Last weekend, Jason and I made our way to New Orleans to have a belated anniversary celebration and it was a weekend for the books.
We stayed at our favorite hotel,
Le Pavillion, and it was just as lovely as the last time.
It's such a beautiful building and, news to us, it was updated over the summer and has some really nice, new amenities while keeping the historical feel.
The lobby is absolutely stunning.
Also, fun fact about the Le Pavillion, they have a nightly peanut butter & jelly bar where you can make a PBJ (with various PB's and jellies) and have milk or hot chocolate. After doing some research, here's the history on the PBJ bar:
"Every evening starting at 10 o’clock, Le Pavillon Hotel invites her guests to congregate in the lobby for a little taste of home. For years, it has been the tradition of our hotel to serve freshly made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches alongside ice cold milk and piping hot chocolate to our overnight guests. The history of this long-standing custom can be traced back to a rather unique evening a long time ago.
A guest checked into the hotel, arriving after a very long journey. He situated his belongings in his room and then retired to the lounge for a nightcap. When the guest simply ordered a tall glass of milk, the bar keep inquired as to his peculiar choice of drink. He began telling him about his family back home, and how since he was away from them so often, they began silly rituals that they would do at the same time every evening. His young daughter was partial to a late night snack of PB&J and milk at the kitchen table. Although he regretted that none of the hotels could provide him with the homemade treat they so often enjoyed, he would still make a point to order his glass of milk to share with his daughter miles away.
As fate would have it, the bar keep on duty that night was actually the hotel’s General Manager, who was substituting for one of his employee’s who had left early due to a last minute family emergency. Intrigued with the guests story and wanting to make his stay extra special, the General Manager asked the late night kitchen staff if they happened to have the necessary ingredients to whip up the nostalgic sandwich. Sure enough, within minutes, the guest was presented with the one item that could complete his nightly ritual of an evening snack with his daughter hundreds of miles away... a freshly made peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Before long, word spread throughout the lounge and almost everyone wanted a PB&J sandwich too! Touched by the situation and seeing how much everyone was enjoying their snacks, a tradition began.
Ever since that late night long ago on September 10th, 1988, the hotel has continued the tradition at 10 o’clock p.m. each and every night"
I also learned through my research that the hotel is supposed to be haunted!
In the two times we've stayed there, we haven't encountered any ghosts ;)
When we arrived, we told them we were there to celebrate our anniversary and lo and behold, this sweet treat was waiting for us when we got to our room later that evening
Friday night, we met up with family for dinner at a delicious restaurant called
Mopho--it was so, so tasty! They have amazing pho and many different, delicious Vietnamese dishes.
Saturday, we woke up and had breakfast at our favorite place,
Croissant D'Or.
If you want the most tasty almond croissant, this is your place. We make it a point to stop by every time we're in New Orleans.
After breakfast, we drove to LaPlace and got the grand tour of Ellis' farm, Major Acre Farm.
It was so interesting seeing everything he's made to start up the farm and all the beautiful veggies he's planted. We had the best time seeing everything and learning about farming. It was awesome and we were so impressed with all of the hard work and ingenuity it's taken! Oh, and let's not forget the delicious (and beautiful) veggies we were sent home with.
The big event was Saturday afternoon.
After having a muffuletta from Central Grocery, we made our way to the
Saenger.
We saw Les Miserables and it was THE BEST show I've seen, ever.
Oh my word, if you ever get the chance to see it, it's worth every. single. penny.
(it's coming to Jackson in March!)
I've seen the movie before and know the story but, there was something really special about seeing it live. The music was moving, the singing was phenomenal, the sets were so incredibly innovative--it was just spectacular. By the end, through my sobbing, I was on my feet and ready to see it again.
Man, I was so happy after the show and so very thankful that we were able to see it.
This turned out to be one of the best weekends I've had--what a sweet way to kick off the new year and celebrate our anniversary 2 months later--it was perfect!
