this gem called Monday! We definitely ordered with our eyes! The seafood platter is enormous and entirely fried, perfect for soaking up any questionable decisions from the night before. My favorite dish was the Seafood Spinach Dip, which was creamy and flavorful. My friend had the BBQ Crab Legs, although, on the small side, they pack a flavorful punch.

We went back to the French Quarter, equipped with newfound energy and full stomachs. We hit local shops and found artists whose work was just begging to come home with us. My favorite shops include C'mere, filled with vintage finds, local art, and tiny food jewelry! Yes, I said tiny food jewelry. They were not cheap, my friends, but they were very cool. I discovered two artists whose work I adore and ultimately purchased prints from. The first is Katherine Paredes, who creates iconic New Orleans graphics on local newspaper prints. I bought her Oyster print, as oysters are a significant part of New Orleans culture. The second artist is Lyla Clayre. We visited her storefront and showroom on Chartres Street, where she specializes in watercolor depictions of famous streets in New Orleans, using color palettes dominated by pinks and greens. I purchased two small prints titled "Cathedral View" and "Pink Pothole."

Our evening plans included Dining at The Elysian. Located in the Hotel Peter and Paul, this dimly lit hotel had an eclectic cottage feel with gingham chairs and drapery along the walls. The food was incredible; we started with Freshly made foccacia and marinated olives. I had Fresh Fettuccine with Jumbo lump crab, Calabrian chili, and lemon bread crumbs. Although a little on the salty side, it was still perfect. I also tried the Steak au Poivre, which practically melted in your mouth. It was so yummy and filling. Like many bars, the Elysian created a Taylor's Version of their cocktail menu. My favorites were the Lavender Haze, a vodka-based drink with Butterfly Pea, and Invisible String, a nonalcoholic cocktail with celery water and basil. Dinner lasted THREE hours as our server went MIA, but it did allow us to chat about our next escapade.

The next hour felt like a fever dream. We wrapped up dinner and went outside to take a few photos when the hotel security guard approached us and asked us if we were there to see Taylor Swift. A resounding "YES!" came out. He said, and I kid you not, "Go to the third floor and make a right; you'll see it at the end of the hall." We ushered into the elevator without missing a beat and made our way to the third floor. We realized how incredibly gullible we were (sorry, Mom), but for good reason because when we reached the third floor, at the end of a hallway was a giant sitting room with tables, couches, and BEADS!! It was an entire room dedicated to making friendship bracelets! It was just us in this room; we sat and spent the next hour taking photos, making bracelets, and saying how lucky we were to have such an experience.

Of course, what's a day without something sweet? We found ourselves at Sucre on Bourbon Street, indulging in the most luxurious pastries.

When we thought our night couldn't get any better, we caught the back end of a burlesque show (pun intended). With a glass of wine in hand, the magic of New Orleans felt extra special that night.

Day 4: 1, 2, 3, LGB!

That brings us to day 4...yes, day 4, contrary to our own belief (and our suitcases), we have not actually been here a week. The moment we'd all been waiting for—Taylor Swift day had finally arrived! The excitement was through the roof as we stepped out onto the lively streets, where Swifties were decked out in colorful friendship bracelets. There were smiles everywhere, each telling a story that only a Taylor song could inspire. And that wasn't the only thing we were celebrating; Erin's birthday was today, and we were so happy Taylor Swift decided to throw her the biggest party of the year and perform! ;)

To bring in all the excitement of the day, we had breakfast at The Vintage. Another incredibly long wait was ahead of us as we waited an hour to order and fight for a table, and another hour was just waiting for our food to arrive. The shining star of this meal was not only our birthday girl (big hug, big kiss!) but the beignets. The girls ordered a beignet flight, and I ordered classic beignets. I could have had seven more of those little sugary pillows.

Post breakfast, which turned to lunch, we needed to reconnect with nature for a while. Down the road from our Air BnB was the Sculpture Garden at the New Orleans Museum of Art. An afternoon of giggles and a moment to lay in the grass was much needed to recharge our batteries for tonight.

*cue getting ready montage*

A couple of hours later, my lungs are coated in glitter, but we look incredible! As we made our way to the concert, the buzz in the air was contagious! The whole city felt like one big party celebrating everything we love about music, friendship, and, of course, Taylor Swift. We truly took the moment and tasted it, grabbing our drinks and sitting on a bench together to admire the gorgeous Eras outfits. Compliments and smiles flowed as we watched little girls trade friendship bracelets and witnessed the mini versions of our own costumes. The first of many tears were shed in that moment as I felt how grateful I was to be surrounded by the most incredible women.

With the tunes of her songs echoing in my heart and pure joy radiating from our crew, I couldn't help but soak up every magical moment. Cheers to an unforgettable trip filled with laughter, music, and making memories!