It’s been a year of firsts. Joe and I are coming up on our six month mark as digital nomads. So far, we’ve spent our time meandering down the Eastern side of the U.S. as we work remotely (next up, Europe!). I’ve been working independently as a marketing consultant — and doing so entirely from home — since spring of this year.

I’m finally finding rhythm in my work weeks. And I’ll be honest: I’m in my pajamas most Mondays from sun up to sun down. Actually. I’m a hermit most Mondays and Tuesdays. I kick off each week without worrying about commutes, evening plans, or errands to run.

This has been especially true in New Orleans, where our weekends are livelier than usual. The music! The food! Friends and family down for a visit! The weekends are a blur of activity. All I want to do by Monday is hole up in our comfortable Bywater home.

‘Get dressed like you’re going to an office!’ they say. ‘Get out of the house,’ they say. Here’s a secret: working from your pajamas while squirreled away at home can be pretty incredible. Adulting means you do what you want, right?

It also means I’m antsy for a change of scenery by Wednesday. In New Orleans, working from the lovely Bywater cafe Satsuma most Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday mornings eases the antsiness.

Lunch outings with Joe those days helps too. We stay in our own worlds during the work day, despite sitting across from each other in our den or at Satsuma. Surfacing from our work day for a walk and lunch out together has become a pleasant routine.

We’ll order the daily scramble from Satsuma, pausing work to chat at our table. We’ll splurge for the meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and cherry cobbler special at neighborhood mainstay Frady’s.

Most recently, we explored the St. Roch Market.

The food hall has 12 vendors and a variety of options (although all have a Southern flair). We kept it simple at Good Bird, a rotisserie chicken spot. I had a salad with skin-on chicken, butternut squash, goat cheese, pepitas, and dried cranberries. Joe went for the sandwich with rotisserie chicken, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and avocado on ciabatta.

We spent most of the lunch talking about how a good chicken sandwich can be so much more than the sum of its parts. Isn’t there something extraordinary about simple meals done perfectly? Joe could wax on about the power of a chicken sandwich forever, actually. Stay tuned for his post on the sandwiches of NOLA.

It was a memorable lunch out together. It was just a chicken salad and a chicken sandwich. It was just a part of our working routine each week. It was just at a local lunch spot. And it felt right.

Featured Image Photo Credit: St. Roch Market