We are spending our last night in New Orleans and it has been a great trip. I am sitting in my suite overlooking the ';cresent'; bend in the Mississippi and watching the ferry cross from Algiers. This report will probably be more steam of consciousness as opposed to a linear format...because that is how my mind works!
My husband, my 14 year old daughter, and I took the Amtrak Cresent from Atlanta to New Orleans on Sunday. It has been years since I have travelled by train and we wanted to share the experience with our teen. The train experience was better than we anticipated. We splurged (although it really wasn%26#39;t any more costly than airfare) and booked two adjoining bedrooms. We had a good amount of room, 2 bathrooms (with showers) and an occasionally sighted attendant. Linens and towels and all meals were included. We had breakfast after we boarded (french toast and strata...very good) then we all napped in the morning (we never sleep well before a trip). The beds were comfy. Then lunch, a great view of the countryside and swamps, and an early dinner and we arrived in New Orleans. The tracks go through Lake Ponchatrain and as we crossed the lake the sunset was amazing. A short cab ride later and we arrived at the Windsor Court.
We were very pleased with the Windsor Court overall. We stayed in a full suite on the club level with a balcony overlooking the Miss. R. Now I hemmed and hawed about hotels and lurked and asked many questions on this forum. We ended up at the Windsor because of the space (800 sq. ft). We have tried to squeeze into a regular room before, and we feel claustrophobic. The club level rooms are newly and beautifully refurbished. These rooms provide access to the club lounge, where there is food (okay, not great) all day and wine, beer and cocktails in the late afternoon and evening. I will eventually write a review of the hotel, but I would recommend it. We were a 5 minute walk from the Quarter or the Arts district. The bonus was the view of the river. We packed all of our days, and coming back to the room and watching the huge ocean going freighters and little tugs as they negotiated the bend in the river was wonderful. Although we heard occasional car, train, and ferry horns, these added to our stay. The room was very quiet.
We spent a lot of time walking throughout the Quarter. The architecture, people watching, shopping, and eating were great. The weather was unseasonably cool, but very sunny and low humidity. We were lucky. Here are some of the things we did. Took a carriage ride. LOVED this. The carriages line up at the back end of Jackson square. You really get a feel for what it must have been like to live in this city from that perspective. The cost was $60 for a half hour plus tip. Ate at Cafe DuMonde (just got it to go...the wait was very long but worth it). Avoided Regis and Kelly. Took the trolley to the Garden District. Walked around the St. Louis cemetary on our own, then walked for many blocks on Magazine St. Lots of shops; some expensive, some vintage/thrift stores. Ate the best gelato of our lives at La Divina. Walked the Tulane and Loyola campuses (early college tours). Went on a voodoo/ghost tour with Bloody Mary. The night we did this tour, the windchill was about 30 degrees. The streets were deserted, which made it all the more creepy. Mary did a great tour with some voodoo rituals tossed in. The tour started at Lafitte%26#39;s Bar, which is spooky and ancient. Took the ferry to Algiers and ats at the Dry Dock. Best lunch we had all trip. The place has a real local feel. Caught a Wed. free concert in Lafayette Sq. with Ivan Neville (fun , but very crowded...didn%26#39;t stay too long). Took the trolley to Midcity and ate a late and delicious lunch at Venezia%26#39;s followed by cannolis and napolians at Angelo Brocatos. Rented a car and drove to Laura Plantation (about 45 min. away). Very good tour and beautiful restoration. The grounds are simple and beautiful and the guides are very knowledgable and appear invested in their work. Ate at B %26amp; C Seafood next door. Fun local place. We had fantasic reflexology foot massages at a store front on Chartes in the Quarter($22 for 20 minutes). Had breakfast at Fleur de Lis on Chartes (tasty) and at Cafe Adelaide located in Loews. It is owned by the Commander%26#39;s Palace folks and it was very good. Had dinner at EAT. We recommend it. It is BYOB, but there is a grocery right down the street for libations. We had a drink at the Napoleon House. Cool place, but it was VERY crowded when we were there. I%26#39;d try it in the middle of the afternoon maybe. We are hoping to fit in Mardi Gras World tomorrow morning. It has moved from Algiers and is now by the convention center. Apparently there is a free shuttle at the ferry terminal that takes you there. We shall see.
Something to bear in mind if you are travelling with kids. We could not go to Yo Mamas or Coops with our daughter because they have installed slot machines. I have nothing against people gambling, but when we stopped by these restaurants and were turned away (due to our own ignorance of the laws) we saw no one using them. The Dry Dock had slot machines, but they were in an enclosed space covered with signs prohibiting anyone under 21 from playing the games. Again, no one was using them. Thus, our daughter could be in the restaurant. While there are plenty of other restaurant choices, we were looking forward to Coops and Yo Mamas and were disapointed that we couldn%26#39;t try them out.
While we live in a city and were appropriately cautious, we felt very safe throughout the entire visit.
If I think of anything else, I will do a part 2. We are trying to bump our flight home to an earlier time to try to avoid the nasty afternoon thunderstorms that are in the forcast.
WE LOVED NOLA!
trip report 4/5-4/10 so far; long
Great review. We%26#39;re in North Georgia and heading to NOLA this morning - ahead of the storms I hope!
Although this will be our 5th visit, we%26#39;ve never done Coops. Plan on doing it this time! (Said that the last two times too!)
Thank you for taking the time to write it up.
Debby
*Looks at fake cafe au lait and sighs. So glad will have the real stuff this evening*
trip report 4/5-4/10 so far; longThanks for your report! And I%26#39;m glad you enjoyed the Windsor Court! The refurbished rooms are getting great reviews so far!
I enjoyed reading your trip report and looking forward to the next installment. I%26#39;m glad to hear your experience with our train system. Were the sleeper cars full? Was it a direct trip to NOLA or did it make a few other stops?
The roomettes appeared full, but not the sleepers. We made several short stops at major cities along the way. Only enough time to get out briefly and stretch our legs.
great trip report. I always enjoy hearing about what others do while in New Orleans :) Too bad about Coop%26#39;s...if you go again, you%26#39;ve gotta try it...even if it is to go.
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