2013 RnR New Orleans Race Recap - Part I

Race Date: February 23rd, 2013

Start Time: 7:00  a.m.
Distance: 13.1 miles
Start Line:  Poydras St. at Camp St.

Finish Line: Roosevelt Mall in City Park

New Orleans is the city of music, food and beautiful houses.  I loved it!

Saturday, February 23rd

We arrived in New Orleans at 9:30 a.m. after an 8 hour flight from San Diego.  NewOrleans is the birthplace of legendary jazz musician Louis Armstrong. You can hear jazz music the moment you land.

After a quick stop at the hotel, we headed to the expo.

My husband is running this time around. Woohoo!

We arrived just in time to hear olympian Kara Goucher speak.  Perfect!

Thanks to my friend Greg V, we scored front seats. I owe him one. By the way, Kara, Greg and I have something in common. Guess what it is? No, it has nothing to do with our running speed. Take a closer look. Yes, we are The Visitors and we smile a lot! :)

After picking up our running packages, we left the expo and stopped by Magnolia Praline Company to snack buy a tutu. Thanks Pretty for the recommendation.

We walked to the famous French Quarter to grab a bite and do a little bit of sightseeing. It's my first trip to NOLA!

Oh my!

My grandpa hung out at this place when he came to the city as an exchange student back in the day. 

Omggg I ♥ this Bourbon Milk Punch. Who is running tomorrow?

We walked to Jackson Square and back to the hotel via Decatur St.

We were famished so we decided to stop by Carmo, a tropical restaurant cafe with ample options for vegetarians, vegans and meat eaters. This place was recommended to me by Happycow's and it was very close to our hotel.

We arrived starving but the kitchen was closed.  Nooooooo! One of the owners told us that she could make something for us, an Esmeralda Salad and some vegan Casserole.  YES, please!

The Esmeralda salad had quinoa, black beans, corn, peppers & cilantro. It was tossed with coconut chili lime dressing & topped with toasted pumpkin seeds. It was simply delicious. It was spicy and sweet at the same time. It's usually served with cotija cheese but I left it off since I don't eat cheese nor faux cheeses. The dressing was tangy and flavorful.

The Caribbean Casserole had vegan smoked chicken and vegan sausage, stewed white beans, sweat potatoes, kale, pepper and potatoes. It reminded me of a Spanish Fabada  but without the "chorizo" and "morcilla".

All I can say is that I was in heaven.  If you ever go to New Orleans, you MUST  eat at this restaurant. It's to die for or I should say to live for :) The owners are 4 partners who moved from the San Francisco area. There is a couple that lived in Brazil as well. You can tell as they have incorporated some of these amazing flavors in their dishes. Two of the owners sat down with us at the end of our meal and treated us to a shot of delicious "acerola" juice. Wow, I have found my new favorite vegan restaurant. 

I might sign up for the RnR New Orleans again, just for the excuse to be able to eat at this place.

See RnR NOLA - Part II