The history of New Orleans is fascinating. I thoroughly enjoyed my tour of the Hermann-Grima House in the French Quarter, the haunted history walking tour , and touring the Laura and Oak Alley Plantations.

We stumbled upon a major motion picture being filmed on the steps of the 100-year-old Jackson County Courthouse on Royal St. in the French Quarter. This gorgeous, marble courthouse has been under renovation since 1981, but the exterior is mostly complete. While our husbands browsed in the gun and knife shop, my friend and I watched the shot being set up. A production assistant approached us and asked if we wanted to be extras in the scene. Of course we said yes! Our Café du Monde shopping bags were a hit with the director and we were moved to the center of the scene and told to keep those bags in sight. Watch for us in the movie version of John Grisham’s Runaway Jury!

What’s not to like about New Orleans? Call me a fuddy-duddy, but I found it vulgar. It’s just not my style to buy souvenir necklaces with plastic breasts or penises on them. I could have gone my whole life without seeing such a thing and would have died quite happy. I also thought the thousands of t-shirts with the F-word printed all over them were incredibly distasteful. I heard foul language often on the street. And I do believe there was more smoke than in a Las Vegas casino. I took it all as part of a culture that I’m not accustomed to, and don’t care to visit again.

Having learned French in high school, I can pretty much pronounce anything the way it would be pronounced in that language. I thought I’d have it made in New Orleans. Wrong! The pronunciations are either very English, or neither French nor English. Ask a local how to pronounce Poydras Street and you’ll see what I mean!

Quick Tips:

Across the street from Commander’s Palace, explore Lafayette Cemetery #1, supposedly the cemetery in the best condition. The Astor Crowne Plaza only recently opened and is ideally situated on the edge of the French Quarter on the corner of Canal and Bourbon Streets.

Check weather forecasts before you go. Rain is always a possibility. Our mid-January visit yielded temperatures ranging from 60 to 27F with wind-chill. That wind coming across the Mississippi River gets cold!

Best Way To Get Around:

This hotel is newly refurbished and has the perfect location on the corner of Canal Street and Bourbon Street. A very elegant, old-style décor fits perfectly with the flavor of New Orleans’ French Quarter.

When we checked in, we were asked if we’d like to have a room overlooking Bourbon Street. Of course we said yes. We thought we’d had quite a stroke of luck! Our “view” of Bourbon St. consisted of the top of the building across the street and the top two balconies of a building kitty corner to ours. Sigh. We later found this view to be a blessing, as the roof cushioned much of the club music that thumped on until the early morning hours.

Our room had two queen beds, nightstand, TV armoire with plenty of drawer space, two comfortable chairs, and a desk and office chair. Our closet was somewhat small, but there were plenty of hangers for our use. The bathroom was very nice, with a large, marble countertop. The magnifying mirror was very useful to me when applying makeup. Hairdryer, coffeepot, iron, and ironing board were all in-room. The water pressure was awesome and I never had to wait for hot water, and never ran out during a shower. The lighting was a little dim in the room, and we found we had to turn on both lamps and the overhead hall light for adequate light.

The only thing that made me uncomfortable here was that there was no mattress pad encompassing the mattress, and the bottom sheet was just a top sheet tucked under. In 20 years of marriage, we’ve always slept in a king-size bed. When we sleep in a smaller bed while traveling, it feels a little tight and I end up hugging the edge a bit. Hugging the edge caused the sheet to come untucked, and I sometimes found myself sleeping partially on a bare mattress. The only consolation there was believing that since the hotel was only recently opened, the mattress probably wasn’t that old and germy. By the end of our 5-night stay, I managed to find a sleeping spot that didn’t feel cramped, but didn’t loosen the bottom sheet.

Service at the front desk was adequate, not spectacular. The bell staff was friendly and helpful. We received turn-down service every night after the first night. I'm not sure if it was because we are Priority Club Members, or because I left a tip on the bed every morning. Parking is about $10/day for valet. Both of the people I worked with at the concierge desk were helpful and knowledgeable.

Final analysis: a grand hotel without being too stuffy; clean and comfortable.

