Labor Day Visit

Hi all,

My husband and I found a great deal, flight + hotel, the wknd of Labor Day. I am looking at booking the Sheraton on canal st. Just wondering your thoughts on the hotel... it appears to be in a great location.

Also, how many casinos are in walking distance from the FQ? i know harrah%26#39;s is close by, are there any others?

Are there any hotels with outdoor pools near the FQ?

Thanks for your help. Looking forward to visiting your great city again!

Labor Day Visit

balbacm,

I stayed at the Sheraton on Canal on my first visit about 10-12 yrs ago and it was fine. One thread mentioned that it was probably more %26#39;business-like%26#39; than the poster wanted since they were there on vacation. You%26#39;ll find it a pretty quick walk to Bourbon, a little further (the other direction) to Harrah%26#39;s. The only other casinos were %26#39;the boats%26#39; up on L.Ponchatrain, %26amp; I don%26#39;t even know if they are still there or not after K. We had to go there a couple times because the Harrah%26#39;s hadn%26#39;t been built quite yet.

I would say a good location, maybe not a great location, but that%26#39;s just me. It is on Canal St. but it%26#39;s kinda on the boundary of the Quarter, where as we like to stay closer to the middle of the Quarter. Hotel Monteleone has a rooftop pool, as does the Wyndam. I know there%26#39;s plenty more. Most all the hotel%26#39;s websites or the listings here in tripadvisor will list a pool in their aminities lists if they have one. Have fun!

Labor Day Visit

balbacm,

Were you aware that Southern Decadence will be that weekend ? I don%26#39;t have a problem with gay people but some might not be comfortable. It is a huge festival for gays mostly centered in the downriver section of Bourbon and the Marigny. Otherwise, you will have a great time.

Southern Decadence started thirty-six years ago as a simple going-away party. As a top gay Labor Day Weekend destination, it has evolved into one of our world%26#39;s major annual events. One of the largest annual celebrations in New Orleans, it has become known as the ';Gay Mardi Gras.'; People begin to arrive on the Wednesday before Labor Day, and generally don%26#39;t even think about stopping or going home until the following Tuesday. With over 100,000 gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender participants, the economic impact on the city was estimated to be in excess of $95 million. The city has recognized its importance with an Official Proclamation to welcome the event.

http://www.southerndecadence.net/

Harrah%26#39;s is the only casino in the city.

There are a few in the suburbs, most notably Treasure Chest Casino in Kenner and Boomtown on the westbank, but if you won%26#39;t have a rental car, you might want to stick with Harrah%26#39;s.

The Royal Sonesta on Bourbon has a very nice outdoor pool. The Place d%26#39; Armes on St. Ann has one as well, although it is small.

the Sheraton has had good reviews but I like to get right into the quarter..so many fine hotels that have a charm all their own.

Thanks for your help everyone! We actually booked the Royal Sonesta yesterday and it looks very charming. I did not know about the Southern Decadence festival, but that%26#39;s no big deal to us. It should make for some interesting people watching to say the least!

Thanks for all your help and I am sure I%26#39;ll be back with some more questions in near future. :)

Southern Decadence is a major event, for sure, but it%26#39;s not THAT big. It%26#39;s pretty confined to the gay area of the French Quarter, namely the St. Ann/Bourbon and Bourbon/Dumaine intersections where the gay bars are located. The parade draws a lot of interest as it%26#39;s fairly R-rated so don%26#39;t bring the kiddies. Lots of fun costumes and some very clever ';songs'; by some of the marchers.

One of the trips my husband and I made was over Labor Day weekend 6 or 7 years ago. It was so much fun. We didn%26#39;t know anything about the parade when we booked the trip. The parade was fantastic.

We also prefer to have a central location in the Quarter. Haven%26#39;t been since K. We%26#39;re hoping this winter we%26#39;ll make a trip. Our last trip we stayed at the Monteleone and were very happy.

St. Marie on Toulousse is pretty central but if you want a pool it would be the Sonesta or Monteleone and as another poster suggested an excellent location and courtyard is Place D%26#39;armes although the pool is fairly small.

You will definitely want a pool on Labor Day weekend! DH and I made the Labor Day weekend a few years ago and stayed at the Monteleone. The rooftop pool was awesome. And being up so high, it was sometimes even a bit cool up there.

As for the Southern Decadence Festival ... we did make it to the parade and found it to be lots of fun. No kids with us, of course. I ended up with a roll of film that I could NEVER have brought home to have developed. So we took it to the one-hour photo center at Wal-greens.

Definitely some R-rated activities going on in the streets while we were there over Labor Day. If you want to avoid that, you can miss it almost entirely by staying in the section of the FQ between Jackson Square and Canal (as opposed to the Jackson Square to Esplande side).

Have fun!

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