Back when Ryan Reynolds was married to Scarlett Johansson, Ryan spent the spring and summer of 2010 down in New Orleans filming The Green Lantern. Blake Lively was the “love interest” in that film, and there were rumors (vague rumors) that Blake and Ryan might have gotten very close during filming. As I said, Ryan was with ScarJo then, and Blake was with Penn Badgley. Both Penn and ScarJo were often in New Orleans to see their significant others, and while there were rumors that Blake was “baking cupcakes” for Ryan, most people thought that Ryan didn’t screw around on Scarlett. Months passed, and Ryan and Scarlett split up and Blake ended up spending time as Leonardo DiCaprio’s girlfriend, only to dump him (?!) and run full speed to Ryan.

Here’s the question, though: given the fact that Ryan and Blake seem so loved up so quickly, does it make you feel differently about the first round of rumors when both were attached to other people? Is it possible that Ryan and Blake’s love affair actually began in the summer of 2010? Well, whatever happened, it seems like New Orleans might be a special place for them, because People Mag is reporting that Blake and Ryan spent a long weekend in NOLA. Getting ice cream and sex-filled doughnuts.

After being seen all cozy together last year in New York and in Boston, followed by the couple’s holiday visit with his family in Vancouver, it seemed some distance could have possibly developed between Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively.

Had the romance Gone South? Sure enough – to the Big Easy, where the Reynolds, 35, and Lively, 24, were spotted this weekend all over New Orleans, the very city where they had shot The Green Lantern.

On Friday, an eyewitness saw the two at the Creole Creamery, a cute, Uptown ice cream parlor.

“Ryan comes in here sometimes when he’s in town,” said the observer, adding: “They seemed to want their privacy and sat close together in a corner of the store while they were eating and talking. They did leave the store holding hands, though – super sweet!”

According to another sighting on Twitter, Friday included the couple’s visit to the Café du Monde, a French market stand famous for its coffee with chicory and its donut-like beignets.

When the stars were promoting Green Lantern last summer, both spoke of their love of New Orleans, which Reynolds called “one of the most exciting, incredible communities in the world. … You’re going to hear some of the best jazz music, eat some of the best food and see some of the best entertainment in the world.”

Added Lively, “You could spend your life trying to uncover all the treasures in New Orleans and not even scratch the surface.”

[From People Magazine]

So have they returned to the city where their love initially blossomed, or did they just decide to take a little vacation to a city that they both love? I don’t know what to think. Maybe they just wanted to get away from their constantly warring dog friends.

Photos courtesy of Fame, Pacific Coast News.