A Week in New Orleans

Eat at some nice restaurants. New Orleans has some world-class places that feature the distinctive creole cuisine from the area. Try the gumbo, the jambalaya and other local favorites.

Have a beignet at Cafe du Monde (it's touristy but is still the best place to catch a beignet).

Go to Harrah's casino...it's very nice, not crowded and has everthing you can find in Vegas except a sports book.

Go for a run along the Mississippi River.

Quick Tips:

Avoid the buffets in the French Quarter. They are all terrible for the most part.

Best Way To Get Around:

As for the room, sparse was the theme. It had very little in the way of decoration and did not have a particularly ‘warm’ feel. But it was very spacious and the bed was extremely comfortable. The layout consisted of two levels (one for the living room and another for the bathroom and bedroom). The living room area had a couch, several chairs, a bar (minus the alcohol) and a TV. Note: the TV did not have any cable channels. The bathroom was small but modern (plenty of hot water) and a little out of place in that the rest of the room felt a lot older. The bedroom was spacious but as plain as it could possibly be. It had an armoire with a mirror (which would not stay up so it was pretty much useless) but lacked any other even meager attempt at decoration. No big deal, but it took a couple of minutes of getting used to. The bed was very comfortable, very large (king size) and had lots of pillow.

It happened to be unseasonably cold in New Orleans at the time of the trip, so the window heating and air conditioning units were necessary to warm the rooms. One minor glitch, the knob on one of the units was broken and I had to remove the cover and do some improvising to turn the knob to heat.

There wasn’t much breakfast in the b&b. As far as I could tell, it consisted of muffins, juice and coffee. It was setup in the entrance room on a little table and I don’t think many guests took advantage of it...I ate at different restaurants both mornings.

As for the room, it was fairly ordinary but comfortable. It had the typical queen bed and standard hotel room furniture including an armoire with a TV. The room had a small window overlooking the hotel courtyard and parts of the French Quarter (my room was on the top floor and you could see most of the large buildings from the window). Other than that it didn’t have any particular ambience. The bathroom was small but modern and the tv got all basic cable channels (but no movie channels). The bed was comfortable and the room was dark so it was easy to sleep in after a long night out on the town.

The rest of the hotel was a little rough around the edges. I have heard it described many times as charming and attractive, but I would use the phrase old and quirky. Don’t get me wrong, I had an uneventful, comfortable stay. But I did notice a few things that could use a little renovation (i.e. frayed carpeting, beat-up elevator, missing numbers on a couple of room doors, etc.). The staff wasn’t particularly friendly (but for some reason this statement could be made about almost every establishment in the French Quarter) but they made some good recommendations for local tours and were helpful when it came to arranging transportation around town.

If you can get a good deal, the St. Ann is fine. Otherwise at least explore your options before committing to full-price room rates.

A couple of quick suggestions:

1. Ask for a table upstairs if it is cold outside. It was unseasonably cold when we ate there and you get a draft from the front door. The upstairs has more atmosphere anyway.
2. Listen to the waiter’s recommendations. He was right on for both wine and food choices.
3. Don’t be intimidated by the wine list. It is very long and many of the selections are very expensive. But you can find a really nice bottle for $30-50.

As for the food, we ordered the lost bread (a New Orleans version of French Toast) and callas(deep fried rice balls), beef with grits and a Creole omellete. All of it was very good, and the callas were particularly interesting. I don't think I could eat them every day, but they are worth trying.

When you are looking for something quick while walking around the French Quarter, try Johnny's. It is a very simple, diner type place. You seat yourself (if you can find a table) and order at the counter. The specialty is obvioulsly the po-boy and you can find some interesting combinations. I had the crawfish po-boy and liked it very much.

This place is worth going to just for the atmosphere. People stuffing their faces, dripping po-boys, an open grill, etc.

Many of the French Quarter restaurants are poor. The service is bad and the food is equally bad. The only people that go to these types of places are tourists so the restaurant knows the diners won't be back. So ask around or do some research before you go. Food is a highlight of your trip to New Orleans, but only if you avoid places like this.

To sum up, I said, "run while you still can".

The dining area itself is very cozy and homey in that it has art all over the walls, flowers, and warm colors. You will also immediately notice the presence of the owner who acts as the maitre de. At first I thought she was an eccentric older woman. The reality is that she knows exactly what she is doing. She greets everyone and personally walks them out. She really wants to make sure you had a good experience. Odds are you will, because the food and service is exceptional.

