Weekend in New Orleans

I detest hotel chains. I will stay at the glass and steel monsters only when there are no other options. Why travel if your room looks just like the room in any other city?The Provincial is precisely the kind of place I try to find.

My room allowed me to walk directly out to the wonderful pool area and take a dip upon rising or just before going to bed. Te room was clean, the air conditioning up to the task of staving off the heat in New Orleans in summer time. The staff were very friendly and helpful.

You could not ASK for a better location either. It's a bit out of the way as far as the party-goers are concerned...unless you are with a group doing their own partying you aren't going to have to deal with that kind of noise in your room. Decauter, however, is just a two-block walk away...so you can join the party whenever you desire. Jackson square is just a couple of blocks in another direction.

The Camilla Grill is a New Orleans mainstay...JUST opening back up in mid 2007 after being closed since hurricane Katrina. It's the kind of place locals adore, and some tourists just don't quite get.

The Camilla Grill is a diner...29 round stools bolted to the floor along a counter. You wait outside until there is a place for your party available. (Locals tell me the line can be quite long at times.) The cooks work in front of your eyes at a rapid pace. The server keeps things moving and the customers happy.

You don't go to the Camilla Grill for the food, really. My pecan waffle was good, the hamburgers smelled great, but the main attraction is the people...both customers and staff. It's the kind of place where you high-five the server when he takes your order. Leave your pretense back in your hotel room, and just go and enjoy.

If you are interested in going to Margaritaville, you already know what to expect...cheeseburgers in paradise, a little alcohol, a lot of kitsch, and fun. The food is OK, but you go for the experience. Just watching folks with a couple of drinks in them trying to get in and out of the tire swing chairs in the upper level is worth the effort of going down there.

Even if you have been to many other aquariums, you owe it to yourself to see this one. They have exhibits about the wetlands and environments around the Gulf Coast that you are not going to see anywhere else. I found the white alligator particularly interesting.

There are gift shops scattered all through the aquarium. You are not going to be able to avoid them altogether. They do have reasonable prices, however, so you should be able to find something cheap to keep even an insistent kid happy.

There are special discount coupons readily available at most hotels, as well as AAA discounts. For the most bang for the buck, combine with the IMAX or zoo ticket.

www.auduboninstitute.org/site/PageServer