We woke up early and got the kids off to school, leaving the parents to pack and get ready for our trip to New Orleans. Michelle picked them up early from school, between 12p and 1p, and Adrianne took us to the airport by 2p. Check-in went smoothly as there were not very many people at the airport (or at least in that particular terminal, occupied only by Southwest / AirTran). The flight, on a 737, went smoothly though the entire route was pretty much clouded-in. We first flew to Nashville then (on the same plane) on to New Orleans, arriving about 6p local time. We booked travel for the four of us on the airport shuttle to downtown hotels and thought it to be a bit pricey — until we saw that the cab prices were quite comparable. Oh well, beats walking — Louis Armstrong Airport is many miles west of our hotel just outside the French Quarter.
After a long shuttle ride through much of the French Quarter (as there were other hotels reached before ours — the last stop) we arrived at the Courtyards Inn on Royal Street. We’ve been coming here for years (in particular three times in the last 4 years — 2010, 2012, and 2014) and it is a great base for exploring not only the French Quarter but also Marigny (the first suburb of New Orleans, built on a former plantation). It is, in my opinion, on the best side of the Quarter, the east side. This side is far more residential and less commercial than the other side bounded by Canal Street. Marigny is also home to many fantastic restaurants and great music (much off of Frenchmen Street).
The Courtyards Inn itself is a collection of six units around a charming courtyard. My parents were already here when we arrived and, after a quick break to move the luggage to the unit (on top of theirs, a change from the usual unit on the third floor at the front of the inn) and freshen up we headed out for dinner. We had intended to eat at Praline Connection as it is only a few blocks away but the wait was an hour or so. We instead headed to a restaurant they had dined in earlier in the day, the Marigny Brasserie and Bar.
Though we didn't eat there (yet!), I really like the neon sign
The place was nice, with a bar / music stage in the front and more traditional dining space in the rear. After some of the best mozzarella sticks any of us had ever eaten (with a sweet tomato Creole sauce), I had a wonderful Andouille sausage po boy. Addison had a burger done medium rare that looked perfect as it had a soaked lower bun. Yum! For dessert I shared a chocolate mousse cake with Genetta. While we were eating a band started playing in the front. There were three of them, a drummer, a saxophonist, and a person playing this really large odd instrument. The waitress (who was excellent) told us it was a kora, a traditional African instrument with 21 (!) strings. It had a wonderful sound.
Band (with kora on the left) at the Marigny Brasserie and Bar
We headed back to the unit after that, briefly talking in the courtyard before heading up to bed exhausted from the day’s travels.