Christmas in New Orleans

This was a very nice hotel. One of the features that makes it unique is that it is a pet-friendly hotel. Also, if you don't have a pet, you can request a goldfish on loan. I did not realize this until I got to the hotel. Apparently you have to request it before coming here, so be sure to call ahead for a goldfish if you want one.

The room was very elegant, although the motif was a bit too bachelor-paddish. There was a leopard-print bathrobe in the room, which actually I felt a bit queasy about putting it on. The room was clean, but showed signs of age.

The hotel did not have a pool like many other comparatively priced hotels in New Orleans, but it did have a nice gym that was pretty basic in its equipment. I expected a lot better quality in exercise equipment from a place that charged this much for a night.

The location was very good. It was away from the French Quarter so that you could sleep in the morning, but not far enough away to drive there. You had to walk perhaps 4 blocks to the French Quarter. If you are thinking about renting a car, don't stay here. Your only option is valet parking for $29 per day. You do get in-and-out privileges, but that's another few bucks out of your wallet.

The restaurant called Cobalt, which is sort of the hotel restaurant, is much cooler than your typical hotel restaurant. In fact, some of the locals use it as a trendy bar. But with the French Quarter so close, it seems a shame to spend an evening in the business district in a slightly overpriced bar/restaurant.

The hotel features a 5-6pm mingling opportunity to meet other hotel guests, which is a nice touch if you are a single traveler.

This is one of my greasy eggs and bacon joint. I have to say the food is not of the highest quality. But it is one of those local places that a lot of uptown folk hang out on saturday and sunday with the papers. If you want basic eggs over easy with sausage and bacon this is the best place in the uptown area.

If you've been to New Orleans and you missed Cafe du Monde, you have made a serious mistake--get back on the Jet Blue flight and grab a cup of chicory coffee and a beignet. This place is open at all hours of the day and every hour brings plenty of people-watching entertainment. One order of beignet is enough for two people. The coffee is quite good here.

In the uptown area, this place provides your best bet for greasy burgers and a shake. It is particularly popular with locals after a night of drinking, who seek this place out to solve their hunger pains. It's a lively place where everyone sits at the bar--there are no tables. This way, you can bump elbows with the tuxedo-dressed couple coming in for some grease after attending the Louisiana Philharmonic concert or overly-friendly college coeds who've stopped in with the frat bunch from nearby Tulane University. The cook/server wears a white uniform and will joke with you and make fun of you. But, above all, go for the chocolate shakes (made the old fashioned way), chili cheese fries, and a bacon burger. My stomach is growling already . . .

Until I found out about this place from a local friend, I thought Carmella's Grill was the best place for late-night greasy burgers and that Blue Bird Cafe was the best bet for morning eatin'. How uptown-centric I was! This is, hands-down, the best place for breakfast or a late-night burger run. It's located near the residential area and away from the crazy hustler part of Bourbon Street, though that's not to say it lacks character--the cooks and waiters are quite outlandish. The 24-hour food is amazing; I've never had fries this good! I went back four times over the course of three days! Thank goodness I don't live down the street from this place; if I did, I'd be like the Michelin Man.

This place is tucked away in the Marigny, the neighborhood right next to the French Quarter. It's a great area to hang out in as it has many clubs and restaurants. This place usually has a great lunch special. The coffee is strong and good--none of that warmed-over Starbucks junk.

I am a sushi fanatic. When I'm in a new city, even if it is New Orleans, I can't seem to fight off the urge to check out the quality of the sushi in a particular town. In this case, I must say I was not disappointed, but I was not wowed over either. The sushi was relatively fresh, but my taste buds were not set on fire. In fact, for the price, the sushi quality should have been better. But the cute waitress made up for it.

Every year, the weekend before Christmas, the Delta Festival Ballet and the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra present a very good production of The Nutcracker. It's a very good ballet company with about 20 professionals and the remainder of the cast made up of local talent. What makes this production stand out is the fact it features a full orchestra--many regional productions often cheat by using canned music or a reduced orchestra (17 musicians rather than the required 75, say). Bravo to this particular production for choosing to stay with the entire orchestra.

Here is a dilemma if you are traveler to New Orleans: Do you rent a car? Well, that depends on many things, but usually the advice is no if you are staying in the French Quarter. I usually prefer to have my "feet" when traveling by having a car. In many cities, this option is very possible, as hotels usually provide free parking; however, in the French Quarter, that is another matter. Most hotels in the New Orleans area have valet parking as one of the options, but this can get quickly very expensive if you are renting a car. As a rule, expect to pay about $30 a day for the lowest option car. That is a bit higher then most cities, but not as high as in New York.

I needed a car on my trip as I was required to be in other places than just the French Quarter. I found a better deal by using a rental-car agency a bit outside the airport--yes, a bit more inconvenient, but the Ace agent will pick you up from the cub and drop you off, and it just adds another 15 minutes on your airport time.

If you have to get a car and you don't want to use valet service and you are staying in the French Quarter, you could risk it by parking on Rampart Street. But beware, they tow your car on street-cleaning day, and Rampart Street borders many housing projects and Armstrong Park--which, although a nice attempt at green space, is a very dangerous high-crime area at night.

Generally, walking around the French Quarter even late at night is pretty safe; however, if you're wandering around Rampart Street at night, that is not a good idea.

In summary, don't rent if you don't have to.