City Guide: New Orleans

Boketto City Guides are odes to our favorite places. This is a weekly micro-series by Team Boketto. This week, Olivia Yohai, Yoga Instructor & Boketto Massage Therapist takes us to New Orleans on an adventure driven by intuition and music. 

The first time I went to New Orleans I almost didn’t come back. I drove down with my best friend, Hannah, for a music festival. When I think back to that time it’s like everything unfolded with magic. We went for the music festival but found so much more. Just walking around looking at the architecture and feeling the soul of the place is one of the best things to do in NOLA.

I didn't have any recommendations for my first visit, except being told to “just find a friend and say yes to all their recommendations.” I’ve been back a couple times since, and every time my love for this place grows. New Orleans is a place of soul. It feels like another world. Make sure you follow your intuition.

Also, I only recommend places below that I’ve been to and enjoyed.

Walking around recommendations

You hear music you like? Follow it. Go to it.
(Can’t find music you like, go to D.B.A.)
Go to the grave yards and pay your respects.
Eat a loquat growing everywhere on the trees.
I recommend walking Bourbon Street during the day.

Whatever neighborhood you’re staying in make sure to explore. If you’re looking to shop go to the night markets. We found ourselves at Palace Market Frenchmen— it was like shopping combined with going to a museum.

 

Eat (and drink) your way through NOLA 

While walking around stop in anywhere that feels right.
Find a local bar and go there repeatedly.
Meet some locals.
Eat a muffuletta, eat a beignet, drink a daiquiri on the streets.

Go to Elysian Bar.
Go to Bacchanal Wine.
Eat at kin.
Refresh at Satsuma Cafe.
Other notable places to grab drinks from… 
Erin Rose (for Frozen Irish Coffee) and Latitude 29.

 

Feeling adventurous?

One of my most highly recommended adventure for Nola is to do Honey Island Swamp Tour. On the drive their you’ll get a little history on all the suffering that’s happened in Nola and you’ll better be able to celebrate the unique landscape and wildlife. Upon returning you’ll have a whole new perspective on the beauty of the people, the moment to moment living, and the perseverance it takes to live in NOLA.