New Orleans and New Year's Eve!

Jackson Square

Once we'd finished celebrating Christmas thoroughly, it was time for some of my loves to return to their homes in the frozen North. My younger sister Grace and her family had booked round-trip plane tickets to New Orleans instead of the Jackson area due to cheaper fares. My older sister, Laura, had picked the family up in New Orleans when they arrived, and I agreed to take them back. 

Christmas decor in the gorgeous
Hotel Monteleone lobby

We decided that we'd all spend a few days in New Orleans together on the tail end of her visit.
They booked a room at the Hotel Monteleone (for the pretty Christmas decor), and I booked a couple of nights at the Eliza Jane hotel, just on the other side of Canal from the French Quarter. (I struggle to book a hotel in the French Quarter these days. I'm old, y'all. The people. The mess. The noise. I just can't anymore.) I ended up really loving this property! The hotel is located in the old building of the Daily Picayune newspaper, and it's named after the paper's first female publisher. There are nods to history throughout, including newspaper-themed wallpaper in some of the common areas, some of the old building hardware put on display, the name of the lobby lounge (The Press Room), and the complimentary "frog lemonade" the hotel makes available to guests. 

Day 1

On the way to New Orleans, we stopped in Hammond for a quick lunch at Don's Seafood. This place never disappoints for a great local meal. I got the fried oysters, Grace got the seafood platter, and Ryan had a po-boy. The kids munched on grilled cheese and fries. Despite the restaurant being pretty full, the waitress got us in and out of there in no time. 

When we arrived in New Orleans, we dropped our bags at our respective hotels and headed to Jackson Square, where we listened to a jazz band play, people-watched in the park, and took a quick carriage ride tour. (At first, Maggie was NOT having the carriage ride. But once they started moving, she loved it. When it was over, she didn't want to get off!) Then, the grown-ups enjoyed some frozen bourbon milk punches at Bourbon House (The littles just had cups of milk.) and unwound in our rooms for a bit before the evening. 

Pretty Grace at the Roosevelt!

Grace and I had tickets to Hadestown in the gorgeous Saenger Theatre. We decided that we'd pop around to all of the hotel lobbies with glittery Christmas displays, both to gawk at lights and also to get drinks and snacks at various hotel bars/restaurants. While the lights worked out well (Hotel Monteleone, Roosevelt, The Ritz), we were dismayed to find that every hotel bar and restaurant was wall-to-wall people, and no one could accommodate two hungry girls. 

Desperate, we popped into the lobby of The Saint Hotel, on Canal. Their bar was open (and the lobby is gorgeous), but it served no food. We were further disappointed to look outside and see that it had started pouring down rain! We spotted a Chinese restaurant across the street - Golden Wall. Grace hollered, "RUN!" at me over her shoulder, and we bounded across the street (against the light, I might add) in the dark rain. (It's a wonder we weren't run over! Foolhardy!) 

We stumbled into the Chinese joint breathless, laughing, and wet! They fixed us right up with dumplings, egg rolls, and noodles! We chowed down, then braved the rain again to go the block or so to the theatre. By the time we lined up at the Saenger, our hair was plastered to our heads, but we were giggling like school girls! 

We'd just happened to be in town for opening night of this traveling show, which is based on the ancient story of Orpheus and Eurydice. This show had been on my list for a while (I'd even looked at getting tickets to it when we were in New York a couple of months ago.), but I'd never seen it live. 

It was so good! Hermes, the narrator of the show, has a jazzy leitmotif. Levi Kreis, who played him, reminded me a ton of Harry Connick Jr. (Frankly, it takes guts to walk up into New Orleans playing Hermes in this show, but he was fantastic.) The whole cast was strong, with Orpheus (a mesmerizing Nicholas Barasch; Orpheus will forever be a ginger to me now) hitting impossibly high notes, Kimberly Marable as Persephone imbuing every number with tons of personality, and the three actresses playing the Fates moving and singing like one person. (They were so well-rehearsed. Seriously impressive.)    

I. Loved. This. SHOW!

To see shows at the Saenger, guests need to show proof of vaccination and also wear a mask. On the night we were there, it was packed, so I don't think this requirement is hurting business. (You'll find this requirement for nearly every indoor activity and restaurant in New Orleans. COVID has hit the city hard, and they are taking appropriate precautions.) 

Day 2

Vieux Carres from the Carousel Bar!

The next morning, I slept in a bit and had breakfast at Luke, one of my perennial faves. (Grace and Ryan were taking the kids for beignets, but I was looking for a slightly healthier option.) As per usual, service was great, and food was fantastic. One veggie omelet later, I was headed over to Grace's hotel to relax by the rooftop pool while the kids played. (It was nearly 80 degrees outside, even in late December.) We sipped on Vieux Carres from the downstairs Carousel Bar (where this particular cocktail was invented) while we dipped our toes in the water. Grace and I continually applauded as Owen did water tricks - flips, spinning in place, getting thrown around by his dad, etc.

After the pool, I kept the kids at the hotel for a bit while Grace and Ryan went out. I bathed my sweet little babies, dressed them, and enjoyed snuggles in the bed while we watched cartoons on TV. There is nothing better than a snuggly little person. My own son is 14 and so beyond it. It was nice to have some sweet little arms around me again! 

Once Grace and Ryan got back, we all had a lovely walk to the Marigny to visit JAMNOLA. This place has been on my list for a while! The facility has worked with local artists to create an immersive environment of murals, interactive features, and fun selfie opportunities. It's colorful, local, and a great indoor activity when the weather's very hot or otherwise uncooperative. They even had a slo-mo video booth! Fun!

