You would think after a jam-packed day we would be glued to the hotel room, but somehow we managed to fill up Saturday with more sightseeing and foodie stops.

We started the day by grabbing brunch at Two Chicks Café in the Central Business District, a cute hipster diner owned by two best friends who share a passion for food and New Orleans. You can tell a lot of thought went into everything in the space, from the tables and art on the walls to the female-led staff running a super-busy brunch rush.

I enjoyed a bright and light green juice with kale, spinach, carrot, lime, ginger and apple — just what I needed to support all the treats from the previous days — and Nathan went for the cold brew. Muriel’s grits did a number on me, so I went for a yummy omelet with creamy grits and some rye toast, while Nathan devoured the French toast. Everything was delicious!

After brunch we went back to the hotel and started to pack as to not leave everything for the last minute. We ventured out to the French Quarter and hit Bourbon Street again, hoping it’d be a different scene than the nighttime in the early afternoon — it wasn’t, ha! ’Twas the weekend before Christmas, and all the office parties were out. Santas and elves were enjoying some day drinking everywhere we looked. However, we spotted Marie Laveau’s House of Voodoo and decided to stop in to get some souvenirs. We kept walking down Bourbon Street to get to Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop, the oldest bar in the country, serving guests since the 1700s. The place was crowded, so we grabbed two Voodoo Daiquiris to go (better known as the Purple Drank) and made our way to Frenchmen Street.

As we walked, we found some aesthetically pleasing spots for pictures and basked in the city’s beauty. Frenchmen Street had a residential yet artsy vibe to it — at least the part we explored. At this point, it was almost evening, and the combination of the heat, the daiquiris and all the walking made us work up an appetite, so we stopped at another highly recommended local spot: Dat Dog. We ordered our food to go and sat on a picnic table right outside and enjoyed our food while listening to the live rock and jazz music coming out of all the different bars. I had the Bacon Werewolf dog without the bacon, and Nathan went with the Guinness Special without all the toppings. We both shared some cheese fries, and as with everything in this city, this place was also *chef’s kiss.*

We walked back to the Central Business District and stopped at a few souvenir shops on the way. We showered and rested for a bit before we decided to head back out to Frenchmen Street to check out the nighttime vibes. We grabbed some cocktails and delicious fried mushrooms at Snug Harbor and kept walking as we listened to more live jazz. Walking by an open-air hotel lobby, Nathan recognized the tune of a street jazz band he knew, and we decided to grab one more drink and stay through the end of the set — it was amazing! Being around talented musicians sparks a little joy — well, a lot of joy, actually, if I’m being honest.

On our way back, we grabbed some pizza from Fat Boy’s Pizza, where size truly does matter. I couldn’t finish one plain slice; that’s how big they are. Once at the hotel, we showered and got into pajamas and called it a night with a nice glass of bubbly.

As you can image, we were exhausted by Sunday, so we opted to hang out at the hotel and only went out to grab breakfast and ride bikes in the surrounding neighborhoods. We watched a few movies and set ourselves up for a super early departure.

Without a doubt, New Orleans is my favorite U.S. city I have visited so far (still have a long way to go), and I can’t wait to go back with family and friends. And just like that, my very long recap comes to an end; I hope you have enjoyed reading about this trip, although I doubt as much as I enjoyed being there!

— Yasser Ogando, advertising & production manager