New Orleans- French Quarter Heaven

New Orleans is the place to go when your mind is tired and your body is not. There is so much to see and so much to do that you can leave the worries behind you as soon as you get there.

It's beauty and it's people are amazing.

THE BEST PLACE TO STAY:

In the french quarter. Parking is scarce, but once you park you never have to move it again. Everything you need is in the French Quarter or within walking distance. One trip, I googled condo rentals and found a nice place with 2 bedrooms, they had cheese and wine at 5:00 pm. for guests and continental breakfast, all for about $75 a night per room. On another trip, we stayed at the French Market Hotel which was very nice and a little pricier than the other trip, but it was on the outskirts of the French Quarter. We also stayed at the Best Western (very inexpensive) on another trip there and I wouldn't recommend that area. After Katrina, it's been cleaned up a bit, but I still don't feel to comfortable with that area.

PLACES TO GO AND THINGS TO SEE:

• Jackson Square (free)
• The old cemetery (free)- a trip to New Orleans wouldn't be fun without seeing the "Voodoo Queen", Marie Laveau's grave site.
• The Buggy rides (about $50-$100) depends on the driver
• The Visitor Info Stand- Tours/Maps- there's one down the street from Bubba Gump's restaurant and they are always helpful. Since our kids are older, we've taken the Ghost Tour and the Vampire Tours- Day/Night. (Kids loved it).
• The World War II Museum- this is a great place to go, but you have to drive there and it will take the better part of the day to see and enjoy it all.
• The French Market is always fun- food and souvenirs galore.

ADULT-NIGHT LIFE:

• The old time jazz and blues of New Orleans can still be found, but not as easily as it use to be. We returned there a year after Katrina and found that a bunch of the "jazz" clubs had closed down or re-opened but now the bands playing were rock or country. We had to go down a side streetS to find a jazz band. About our third trip there, we found a couple of clubs on Bourbon Street that had live jazz bands. It's taking time, but it's returning to the New Orleans of old on Bourbon Street.
• Off course, you can't have New Orleans without it's "red light" district and it's still there.
• Harrah's Casino

NEW ORLEANS, FUN FOR ONE AND ALL

New Orleans is a great place to go as a couple, with friends and even with children. Although, if you want to enjoy the French Quarter at night, it's best to bring a babysitter.

For family fun, there are the shops in the French Quarter, the trolley to the shopping mall, the buggy rides, the zoo and the square where painters paint, performers perform and you can even get your palm read.

BUBBA GUMP'S, a must eat place in New Orleans, but brush up on your movie trivia because there will be questions on Forest Gump, the winners get small trinkets that are usually sold in the gift shop.