Commanders Palace – HilaryStyle

October 31, 2017July 18, 2018

The Garden District New Orleans

Commanders Palace Garden Distrtict New Orleans Louisiana

It’s no secret that I love New Orleans, I try to go every year and have written numerous posts, but if you haven’t been yet, consider making 2018 the year you finally go. It’s always amazing, but did you know that 2018 is the 300th anniversary of New Orleans? There’s sure to be plenty going on!

I’ll definitely be going, I’ve been thinking about a return trip since I stepped off the plane last April. I’m considering Mardi Gras in 2018! What about you? Have you been to Mardi Gras? Do you want to go?

While I’m working out when I might find my way back I thought it would be fun to revisit some of the adventures from our 2017 visit, specifically our visit to the Garden District.

A Bit of History

The architecture in New Orleans is really something special, especially in The Garden District, which has no shortage of beautiful old homes.

The Garden District was created in 1832 – 1833 after the Louisiana Purchase as a place for the new American residents of New Orleans to settle. Made wealthy in the cotton, sugar, insurance and shipping industries these residents hired architects to create grand homes in Italianate, Greek revival and Victorian styles.

The homes were located on large parcels of land, which allowed for the beautiful lush gardens for which the area is named.

Getting There

The streetcars in New Orleans, aren’t just for show, they’ve been used by locals and tourists alike for 150 years! The original, and my favorite, is the St. Charles line. As the name suggests its route is via St. Charles Street. Take The St. Charles line to the Garden District and you’ll ride through some of the city’s loveliest neighborhoods on the way.

I love everything about riding these historic cars, watching the city roll by from the wide windows, the fantastic sounds they make, the old wooden benches, even the close proximity to other travelers! The fares are very low, and they run often! Get a lovely view of the city and where you need to go all at the same time!

The Lafayette Cemetery No. 1

Unique and filled with fascinating history no visit to NOLA would be complete without at least one visit to the cemetery.

The non-denominational Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 is located in the heart of the Garden District. The Cemetery encompasses one city block, and is the oldest municipal cemetery in New Orleans. More than 7000 people are buried there.

We lucked out and were able to arrange a tour on site, but for a more comprehensive tour I recommend booking in advance.

Lafayette Cemetery No 1 New Orleans Louisiana

New Orleans! Last But Not Least!

Welcome In!

There’s nothing like southern hospitality, and you’ll get big doses of it at these two fine dinning institutions.

Commander’s Palace

From the truly southern “Welcome in” to the balloon bouquets on the tables, the three piece band and of course the delicious regional cuisine a meal at Commander’s Palace is truly a dinning experience like no other.

Opened in 1893 and located just across the road from the Lafayette Cemetery #1, Commander’s Palace is a New Orleans culinary institution. If you only have time for one upscale meal during your visit, this would be an excellent choice. Plan ahead for this one, you’ll definitely need reservations.

Emerils Delmonico

Emeril’s Delmonico is located right on the St. Charles Street car line in what looks to have been an old house.

The restaurant has not only great food, but also extremely warm hospitality. We had Easter Brunch here loved it. They take reservations and walk-ins.

Emeril Lagasse Restaurant New Orleans Louisiana

Magazine Street

Running from Canal Street downriver to Leake Avenue upriver and stretching a distance of six plus miles, Magazine Street is a treasure trove of shops, restaurants, and bars with sections of residential homes interspersed throughout. Many of the establishments are one of a kind and you’re guaranteed to find something of interest, along the way.

A few of our Magazine Street favorites:

Simon Signs

A popular artist with his work on display throughout the city, you can pick up your own Simon sign, at his gallery just off of Magazine Street.

SAMSUNG CSC

Dirty Coast

A t-shirt shop of a different sort! Dirty Coast is where the locals shop, but visitors are definitely welcome. If you’re looking for something to bring home that feels more authentic this is the place!

Vegas

Vegas is a men’s clothing store, which features trendy hipster clothing and accessories, we usually find ourselves here at least once a visit. I got my travel backpack here!

