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Growing up playing the trombone in a brass band, I’ve always been a huge fan of jazz and swing music. With this in mind, it’s only natural that New Orleans was a place that I had to visit one day, and three weeks ago, I got to do just that.
We’re going to be taking a look at some of what I got up to there in today’s blog.
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New Orleans has been high on my list of places I’d love to see for so long now. After my US tour last year, I messaged two of my mates, Aidan and Carson, saying that I was going to start planning to go in 2026, and lo and behold, it actually happened 😎
On the 10th March, I left Heathrow Airport in London, for six days out in this fantastic city, down in Louisiana. I spent so much time planning this trip out, to make sure I saw and did as much as I could out there – so you can imagine how crazy busy it all ended up being!
Here’s a little rundown:
🏀 – I got to watch the New Orleans Pelicans vs the Toronto Raptors at the Smoothie King Centre. The Pelicans won, and I even ended up getting a photo with their mascot – Perrie the Pelican 😂
🥣 – I learnt how to make Chicken and Andouille Sausage Gumbo, BBQ Shrimp and Grits, Bananas Foster Crepes, and some NOLA cocktails at some cooking classes. I might have to make these at home one day in the future; we’ll see how we go.
I also got to try Alligator, Blackened Chicken, Catfish, Shrimp, and a load of other new foods.
🙏 – I visited the Whitney Plantation and the National WWII Museum to learn a lot more about US history and culture. It’s such a privilege to be able to go to places like this, discovering more about society’s past, the lessons learnt along the way and how it’s shaped modern life all around us.
🐊 – I went on a swamp tour around Honey Island Swamp, seeing some awesome alligators and raccoons. Check out how friendly the raccoons are 🦝
Plus, of course, no trip to NOLA is complete without a whole load of jazz music. Musicians are performing across the city all day and all night long; it’s such a fantastic thing to experience. Whether you’re a saxophone fan, more of a brass band enjoyer, guitar, purely singing or something else entirely, I’m sure there’s something there that you’ll love.
The only thing I missed was catching a proper New Orleans parade, as my cooking class clashed with the one that was happening while I was there. I’m sure I’ll see one at some point in the future though hahaha.
New Orleans, you were an absolute pleasure – until next time 🫡
That’s all for today’s blog. What do you think? Have you ever been to New Orleans? What’s one place you’d love to visit?
I’d love to hear what you think 😎
Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a lovely day!
James
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