Have you ever had that feeling when you take your first step in a new place and immediately feel like that’s where you’re supposed to be? 

Every year at Christmas my dad, younger sister and I go on a family trip. It has been a tradition that my sister and I don’t know where we are going until we unwrap images of the location on Christmas day, then leave the next morning. December 2019, we unwrapped a red long sleeve t-shirt with the Mikaelson family crest from CW’s Vampire Diaries spin-off, The Originals. I thought it looked pretty cool, but still hadn’t figured out the trip for the year until I turned the shirt around and read the words, “New Orleans, Christmas 2019.” I immediately squealed with pure excitement, “Really?” I exclaimed. “Woot woot! New Orleans, here we come!” Four hours later we were packed and on the road, headed to what would become my favorite place on earth. 

We arrived at our hotel on the 26th. That night I struggled to fall asleep, consumed with excitement that I was in New Orleans! I was the first one up and ready the next morning, bright and early. I wasn’t about to waste a minute. 

For breakfast, we went to Cafe Du Monde. It was packed. We waited in line for nearly thirty minutes before we were able to sit down and enjoy fresh coffee and beignets. Music radiated from every corner, the air was cool and smelled of the sweet azaleas lining the streets. After breakfast, we simply walked the narrow streets that are the French Quarter, entering little shops and boutiques along the way. We came to a small Harley Davison store that had a sign taped to its window stating, “No eating beignets in the store.” I couldn’t help but chuckle at it.  

Dinner was at the Napoleon House where we had fried Alligator as our appetizer, and I chose a Muffaletta as my main course while my dad ordered gumbo. Following dinner was a walk along the Mississippi River. It was much colder here with the breeze over the river. Light fog along the water made boats harder to see and created an eerie feel to the city. This moment reminded me of how I imagined a scene in Bram Stoker’s Dracula, when the ship Demeter crashed into port, bringing Count Dracula to England. 

Jackson Square was by far my favorite part of the Quarter. Artists hung their work along the fences, street performers were playing, and fortunes were being read. Jackson Square is home to the oldest Cathedral in America, St. Louis Cathedral. It was beautiful. Just two blocks away was one of the most well-known streets in America, Bourbon Street. Bright neon signs lined the fronts of bars, where people laughed and danced along to the Jazz playing on the corners. It was the perfect place in the city where you could be surrounded by the unique architecture that is New Orleans but see the big city lights through the distant fog.