#magazinestreet — Where I found my awesome new Backpack

Backpacks. Who needs ’em?

Dat Dog

With multiple locations throughout the city you can’t go wrong with Dat Dog. Yes, as the name suggests its a hot dog restaurant, but don’t be fooled, it’s absolutely delicious!

Beyond traditional beef they have lots of other options, including chicken, alligator and duck! For the adventurous eaters in your group, consider topping your dog with some crawfish Étouffée.

I met up with Corey from Fifi & Hop!

Crawfish Étouffée Fries

Chicken “Dog”

Snowizard

SnoBalls, otherwise known as a snow cone for those of you West Coasters, are not just a treat in New Orleans, but on a hot day they’re an absolute necessity!

These delicious treats are made when a scoop of ice cream is rolled in sno cone ice, and they come in many delicious flavors, even hurricane! We always make time for a trip to Snowizard on Magazine Street, and I highly recommend you do too!

Coconut

Coconut with cherry

lemon lime

District Donuts

We discovered District: Donuts, sliders and Brew while walking on Magazine Street a few years ago. They’re not beignets, but its become an annual tradition all the same! These guys really know how to make a donut! Not to mention they’re sliders and brew (coffee) are pretty great too!

Fun Facts, Tips & Advice

Anne Rice author of the Interview with a Vampire books makes her home in the Garden District as does Sandra Bullock and Nicolas Cage.
Many movies and television shows have been modeled after or filmed at the Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 including The Originals, Dracula 2000, and Interview with a Vampire
Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 has very limited hours, so check the website before you head over.
Commanders Palace has the best service I’ve ever experienced. The Ponchatoula Strawberry Shortcake was so good its indescribable.
Many famous chefs have worked at Commander’s Palace including Emeril Lagasse.
The dress code at Commanders Palace is strictly enforced for all ages.
There is SO much more to the Crescent City than Bourbon Street. In fact it’s the last place in the city I recommend you go. If you’re interested in seeing the city from a local’s point of view, then you should know Bourbon Street is NOT the place.

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June 24, 2015June 18, 2018

NOLA!

New Orleans, Louisiana, is, in my opinion, the most unique city in America, and it’s also a favorite of mine! There is something so special about it and I always feel so at home there. Wandering with no particular destination in mind just enjoying the atmosphere is my perfect day.

My very first stop each and every visit and my favorite place to go in NOLA is Cafe Du Monde! NO trip to NOLA would be complete without a stop here, it’s an institution! You’ll find Cafe Du Monde across the street from the St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square park. There is no substitution!

The St. Louis Cathedral is the oldest Catholic cathedral In America. There are many great places to explore in New Orleans, The French Quarter, The Warehouse District, Magazine Street (six miles of shopping!), and the Garden District to name just a few. I can count on a completely different experience each and every time I visit! In a city as diverse as NOLA there are many choices, but here are some of my favorite things to do with and without the kids when I visit the Crescent City.

RESTAURANTS

Careful of all that powdered sugar! Best to eat downwind!

As I mentioned above Cafe Du Monde is probably my favorite place in NOLA. It’s open 24 hours a day every day of the year except Christmas and, as their website mentions, when the occasional hurricane passes too close. You can get three beignets and a cup of coffee for under $5! They are served hot and with about a cup of powdered sugar on top! It’s not a full day in NOLA without a trip to Cafe Du Monde. There is always a line for both indoor seating and the to go window, but if you’re not in a hurry it’s kind of fun to sit down and get table service. Otherwise the take out window line moves fairly quickly and you can see a trail of sugar leading away from the place in all directions!

The Acme Oyster House is sooooo good and although there is almost always a line to get in you can drink hurricanes outside while waiting! The shrimp po boys are great but I had the “10 napkin roast beef” and it was to die for! You’ll definitely need those 10 napkins and probably a few more! By the way this place isn’t just for tourists the locals love it too!

