The best hamburger in New Orleans?

The menu board at Bud's Broiler, City Park Ave.

Some our fellow innkeepers read this blog, believe it or not.  Not just in New Orleans, but all over the country.  They sometimes ask me why I often feel compelled to dwell on topics that many tourists aren't going to see.  If you read a lot of B&B blogs (I've read a few, not many) you'll see reprinted recipes and reprinted festival schedules, and links to restaurant reviews, and whatnot.  All well and good, but those things don't really interest me much.

Frau Schmitt and I live in New Orleans.  We do go to the French Quarter.  We do go to Frenchmen Street.  We go to plenty of other places, too.  Plenty of them; the kind of places the Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) doesn't like to discuss.  Don't ask me why.

If you get a map from the CVB, it shows the Quarter and the Garden District.  It even shows Freret Street for some reason.  It doesn't show our neighborhood.  Off the top of my head, I can think of four museums in our neighborhood and, oh, maybe 20 restaurants, all of them very good.  There are also five B&Bs just on Esplanade Avenue.  Yet, our neighborhood doesn't rate a mention on the official map.  Oh well.  More for us.

Bud's Broiler is located on the City Park Avenue side of City Park.  It's about a mile and a half from our house and it's open 24 hours.  A 24-hour hamburger stand that sells beer---and I don't mean just root beer.  New Orleans is like that.  It's full of surprises.  

The last time I went to Bud's Broiler, I noticed the prices had gone up.  A Number 1 costs $3.05.  Try getting a charcoal grilled hamburger for three bucks in the French Quarter.  

Hey, look!  Here's a link to a review of Bud's Broiler!  I'm not saying it's great.  I'm only saying I like it.  Frau Schmitt is a little less enamored with the place.  I always say I want to go to Bud's for my birthday and she gently suggests I choose somewhere else.  You might wonder where I choose instead.  For that, you'll have to ask me over breakfast.  It will give us something else to talk about.

Until that morning,
À votre santé,
La Belle Esplanade bed and breakfast 

Christmas in New Orleans

A festive view

I noticed this morning that our neighbor in the green house put some garland and bows on her balcony.  It looks nice.  We'll be doing something similar next year.  We haven't been decorating for the season, but that's going to change.  

Mardi Gras is the biggest holiday in New Orleans, celebrated by people of all faiths and none at all.  Christmas comes in second as the most visible holiday in the city.  Why not?

Not your typical Christmas picture

It's a very Catholic city.  It has been since it was founded.  Don't let appearances fool you.  Christmas is a big deal.  Even on Bourbon Street where the Devil pretty much has the run of the place.

Just a short entry today because I have things to do.  I know content has been a bit skimpy the past two weeks and I apologize to our regular readers.  Fear not.  I'll be back on schedule next week.

What's a post about Christmas without mention of toys?  You know what I always say about New Orleans, that you never know what you'll find when you turn a corner.  Frau Schmitt and I had a late breakfast a few days ago at Biscuits and Buns on Banks.  We parked our scooters on South Alexander Street, and this is what I saw as we left:

Prince Charming doll on a piece of cinder block

Who knows why?  It's just one of those things.

Happy Christmas from your humble narrator, Frau Schmitt and, of course, from Tammie the Housekeeper, your friends at La Belle Esplanade bed and breakfast.

À votre santé.

Tammy the Housekeeper

La Belle Esplanade. 

Voodoo Fest 2015

What happens when you worship the music

Another reservation arrived this morning for the last weekend during next October.  The inn is filling up.  From what I can gather, the folks who made the reservation aren't coming to New Orleans for Voodoo Fest or for Hallowe'en, but for something more special.  

As our inn becomes more famous (if I can call it that) and more popular (if I can call it that, too), I come to realize that people need to plan more and more in advance for the busy times of year.  I'm not saying that you need to plan your trip a year in advance, but I am saying you shouldn't wait for two weeks before.  

In case you're interested in coming to Voodoo Fest next year, here's the link.  We have two suites left.  Each suite has one bed that sleeps two people.  Please don't write to ask about renting out the house, or about piling in a suite with all your pals like a slumber party.  We don't do that.

What we do offer, is a peaceful respite in a real neighborhood within walking distance of many major tourist attractions as well as some off the beating path.  New Orleans is a magical city.

We are already full for Valentine's Day and Mardi Gras, but I think we have availability for everything else I can think of at the moment.  Please visit our website if you're interested.  If you can't find the information you're looking for there, please write.  

Our online calendar is accurate and the best way to make a reservation.  We offer all our available suites on our website.  We do not offer them all on other sites.

À votre santé,
La Belle Esplanade bed and breakfast.

A Look at New Orleans Past

Like the Creoles always say, "Plus ça change, plus chest la même chose."  New Orleans remains the largest coffee port in the country.  The banana trade is moving back to the city after a few decade hiatus.  

Of course, everything in New Orleans is still in color.  It's not a black and white kind of town.

À votre santé,
La Belle Esplanade bed and breakfast.