Cameron’s Tips for New Orleans
This is part 2 to the Booth Family Tips for NOLA. Second up is Cameron! She is my little sister and is 21 as of May 2020. She enjoys watching basketball, shopping, anything Marvel-related, and meteorology. She’s a Fashion Merchandising student at University of Memphis **she’s v trendy**
favorite restaurant: “I wanna say my go-to is Cafe Maspero’s on Decatur. They have good gumbo, jambalaya, sandwiches, just an all-around inclusive place. I love Mona Lisa, which is Italian. Their chicken alfredo is amazing. And they always serve these really yummy cheese bread slices. And I love that the whole place is covered in different drawings of the Mona Lisa. If you’re looking for something nicer, Chartres House is really good.”
favorite part of town: “Probably Frenchman St. I know French Quarter is pretty touristy and basic, but you can’t not love the FQ. Frenchman St during weekend nights has the art markets and the bands playing and grabbing a little food at Dat Dog is always fun. The Garden District is also beautiful to drive around. Looking at the giant houses and big trees.”
favorite bar: “any bar on bourbon that has slushees. Those are always really good” (she has been “21” since she was 18).
favorite street: “Probably Royal. It’s just such a great street to walk around. The alleys, courtyards, restaurants, shops - it’s very diverse. You can do a lot on Royal.”
favorite dessert: “BREAD . PUDDING . BEIGNETS. at Evangeline. Hands down the best thing. Second choice would be beignets at Cafe du Monde. Such a classic.”
favorite memory: “Strolling into New Orleans at 4am with Dad. Dropping our stuff at the apartment and walking to Cafe du Monde for beignets at 4 in the morning. My next favorite memory would be driving around Garden District and going up to Tulane with Dad. I said, ‘dad, it’s going to rain. We should head back.’ He said, ‘No, it’s not going to rain.’ Approximately 30 seconds later, it was Katrina-level downpour. I also did a private ghost tour with Michael Bill with Royal Tours. We asked the ghost "‘who is with us?’ and they said ‘camera ann’ like they were trying to say ‘cameron.’ ugh so creepy.”
favorite museum: “Love the National World War II Museum. Also love the Audubon Aquarium with the big tunnel with all of the fish and stingrays and sharks swimming above you when you walk in.”
favorite shop: “I like the shops at Canal St and all the shops up and down Decatur. They have a lot of boutique shops but also Urban Outfitters and Sephora…”
favorite brunch: She’s not a big brunch fan and has said to me “why are you so obsessed with brunch?” But I had to ask. “French Toast for brunch.” This also caused my dad to say “did I not mention Toast?! They are EPIC. Their in-house strawberry jam is amazing.”
favorite tip for tourists: “There’s so much more to New Orleans, especially the French Quarter, than Bourbon St. Explore more, broaden your perimeters outside of Bourbon St. and you will see New Orleans has so much more to offer.”
favorite non-touristy thing to do: “Go take a nice walk around Audubon Park. Audubon Clubhouse Cafe has a great breakfast that overlooks the whole golf course. They were goooood. Then walk it all off walking around Audubon Park. And see some cute puppies!”
go-to New Orleans outfit: “That definitely depends on the season. If it’s summer, probably close to nothing at all because of how hot it is. But if it’s spring or fall where it’s nicer temperatures then jean shorts, a lightweight sweater, and some booties.”
if you could only go to nola one more time, what would your ideal day be: “hmm. wake up at the apartment in the FQ. Go to French Toast for some early breakfast. Take a stroll up and down Royal St. Go to a few shops. Then I’d wanna go out to the Garden District and stroll around and look at all of the mansions. Maybe see the mansion from American Horror Story: Coven. I’d want to go up to Audubon Park next and walk around there. After Audubon Park, I’d go back to FQ and go to Maspero’s and get a bowl of jambalaya for lunch. Then I’d go to the Museum of Death after lunch. It’s awesome. I would go to the French Market and look at the vendors. I got one of my favorite rings there that I wear everyday. Then, sounding resolved, I’d probably do some day drinking on Bourbon because I don’t want to go to Bourbon at night. And I’d probably drink a ton of slushees with all of the different flavors. I’d probably go up and down Royal St again because I just love that street. Then for dinner, I’d go to Mona Lisa and then walk back across to the other side of the FQ to Evangeline’s for bread pudding beignets. Then go BACK across the FQ to Frenchman St and listen to some music and look at the art market. Then end my night with some beignets at Cafe du Monde to-go and go up to the Moon Walk and watch the Mississippi River.”