My Favorite Places To Eat & Stay On My Cross Country Road Trip
This year right after Christmas, my boyfriend Grant and I drove his belongings out from Atlanta to LA and turned it into a road trip. I had never done a road trip like this before, and I was curious if I was going to love it or hate it — spoiler alert, I LOVED IT! I had never been to any of these places before, and I had a great time in all of them. I’m usually a coastal gal, having spent a ton of time on the West and East Coast, so it was great to see much more of my own country. 10/10 would do it again.
As far as places we stayed, we tried to stick to a tight budget, since we were stopping in so many different cities. In a few places, we spent a little more to stay somewhere cute/trendy. Other places were just budget options that we found through apps like Priceline or Hotel Tonight. I’ve included just my favorite cute ones below, as the others were nothing special!
New Orleans
Where To Stay
Catahoula Hotel
To say the Catahoula Hotel is Instagram-friendly is an understatement. This boutique hotel in downtown New Orleans has industrial-looking rooms, an adorable rooftop bar, and a pisco bar with some of the best vegan dumplings I’ve ever had in my life (pro-tip: check out their dumpling happy hour). The location was great here — it was away from the madness but close enough to the action.
Where To Eat
Seaworthy
If you like oysters, go here. Absolutely delicious food/seafood, and the place is so cute! Seaworthy is part of the Ace Hotel, so when you’re done eating, head upstairs and enjoy a drink at the bar with a view.
Willa Jean
Brunch heaven. Willa Jean was bright and beautiful, and the brunch was HEAVENLY. Southern food, but not super heavy. I got the Tasso Benedict (jalapeno grit cake with grilled green tomato and pimento hollandaise). Hell ya!
French Truck Coffee
Delicious coffee, cute vibe, and KILLER COOKIES. French Truck Coffee has a few locations around New Orleans for when you need your caffeine fix.
Austin
Where To Stay
Austin Motel
Not only is the Austin Motel super cool and vibey, but it’s right in the heart of restaurants and shopping on South Congress, making walking around super easy. The rooms are bright and fun, there’s a pool if you happen to be there in the summer, and they’ve got a really awesome gift shop along with a restaurant/bar that happens to host Drag Queen bingo!
Where To Eat
Café No Sé
We walked to Cafe No Sé from the Austin Motel and went here for Grant’s birthday dinner. They had both delicious cocktails and entrees, and the menu had some Mediterranean/Middle Eastern influence in it, which you know I’m always down with.
Veracruz All Natural
I am now 100% sold on Austin-style tacos, and I am never going back. The Veracruz All Natural food truck was worth the wait. We went to the location at Radio Coffee and Beer, so we got a drink and sat in their beautiful outdoor area while we waited for food.
Marfa
Where To Stay
El Cosmico
El Cosmico is run by the same people who do Austin motel. This is definitely more of a glamping situation (we stayed in a Safari tent), but you can also stay in a teepee or a trailer.
Where To Eat
Hotel Saint George
We were in Marfa on New Year’s day so we were limited on what we could eat (in an already tiny town). We ended up eating at the Hotel Saint George, and I was pleasantly surprised at how good the food is. I would have preferred to eat somewhere with a little bit of a more local feel, but I will say, the food was good. Definitely on the higher end price-wise though.
Aster
Now this place was my vibe. Aster is a cute little spot, delicious fresh food, basically all I could want in a breakfast. We were hoping to get our hands on some of the rosti dishes, but they had sold out by the time we got to the front of the line (those New Year’s crowds!!). We ended up with the smoked salmon plate and were still very satisfied.
Santa Fe
Where To Stay
El Rey Court
El Rey Court was probably my favorite place we stayed on our whole trip. The place is designed BEAUTIFULLY. You get that minimalist, Southwestern look. The rooms were beautiful and ours even had a wood-burning fireplace. There was a hot tub and a sauna, and a really nice bar on the property. I felt so relaxed here, and we really enjoyed our stay!
Where To Eat
The Shed
I know people say The Shed is touristy, but I honestly loved it. I thought the food was really good, and it was very cute inside. This is a great place to get the traditional Southwestern red and green chile, or you can get both by asking for “Christmas Style.” Great for people who like spice!!
Vinaigrette
If you’re craving some fresh vegetables or salad (which after eating out for 2 weeks straight, it’s bound to happen), please do yourself a favor and go to Vinaigrette. It’s a salad-lovers dream.
Kakawa
Best hot chocolate of my life. Kakawa is the real deal — very rich, cacao and almond milk-based cocoas. Definitely something to experience while you’re in Santa Fe!
Abiquiu
Where To Stay
Unashay Home
It was so nice to stay in the Unashay Home Air BnB towards the end of our trip — we truly were able to unwind and feel the peacefulness of New Mexico on Aimee’s land. There are multiple properties on this beautiful stretch of desert land, and the sunsets were breathtaking.
Where To Eat
Bode’s
Abiqui is tiny, so we mostly cooked at home in our Air BnB. However, we made sure to stop at Bodes, and not only did we get delicious sandwiches there, we did some shopping for some Southwestern goods. If you’re up for it, apparently they have an amazing green chili burger.
Sedona
Where To Stay
Hiking at Cathedral Rock
I wish I could say we stayed at some magical resort, but sadly our budget just didn’t accommodate for that this time. I honestly forgot the name of where we stayed HAHA but it wasn’t really worth recommending anyway. Sorry!
Where To Eat
The Hudson
We went to The Hudson for dinner, so we didn’t get to reap the benefits of their views, but the food was spot-on. The menu has a New-American vibe, and everything was well executed. I especially recommend their variety of bruschetta.
Hideaway House
Another place with a great view, the Hideaway House had some top-notch pizza. Like, really, really good. The staff was also really friendly and accommodating. Definitely a good place to go to after a hike when you’re feeling hungry.
I hope you guys get a chance someday to a drive like this. But if not, it’s even worth visiting these cities on their own!