I mean, yeah. I work out.

Afterwards, we walked a few blocks to Silk Road, where we had a dinner reservation. We were seated quickly, and our waitress was sweet, but our food took forever to arrive. We got there at around 5:15 p.m., and the adults in our party still had no food an hour later. As you can imagine, with small people, waiting this long in the same place does not go well. When we were finally served, the food was good (and the waitress did give us a discount for the delay), but it's very problematic keeping kids well-behaved at a restaurant for such a long time. 

The pretty Peacock Room

After a pleasant walk back to our hotels, Ryan and I gussied up and headed to the Peacock Room. I'd been wanting to visit this jewel-box of a bar since it opened over the summer. We got cocktails, some snack mix, and a dessert to split and spent a few hours there, talking and laughing. It was a great spot! 

Day 3

The next morning, we all met for a late breakfast at Curio, which was very close to Grace's hotel. We'd made a reservation, and they seated us immediately. We really enjoyed our breakfast here. The hostess opened the sliding doors so that we had a front-row seat to the outside, the kids split a decadent French toast, and the bottomless mimosas were on point. I had the Curio breakfast (eggs, sausage, grits, biscuit), and it was delish! Our waiter was charming and attentive and good with the kids, which was all really nice. 

After breakfast, we left our bags at the front desks of our hotels and walked down to the river. We had 11:30 a.m. tickets for a steamboat ride! I hadn't been on the steamboat since we visited New Orleans before flying to Vancouver back in 2016, so it was nice to see the Mississippi River from this vantage point again! We had a wonderful day for it, with the clouds burning off to reveal blue skies. We listened to the live jazz band play, observed the big red wheel turning to propel the boat forward, and picked out buildings and landmarks on shore. Ryan bought everyone sunglasses in the on-board gift shop, and little Maggie loved sitting in a deck chair and looking down at the water below.

 

Steamboat views!

After the boat ride, we picked up our bags and headed to Dave and Buster's to kill an hour before I had to get this group to the airport. We bought $25 worth of credits, got some margaritas, and let the kids run wild. (We ordered some snacks, too, but they never came. We found this a couple of times during our trip to New Orleans. There are often plenty of tables/capacity at restaurants. What they don't have is staff. Pandemic challenges.) 

At any rate, we wet our whistles and the kids got to play some games. Then, it was back into the car for a quick hop to the airport. I dropped my sweeties off in plenty of time to get them through security AND get a bite to eat at the airport.

My MVP!

Then, I played get-out-of-NOLA-before-you-hit-5 p.m.-traffic. On my way out, I stopped for gas and a bathroom break. But based on our experiences eating in town, I wanted to get OUT of New Orleans for dinner. (I can't believe I just typed that, but it's true.) I booked it to Slidell, where I made the happy discovery that there's a Middendorf's there! (I'd only ever eaten at the Manchac location, as I'm typically driving north out of the city.) Oh, joy! I bellied up to the bar and had a bowl of the shrimp and crab gumbo, followed by an order of banana bread pudding. Service was so quick and smooth, and the food was great! I was in and out in no time.

Though I typically head north back home when I'm leaving NOLA, I was going a different way this time - to Biloxi, Mississippi, to spend New Year's Eve with my sister-in-law! 

It was after dark when I checked into The Inn at Long Beach - the sweetest little hotel with the friendliest staff, free hot breakfast, and great proximity to the Gulf - unpacked a bit, and hit the hay! 

Day 4

After breakfast at the hotel and a morning beach walk, I worked a good bit this morning from my hotel room. I stopped to grab lunch at Harbor View Cafe, where I sat on the front porch with a view of the Gulf and had delicious salad and seafood pasta. Service was so quick and friendly here. I really enjoyed my lunch. 

After a little more work back at the hotel, I popped out to get my nails done at Harper Lily Nail Spa. They were able to work me in at the last minute, and I got red nails with a little glitter for New Year's Eve!  The technicians here were so nice, and my manicure was great! 

The beautiful Gulf of Mexico

Then, it was back to the hotel for a bit of a rest, since I wanted to stay up to ring in the New Year at midnight! When I woke up from my nap, I had a cup of strong coffee and and orange from the hotel lobby, then started getting ready.

Pretty soon, my sweet sister-in-law, Stacey, was knocking on my hotel room door. We finished primping - hair, makeup, jewelry, and tons of sequins - then headed out to dinner with her friend Adam, who had made arrangements for us to dine at The Rackhouse Steak and Spirits in Gulfport. I loved this place! We started with cocktails (French 75s - yum!), then moved on to steaks. I had a lovely medium rare filet with garlic mash, followed by a delicious dessert. Service was friendly, prompt, and knowledgable about the menu. We chatted, laughed and had a great time here. I would recommend this place to anyone. 

Ringing in the New Year!

After dinner, we made our way to the Beau Rivage Resort and Casino. We had tickets to ring in the New Year with the Molly Ringwalds! For the next couple of hours, we danced at our seats, sang along to our favorite songs, and had a great time! Together, we all counted down the clock, and at midnight, balloons fell from the ceiling, and we all had a champagne toast before singing Auld Lang Syne! A great way to celebrate! 

Then, it was a quick hop back to the car and back to the inn, where we. Sacked. OUT! (I am old, people! Staying up late is exhausting!)

I slept in the next day, enjoying another lovely breakfast at the hotel and sunny walk on the beach before making my way home. 

And now, we begin a new year. Cheers to 2022! Let's make it a great one!

The Molly Ringwalds!