Would you bring 5 month old twins to NO?

My husband has a week long business trip in NO. His company would pay for me to accompany him with our twin infants. I have been to NO before and had a fabulous time, but life is very different now that I am a mommy.

We would be staying at the Loews hotel near the French Quarter. I hate to sound completely unaware, but is it safe walking the streets. Any advice accepted. I understand some will say go, and some will say stay home.

Thanks

PS. I would not be coming as a tourist, just accompanying my husband so that he could help with the babes in the evening and overnight -- otherwise it is mommy on duty 24/7 literally...24 hours a day for 7 days.

PPS. Our trip would be middle of July.

Would you bring 5 month old twins to NO?

tough call snorkely! any chance of a grandmother or some family coming down as well to help out/explore the city a bit themselves/give you and your husband an hour or two at night to get out for some dinners?????

Would you bring 5 month old twins to NO?

Okay, I can respond to this with a little bit of experience. My wife %26amp; I have been to New orleans several times in the past few years. We just had our first child 7 months ago. I am returning to New Orleans in July as well for a conference. We thought about it but decided that my wife would be staying home and not coming. The main factors were the flight (bringing a baby on a flight from Ohio doesn%26#39;t sound like fun) and the fact that it will be VERY hot. July in New Orleans in hot beyond belief. Luckily Ally(our daughter) goes to daycare so my wife will only be on mommy duty alone on the mornings and evenings. Everyone%26#39;s different though-I don%26#39;t know if you are flying or driving to the city.

I have never had a problem walking the streets, however I always try to make sure I am aware of my surroundings. If you are with you husband in the evening, you should be fine. During the day usually is not the problem. Also you are really close to the Riverwalk mall which could be good during the day with the little ones. I probably would not try to go into the Quarter during the day with the twins only because it will be very hot and they could get very testy. Would not want to do that alone. But in the early evening with the husband should be okay. You do have the aquarium that they might enjoy since they can see all of the sea creatures. (especially since it is airconditioned). Hope this helps. If you just want to get away, I would definitely go.

Hope this helps

Hi snorkely!

It seems that you have almost have 2 separate issues...one, deciding whether to travel with twins, and if so, then second, should it be to NO when your husband is occupied during the day?

Tough call! Are you flying or driving? I would imagine that you%26#39;d need a vacation (alone) simply after flying with twins ;-) Driving might make the decision easier, because then you%26#39;d have a way to haul all the ';stuff'; that babies seem to need these days!

As far as what to do with infants in July, my personal experience based upon living here (my 5-year-old has a January birthday, so he was 6 months old in July) is that the more you can do in either a swimming pool or in air-conditioned facilities, the better! It is really hot here in July, even the best-natured children get cranky in the sticky heat. (especially if their ';routines'; are disrupted by travel).

Do you have a high-school or college-age friend or family member who might travel with you (to help out)? It might be a good opportunity for them to see a little bit of the city, and give you a break, along with letting you and your husband step out for a couple of hours in the evening.

We%26#39;re ';older'; parents, so unlike so many of our friends here, we don%26#39;t have a huge extended family to take care of our kids. I am on my own A LOT, so I think that I have a pretty high threshold as far as taking care of my kids, alone, for extended periods of time. I don%26#39;t know that I would try to do it here, in a hotel, in July.

This is a lot of great advice. To answer a few questions...

- Unfortunately, there is no one who could accompany us.

- The flying/driving debate is still up in the air. If we fly we would buy 3 seats to allow for more luggage to be checked and more room on the plane. If we drive it is about 14 hours, so that is a whole different can of worms.

- I realize I would spend most of my day in the hotel room, with maybe one small outing by myself with the babes. When we are out strolling around, you can imagine twins tend to attract attention, and there are no quick getaways with a double stroller.

Do you think we would have any issues walking alone during the day?

I have lived in Chicago for 10 years and I just imagine us as an easy target - - I know that is sad, but my mommy brain is on worst case scenario.

All this being said, I welcome the challenge on some level. Life with twins can be very isolating and my memories of NO are very fond. Ahhh...so much to consider.

As much as it pains me to say it, I%26#39;d probably sit this one out with the kids and let the husband make the trip solo.

First, the logistics of transportation to and from the city will be complicated whether you fly or drive. There%26#39;s just lots of stuff involved with babies, especially two of them. Then you%26#39;ll be trapped in the hotel during the day doing the same things you could do at home, which is familiar and has everything you need at your fingertips.

While it%26#39;s a tough call and I can appreciate the fact that Dad can help after work if you do make the trip, I%26#39;d say it%26#39;s fairly obvious to me that for a few months at least, New Orleans (or any trip) can wait.

I would feel perfectly comfortable walking alone during the day in the area near Lowe%26#39;s and the surrounding areas that you might visit. Evenings in July, it gets dark around 8:00 or a little later, and if you%26#39;re from Chicago, then you and your husband will know to take the same precautions that you would in any large city while walking at night.

However, know that you will be in the Central Business District, with a short walk to the Quarter and most tourist attractions. That being said, you%26#39;ll be pushing the twins in a stroller over city streets/sidewalks, and particularly in the Quarter, through some very narrow passages. It can be done, and I gather from reading your posts that you are up for the challenge!

Hope you are able to work things out, and that you enjoy your visit!

Casey

It seems like your only questions are your safety in NO. You should feel comfortable with the twins during the day. As I said earlier just be aware of your surroundings. Also there are many airconditioned things to do with the twins close to your hotel. If your only concern is safety, you should not worry.

As hard as it is to vote against coming to New Orleans, I would recommend staying home. It will be very difficult with two (I really cannot imagine it since one infant was so demanding for us) and they will not remember a thing. It would not be worth the stress for me....a vacation is for rest and enjoyment and that will come later when they are a bit older.

I might be the first person that can give you the best advice from real world experience. My wife and I have 4 1/2 year old twin boys. In the summer of 2003 my company had a business meting at the convention center in New Orleans. It lasted 4 days. My wife decided it would be a great idea to bring the boys along.

BAD IDEA! She did not have fun, the kids did not have fun and I was so busy, I was unable to help. I have found, through several missteps, that handling twins by yourself would be much easier in your home. They are familiar with the environment, you have controlled the access to the environment, and you have access to everything you need.

My suggestion would be to see if you have family or friends that might keep the twins for two days. Then you could fly down and spend ADULT time with your husband and catch up on your sleep while he is in meetins. Just a thought!