Because it was so cold outside and we’d spent several chilly hours touring the French Quarter earlier in the day, we decided to stay in the hotel and try the Bourbon House. Service was excellent; the food was a mixed bag. The swordfish was dry, until it was chopped up and mixed into the delicious sauce it was served with. I really wanted filet mignon, but the $26 price tag turned me off. I chose the chicken with a béarnaise sauce instead. It was probably very good, but since my mouth was set for filet mignon, I didn’t enjoy it like I should have. Our dinner companions shared the Mahi Mahi and declared it an outstanding meal. The Mississippi Mud Pie for dessert was a large slice of light coffee ice cream and chocolate cookie crust heaven.

We sat by an open window, which was very refreshing on this sunny morning. But we mainly needed it to get away from the two women smoking five tables away.

I ordered orange juice and pain perdu — literally translated as lost bread. This is what the French call French Toast! When I tasted my orange juice, I thought they had cut it with grapefruit juice. My friend tried it and told me she thought it was rancid. I told the waitress about it and she brought me a new glass from a fresh carton. Much better! But isn’t it gross that the first glass she brought me was fermented? The four slices of pain perdu were thick and dusted with powdered sugar. It was pretty good, but I had to ask the server to bring syrup. She gasped, realizing she’d forgotten such a basic part of the meal. We also had to ask for our water glasses to be refilled.

With all of the wonderful restaurants to be found in the French Quarter, I recommend skipping this one.

We were led to the dining room, which thankfully was far enough away from the store that we couldn’t smell the seafood any more. The dining room walls were hung with paintings for sale by local artists, and photos of some of the plantation homes. The long tables had red and white checked tablecloths, giving the feel of a country picnic. A 20-foot alligator was painted on the floor. In the ladies room, a stuffed alligator was standing on its hind legs, dressed up like a girl, including a wig and hat!

This seemed like a very backwoods place, so we thought we’d be adventurous and try some of the local foods. For appetizers, we ordered alligator, boudin balls, and hushpuppies. We were all familiar with hushpuppies, which are balls of cornbread that are deep-fried. We were a little nervous about the alligator and boudin (pronounced boo-dan) balls. What the heck is a boudin ball anyway? Spicy pork mixed with onions, cooked rice, other vegetables and herbs, ground, formed into balls and rolled in egg and bread crumbs and then deep-fried. It was quite good, and especially tasty when dipped in any of the several sauces brought to our table. There was a jalapeno sauce, and a peach/onion (my favorite) among others.

The alligator was a different story. Strips of alligator meat, breaded and fried, like chicken tenders. A few people got white meat and thought it wasn’t bad, tasting somewhat like (of course) chicken. Two of us, however, got dark meat. I managed to swallow my bite, but my friend spit hers out. Everyone who tried the dark meat agreed it tasted nasty; very gamey.

After eating pretty heavily for most of this vacation, and having tried all the southern food we were willing to taste, all six of us ordered cheeseburgers, figuring we couldn’t go wrong there. Now, I don’t know if this is a southern thing, but our burgers were more like a meatloaf. There seemed to be a filling, like breadcrumbs mixed in. It was okay at first, but I don’t think any of us could finish. It seemed to settle in our stomachs in a lump. The fries were good though, done just to my liking.

If you want to experience some Louisiana bayou atmosphere and food, go ahead and give this a shot. As for me, I’ll stick with good old Yankee cuisine.

After not allowing ourselves enough time to take the cable car to the Garden District and grabbing a taxi, we arrived right on time for our 11:30am reservation (made weeks ahead of time). Only one other party was dining at the time, but by the time we left, the restaurant was almost full.

The staff treated us royally, from the moment we entered, to the time the door was held open for us on the way out. We were very happy to find the waitstaff took their cues from us as to how stuffy to be. We asked if it would be terribly uncouth to take some photos, and they assured us it would be quite alright. From then on, the staff was very congenial with us.

The Soups 1-1-1 offered a taste of the Turtle Soup, the Gumbo Ya Ya, and the Soup du Jour (butternut squash). The Gumbo Ya Ya was my favorite. It’s a chicken gumbo, a little spicy. The squash soup had a little too much nutmeg for my taste, but had a nice texture. Turtle Soup was something new for me to try. None of us particularly cared for it, though it is one of the most popular things on the menu. Our waiter told us that if they were out of turtle soup, they didn’t open the doors!

