This trip was a mix of business and pleasure, we recently purchased our 3rd rental property down in the Gulfport area of Long Beach, MS and hadn't visited the property since the completed construction.
The trip was pretty much paid for by using my frequent flyer points and Hilton honor points so that's always a nice reward.
We stayed at the Roosevelt Hotel, Waldorf Astoria http://therooseveltneworleans.com/ just off Canal Street. It's just outside the craziness of the French Quarter but a short walk to all the action.
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| Out side the Roosevelt Hotel |
The Roosevelt is one of the nicest hotels near the French Quarter and I recommend it highly.
Prior to our trip I made reservations at 3 restaurants. This is a good idea because it gets very crowded, very fast and unless you want to wait hours for a table, at least make a place- holding reservation. We never waited more then 5 minutes anywhere.
Here are the restaurants we had diner at:
Friday
The Bombay and Martini Club in the Quarter
http://www.thebombayclub.com/
Great Shrimp and Seafood stuffed egg plant
Saturday
Pascal Manales, in the Garden District
http://www.neworleansrestaurants.com/pascalsmanale/
Turtle Soup, Barbecued Shrimp and Pecan Pie - a must! This is not a real fancy restaurant but the food is excellent and loved by locals.
Sunday
Commanders Palace- in the Garden District
http://www.commanderspalace.com/
Besides being located in the Garden District which features some of the nicest Victorian homes you'll ever seen it is also one of the best meals in town (which is why American Express featured it in one of it's commercials).
I had the turtle soup, blackened steak fillet and sauteed shrimp.
Commanders palace had been closed for two years after hurricane Katrina so I was glad to see it open and as good as ever. The service was exceptional and I recommend the strawberry shortcake, order it with diner because they start baking it early.
We had plenty of other good meals for breakfast and lunch but I only highlight the above because they are classics that should be visited.
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| Royal Street |
Friday night we walked around Bourbon St and Royal Street. For newbies, Royal is for shopping and Bourbon is for drinking. All intersecting streets are combinations of the same. We were in by 12pm on Friday because we had business in Mississippi (checking out our new home).
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| Betsy on Bourbon Street |
Saturday, we rented a car and drove to Long Beach, MS to meet our property manager and tour our home. I was pleased to see how nice the beach in Long Beach is and how close it is to our home (future vacation home?).
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| Long Beach, MS - White Sand for miles |
We found the house and spent about 30 min taking photos and checking out the neighborhood.
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| The newest rental in Long Beach, MS |
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| The kitchen |
Further east from Long Beach you run into Gulfport and Biloxi which is a very nice area with lots of hotels and casinos. We stopped to eat at a restaurant called The Oyster House so naturally I had the broiled Oysters and they were ridiculous good!
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| I almost ordered 2 dozen! |
After our drive back to New Orleans, about an hour away, we started to get ready for our diner at Pascal Manals and then hit Bourbon St for some live music and libations.
We were out until about 2am which is late for us old people. It's a lot of fun walking through the different clubs and listening to the different music. Another alternative to Bourbon St is Frenchman's which is a few miles away but much more Blues oriented.
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| Pat O'Brien's, flaming fountain and hurricanes |
Of course we stopped at Pat O'Brien for a Hurricane (too sweet) and be warned, if you order a beer at happy hour they give you three. Every bar has a cocktail waitress trying to sell you a shot of some unknown shot, avoid the pressure and be strong (or pay $3 just to make them leave).
Sunday we spent some time in Jackson Square watching street performers and we also bought some art from Hank. Hank has Cerebral Palsy but that hasn't stopped him from making some very unique art. he paint on tiles gathered from the rubble of Hurricane Katrina. We've started collecting art from some of our trips and have a nice collection growing.
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| Hank and his art |
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| More of Hank's art in Jackson Square |
Sunday morning on Royal Street is also a good place to have brunch and a few Bloody Mary's, just ask Betsy. We had a great spot on the balcony overlooking the street action.
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| Brunch and Bloody Mary's on the Balcony |
We also took the opportunity take a carriage ride around the city and hear a little about the history of the quarter. The highlight was passing Brad Pitt's house or as I call it Angelina Jolie's house.
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| Who Dat? Two tourists in a carriage. |
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| Jackson Square |
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| The Cornstalk Hotel |
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| Just because you can doesn't mean you should. |
We finished our day off with coffee at Cafe Du Mond and headed back to our hotel to get ready for Commanders Palace.
New Orleans has a lot of things to do and we had a great weekend. We are already considering a return visit for Mardi Gras. I never get tired of Cajun gumbo or shrimp.
