Just a few added comments on our recent New Orleans Holiday... since none of you are going to concern yourselves with the non-tourist parts of the city. (We have some family history there, so are unusually interested in the city as a whole.) We stayed at the stately, ornate Omni Royal Orleans on Royal street - one block off Bourbon St. It is just as it has been in the past. The classic luxury hotel in the French Quarter is the Royal Sonesta but it is right on Bourbon Street - a negative! The difference in ambiance between two streets just one block apart is striking. Royale Street contains art shops and galleries as well as some awesome "proper" restaurants while Bourbon Street is... well, Bourbon Street.
Our four favorite restaurants are Arnaud's, Antione's, Gallatoire's, and Brennen's. The cigar lounge at Arnaud's was one of our favorite stops... Sign of the Times: Even 'sinful' New Orleans has imposed strict limits on cigars. Arnaud's opened a lounge next door to the restaurant to get around the ordinance.
The only one of these great venues that is right on Bourbon Street is Gallatoire's - our favorite. Imagine a restaurant that strictly requires jackets being amidst the trashiness of Bourbon Street! Imagine the finest restaurant you can think of - then place it in the middle of the carnival midway at the State Fair! Talk about culture shock as you exit this fine establishment after a gorgeous dinner... into the cesspool that bourbon Street has become!
Well, those are the things that make N.O. so unique! What a great city! If you are thinking of visiting, I hope you will enlist my travel agency - Gateway Express Travel - to guide you. But, whether or not you do, I am happy to give you some tips and recommendations.
Cheers,
Dick
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