There's always a way to amuse yourself in New Orleans. Drink. Eat. Slurp oysters. Mardi Gras. Drink. The Faulkner Literary Festival. Drink. Jazz Fest. This winter, travel deals abound as travelers look to take advantage of New Orleans' food, fun and historical offerings. Throw in some last minute Mardi Gras deals and "Laissez les Bonnes Temps Roulez!"
First, getting there. USAirways (tel. 800/428-4322; www.usairways.com) has flights to New Orleans and back from Providence for $198 round-trip if you travel before June 6, 2005. Taxes and additional security taxes do apply. From New York, Air Tran (tel. 800/247-8726; www.airtran.com) has flights during the Mardi Gras Festival for $223 round-trip from LaGuardia directly into New Orleans' Louis Armstrong Airport. From Chicago's Midway Airport into New Orleans, Air Tran's round-trip fare costs $208. From Phoenix, the fare on Southwest (tel. 800/435-9792; www.southwest.com) is only $259 round-trip if booked two weeks in advance with a Saturday stay excluding air taxes and security fees.
Once in New Orleans, the quaint bed and breakfasts scattered all over town including the French Quarter, the Garden District and Uptown are great alternatives to the big hotel chains. Historic Lodging's site, www.historiclodging.com, is a great starting point when selecting the right bed and breakfast in the Big Easy. The site lists most of the lodging in the city and has rates and contact information as well as historical details and photographs. The Maison Lafayette (tel. 800/729-4640; www.historiclodging.com/lafayette.html) for example, in the Garden District famous for Gothic architecture has off-season rates starting at $120 per night when nothing special is going on. Of course, expect rates during the Super Bowl, Mardi Gras or Jazz Fest.
In case you don't know, the Garden District is perfectly placed in between the wild French Quarter and the more conservative Uptown area. The famous restaurant Commanders Palace (tel. 504/ 899-8221; www.commanderspalace.com), where a young chef named Emeril got his start, is across the street from one of New Orleans' most prestigious and frightening burial grounds where the graves are above ground. Go for the Sunday Gospel Brunch and have the Turtle Soup before the Stuffed Quail. "Bam."
If you want to experience some real down and dirty French Quarter living and invoke the ghost of Tennessee William's Stanley Kowalski or Elvis Presley's Kid Creole, then the Gentry Quarters is the place for you. In the heart of the French Quarter in a series of multi-colored row houses off a quiet thoroughfare, the modest Gentry Quarters (tel. 800/729-4640; www.historiclodging.com/gentry.html) is a comfortable place to stay while exploring the local environs. Rates start around $75 for off-season and climb up from there. The fixtures and furnishings are tastefully done and some may be part of the original structure. The property has a small backyard garden.
For those of you looking to cut loose Mardi Gras style, the Garden District Hotel (tel. 800/265-1856; www.gardendistricthotel.com) is a bigger property than the aforementioned B&Bs and is offering a limited availability Mardi Gras special. If you book before December 22, 2004 for travel between January 22 and 24, 2005 (Fat Tuesday is early this year), the hotel has discounted rooms available for $159 per night. The package includes streetcar passes to Bourbon Street and daily breakfast at Lulu's, a New Orleans culinary favorite. When calling, ask for the rate code LMARDI. A two-night stay is required.
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