French Quarter Firsts

No matter where in the world you're visiting, if you go to a major city there are always certain attractions that any person must see. You go to New York, there's the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, Ground Zero, etc. Boston has the Harbor, Quincy Market, Fenway Park. LA has the Hollywood sign, Walk of Fame, Rodeo Drive. The list could go on and on. And like any other city, New Orleans has its own attractions that are staples in the city's history.

The thing that makes New Orleans stand out from the rest of the cities is the fact that not only do you have your typical places to visit, but you also get a taste of that southern hospitality that other cities try to imitate, but they just can't quite replicate.

One of the first places you will be told to go when you come to New Orleans is Cafe Du Monde. Beignets (pronounced ben-yeys), are delicious, fried dough/doughnut-y treats that are piled high with powdered sugar and, when paired with their signature cafe au lait, a nice hot coffee drink, is the perfect snack to perk you up. It's located on Decatur, across the street from Jackson Square. It is also right next to the Mississippi River, so it'd  be a great, centrally located place to start your exploration of the French Quarter.

There are a couple of different ways you could go after this, but this blogger would suggest checking out the riverfront next, before moving on to the next destination. You can go and walk along the water, see or ride the streetcar, and just enjoy the beautiful view.

After that there is Jackson Square. It's right across the street from Cafe Du Monde. This is where the artists set up their paintings during the day. The statue of Andrew Jackson stands majestically in front of the St. Louis Cathedral. It's a stunning sight to see, day or night. If you choose to go at night, make sure to try your hand at a tarot reading. Or maybe a fun carriage ride around the Quarter. Both experiences are nothing like anything you'll find anywhere else.

Looking for some fun shopping? Check out the French Market. Located on Decatur near Esplanade, it's a little marketplace that has many different booths, selling souvenirs ranging from mardi gras masks to different types of artwork, jewelry to food. It is absolutely a must-go, even if you don't buy anything. It's a fun experience, even just to watch the shoppers haggle with the shopkeepers.

There are also some places that are more fun for the over 21 crowd. Bourbon Street is the ultimate place to visit, with world renown bars to visit. Everyone should try Pat O'Brien's, with the best hurricanes to be found anywhere. They also feature the Piano bar, with dueling pianos. It is a fun, entertaining environment that is generally very popular due to the talented players who compete. Or if your looking for a bit of history, head over to Lafitte's Blacksmith Bar, one of the oldest bars in the country.

If you like Jazz music and want to see a live show, you can either check out Irvin Mayfield's Jazz Playhouse, also located on Bourbon Street, or check out one of the many venues on Frenchmen Street, which is nestled near the back end of the Quarter. With spaces like Maison or the Spotted Cat, you can see not only Jazz acts, but many different types of music. There are also many people playing out in the street, for some ambiance while your out exploring. And you should definitely stop by the Frenchmen Art Market while you're out there. They have different types of art, including but not limited to paintings, jewelry, drawings, and small sculptures. It's a brilliant place to check out.

New Orleans is an experience everyone should have at least once in their lives. Hopefully this will help you plan out your trip and give you some ideas of what to check out. While the French Quarter is an amazing place to play, not everyone is suited for the crowds and hustle and bustle. If that's you, don't let that discourage you from visiting a historically rich and wonderful city. Keep an eye out for our next post, with suggestions for things to try outside of the French Quarter!

Fun facts part 1

There are very many interesting things about the Hotel Maison de Ville that many people don't know. So it's important to highlight these many facts.

As most people know, the history is very long. While this has been a hotel since 1944, the building has been around for over two centuries! Which means there is a lot of non-hotel history to cover. One of the biggest pieces of our history is something that has swept the nation for years.

Many know that New Orleans is the birthplace of the cocktail. What they don't know is the first official cocktail was the Sazerac. The creator of this wonderful concoction, Antoine Amede Peychaud, was one of the original inhabitants of the building. While he had his own apothecary down the street on Royal and he invented the drink there, he is still considered one of the most prominent figures in our history. There is even a room named after him.

Now what does it matter knowing the history of a drink if you don't know how to make it? Knowing whether you like the drink is just as important as knowing where it came from.

The Sazerac

Ingredients:

3 ounces rye whiskey

3/4 ounces simple syrup

Peychaud (yes it's named after the founder!) bitters to taste

Absinthe or an absinthe substitute

Lemon Twist for garnish

Preparation:

1. Chill an old-fashioned glass by filling it with ice and letting it sit while preparing the rest of the drink.

2. In a separate mixing glass, muddle the simple syrup and Peychaud bitters together.

3. Add the rye whiskey and ice to the bitters mixture and stir.

4. Discard the ice in the chilled glass and rinse it with absinthe by pouring a small amount into the glass, swirling it around and discarding the liquid.