We discovered District: Donuts, sliders and Brew while walking on Magazine Street one afternoon and we loved it! We make sure to hit this spot each and every visit!

Mothers Restaurant is an institution and has been around since 1938. They are famous for their Ferdi Special a sandwich with debris, which are the little bits of meat that fall off during cooking. There are always long lines here and it’s not just tourists, but locals too!

Commanders Palace, located in the Garden District, is definitely worth a visit! I had the Sunday Jazz brunch here and it was a real experience! From the truly southern welcome when we walked in to the balloon bouquets on each table to the three piece band to the turtle soup. Plan ahead for this one, you’ll need reservations. If you have time, the Lafayette Cemetery across the street is worth a stop.

Emeril’s Delmonico is located on the St. Charles Street car line in what looks to have been an old house. The restaurant has not only great food, but extremely warm hospitality. We had Easter Brunch here loved it. They take reservations and walk-ins. Clancy’s is another fine dining restaurant located uptown. This was a place recommended to me by some local friends. The Food was amazing! Reservations are a must.

HOTELS

During our most recent trip in April 2015 we stayed at the Hyatt French Quarter and we really enjoyed this hotel. Its located on Iberville and Canal streets. One foot in the Quarter and one foot out which makes for a great location when staying with the kids! The rooms were fairly large and quite up to date. We ordered room service and the food was some of the best room service I’ve had anywhere. The lobby bar and coffee shop were both new and had fun decor. The coffee shop was called Powdered Sugar which I think is such a cute and clever name considering all the streets in town are covered in powdered sugar from all the beignets! It was overall a very pleasant place and I would definitely stay here again. There is a pool, but it wasn’t heated and so we didn’t get in. We stayed over the Easter holiday, so the photo is of my little guy with his easter bunny loot!

The Royal Sonesta is located inside the French Quarter on Bourbon Street. I stayed here on my girls trip and it was probably my least favorite of all four hotels I’ve stayed in. If you stay here request a courtyard room. Otherwise it will be very loud. The rooms are spacious, but rundown and due to it’s location you’ll need to show your key before you can come in and out during certain times of the day and night. We chose to enter and exit from the other side just to avoid being flashed. There is a pool, but we never found time to use it.

The Roosevelt Hotel is located just across Canal street which is the dividing line between The French Quarter and the Central Business District. We stayed over the winter break and everything in town was decorated beautifully. In fact The Roosevelt is famous for their holiday decorations which were spectacular. My photos don’t do it justice! In addition to all the amazing lights and trees, they also had an entire French Quarter including the Cathedral made entirely of gingerbread and candy! The rooms were very spacious which is reminiscent of older hotels and it was nice for the boys to be able to spread out a bit.

Tim and I stayed a the Hotel Monteleone 16 years ago when we were engaged and so it wouldn’t be fair to give it much of a review. However, I will say that the location is good, right on the fringe of the quarter on the Canal side and it’s famous for it’s revolving Carousel Bar.

Bars

Bourbon Street If you’ve never been to NOLA I’m sure you’ll find your way to bourbon street! You’ll probably see a bit of this and that, LOL! but in my opinion those with something worth seeing are never the ones showing. 😉

Tipitinas located in the Garden District is a famous place for music and drinks I went there with the girls and had a great time!

The motto at Pat O’Briens is: “Have Fun” and who can argue with that!? A New Orleans institution, you’ll find Pat O’Briens, just next to Preservation Hall and across the street from the Rev Zombies Voodoo shop. The Hurricanes here are big, strong and the color of Kool-aid! They have a huge bar with lots of room to spread out, but if you’re not in the mood to hang out in one spot just get your hurricane to go and head across the way to the Rev Zombies Voodoo shop and sign up for a Haunted History Tour! It’s perfectly acceptable and legal to walk around with alcoholic beverages in NOLA.

The haunted fireplace at Lafittes Blacksmith Shop

Lafittes Blacksmith Shop claims to be one of the oldest bars in the US. It’s located on Bourbon Street, but further down from all the hullabaloo with beads and such! It has a long history and is considered to be haunted. Definitely a fun place to visit and if you go on a Haunted History tour it’s one of their stops.

