Planning our trip with Bing Rewards

planning our trip to new orleans // a thousand threads
I do research for a living, so you probably won’t be surprised to learn that when it comes to vacations (and nearly every other new experience) I approach planning with a level of systematic compulsion few are capable of. And once the trip is underway, that doesn’t mean the research ends. One has to wonder how I ever could’ve lived in a pre-smartphone world. But the benefits just keep getting better for obsessive knowledge-seekers like me, because now a girl can find herself the proud owner of a shiny new Sephora gift card just by doing what she was already going to do — by Bing-ing the heck out of each and every little thing she wants to know.

And let me tell you, I made a dent in that gift card on this trip — but it definitely paid off in way more ways than one. My searches led us to amazing meals, places, and answers when we were lost.

Keep reading to hear about some of our absolute favorite new places we found while in New Orleans (and the best shrimp & grits on earth) all while earning Bing Rewards

planning our trip to new orleans // a thousand threads
Our Favorite Restaurants

Atchafalaya: Those shrimp & grits you guys. (Cream. Cheese. Grits.) And pretty much everything else on this little piece of heaven’s menu. We were totally blown away by the cute decor, the creative drinks, and the down-home ridiculousness of their insanely tasty food.

Dat Dog: Mark might not be willing to admit that Dat Dog beats Pink’s, but I will. I’ll admit they’re entirely different beasts, but the straight up inventiveness of Dat Dog’s wieners and the handmade thick, crazy good sourdough buns won my heart.

Cochon and Cochon Butcher: The ribs, the boudin balls, the freaking ridiculous ham hock… I needed to eat a third of what I actually did at Cochon, but there’s no way I ever could’ve stopped. And the bacon pralines at its lunch joint next door, Cochon Butcher, can not be missed. We brought home two and though I’ve drooled, I still haven’t touched them — I just can’t bear to let them go.

planning our trip to new orleans // a thousand threads
Our Favorite Places

St. Louis Cemetery No. 1: New Orleans’ cemeteries are nothing short of amazing, and this is one of its oldest and most famous. The cemetery takes up just one city block, but contains the remains, and incredible histories, of many thousands in a series of above ground vaults — some almost new, some practically rubble, and some marked with three x’s meant to invoke a voodoo curse. It’s nothing short of incredible.

Barataria Preserve: One thing I’ve never seen in my trips to Louisiana, and was desperate to see, was the swamp. So on one of our last days we pulled out our phones and started searching. Turns out you don’t have to travel far from the city at all to find yourself in the wild and amazing paradise of Barataria Preserve. We walked the trails and, sadly, saw no alligators, but I’m convinced they were just too sneaky for us to see.

Preservation Hall: I’ll admit that, because of Mardi Gras closures, we never had the chance to go inside, but I am entirely obsessed with everything about Preservation Hall. Absolutely. Everything. If you have the chance to go before I do, you have to promise to tell me how it is! (All while I seethe and whine with jealousy, of course.)

planning our trip to new orleans // a thousand threads
Bing Rewards is crazy easy to use, and now since it’s available on your phone you can even use it on the go — I really see no downside here.

So tell me, what do you think? Do you want a sweet gift card to your favorite place for doing what you already do? (I mean how could you not?)

So what are you waiting for?! Go sign up for Bing Rewards now.

I’m required to disclose a sponsored partnership between our site and Bing. I have been compensated in exchange for this post in the form of payment, product or experiences.

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