I spent weeks deliberating how to spend the four day long Thanksgiving weekend and had almost decided to spend it with friends in San Francisco when, at the last minute, I came across an inexpensive flight to New Orleans which I quickly booked and boy, am I glad I did!

If you’ve heard of New Orleans, you’ve likely heard of the French Quarter and probably even Bourbon Street. However, after spending my first day in New Orleans wandering the streets of the Garden District, I would advise you avoid the tacky neon signs, Hard Rock Cafe and Hustler Clubs of Bourbon Street and head to peaceful and charming Magazine Street instead.

Magazine Street is lined with lovely little shops and restaurants all housed within beautiful, colorful, old wooden buildings. I wandered along Magazine Street for a good few hours, popping into a few shops selling locally produced arts and crafts and having a quick coffee and bite to eat at Another Broken Egg Cafe before deciding to explore the more residential streets of the area.

As I wandered along the sidewalks shaded by large, old oak trees dripping in Spanish moss, past gorgeous wooden homes (some of which were mansions) with sunny front porches and colorful doors all decorated for the holidays, New Orleans truly won me over. I absolutely loved how the Garden District embodied the gentle, slow and easy-going way of life that The Big Easy is so famous for and for a brief moment I was almost convinced to trade in city bar stools for a deck chair in the sun!