Travel Diaries: First Trip to New Orleans for Essence Festival
Honestly, New Orleans was everything that I imagined it to be and more! From that good ole creole seafood to the jolly spirits of the people in the community, NOLA is the definition of culture.
Essence Festival is held in New Orleans every year, and people from every corner of the nation gather together to celebrate the diversity within many industries in such an inspirational way. Keep reading down below to hear all about what adventures I experiences while down in Louisiana. And you best believe all outfit details are included!
First things first, it took us around 5 hours to get from Memphis, TN to New Orleans, LA by car. We didn’t feel the need to fly, and I figured that it would be better to drive for sight-seeing. We headed out Friday evening around 6:00 P.M. and we didn’t get to our Airbnb until 11:30 P.M. I loved our Airbnb so much! It had nice finishes and updated renovations, and it was centrally located compared to all of the places we were heading.
When we first got to New Orleans, we headed out to a party hosted by the infamous DJ envy, the host of Power 105’s Breakfast Club. We knew that we weren’t going to be in New Orleans long, so we had to fit in as much adventures as we could. If that means staying up until 5:00 A.M. then so be it. Well that’s exactly what we did. We headed out to DJ Envy’s party and from there we headed to Bourbon Street where we ate at a chicken place called “Willie’s”. It was really good chicken being that we were a little intoxicated, but I will say there are better chicken spots in Memphis. See below for my outfit from this night & a complete rundown of my IG stories.
Saturday morning we were all so tired from the previous night, but we were determined to be adventurous. We all got ready and headed out from the Airbnb around 3:00 P.M. Our first stop was Essence Festival. Alexis and I had already had tickets to attend beauty carnival Sunday, but we wanted to just stop by and check it out to become familiar with the set up. After Essence Festival, we headed to eat. We ended up eating at this place called Felix’s and it was sooooooo good! I had their chargrilled oysters, homemade red beans & rice, and snow crabs. Talk about a hefty meal!
After we ate at Felix’s we headed to home to get ready for Mike Epps comedy show in collaboration with Essence Festival and Netflix. Mike Epps is a nut, and he’s definitely one of my favorite comedians in Hollywood!
I was so happy to see Saturday come to an end and get in the bed at 2:00 A.M. instead of 6:00 A.M. like the previous night. Sunday came and it was bittersweet because we knew that we had to pack up and say goodbye to New Orleans. But before we said our goodbyes there were still a few stops we wanted to make before getting back on the road to head back to Memphis. We first stopped by Café DuMonde to have some of their delicious beignets. They were little pastries of heaven!
After we left Café DuMonde, we headed back to Essence Festival so Alexis and I could attend the Beauty Carnival. Alexis and I had G-plus tickets to this event, so were able to get a free bag with entry. Beauty Carnival was amazing! Seeing so many people gathered together to celebrate black owned beauty brands was a great sight to see. Alexis and I waited in many lines to get free bags and other stuff, but it was totally worth it. There were also opportunities for you to buy beauty & fashion pieces outside of the beauty carnival, and of course you know I couldn’t leave without buying something. I ended up with 2 hair products by Madame CJ Walker, a concealer from UOMA cosmetics, and my new favorite t-shirt that states “God loves this black skin.”
Beauty Carnival came to an end, and we knew it was time to get back on the road. But food first! So we headed to a place called Manchu’s. WARNING: DO NOT eat from this place if you ever go to New Orleans. We heard a lot about this place that was a convenient store that sold chicken, seafood, and Chinese food for a great price. Well I had some of their fried shrimp, fish, and chicken wings. I was so sick that night and the next morning. I’m not sure what it was, but I’m pretty sure Manchu’s had a lot to do with it lol.
And there’s that! Our New Orleans trip was short and sweet, but well worth it! Thank you guys for tuning again to CRMstyles. I want to start traveling more, and I want to share my adventures with you guys. I’m thinking about taking a trip in August, where should I go??
Each of my outfits came straight from Boohoo when they had their end of season sale. I hope you guys enjoyed this travel diary, and be sure that you're following me on Instagram to follow along with me on my stories!
Until Next Time! <3