Travellady MagazineTM


Where to Stay in New Orleans and All that Jazz

By Madelyn Miller, the TravelLady

CHATEAU SONESTA HOTEL OPENS NEW BOURBON STREET SUITE

Suite Named in Honor of Legendary Jazz Musician Louis Armstrong

Born in New Orleans in 1901, Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong is said to be among the greatest of all Jazz musicians, by displaying an amazing technical ability, along with joy and spontaneity in his work.  He came from a very poor New Orleans family and at the age of 12, was sent to a reform school for firing a gun in the air on New Year's Eve.  The punishment for Louis was actually a blessing as he learned to play cornet at school, and the rest shall we say, is history.

Louis Armstrong has been gone now for over 30 years, but his memory and his music lives on in a corner suite at The Chateau Sonesta Hotel.   Located in the historic French Quarter, the hotel recently unveiled the renovation of a suite dedicated to noted musician Louis Armstrong.

The $95,000 renovation of the Bourbon Balcony Suite is the brainchild of interior designer Monika Cliborne, who researched the life and style of Armstrong for the suite renovation.  Included in the renovation is the addition of a fabulous full-service bar with granite counter tops, stained and etched concrete floors, and new furnishing, window treatments and lighting.  The theme of the suite – music – is heavily reflected along the walls that are now covered with vinyl and matching border depicting an array of musical instruments.  An adjacent bedroom also underwent a makeover with new carpeting and a completed renovated bathroom. 

“The Chateau Sonesta continues to pay tribute to New Orleans’ rich musical tradition with the dedication of the Louis Armstrong suite,” said Alfred Groos, Vice President and General Manager. “Many of our visitors receive their first impression of New Orleans from Armstrong’s works, and the indelible images he created undoubtedly attract people to our city year after year. We are extremely grateful for his enormous talent and ability to communicate the unique character of New Orleans.”

This is the third suite at the hotel dedicated to a famous resident of New Orleans; the other suites are the luxurious John Kennedy Toole suite, named after the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “A Confederacy of Dunces,” and the Tennessee Williams Suite, in memory of one of the greatest Southern playwrights.

The Chateau Sonesta is known for having the most spacious guest rooms in the French Quarter. The historic property features 251 guest rooms and suites with grand, 12-foot ceilings. The award-winning Ralph Brennan’s Red Fish is connected to the hotel.

For more information or reservations, call the hotel direct at (504) 586-0800 or visit the website at http://www.chateausonesta.com.

For More Information

HELPFUL WEBSITE
www.neworleanscvb.com
www.neworleansonline.com

What I Wish I Had Known Before I Went to New Orleans

There are two kinds of people who go to New Orleans, those who want to party and those who don’t. If you don’t plan to stay up all night, be sure to express that preference when you check in and request a quiet room, perhaps on a courtyard. Or consider staying outside the quarter if you value a good night’s sleep.

I stayed at a to-be-nameless hotel (not in the hotel named above) in the quarter and called down to the front desk because of all the noise. They were prepared. They sent up earplugs. That was not enough. Two sleeping pills and six hours later, I learned there was a long list of people who wanted to change rooms. I waited (and slept) all day in my room waiting for another room, wanting to be sure not to loose my place on that special list. The helpful front desk person told me that more people than usual had called down to complain the night before.

Best Places To Eat

Restaurant August (I had to put this at the top of the list, even though officially the name starts with R because it was my very favorite. The rest of my top pick restaurants are listed alphabetically)
301 Tchoupitoulas St at Gravier
504-299-9777
www.rest-august.com/

Bacco
310 Chartres Street 
504-522-2426
www.bacco.com

Cobalt
333 Saint Charles Ave at Perdido
504-565-5595
www.cobaltrestaurant.com

Galatoire’s
209 Bourbon Street at Iberville
504-525-2021
www.galatoires.com

Herbsaint
701-St. Charles Ave. at Girod
504-524-4114
www.Herbsaint.com

La Côte Brasserie
700 Tchoupitoulas Street
New Orleans, LA 70130 (Arts District)
Reservations 504.613.2350
Fax 504.613.2364
www.lacotebrasserie.com

Muriel’s
801 Chartres St. at St. Ann
504-568-1885
www.muriels.com

Ralph’s on the Park
900 City Park Avenue at Dumaine Street
504-488-1000
www.ralphsonthepark.com

Rene Bistrot
817 Common St at Carondelet
504-412-2580
www.renebistrot.com

Red Fish Grill
115 Bourbon Street
New Orleans, Louisiana 70130
(504) 598-1200
www.redfishgrill.com

Upperline
1413 Upperline st at Prytania
504-891-9822
www.upperline.com

Best Place To Get Online For Free

201 St. Charles in the food court Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm

Great Guidebooks

Feet On The Street
Rambles Around New Orleans
By Roy Blount, Jr.
Crown Journeys
www.randomhouse.com

Insight Guides New Orleans
From Discovery Channel
www.insightguides.com

Access New Orleans
HarperResource/Access Press
www.harpercollins.com

New Orleans
Eyewitness Travel Guides
Over 700 pictures
DK PUBLISHING
WWW.dk.com

Eating New Orleans
From French Quarter Creole Dining to the Perfect Poboy
By Pableaux Johnson
Countryman Press
www.countrymanpress.com

2005 New Orleans Restaurants
With bonus Nightlife section
ZagatSurvey
www.zagat.com

Stories In Stone: A Field Guide to Cemetery Symbolism and Iconography
Written and photographed by Douglas Keister
Dead men may tell no tales, but their tombstones do—and now there is a book that will help anyone become an expert on just what it is they are trying to tell us. Graveyard tours and funerary architecture are HUGE in New Orleans so you may want to study up.
Gibbs Smith, Pubisher
www.gibbs-smith.com

Helpful Map

MAPQUEST NEW ORLEANS City Map . This large scale detailed street map folds up to 2”x3”

I’ll DRINK TO THAT
The Museum of the American Cocktail is dedicated to providing education in mixology and preserving the rich history of the American Cocktail. The exhibit is on display at the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum at 514 Chartres Street, now through September 2005- over two hundred years of cocktail memorabilia from the outstanding collections of the founders.

BEST WALKING TOUR
The Scandals Tour

Great Tour
Since July of 2004, City Segway Tours has been gliding through the city of New Orleans offering a new way for tourists and residents to visit the popular historical sites of this fabulous city. The 3-4 hour tour begins at the golden Joan of Arc statue in front of the office, then heads to Governor Nicholls Street Wharf before moving along the riverfront through Woldenberg Park to the Aquarium of the Americas and Harrah's Casino. Riders then take the ferry across the river to Algiers Point, glide down the Jazz Walk of Fame to visit Mardi Gras World and through the streets of Algiers. The tour crosses the river again, heads down the Riverwalk to end back at the Joan of Arc statue.

If you are not familiar with the Segway HT, it is the first self-balancing, electric-powered transporter designed to enhance the productivity of people by increasing the distance they travel and the amount they can carry. The Segway HT uses a breakthrough technology called dynamic stabilization, enabling it to work seamlessly with the body's movements. It operates in any pedestrian environment and is perfect for City Segway Tour purposes.

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