Attractions

Located on St. Peter’s Street in the French Quarter The Rev Zombies voodoo shop is a fun and quirky shop to visit! There are many things of interest to look at and a variety of voodoo dolls and other items to purchase. This is also the meeting spot for my next entry below.

Haunted History Tours is a great tour company where you can book a tour through the cemeteries and other parts or New Orleans. By day if you want to learn about New Orleans history or a ghost tour by night if you want silly fun! I’ve done both multiple times and it’s always interesting! Our kids came along too! These are not jump out and scare you tours. They focus on legend, history and humor! They do a great job of changing things up from time to time, so you’ll enjoy a different experience every time.

St. Louis Cemetery #1 is located on Basin Street this is the oldest extant cemetery in New Orleans. It’s still in operation! It’s a fascinating place to visit and I highly recommend taking a tour. New Orleans has a fascinating and long history and a lot of it is explained during the cemetery tour. This tour is very appropriate for kids although younger ones might find it a little dry. There is a nearby visitor center with bathrooms and interesting exhibits to look at.

Faubourg Marigny is the neighborhood bordering the French Quarter on the other side of Esplanade. A quirky area with a lot of jazz clubs and good food! We found a fun casual place to eat called Dat Dog and visited the Frenchmen’s Market. This was our first time visiting this area and I think we will definitely want to come back and explore more!

The Frenchmen’s Market is an evening art and flea market located on Frenchmen’s street in the Faubourg Marigny. It’s open from 7 pm and it’s very family friendly. My little guy loved drawing with chalk on the floor of the outdoor “living room” in the center of the market while Tim, Simon and I took turns browsing around.

The Audubon Zoo. We’ve been to this zoo twice and at last count I think we’ve hit close to 20 zoos around the world (maybe that will be another post?!), so we consider ourselves zoo connoisseurs! Visiting the same zoo twice means we think it’s up there pretty high on our zoo list! They have some unusual animals here and we particularly enjoyed seeing the white alligators and they have a white tiger too! They also have a really nice Louisiana swamp section featuring local animals and foliage. If you’re not too grossed out by their long tongues there is an area where you can feed the giraffe carrots. You can even get alligator jambalaya at the zoo cafe!

The Audubon Aquarium of the Americas is located along the river front this is a nice aquarium and while we haven’t been to as many aquariums as we have zoos we’ve certainly seen our share! It’s pretty self explanatory so I won’t say much, but it is a nice place to take the kids in between cemetery tours and antique shops!

The Insectarium is located on Canal Street just across from the Quarter and a few blocks from the aquarium this place is pretty neat! I’ve been to one or two bug zoos but this place takes the cake! It’s huge and really well done. Definitely worth a visit especially if your kids are into this kind of thing. Mine were!

ART GALLERIES

Located on Chartres Street in the French Quarter, B ee Galleries is the current home of a number of local New Orleans artists. My favorite happens to be Mark Bercier and I recently had the opportunity to visit the Bee Gallery and to purchase one of Mark’s paintings! This was a dream come true for me! Not only did I bring home this fabulous painting, but I also had an opprtunity to speak with Mr. Bercier and let him know just how much I admire his work! The title of this painting is Silence.

We loved Graphite Galleries located on Royal Street in the Quarter and we visited a number of times trying to make up our minds. The owner was incredibly gracious about showing our boys around and explaining all the art to them. I’m sure we will visit again when we next visit NOLA.

AND FINALLY…

With six miles of shopping and galleries Magazine Street is a fantastic place to just wander and browse. The Garden District has many beautiful old homes to wander by and during our last visit we found the previous home of Anne Rice author of the Interview with a Vampire books! We discovered SIMON the sign maker just off of Magazine, toured The Pharmacy Museum, rode the St. Charles Street Car and ate beignets every single day! Honestly, I could go on and on and on…

to be continued…

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Take me with you!

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