The entrées we ordered: 1) Onion-Crusted Fried Chicken Salad. Chicken pieces lightly battered and fried, served on Bibb lettuce with a bleu cheese dressing. The chicken was light and fell apart tenderly in my mouth. The cucumber relish was outstanding. 2) Commander’s Blue Crab Cobb 2002. Local jumbo blue crab, avocado, romaine lettuce, chopped egg, smoked bacon, and Gruyere cheese with a creamy anchovy dressing. The "best crab I’ve ever had," according to my friend. 3) Roasted Chicken Dixie. Boneless chicken served in a shrimp, tasso (a highly seasoned smoked pork), and mirliton (a squash found growing wild and in backyards throughout southern Louisiana) dressing. Extremely tender, flavorful chicken, this plate was practically licked clean. 4) Colorado Lamb and Blue Cheese Pie. Braised lamb in a rich sauce, served in a pastry shell. The lamb was very tender and, again, not a bite was wasted.

Now we get to the really great part: dessert. We ordered 5 desserts between the 4 of us. They also brought out an extra one that they were thinking of adding to the menu. Two of us ordered the Creole Cream Cheese Cheesecake, with housemade Creole cream cheese, white and dark chocolate lattice and caramel sauce. Heavenly! We also tried the Pecan Pie a la Mode, Double Chocolate Fondue Cake served with orange caramel cream, Praline Parfait, and the trial dessert, a light citrus concoction that was very smooth and refreshing.

Service here is impeccable! Read my free form entry on the magic words to use to ensure great service at a restaurant. They were inadvertently uttered here, but were highly unnecessary!

The Deviled Crabcakes received mixed reviews from those who tried them: Louisiana blue crab meat, peppers and onions served on baby greens with a tomato and chipotle tartar sauce. The house salad was fabulous due to the pecan vinaigrette dressing. The potato-leek soup was creamy and flavorful.

For dessert, the crème brûlée received high accolades from all who tasted it. It was a large serving, compared to the small portions usually associated with this dessert. The Double Chocolate Mousse was good, but not our favorite. The best dessert, hands down, was the Ice Cream Sandwich. It consisted of two huge chocolate cookies, filled with creamy vanilla ice cream, drizzled with a delicious chocolate sauce. It’s one of those desserts that, no matter how full you are, you can’t stop eating until it’s gone!

Because the food and service were so great here, and because the restaurant was in easy walking distance of our hotel, we dined here the final night of our stay. It was 10:30pm when we were seated in the main dining room. Because of the late hour, we wanted to eat light. I don’t know if this was the cause of our comparatively poor service, or if our waiter was naturally snooty! Our water glasses often went unrefreshed, replacement sodas were not always brought quickly, and when we asked for a modification in the order in which our side dishes were to be brought out, our server practically had a conniption fit. We ordered the 12oz prime rib to split between four of us, and each of us ordered two side dishes plus dessert. The bill was still almost $100, not including tip, so I wouldn’t say we were being overly cheap.

The food, however, did not disappoint. Besides our previous favorites of potato-leek soup and house salad with pecan vinaigrette dressing, we tried the Pontalba Potatoes (roasted & sautéed with garlic, caramelized onions, wild mushrooms, ham, and scallions), which were wonderfully filling and delicious, Five Onion Soup, and Vegetable du Jour (mixed vegetables). We again had the ice cream sandwich for dessert, as well as the Coconut Cake, which was light and thoroughly enjoyable.

Hopefully, it was just an off night for our waiter and his assistants. Who knows; maybe they would have been able to go home if we hadn’t shown up so late, or maybe if we’d been drinkers and had a huge bar tab it would have made them more pleasant and attentive. Really, there was no excuse for the class of service we received that night from this otherwise very fine restaurant. Perhaps we should have used The Magic Words!

Our first night in New Orleans and we hadn’t thought ahead about where to eat. The cab driver had suggested a seafood restaurant around the corner from the hotel, but after looking at the menu, none of us were salivating. The Bell staff at the hotel suggested Harrah’s buffet as the best deal in town.

