New Orleans Day 4

Our last day in NOLA was bittersweet.  We both had our fill of the city and missed our families but also knew it would be a while before seeing each other again and didn't want to waste our time on vacation and nap even though sort of we (I) wanted to.  There were still plenty of places to explore!  So, we set off for a final day of adventures before our flights.  

We liked Hivolt so much we went back for more, this time trying out a few of their pastries, donut on top and my gluten free polenta bar (think of a polenta crust-less quiche)

and then finally to the cemetery.  I didn't really care which one we went to, although the voodoo queen would be nice to pay some respects to, we opted for the one nearest to our airbnb.

Finding thriving plants in urban environments is one of my favorite textures and juxtaposition to document while traveling.

And once we were in the cemetery I couldn't believe how much green there was.  I assumed it would be dry cement but the humidity keeps everything thriving.

I took photos of my 'favorite' tombs for different reasons, sometimes it was the birth and death dates, like the siblings who passed just hours after birth or the families who lost so many children.  Maybe favorite isn't the best word but most memorable or notable for different reasons.

Others caught my eye because of the greenery or this one wrapped in iconic N' O'leans wrought iron.

or this one with a gecko running around.  We saw so many geckos on this trip.

and these full on plants overtaking the corner of the cemetery.

even the large walls had ferns exploding from them.

Once we had our fill of morbidity we went back to our airbnb to group and plan for the afternoon.  

I found this on one of our walks though the neighborhoods and have never seen anything quite so beautiful, Alex told me it was a Magnolia cone, which we just don't have here. And she told me the wood is poisonous to burn.  Lots of things I don't know about plants.  Always exciting to learn more. 

After we packed and cleaned, and relaxed we headed out for our last meal in the city.  The rain started coming down really hard as we were driving, we considered pulling over but I knew where we were going thanks to my maps app and found a parking spot right outside The Daily Beet. we ran in with rain boots and jackets and still ended up soaked.  I ordered a lemonade while we dried off. 

Alex got one of their cacao nib smoothies and they gave me the over flow of it.  Love when places do this, no need to toss the accidental extra.

A got the avo smashed toasted while I oped for an unnecessary portion of thai peanut bowl.  I tried to have some self control as I devoured it but without much luck.  I managed to save about half for the flight but the peanut sauce was one of the best I've ever had and adding shredded coconut was a game changer.  Definitely need to attempt to re-create this at home.

And that my friends is how we ended our adventures in NOLA (well technically we ended with airport beignets but I didn't get a photo of that).

Thanks for reading along, I hope if you're planning a trip to New Orleans anytime soon these posts are helpful in finding things to do and places to eat.  Or if you need some inspiration for a bestie vacay, take my advice and GO! Until next time, xoxo.