NOLA Special Occasion Trip Take THREE!

Aside from my ';just because'; trips to New Orleans, it%26#39;s also my choice destination for special occasions and another one has come up. :)

Engaged in NOLA ~ April 2005

Honeymooned in NOLA ~ October 2006

Now, I%26#39;m turning the big 3-0 and while my ';official'; celebration trip with my group of friends will be Jazzfest 2008, I%26#39;m planning on celebrating my actual July birthday in New Orleans as well!

It%26#39;ll be a short trip, flying in Sunday morning, and departing on a Tuesday evening. I%26#39;d love a little direction from those who have recently traveled to New Orleans, as this time I have a baby on board so my trip won%26#39;t be filled with hurricanes and Pimm%26#39;s Cups (don%26#39;t worry, I%26#39;ll get my fill next Spring!).

Hotel Choices:

Hotel St. Marie OR

Hotel Monteleone

We normally stay at Le Pav but want something different this time.

Tours:

Any tour recommendations for Sunday afternoon, Monday and Tuesday morning?

Tours I have done:

Haunted French Quarter

Airboat Adventures Swamp Tour (FANTASTIC)

Garden District Tour

Vampire Tour

Tours I%26#39;d like to do:

Graveyard

Tour of areas affected by the Hurricane

Plantation Tour

I%26#39;ll be working on my meals by reading reviews here and at Chowhound, but if you%26#39;ve had a particularly memorable meal lately I%26#39;d love to hear about it.

Thanks and I%26#39;ll be seeing you locals NEXT MONTH! :)

NOLA Special Occasion Trip Take THREE!

No one, eh?

Bummer.

Will post a trip report when I come back home nonetheless! :)

NOLA Special Occasion Trip Take THREE!

St. Marie is a fine quaint hotel in an excellent location. If you want a tour of the residential areas that Katrina hit..try www.toursbyisabelle.com or do a search here for Awad Hassan with Sahara Tours. I%26#39;d skip the Grayline tour. Isabelle has good plantation tours also. Its a smaller van and more personal.

For food..thursdays Osso Bucco at Irene%26#39;s (Italian), and other times I can%26#39;t resist the Grilled Redfish, seafood gumbo, and bread pudding at Muriels. A prime rib at Dickie Brennans.

In my opinion the best restaurant in New Orleans is Bayona. Great service and wonderful food.

http://www.bayona.com/fl

My favorite Plantation is Houmas House. You may want to rent a car and drive. It gives you more flexibility to go at your own pace and select a few you may want to see (2 seems plenty to me in one day). It will probably end up being cheaper as well. You can rent a car via enterprise for the day and they will pick you up and drop you off so you dont need to worry about parking it.

http://www.houmashouse.com

Thanks for the input!

I%26#39;ve got a tentative itinerary here, subject to change. :)

Satuday:

Arrive at 10:30

Lunch at Liuzza%26#39;s by the Track

Dinner @ Brigtsens (I%26#39;ve been trying to get back here for 2 years now!)

Sunday:

Coffee with the cats at Cafe Beignet

Brunch at Commanders

Low key dinner - Acme? Coops?

Ghost Tour

Monday:

Breakfast at Cammelia Grill

Katrina Tour at 11:00 (Tours by Isabelle)

Dinner @ K-Pauls

Tuesday:

Breakfast at The Coffee Pot

Cemetery Tour at 10:00 am

Grab muff%26#39;s at Central Grocery

Off to airport.

I think I%26#39;ll save my Plantation Tour for the next trip since I%26#39;m doing the Katrina Tour this trip. That will be the last tour on my list! :)

Thanks again for the help and suggestions, they are much appreciated.

Will you be touring St. Louis No. 1 for your cemetary tour? It%26#39;s a good tour for certain. I also enjoyed the tour of LaFayette No. 1 that is done in combination with a Garden District Tour. The company was Historic New Orleans Walking Tours, I think. Your itenerary sounds pretty awesome. Happy 30! Let us hear how the baby does at some of these restaurants!!

blue hair