Where to stay with your spouse in New Orleans

The answer is obvious, isn't it?

One thing we’ve heard over and over again is how nice it is to stay at La Belle Esplanade.  I am not writing this to pat ourselves on the back, but to point out the advantages of staying somewhere besides in the neighborhood of the Convention Center when you are in town with your spouse for a conference or convention in New Orleans.

We are currently hosting a couple in town for a big neuroscience conference.  Only the husband is a neuroscientist. They have both taken advantage of our complimentary bicycles.  They pedal down to the Convention Center in the morning, passing through the French Quarter while it is still quiet.  For the rest of the day, the wife pedals around the city, enjoying the sights and the people while scouting likely spots to have dinner.  They have dined on Bourbon Street, but they have also enjoyed less-travelled, more local parts of New Orleans.  “I love Magazine Street,” the missus says.  “And we both love City Park,” the neuroscientist adds.

The Clio Suite

Staying at La Belle Esplanade bed and breakfast, you can enjoy the best of three worlds.  The French Quarter and Frenchman Street are only a stroll away.  Using our bicycles, you can sample the delights of Uptown and the Garden District.  We are located Downtown, where the atmosphere is unpretentious and relatively free of other conventioneers.  

Thus far, everyone who has stayed with us has walked up Esplanade Avenue to Bayou St. John were they have eaten a meal on a patio shaded by southern oaks.  Said the current guest from Finland, “I can’t believe how nice and warm it is in New Orleans.”  He ate at Mandina’s last night for a real New Orleans meal.

Les Fleurs Suite

Plenty of people come to New Orleans and only see the things found in a tourist brochure.  New Orleans is bigger and more than that.  It is more than three worlds for people who take the time to explore.  Tell us what you want to see.  We will give you detailed directions and plenty of detours.

Looking at the calendar, I see that a number of conventions and conferences will be in New Orleans in November.  If you are coming to any of these with your spouse, consider La Belle Esplanade bed and breakfast.  He or she will love you for it.

La France Suite

International Pool and Spa Expo New Orleans

Design-Build Institute of America Conference  [Our house is preserved from the 1890s as are its neighbors on either side.  All of them built at the same time by the same man.]

American Association of Respiratory Care  (AARC) Congress 2012 in New Orleans [Walking or pedaling from the 2200 Block of Esplanade Avenue to the Convention Center is good for your lungs.]

U.S. Marine Corps Birthday Celebration 2012 [You can run your morning PT through the Central Business District, or you can run along Bayou St. John or through City Park.]

Le Pelican Suite

In addition, there are a number of big events coming to New Orleans in November.

The International Jewelry Fair and General Merchandise Show 2012 draws people from around the world, and from the North Shore, with its over 1000 vendor booths.  If you are driving to the fair from Louisiana or Mississippi, consider staying overnight and making a memorable vacation of your shopping trip.  

The Bayou Classic will be played in the Superdome on November 22 this year.  This classic football rivalry between the Grambling State University Tigers and the Southern University Jaguars is a honored tradition.  Stay away from the crowds and enjoy the flavor of real New Orleans before and after the game.

Lastly, Wizard World New Orleans Comic Con will be at the end of the month.  What better way to indulge your fantasies than to stay in a colorful 1890s manor full of curiosities, a Mardi Gras Indian suit in the lobby, and a collection of pulp magazine reprints?  The Comic Con is about 15 minutes away by bicycle.  Before it opens and after it closes, indulge in the rest of the magic New Orleans has to offer.  Stan Lee is going to be in town but he hasn't made a reservation with us, yet.

The couple from Belgium told us every day, “We both love the breakfast.”  

The hostess,  Frau Schmitt, puts a lot of effort into devising a daily menu that provides a balanced mix of sweet and savory, and hot and cold, to provide a delicious, locally sourced start for the day ahead.  Before anyone else is awake, the host gets to zip around town on his motor scooter to the local bakeries to pick up fresh bread and pastry.  Somebody’s got to do it.

View of the gardens from the Adirondack chairs

A votre sante.