About a 5-block walk from the Astor Crowne Plaza, the casino seems a little out of place in a city of such old character. It’s a beautiful, rounded building lit up at night just like a Las Vegas casino. The interior theme is, of course, Mardi Gras.

The buffet is $20 per person. We were so disappointed in this meal. Most everything was bland, generic, or downright terrible. There were a few exceptions. The roast ham and roast turkey were very moist and delicious. In the Pan Asian area, a Chinese steak with mushrooms was very good, with the steak being quite tender. For dessert, the ice cream was good and several toppings were available including bananas foster, cherries jubilee, chocolate sauce, and various sprinkle toppings.

Shoulda gone with the seafood place.

Located on Royal Street, The Court of Two Sisters is an easy walk from anywhere in the French Quarter. The outside is very unassuming for such a highly rated restaurant. As you walk through the entry, take a moment to brush your hand across the wrought iron gates. Wrought in Spain and delivered to the Court of Two Sisters in 1832, legend has it they were blessed by Queen Isabella and bestow charm on all who touch them.

Our large party of 10 was welcomed and seated quickly on a Thursday night. As we walked through the empty buffet area (a daily Jazz Brunch is served here), I caught the smell of dirty dishcloths. You know the smell — after too many tables have been wiped with the same rag. Fortunately when we entered the dining area, the smell dissipated.

The menu offers a nice selection of seafood, steak and chicken, as well as three vegetarian entrees. There is a section for a four-course meal with several choices for each course priced at $39. The a la carte menu is quite extensive (and expensive). Some of the items our table ordered: Crawfish Maison ($8), Baked Oysters a la Two Sisters ($8), Hearts of Palm Salad ($6), Baked Onion Soup ($6), Filet of Trout ($21), Filet Mignon ($25), and Steamed Asparagus ($6). I ordered the Vegetarian Galette ($17), a puff pastry tart filled with an extensive assortment of vegetables and feta cheese. After eating so heavily for several days, the vegetables felt so good for my body. But I think I really wanted steak, because I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as I thought.

Desserts received mixed reviews. The Crème Brulee was very good, but not as good as that at Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse . The Chocolate Espresso Torte was outstanding. The New York style cheesecake was too dry. The strawberry topping on the vanilla ice cream was sweet and divine. Cherries Jubilee was flamed at the table and was delicious. Service here was very good. Prompt, friendly, accurate, and quick to refill glasses. That’s really all I ask.

On the way out, I stopped at the hostess desk to ask for a souvenir menu. I waited for about 30 seconds while the hostess was on the phone. She must have overheard me telling my husband what I was waiting for, because she handed me a menu with "souvenir" stamped on it, but she barely looked at me and didn’t even take the time to pause from her phone conversation to thank us for patronizing the restaurant. Hmmph! Not a very nice way to treat customers who just dropped a bundle of money at your establishment!

If you’re touring without children, allow a couple of hours to thoroughly tour these wonderful exhibits. With children, plan to stay longer as they’ll be enraptured by some of the creatures here.

On the first floor, saunter through the “Caribbean Tunnel,” a clear plexiglass tube through an underwater garden. Fascinating fish and colorful coral will keep you gawking for several minutes. Wander past tanks of glowing jellyfish and stop to watch the sharks swimming in the Gulf of Mexico tank.

Climb the stairs to the 2nd floor to see sea creatures of the Amazon Rain Forest, including huge catfish, then pause to watch the playful penguins before heading over to pet a baby shark. Yes—-pet a baby shark! The prankish otters require more than a brief stop as they roll, splash, and play. Next is an area of changing exhibits. Right now the exhibit is Frogs!--every color and size imaginable. Next stop, a rare, white alligator sitting on a dock in a reconstruction of a Louisiana bayou fishing spot.

There are several areas where you can see some of the inner workings of the aquarium. You’ll see some of the pumps and filters that keep the creatures in the right temperature and chemical mix for their survival here.

The IMAX Theater offers two or three movies shown several times throughout the day. We saw Space Station 3D. Awesome, awesome! Except for the lady who took an “emergency” cell phone call and chatted for 10 minutes during the show!

