NOLA Trip Report (12/18-12/27) Part 1
Jan 4th, 2007, 04:21 PM
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NOLA Trip Report (12/18-12/27) Part 1
We got back from our wonderful trip to NOLA last week - it was fantastic!!! This figures to be a pretty long trip report, so I'm going to split it up...
Arrived on Monday w/ no problems, took a direct flight from Phoenix. Cabbed it to the Quarter (couldn't believe the Katrina damage we saw on the way in, even from the freeway, but more on that later), and checked in to the Bourbon Orleans. Room was great, large king size with a balcony overlooking Orleans street. As promised by you fodorites, found snacks and drinks waiting in our room (join Wyndham's By Request Program!). The staff at the Bourbon Orleans was great, and we would definitely recommend staying there.
To the surprise of my husband, I had gone to Big Lot's before we left, bought about $15 of Christmas decorations, and shipped them to the hotel. They were waiting for us when we got there, and we had fun decorating the little 24 inch tree, and putting up lighted garland - even decorated the balcony! We had a great dinner at ACME Oyster House in the quarter, then worked our way back to the hotel along Bourbon St. If you see a musician named Rooster playing along Bourbon, make sure you stop in - he was hilarious. What a blast!
We began Tuesday by exploring Jackson Square and filling up at Cafe du Monde - it didn't take us long to figure out NOT TO BREATHE while eating a beignet!
In the afternoon, we went on a Katrina tour (Tours by Isabelle). It left us speechless. We had done a lot research before the trip and thought we understood the devastation, but nothing compares to seeing mile after mile of destroyed homes and businesses. Our tour guide was a retired schoolteacher who, with her retired husband, had a home they owned in St. Bernard parish. Now, they are living 35 miles away and she commutes into town 4 days a week in order to work. She showed us what was left of her home. We also visited Lakeview and Lower 9th Ward, and saw the levee breaches. She explained the importance of the wetlands, how pending legislation can help prevent future floods, and the challenges currently facing anyone who wants to rebuild. It was an informative and sensitive tour. I highly recommend it to anyone who visits the area.
We finished up Tuesday with dinner at Bayona (actually a little disappointing, but the sweetbreads were amazing), and then saw the Rebirth Brass Band at the Maple Leaf. Fantastic!
Wednesday, we took a Gray Line city tour. The 2 hour tour was a great intro to New Orleans, and I'd highly recommend it to first-time visitors. The tour included the Garden District, a cemetery stop, and fun NOLA history. Covered totally different areas than the Katrina Tour. We then set off to Algier's Point via the free ferry and visited Blaine Kern's Mardi Gras World. They were great there, and it was really fun to see all the floats, as well as the props being built.
For dinner Wednesday, we went to Liuzza's on Bienville for the best fried shrimp po'boys and onion rings on the planet (as far as we know!). After the fantastic dinner, we went to the Chris Thomas King blues concert at St. Louis Cathedral, had dessert at Cafe du Monde, and finished with a mule-drawn carriage ride thru the quarter. Fantastic day!!!
On Thursday we were scheduled to take a swamp tour, but it was cancelled due to some pretty heavy rain. Instead, we visited the Cabildo (Louisiana state history) and Presbytere (Mardi Gras) museums in Jackson square. The guidebooks say to leave an hour for each, but we enjoyed the Cabildo so much, we ended up spending almost 3 hours there! It really is a great museum, especially for Louisiana newbies.
For dinner, we ate at Restaurant August. Amazing!!!! I had the 5 course tasting menu with the wine flight, and my DH ordered 5 courses a la carte, so we had a blast trying 10 different incredible John Besh creations! My DH and I both agreed it was the best meal we have had in a very long time, if not the best meal ever. Expensive, but highly recommended!
much more to come, to be continued...
Arrived on Monday w/ no problems, took a direct flight from Phoenix. Cabbed it to the Quarter (couldn't believe the Katrina damage we saw on the way in, even from the freeway, but more on that later), and checked in to the Bourbon Orleans. Room was great, large king size with a balcony overlooking Orleans street. As promised by you fodorites, found snacks and drinks waiting in our room (join Wyndham's By Request Program!). The staff at the Bourbon Orleans was great, and we would definitely recommend staying there.
To the surprise of my husband, I had gone to Big Lot's before we left, bought about $15 of Christmas decorations, and shipped them to the hotel. They were waiting for us when we got there, and we had fun decorating the little 24 inch tree, and putting up lighted garland - even decorated the balcony! We had a great dinner at ACME Oyster House in the quarter, then worked our way back to the hotel along Bourbon St. If you see a musician named Rooster playing along Bourbon, make sure you stop in - he was hilarious. What a blast!
We began Tuesday by exploring Jackson Square and filling up at Cafe du Monde - it didn't take us long to figure out NOT TO BREATHE while eating a beignet!
