Spending "Joyeaux Noel" in the Big Easy!

Must do-Christmas Eve: Take a ride on the "Delta Queen" to watch bonfires being lit up and down the levees of the Mississippi to light the way for Papa Noel. Christmas carols, good cheer and traditional great food accompanied the trip! Ride the St. Charles Ave. Street Car at night to see all the fabulous mansions decorated for the holidays. Celebrate Christmas Day with an unbelievable and authentic "Reveillion" dinner provided by many participating hotels. The menus available in advance but make reservations early! The Reveillons are very reasonable, very popular, and truly memorable!

Quick Tips:

Highly recommend B&Bs for the true taste of New Orleans. Remember: N.O. is not JUST the French Quarter! Lovely private walking tours of the Garden District, cemeteries and plantations provide lots of local color and are quite reasonable. For best food...ask the locals where they eat! There are very few bad restaurants in this town...If you love jazz, catch dinner at Snug Harbor for top name jazz groups. The New Orleans Cooking School is fun (you don’t really cook, but it is entertaining as heck).

Private guided tours are the best and reasonable for cemeteries, ghost tours, plantations.

Best Way To Get Around:

We did not rent a car, and we're glad we didn't! Parking and driving is difficult to impossible just about everywhere within the city. Besides, if you want to enjoy "imbibing" in N.O.'s Famous Hurricanes (or other alcoholic beverages), you certainly don’t want to drink and drive! I've been told by authorities that police here are VERY tough on that offense, mainly because the public transportation is so available that it isn't necessary to drive. Don't be afraid to get on a streetcar if you've had one too many - the street car drivers are used to it and handle it accordingly! People on the street car tend to be very friendly and you meet a lot of interesting people that way!

You are encouraged not to drive at all into the French Quarter. Buy a streetcar pass immediately for easy, efficient transportation up and down St. Charles Avenue. Within the French Quarter (Vieux Carre) there is a Riverside street car that requires a different ticket/pass. But you will probably want to walk off all of the excellent meals you will be having and walking is absolutely the best way to travel within the F.Q.

Located in the Fauburg Marigny (the newest, hippest section of N.O. to be redeveloped) Suite Jazz is a block from the noisy and congested French Quarter. This roomy B&B is located above Snug Harbor, THE coolest jazz spot in N.O.

It truly is a suite that could easily sleep 4 people (there were only 2 of us. While you have to hike up 2 flights of stairs to reach it, it is well worth the effort! We really felt like part of the local "scene" by having our own key to come and go.

Even tho it is located above/behind Snug Harbor (it's hard to explain), noise was never a problem. In December we nodded off to sleep hearing just the faintest sounds of jazz below. The suite had a large "living/dining" area with sofas, table and chairs, small refrigerator stocked with coffee, milk, ice, tea, sodas. A built-in cupboard stored wine glasses, plates, etc... Walk thru the long window out onto the BIG outside gallery overlooking Frenchmen Street. I went out there every afternoon with my drink and my book (Anne Rice-thoughtfully provided by the hosts). So relaxing! Continental breakfast in the form of a delicious pastry (croissants, bear claws, homemade banana bread) was delivered to our door every morning by our charming host, Sylvia. She provided a flavored coffee from a shop 2 doors away. We liked it so much we had to stop and get some more to bring back!

The bedroom was a little on the small side but adequate. It is decorated very nicely and has T.V., etc... Bathroom was bigger and nicely remodeled. We loved the location(within walking distance to French Quarter) and our hosts gave us plenty of "insider" information about where to go, what to see, etc... Unbeknownst to us Northerners, Snug Harbor is considered THE coolest jazz spot in N.O. Musicians with the names of Neville, Marsalis, and a host of others frequent the locale regularly. If you like jazz and dont mind going off the beaten path a tiny bit - this is a place you'll love!

From the moment you pull up in front of this historic, 100-year-old B&B in New Orleans' Uptown district you will be charmed by its history and elegance.

Since it was the night before Christmas Eve,the parlor glowed with light from the tree and gas fireplace. Across the center hall the heirloom buffet and sideboard were set with delicate china and silver for the next morning's breakfast.

Our spacious suite, The Plantation Room, was furnished with a queen-sized Belmont Plantation bed and the over-sized antique armoire, faux fireplace with original mantle and oak dresser and vanity added to the authentic detail of the room. A separate adjoining room, with a double trundle bed, can be used as a sitting room or extra sleeping space.

The private bath proved to be an unexpected delight! Cindee Quick designed a space that captured the aura of a bygone era yet provided all the comforts and amenities desired by road-weary travelers. The crowning touch was the Battenburg lace shower curtain!

Southern Comfort has several other rooms available that have been restored with the same loving attention to detail. Each is equipped with a private bath and while not quite as spacious as the Plantation Room suite, are equally as enticing.

Host Cindee baked fresh pastries and served a superb Continental breakfast in the formal dining room. She used the leisurely breakfast time to help us plan our itinerary. With just a few phone calls she can arrange a full schedule, complete with every detail!