5. Strain the whiskey mixture from the mixing glass into the old fashioned glass.

6. Garnish with a lemon twists. Traditionalists will say that the lemon twist should be squeezed over the drink to release its essences but that the twist should not be dropped into the glass itself.

And now it's time to go and enjoy your own Sazerac. For best results, use Sazerac rye whiskey. Have fun!

Big Fun in the Big Easy

Welcome to New Orleans! Where the sun is hot, rain is torrential, but the party never ends.

And they say New York is the city that never sleeps. I think that the Big Easy should win that title!

Roaring Twenties

It was quite lively inside the doors of Hotel Maison de Ville last week when we held a wedding for a gorgeous couple who were tying the knot with a 1920's theme.

There was a very Gatsby-style glam in the air, everyone in high spirits and carrying feathered boas and bouquets, wearing vintage dresses and headpieces, or (in the case of the men) decked out in bowties, fedoras and suspenders.

The ceremony and reception were held in our courtyard with an elegant but almost mischievous feel to the lavishly decorated area. There was a clawed bathtub filled with ice and refreshments; the fountain overflowed with floating white chrysanthemums and white roses, lit a warm cream from the hundreds of candles. It was like being transported back to era of the Speakeasy with just enough New Orleans flair.

The Bride herself wore a nontraditional black vintage flapper dress (with just a touch of glorious Morticia Addams!) accompanied by pearls, and of course, the classic 1920s finger waves hairdo!

click the images for larger versions!

 

After the ceremony ended and the party began they set up a large projection screen. They weren't playing a slideshow of photos like you would think. Instead, the Saints game was put on. True New Orleanians at heart!

For more photos, visit our Facebook page or click here.

Who Are You, Said The Caterpillar

This Halloween, Trina was the Cheshire Cat from Lewis Carroll's Alice In Wonderland.

She was not impressed. 

Ukulele Rock Star

 Few cities have such an active culture of street performance as New Orleans. From impromptu, improvised jazz concerts to gold- and silver-painted "statues" who remain stationery until you least expect it, here in New Orleans we are proud of our artistic nature and love nothing more than to entertain you, our guests.

So it was with great excitement that we learned that the daughter of one of our guests had so wholly embraced our street art culture that she had donned a fedora and a ukulele, erected a chair and begun busking on Royal Street. Her mom, Susan, sent us these pictures:

This is Jensen. And she is a ukulele rock star. 

Historic Hotel (No, Really)

As you might expect, a big part of running such an old, historic hotel is speaking to people about the multitude of fascinating things that have happened within these walls. "If walls could talk" is an expression that's found new meaning since I discovered this intriguing place. 

Many know the basics. Hotel Maison de Ville includes buildings that are some of the few of French architecture that survived the Fires of New Orleans in 1788; that's true. New Orleans is old, but most of the city was rebuilt in the late 18th century after a series of fires - and our cottages and carriage houses hold the honor of being some of the few (and when I say few, I mean less than half a dozen) buildings that were not rebuilt. Maison de Ville is, at it's heart, a phoenix that has risen from the ashes multiple times (like our beautiful city itself). 

And some know of our building's early inhabitant, Antoine Peychaud, who invented the now widely used Peychaud's Bitters and, later, the Sazerac, the world's first cocktail and now Louisiana's state cocktail. 

And of course, everyone knows about Tennessee Williams - but not everyone knows that he stayed with us before he bought his first home in the French Quarter (which was right across the street - he didn't go far!). In fact, we named a Suite after him - the very rooms in which Williams wrote the manuscript that became A Streetcar Named Desire. 

To come to the Maison de Ville - and by extension, New Orleans herself - has and will always be to take a walk through history, but it's not always in the most obvious sense. Sure, there are the greats, the stories told over and over again, but I prefer the smaller ways that Maison de Ville has so deeply entrenched itself in the psyche of America and the world. Every day, we find our hotel cropping up in places we didn't possibly know about - books set partly in our famous courtyard; old paintings of our fountain. The other day, I picked up a book about New Orleans' fine dining, and on the inside cover was a picture of our well-loved Bistro. I can't help but find it fascinating, that our name - and our charm - is woven so deeply into the history of New Orleans and of the United States that we are constantly finding mentions of it when we least expect it.

Today I ran across a book originally in French called American Hotel Stories. And how could I resist when the inside cover was a charming, hand-drawn map of the Unites States, with a wonderful little red building inked over where New Orleans would be, our name scrawled next to it? I flipped through, and lo and behold, there was a now very familiar image of our courtyard in the evening, with - of course - "Tennessee Williams" beneath. 

I can't help but be tickled when I open these huge, heavy books to find gigantic glossy images of the place where I spend  my days. I forget, sometimes, all the things this hotel has seen. It's high time I remembered. 

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