New Orleans. The land of beads, boobs and beignets. A place I had always wanted to visit, but was never in any rush to get there.

When I found out I’d be going I joked that I didn’t know which was happier, my stomach or my camera. I love experiencing new things and I love sharing them with people. You can see my New Orleans photos if you want or keep on reading to enjoy my time.

I was in town to speak to the New Orleans AMA (speaking at The Zoo no less) and then my wife would join me for a nice romantic weekend together off the grid. As the plane descended out of the clouds, I instantly knew I was in a completely new part of the country that I had never been before. The lush green everywhere below me and the flatness of it all with water in every direction instantly made me realize just how bad it must have been here when Hurricane Katrina set it’s sites on the mainland.

New Orleans gets a bad rap as “a party town.” Sure, they know how to have a good time and one walk down Bourbon Street will supply you with ample opportunities for every type of good time. Yet, it is not the frat party soaked city that I expected. In fact Bourbon Street is much smaller than I imagined and the minute you turn down another street the sounds of debauchery fade away into the quiet vibe of the city.

Instead it is full of good quality, fun loving people who enjoy all the good things in life. Sure, that includes parades, masks and drinking, but it also includes great food, down home hospitably and over the top creativity. There are art galleries, antique shops, an aquarium and more all to explore. Something for everyone.

Thankfully for me New Orleans is a foodies paradise. The minute I got in to town, I dropped my bags, grabbed my camera and hit the streets looking for food. I ended up at the Riverfront Restaurant and this unassuming little building got my business because they had a waiter outside who when I asked if the food was any good, grinned and said, “of course it is.” Over my first muddy delicious cup of gumbo and a fried alligator po-boy I was in heaven.

Everyone will tell you that you must be sure to have the traditional Café Au Lait and Beignets at Café Du Monde and I feared the type of tourist trap that I have no desire for, but instead found an open air café full of olive green plastic chairs from the 1950’s and a cement floor streaked with powdered sugar in every direction. With a cool breeze blowing in from the Mississippi River, I dug into these pillows of fried awesomeness and took part in a conference call. You’ve got to love the mute button on your phone at a time like this.

There was plenty of other great food throughout the weekend including dinners of blackened drum at K-Pauls Louisiana Kitchen, butter fish with lobster dumplings at GW Fins and what my wife called one of the best meals of her life at the Palace Café where I dined on andouille encrusted redfish and Laura had her first ever taste of bananas foster.

My favorite meal of the day is breakfast and while I enjoy a great dinner, there is nothing more perfect for me then a perfectly done breakfast. My favorite find (we actually went twice) was The Ruby Slipper Cafe where the migas is tasty and their eggs cochan is to die for. On top of the great food they had a great story about coming back strong after the hurricane and it shows. Also, be sure if you’ve got some extra money to go to brunch at Brennan’s. It is expensive, but three courses of yum. Mine started with turtle soup followed up by filet mignon hash and finished with a dutch apple. Make reservations though because this place gets busy fast.

One tip I’ll give you is that you’ll only need two meals a day. By the time you wake up and get breakfast you are not going to need lunch and a late dinner is perfect timing with all the walking.

Drinking is a big part of the New Orleans culture and not just the pitchers that get spilled on the streets. There are numerous little cafes, bars and hidden spots where you can sit back and enjoy an afternoon cocktail to escape the heat. While The Carousel Bar is a bit kitschy and everyone knows about it, they do make a great drink and instead of peanuts you’ll find bowls of barbecue flavored chips that for some reason work perfectly. Our find of the trip though was the Pimm’s Cups at Café Adelaide that was just across the street from the W Hotel where we stayed.

Did I mention the people and how great they are? As we walked from shop to shop we found ourselves having great conversations with complete strangers. I was the only person in the A Gallery looking at the beautiful photographs and struck up a conversation with the owner. Later a shop caught my eye with their bright colored dolls and after chatting with the woman working, she allowed to take as long as I liked going through the attached art gallery of Jaime Hayes. The next day when I returned with Laura to show her the store, I was brought over and introduced to the artist himself. Love meeting fellow creative people and we shared some good laughs.

There is so much to see and do in New Orleans. Jumping on any of the trolley cars can take you all over the city. We opted to sign up for a two and half hour tour through VIP City Tours that took us everywhere from the Garden District to the Lower Ninth Ward. They do a great job with the tour and it is well worth the time and money to sign up and go with them. My heart sank as we saw the devastation that is still left from Katrina, while seeing the lap of luxury at the other end of town. It was amazing to see all the work Make It Right is doing, but as an American it angered and saddened me to see so much rebuilding still left to do.

Now, while I’m no history buff or museum freak, I was told again and again that we had to make time for the National WWII Museum and now I’m telling you the same. The entire museum is breathtaking and even when you are looking at painful photographs or hand written notes from soldiers after surviving D-Day you leave with a much better understanding of just how epic and important this war was. Be sure to pay the extra money to see the movie Beyond All Boundaries they offer. It is all a not to be missed experience.

Finally, I have to give a heart felt thank you to my buddy Tom Martin and his family for the best memory of my weekend in NOLA. When he heard I have a love for crawfish he invited me over to his house for a traditional backyard boil.

This act of pure southern hospitality and absolute gluttony will have me smiling for years. There is nothing as beautiful as 40 lbs of cooked crawfish being dumped on a table with sausage, corn, potatoes and garlic while you hold an ice cold cup of NOLA Blonde Ale in your hand and prepare to dig in. Just typing these words has me salivating for more even though I think I’m still full from that night.

New Orleans was not what I expected. It is better than I think most people give it credit for.

It is a city of every type of person, food, art and fun. Kids and adults alike can find plenty to do and you can easily avoid any of the areas that you decide are not right for you. I never once felt overwhelmed, lost or ready to leave. In fact I can’t wait to return.