There really is no reason to pay full price for this attraction. Coupons can be found everywhere, even at the information booth at the airport, for discounts and combination discounts.

Our guide, dressed as his favorite local historical figure, pirate Jean Lafitte, took us on a 2.5-hour walking tour of his favorite haunted places in the French Quarter. We visited Jean Lafitte’s Blacksmith’s Shop on Bourbon Street, which is now a bar and was never a blacksmith’s shop. It’s one of the only buildings in the French Quarter that survived catastrophic fires in 1788 and 1794. The LaLaurie House, at 1140 Royal Street, is home to one of the best-known horror stories and haunted happenings in New Orleans. Julie, an octoroon, who died trying to prove her love to her wealthy lover, haunts the Bottom of the Cup Tearoom at 732 Royal Street. We visited several other haunted places, and ended the tour in Pirate’s Alley. Each tour guide has their favorites to show and they do vary their routines.

The tour meets in front of Rev. Zombie’s Voodoo Shop, 723 St. Peter Street. Just show up 15 minutes prior to any tour. Discount coupons are available in several brochures, but the best was a $5.00 off coupon I got from www.neworleans.com Click the link for 101 Cool Things, #48 is coupons for attractions, lodging, dining, etc.

You’ll hear how the residents of this mansion dealt with the humid, summer heat and accompanying mosquitoes. You’ll learn how a multi-course meal was served, and what a bare dining table signified. Do you know how they kept the food hot in case someone wanted seconds? You’ll find out here.

Tour is $10, $8 with AAA discount. Tours are held four or five times daily. Call for tour times.

Laura, a Creole Plantation is a fascinating look into life as a wealthy Creole landowner. Our tour guide at Laura was a knowledgeable, personable college student. My friend had toured this plantation a number of years ago before restoration was this far along. For her this tour was every bit as enjoyable as the first and she learned some new tidbits. This brightly colored house, built in 1804, has so much history that it can’t all be told in one visit. My friend was able to tell me some of the stories she learned the first time that weren’t mentioned on this tour.

Five thousand pages from the French National Archives and Memories of the Old Plantation Home: A Creole Family Album by Laura Locoul Gore guided the restorers in recreating the early splendor of this home. Laura was the great-granddaughter of the original landowners, and she grew up here. She wrote these memoirs so her posterity would know the history of her namesake home. She meticulously detailed many things about the home and her life in a family of slave owners. The book is available in the gift shop for $20.

The main house has been mostly restored. Most of the outbuildings are in terrible disrepair, but some are amazingly still standing. One of the slave cabins is under renovation right now. I would definitely go back in a few years when more restorations have been completed.

Our tour guide here was quite young, and her delivery was very rote. She had memorized the tour, even the pauses so we could laugh or ooh and ahh. The tour told us much about the house, but little about the era and the people who had lived here during that fascinating time in history. The house and grounds are so magnificent, maybe they are expected to speak for themselves.

There is a restaurant on the premises, though it closes at 5pm. A snack bar in the gift shop is an alternative, serving pre-made sandwiches and salads, ice cream, candy and water, soda, and juices. There are Bed and Breakfast cabins on the property. It’s a lovely setting for someone who just wants to relax and do nothing. If you get bored easily, however, I don’t think you’d want to stay more than a couple of days. It’s a long ride into New Orleans or Baton Rouge and there isn’t much in between. The nearest restaurant is B&C Seafood , but you probably won’t want to eat there more than once.

I clarified that it wasn’t MY website, but a website where many travel reviews are posted. I had seen numerous reviews of this restaurant and knew I had to try it. I would then be posting my own review. I gave him the web address, and thought it was over. Another server then came over, bringing souvenir matchbooks and asked if I’d like our menus autographed by the Executive Chef, Tory McPhail. She then asked for my business card with the website address to give to Chef Tory. The signed menus were returned to us with apologies that Chef Tory was not available to come meet us at that time.

We thought we might try using the magic words at another restaurant, maybe when the service was not so great, to see if it would improve. Alas, we were too chicken to try it, though we should have one evening at another of the Brennan family of restaurants, Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse.