What the Tour Guides Say on Esplanade Avenue

A New Orleans B&B; 2216 Esplanade Avenue

I have always wondered about what the tour bus drivers are talking about when they pause across the street from La Belle Esplanade.  Now, I have the inside scoop.

Two lovely young ladies from Little Rock, Arkansas drove down to spend a New Orleans weekend.  It was their first time in our fair city and, after walking about the French Quarter and hearing their host tell them about the various neighborhoods outside the Quarter, they decided to take a bus tour yesterday courtesy of Cajun Encounters.  They took the "City and Cemetery" tour.

Imagine their surprise when their bus headed up Esplanade Avenue, where they had spent the previous night.  Imagine their surprise when the driver paused in the 2200 block of Esplanade Avenue and pointed out "his two favorite houses," one of which was none other than La Belle Esplanade bed and breakfast, the headquarters for their New Orleans adventure.   According to their report, the driver, who stopped in front of every interesting building, spent an extra long time in Esplanade Avenue's 2200 block.  

While he expressed his admiration of La Belle Esplanade's vibrant color scheme, he did take time to extol the beauty of her sister at 2212.

A beautiful neighbor; 2212 Esplanade Avenue

Our visitors from Little Rock knew a little more backstory than the tour guide.  They had been given a brief introduction to these properties' history the afternoon before.  2212, 2216, and 2222 Esplanade Avenue were all built in the 1890s by cotton broker Julius Weis as investment properties.  All three are constructed in different styles, unlike other row houses built on speculation.  If you look closely, you can see the same features used in all three in re-imagined ways.

2222 Esplanade Avenue:

The grand apartments at 2222 Esplanade Avenue

These fraternal architectural triplets are laid out on narrow wedges of land that follow the plot lines of Bayou Road, the oldest street in New Orleans, not Esplanade Avenue.  They are separated by narrow alleys that make a unique, antique urban oasis, exemplified by the shared garden in back.

2212 is a private residence.  2216 is La Belle Esplanade bed and breakfast.  2222 is home to four beautiful apartments.  If you want to know what life is like in New Orleans, no matter how long your commitment to a particular address, this NOLA bed and breakfast is the perfect way to experience what it is like to live here.  It is magic, pure and simple.

How did they feel about having their home away from home featured on a paid tour?  "It only confirmed that we are staying someplace special,"  Emily told me over a breakfast plate of alligator and biscuits.  Lindsay agreed as she bit into the sculpted icing flower of her petit fours.

Good guests make good company.  We are glad this weekend's guests enjoyed their stay and we hope they drive safely back to Little Rock with only fond memories from their brief sojourn in the City Care Forgot.

2212 and 2216 Esplanade Avenue before La Belle Esplanade got its fresh coat of paint

There is something cheerful about a bright orange house with deep blue shutters in which every room is a different color.

A votre sante.