TR from last week- warning, it's long

Day 1: Plane trip was uneventful. Southwest got us into NO 20 minutes early. Took a cab and arrived at our hotel the Prince Conti by 10am. I had booked a junior suite with a king bed. They gave us the option to wait for a room that was still occupied with a window or one on the ground floor without. We figured we weren%26#39;t going to be in the room very much so we took the ground floor room (Room 101). We%26#39;re so glad we did. It was a full suite with a huge living room with wet bar and refrigerator. The bedroom was big and the bathroom was normal size. Dropped off our bags and headed for Cafe Beignet around the corner where a walking tour was starting. We got a lot of great information on the history of the city, the culture and the architecture. WE finished up at Jackson Square. Got our first view of the Mississippi. Asked our guide how to get to Coop%26#39;s for lunch. He was surprised we knew about it (told him about this wonderful site). He actually walked us over there. We had our first Abita Amber and some terrific gumbo and jambalya supreme. Did some browsing in the shops and ended up at Cafe du Monde, YUMMY! Rested a little and got cleaned up for dinner (as you can probably tell, we love to eat). Went to Oceana Grill. Good but not great (for Louisiana cooking it needed a little more spice). I thought the crabcakes were just so so. Walked up and down Bourbon St. just for the entertainment - watching people. Turned in early since we were up since 4am.

Day 2: It was supposed to rain all day so we figured it was a good day to rent a car and drive out to some plantations. Took a drive out to Houma House. Gorgeous property. There was even a bride having her pictures taken in the gardens. Well worth the drive. We then headed for Laura Plantation. Had lunch at B %26amp; C Seafood right next to Laura P. My DH had a catfish po%26#39; boy and I had an awesome crawfish po%26#39; boy. Laura P. is a must do if you love history as much as we do. The stories of this creole family are absolutely fascinating. I could have stayed another two hours just listening. We headed back to NO. We had dinner at Bayona. It was fantastic. The place was packed for a Tuesday (it was Bayons%26#39;s 19th anniversary that night). I had scallops and a delicious hanger steak. The sauces were amazing. After dinner, we headed to Preservation Hall. We got in for the second set and stayed for a third. Shannon Powell and some of his friends were playing. They were terrific!! Finally, headed to Lafitte%26#39;s for Hurricanes. Fine end to a great day.

Day 3: Woke up and headed to Petunia%26#39;s for breakfast. It was closed for some reason. So we had breakfast at Clover Grill. Great little diner. Walked to Madame John%26#39;s Legacy where we met Officer Jackson. We had a long conversation with him about his and his family%26#39;s experience during and after Katrina. After, we went to tour the Cabildo. Did some more shopping. Toured the elegant 1850 House. Went to Cafe du Monde again for a ';snack'; since we had skipped lunch. Rested for a little while, got cleaned up. Had martini%26#39;s at The Bombay Club in our hotel (they have a menu of over 125 martinis). Beautiful, quiet place with a piano bar. We had dinner at G.W. Fins. The food was delicious. DH had a dark, rich gumbo and grilled pompano. I had scallops again and redfish over etouffe. Went to Fritzels on Bourbon to listen to some more jazz. They%26#39;re house band is phenomenal. Can%26#39;t beat Abita Amber and great music!!

Day 4: Petunia%26#39;s was open!!! I finaly got to have pain perdu which lived up to everything I had heard. Earlier, my DH had said he wasn%26#39;t very hungry and then proceeded to devour his boudin and andouille sausage breakfast, eggs and spicy hash browns and all. We caught the St. Charles cable car and rode it to the end. We hopped back on planning on getting off at Washington to take a stroll in the Garden District. We overshot Washington by a mile so we walked back. Did a little walking tour of the beautiful homes. Just before the sky%26#39;s opened up with a torrential downpour, we made it to Commander%26#39;s for lunch. Where else can you get 25 cent martinis? The service was incredible and the food was very good. Lunch is a good option if you%26#39;re on a budget and want to try this NO tradition. Back to the French Quarter for a tour of the Herman-Grimma House. They had a cooking demonstration going on which was very interesting. Got cleaned up and made it to 5pm Mass at St. Louis Cathedral. Picked up some last minute souvenirs. Had dinner at Louisiana Bistro. Feed Me option is a must. Having the Chef come out and speak to you and prepare a dinner especially for you is just such a unique experience. The food was fantastic. Crawfish beignets, quail over sweet potatoes and crab stuffed pork loin over crawfish jambalaya. Wow!! Back to Preservation Hall for the Treme Brass Band. It%26#39;s so great to hear musicians play acoustic music. We finally ended our first visit to NO with cafe au laits at Cafe du Monde. (We had early flights the next morning). I can%26#39;t wait for my next visit to this wonderful city!!!!!

TR from last week- warning, it's long

Sounds like you had a great time. I%26#39;m leaving on Thursday for my 1st trip to NO, and I can%26#39;t wait. A lot of the things you did and ate are on my to do list. :)

TR from last week- warning, it's long

You sure did well for your trip. Personally I would have skipped Oceana completely based upon locals advice but you never know as the reports have been good lately by people visiting. Now you can start planning for the next visit.

That%26#39;s why I went to Oceana since there had been such good reports lately. We have a saying in spanish ';colors were created for different tastes';. So was food!!

Great report and detail! Thanks

Thanks for your trip report! I love reading detailed reports :)

Thank you so much that was fab reading.We love to eat too and will take in all your brilliant tips.

I have heard such good things about Louisiana Bistro that I think that is on my must do list....thanks for the TR.

Glad you had a good time!