The central location of Southern Comfort is just a streetcar hop away from all parts of the city. You can easily visit the French Quarter, Garden District,Magazine Street or the Convention Center.

Voted Best Restaurant (by James Beard in 1996) Commander's Palace still lives up to its much-reknowned fame. On a budget? Go for lunch (more economical, same great food and service) or dinner (for an ultimate splurge in fine dining experience). The setting, a beautifully restored 1880's Victorian gem, contains a series of large dining rooms. There is also a lovely courtyard for balmy evenings. The impeccable service is almost overwhelming - but relax and enjoy it! Your every wish seems to be their command.

Both lunch and dinner include a prix fixe menu which allows mixing and matching of some of their regional specialties.

Their menu changes seasonally but always contains popular specialties. For lunch starters I tried the "waiter recommended" turtle soup with sherry, while hubbie had crawfish bisque and homemade biscuits-both yummy! Their absolute best dishes are reputed to be the regional Creole favorites and I couldnt agree more.

The dinner menu provides suggestions from their highly touted wine list to accompany each entree. I highly recommend their Cosmopolitan cocktail (the best I have ever had anywhere!).

A must have at both lunch and dinner... Their FABULOUS desserts (you won't want to share yours). Their world-famous bread pudding souffle is remarkable but so are their Mississippi Mud Pie, Southern Pecan Pie and Chocolate Molten Souffle. For a dining experience that will evoke the true atmosphere of "N'Awlins", Commanders is the "Palace" to go!

I really dont like to "dis" a place. But this one deserved it. We spent 10 days and nites in New Orleans and this was the ONLY place I really didnt like. We received a recommendation from a waiter at a lunch spot and made a reservation for the next night. We were 10 minutes late (6:10) due to traffic tieups and we were greeted quite coldly. The place was empty - it was a Tuesday night! Then we requested a seat at the table were our friendly waiter was working. This was just not possible and no attempt was made to accomdoate this request. Service, to be frank, might have been better with a friend. It couldnt have been worse. Food, very over-priced and just so-so. We selected a bottle of wine from list (after waiter pressured us to go with his recommendation - the most expensive wine on the list!). The service continued to be rude and stuffy...it was a big disappointment. This place is way over-rated...

Located in the charming and historic Garden District of New Orleans, Lafayette Cemetary Number 1, is easy to reach by streetcar and on foot. You definitely want to go on the walking tour with guide provided by Friends of the Cemetary. The donation of $6 dollars goes directly to maintain and restore the cemetary which had fallen into complete shambles before its current restoration. The ghostly presence associated with this nontraditional type of burial is felt the moment you enter the gates. There is a fascinating history surrounding the need for these above ground tombs and it is explained in graphic (but tasteful) detail by the knowledgeable guide. She pointed out and explained different examples of funerary art, Victorian customs, etc.. Really, the information gained has made my visit to any old cemetary all the more interesting. If you're lucky, you can observe a Front Line Jazz funeral procession taking place the day you are there.

As in any cemetary or religious site you are abserving as a visitor, you need to be respectful and courteous, as there will be family members visiting at the same time you are there.

Hot Tip-The tour is in the morning so make a reservation for lunch at Commander's Palace (just across the street from the main gate of cemetary). Lunch there is a more economical way to take advantage of some world class food at more reasonable prices.

At any rate, taking a guided tour of a "City of the Dead" is an interesting way to explore one of New Orleans' most famous sites.

In a city that's revels in its history,New Orleans is the perfect place to indulge any old-fashioned fantasies of celebrating Christmas Past! It's a well-kept secret that this is the BEST time to visit and we couldnt agree more!

There's caroling in Jackson Square,views of French Quarter balconies festooned with ribbons,garland and millions of tiny white lights and the bell-like clatter of streetcars on St. Charles Ave. If that's not enough to put you in the holiday spirit I dont know what will.

Many of the cities finest dining establishments prepare a traditional "Reveillon" repast started by French-Catholics to "break the fast" after Christmas Eve Mass. Fortunately, most places have extended the scheduled times for these prix-fixe feasts but reservations are a must. At the high end($50+) are places like Arnaud's,Gallatoire's,The Grill Room at Windsor Court Hotel,and the Rib Room at the Omni Royal Orleans Hotel. More moderately priced ($35+) but equally outstanding are Brennan's, Hunt Room Grill at the Hotel Monteleone, Midi South of France in the Hotel Le Meridien(our favorite)and for the more budget minded ($19.99) great examples of Nola's specialties are offered at The Gumbo Shop.

Be sure to take make reservations for a Christmas Eve ride on the Steamboat Natchez for a romantic ride up the Mississippi to see bonfires lit on all the levees to "light the way for Papa Noel". Take a night time drive thru City Park's "Celebration in the Oaks" and see hundreds of trees decorated with lights. A Christmas spent in the "City that Care Forgot" is one you will never forget.