The food is classic New Orleans with some unique twists. I ordered the five course meal which let me taste several different items...a good choice. The entree was the best duck I have ever had and the bread pudding dessert was fantastic. All the while you are waited on hand and foot...listen to the waiters, they make good recommendations.

The restaurant is about 10-15 minutes from the French Quarter. If you are looking for some good entertainment afterwards, check out the Maple Leaf Bar.

I had the gumbo to start (it was quite good) and followed it up with the pasta jambalaya. Everything I had was very well done and satisfying. It is nice to be really excited about trying the 'local' cuisine and not being disappointed. Also, the dessert was great (and I am a big dessert fan). I had the bread pudding with whipped cream and ice cream on top. It was definitely not for the light hearted and I left the restaurant feeling very full and content.

One final note, the atmosphere was quite nice. It is definitely a nice restaurant, but didn't feel overly stuffy or pretentious. It was quiet enough to enjoy a good conversation, but lively enough to make you feel comfortable. I also liked the live music playing in the background. All said, I would definitely recommend this restaurant.

The gamblers were lively and friendly as well. It was pretty slow until Thursday but then picked up as the weekend and New Years crowd started to roll in. But the casino is very large so that as the crowd grew more tables were opened up. The table minimums also went up, but it was easy to find some lower stakes craps and blackjack tables. Make sure you get a player’s card. For a few hours of gambling, I was ‘comped’ for a free buffet meal (which was better than the several of the meals I had in the French Quarter) and offered free tickets to the New Orleans Saints game.

The casino is an easy 5-10 minute walk from the French Quarter and it provided a nice 2-3 hour block of entertainment each day.

Or if you prefer, you can grab a bite at the bar. The food is surprisingly good (get the crawfish quesadillas) and you can try the local beer (Abita) while you're eating. All the while, the band wails away on the stage. The Molly Ringwold's were playing. The music was a little bit too heavy metal like for my taste but the band was pretty good. An interesting fact about the band...they open for themselves. The keep talking about how the Molly Ringwold's are coming out soon and thanking the Molly Ringwold's for letting them use their equipment. When they finally do come out, it is the same band with a slightly different look. Not that the specific band is all that important, but word is that some really great acts come through there. Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt even checked it out when they were in town filming "Interview with a Vampire".

So if you want to catch some really good live music, this is a great choice. When you walk in you see the bar and a large area for concerts. There is also an upper level that looks down on the stage. The night (Saturday) I was there, it was packed. I don't remember the name of the band, but they were well known to the local crowd. They played some hard rock, with a cajun twist and they were very, very talented (unfortunately this all meant a $15 cover charge).

There is also a location in the French Quarter (it is supposed to be much more touristy), but you want to go here to see the real deal. Some really big names still perform here so check the schedule. You might get lucky.

If you do go, it is about a 10-15 minute cab ride ($12) from the French Quarter.

Our airboat captain was Michael Perrin. His kids came along and acted as his assistant. They give you earplugs (trust me you will need them) and answer questions. The tour lasts about 1 1/2 hours and you see different parts of the swamps and lots of wildlife. Even in the wintertime we saw a few alligators (unfortunately one was dying after being shot by hunters in the snout). Michael also had some baby alligators that he was taking care of for the winter (he releases them in the spring) so we got to handle them and see them up close. It was a very relaxing ride...lots of birds, fresh air, open spaces, cyprus trees, etc. He even let us stop in his brother's hunting lodge on the swamps.

This is a great family activity and a nice break from the city and the French Quarter.

The Maple Leaf has a large bar, a separate area for the stage and the audience and small area in the back for pool. Everything about this place is unpretentious...it's dark, simple, open, plain. The crowd is a nice mixture of young & old, local & tourist, preppy & grunge.

As for the music, this place attracts some of the best local talent. We saw the Iguanas, a very popular local band, that is usually touring around the U.S. I liked them so much, I bought the cd.

The Maple Leaf is about a 15 minute ride ($13) from the French Quarter. It is a little hard catching a cab back, but just wait outside and one will come eventually.

As for the entertainment, the bands were called 'All That' and 'Egg Yolk Jubilee'. 'All That' was a large band of ten people which included a full brass section (trumpet, sax, clarinet, etc.). They played a combination of their own songs and all types of other music (pop, rap, hip-hop). We didn't stick around for the second band.

The Mermaid Lounge is about five minutes ride ($6) from the French Quarter. Takes about 10-15 minutes for a cab to come so plan accordingly. The bartender called a cab.

Make sure you ask some questions. The staff is very friendly and eager to chat about many of the items. They have a real affinity for the things that they are selling and can really bring them to life by providing a little background on each item.