In the afternoon, we went on a Katrina tour (Tours by Isabelle). It left us speechless. We had done a lot research before the trip and thought we understood the devastation, but nothing compares to seeing mile after mile of destroyed homes and businesses. Our tour guide was a retired schoolteacher who, with her retired husband, had a home they owned in St. Bernard parish. Now, they are living 35 miles away and she commutes into town 4 days a week in order to work. She showed us what was left of her home. We also visited Lakeview and Lower 9th Ward, and saw the levee breaches. She explained the importance of the wetlands, how pending legislation can help prevent future floods, and the challenges currently facing anyone who wants to rebuild. It was an informative and sensitive tour. I highly recommend it to anyone who visits the area.
We finished up Tuesday with dinner at Bayona (actually a little disappointing, but the sweetbreads were amazing), and then saw the Rebirth Brass Band at the Maple Leaf. Fantastic!
Wednesday, we took a Gray Line city tour. The 2 hour tour was a great intro to New Orleans, and I'd highly recommend it to first-time visitors. The tour included the Garden District, a cemetery stop, and fun NOLA history. Covered totally different areas than the Katrina Tour. We then set off to Algier's Point via the free ferry and visited Blaine Kern's Mardi Gras World. They were great there, and it was really fun to see all the floats, as well as the props being built.
For dinner Wednesday, we went to Liuzza's on Bienville for the best fried shrimp po'boys and onion rings on the planet (as far as we know!). After the fantastic dinner, we went to the Chris Thomas King blues concert at St. Louis Cathedral, had dessert at Cafe du Monde, and finished with a mule-drawn carriage ride thru the quarter. Fantastic day!!!
On Thursday we were scheduled to take a swamp tour, but it was cancelled due to some pretty heavy rain. Instead, we visited the Cabildo (Louisiana state history) and Presbytere (Mardi Gras) museums in Jackson square. The guidebooks say to leave an hour for each, but we enjoyed the Cabildo so much, we ended up spending almost 3 hours there! It really is a great museum, especially for Louisiana newbies.
For dinner, we ate at Restaurant August. Amazing!!!! I had the 5 course tasting menu with the wine flight, and my DH ordered 5 courses a la carte, so we had a blast trying 10 different incredible John Besh creations! My DH and I both agreed it was the best meal we have had in a very long time, if not the best meal ever. Expensive, but highly recommended!
much more to come, to be continued...
Jan 4th, 2007, 04:34 PM
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You are making me HOMESICK! I love that you saw Rebirth at the Maple Leaf...that is a New Orleans classic. They used to play every Tuesday when I lived there. Next time, eat at Jacques-Imo's which is right next door (if it's still open) because it is AMAZING. Cafe du Monde is so delish and it's hard to explain how good a cafe au lait and bag of beignets is while overlooking the Mississippi River. I am glad you enjoyed your stay--it's such a wonderful town and so in need of tourists right now
Jan 8th, 2007, 07:04 AM
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Great trip report. This is my first time posting, so I'll try to keep it short.
Having traveled to NOLA many times when I was in college at FSU and living in the Warehouse District of NOLA Pre-Katrina, I can honestly say I love NOLA!
I am a world traveler and know that NOLA can hang with many of the worlds great cities (Paris, London, Barcelona, NYC, Toronto.....). I am currently serving in the US Army at Fort Campbell and am taking a much needed vacation starting the 12 of January. Even though I've been to NOLA many, many times, I chose this city because of the fact it's so great. The food is second to none (I need to try August!), the culture is world class and every time I go, I find something new to try, see, eat and do.
I own a timeshare and traded it this year for a great place in the Warehouse/Arts District. It's a converted 100+ year old fire house. I cannot wait to go. I will also take some of the tours to see the destruction first hand as I'm sure I will get chills when I go down the street where I lived right before Katrina hit in 2005.
I could not think of a better place to spend my hard earned money. The other cities we discussed going to before we chose NOLA were, Montreal, NYC and Savannah. Although I'd love to have gotten a little bit of winter weather this year in Montreal, we could not think of a better place to go. Plus, I'm sure we will be spending a lot less in NOLA than any of the other cities we thought about going to.
I will try to post a Trip Report when we return.
Having traveled to NOLA many times when I was in college at FSU and living in the Warehouse District of NOLA Pre-Katrina, I can honestly say I love NOLA!
I am a world traveler and know that NOLA can hang with many of the worlds great cities (Paris, London, Barcelona, NYC, Toronto.....). I am currently serving in the US Army at Fort Campbell and am taking a much needed vacation starting the 12 of January. Even though I've been to NOLA many, many times, I chose this city because of the fact it's so great. The food is second to none (I need to try August!), the culture is world class and every time I go, I find something new to try, see, eat and do.
I own a timeshare and traded it this year for a great place in the Warehouse/Arts District. It's a converted 100+ year old fire house. I cannot wait to go. I will also take some of the tours to see the destruction first hand as I'm sure I will get chills when I go down the street where I lived right before Katrina hit in 2005.
I could not think of a better place to spend my hard earned money. The other cities we discussed going to before we chose NOLA were, Montreal, NYC and Savannah. Although I'd love to have gotten a little bit of winter weather this year in Montreal, we could not think of a better place to go. Plus, I'm sure we will be spending a lot less in NOLA than any of the other cities we thought about going to.
I will try to post a Trip Report when we return.
