I participate in video conference calls from the back seat as Sophia drives us to our next destination.
Posts
Laura Plantation
The Laura Plantation is a restored Creole plantation along the Mississippi River.
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| The Creole big house was built in 1804 and 1805 |
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| The rear wings of the big house were destroyed by fire in 2004 |
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| The above-ground "basement" provided space for storage |
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| Laura Locoul Gore |
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| Bananas |
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| The slave quarters were occupied until 1977 |
Hotel Villa Convento
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| Hotel Villa Convento |
I don't visit New Orleans often, but each time I do (especially when I am paying out of my own pocket), I agonize over finding a decent hotel at a decent price. I've experienced costly high-end New Orleans hotels, and I've experience cheap motels. Many online hotel reviews describe places that seem downright scary. My own experience with New Orleans hotels includes occurrences I don't want to repeat. For example, I was once accidentally double booked into a room with other occupants -- the hotel gave two different sets of people keys to the same room for the same night.
I believe my search for a nice New Orleans hotel at a decent price is now over. I came across Hotel Villa Convento in my pre-roadtrip research. I read online reviews. I searched for photos. I called and spoke to the front desk clerk. I finally gave in and reserved a room for our couple nights in New Orleans. And, I'm glad I picekd Hotel Villa Convento.
Hotel Villa Convento is a charming unique hotel in a circa 1833 townhouse on Ursulines Avenue in the French Quarter. The staff was friendly. The room was clean and comfortable -- even a bit luxurious. The location was close to all the French Quarter action. It was a distinctly New Orleans hotel that provided just what we needed.
And, next time I won't have to agonize over selecting a New Orleans hotel -- I'll just call Hotel Villa Convento.
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| The entrance |
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| First floor hallway |
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| The elevator |
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| Please respect elevator as you would your grandmother . . . She is old |
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| The view |
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| Photo: Hotel Villa Convento |
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| My morning office view |
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| Ursulines Avenue |
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| Ursulines Avenue |
Pat O'Brien's, Home of the Hurricane
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| Hurricane at Pat O'Briens |
The sweet fruity drink known as the Hurricane, and that I call "adult Kool-aid", is said to have originated in the 1940s at Pat O'Brien's in New Orleans. The story is that it was created as a way to sell a surplus of rum that distributors forced Mr. O'Brien to buy along with his purchases of better-selling whiskey. Today, rum-based fuity drinks are the the main attraction at O'Brien's club.
We sat in O'Brien's piano bar, sipped on fruity adult beverages, and joined in a group sing-a-long of My Ding-a-Ling. Great fun all around.
Beware that O'Brien's will charge you more than the menu price for your drinks. The extra charge is for the glass, which you get to take with you.
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| Copper Pianos: Pat O'Brien's Piano Bar |
Old New Orleans Rum Distillery
Celebration Distillation's Old New Orleans Rum distillery offers my favorite distillery tour. (I'm a repeat visitor.) The tour covers the history and business of the distillery, the distillation process, the bottling, a bit of local history, and opportunity to taste the good stuff produced here.
Old New Orleans rum is produced by a small band of local brewmasters, engineers, and artists in an old cotton warehouse. They create their product in small batches, age it in charred whiskey barrels, and bottle it by hand.
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| If you find yourself on a dead end street of warehouses, you're probably in the right place |
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| Jeff tells stories of the distillery's recovery from flooding caused by Hurricane Katrina |
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| Jeff talks about the distillation process |
