If you read my previous posts regarding a trip to New Orleans, you will remember that a fall on our first day presented some challenges to our carefully planned getaway and we made a plan to return some day for a second chance. We recently took that second chance and returned to New Orleans for an anniversary weekend.
My previous themes for my NOLA posts were The Food, the Fun, the Fall, and the Accessibility (which I experienced as a result of the fall.) Thankfully, this trip, there was no fall so I will stick with the Food, The Fun, and the Fantastic Hotel.
First: The Food
I was very much looking forward to returning to two of the restaurants we had visited previously. Upon arrival in NOLA, we parked and immediately went to the “goat cheese” restaurant for lunch. Sadly, while it was still there, the menu had completely changed and was now basic pub food and completely unappealing to us. We walked across the street to the Please-U-Restaurant which proudly states it’s been there since 1946. I do believe, it’s not been updated much since its opening and can be lovingly referred to as a “local dive.” It was obvious from observing the other diners, it was a great hangout for locals where conversation flowed easily amongst them and the wait staff. We enjoyed the food and service ourselves, but I would not plan to return.
Please-U
The second restaurant to which we wanted to return, The Three Muses, had also modified its menu quite a bit. However, we still enjoyed delicious food from the remaining options and thoroughly enjoyed the live music. 50/50 success rate with our restaurant repeats! Our food looked so good we dove right in, forgetting to take pictures so here is the menu as my consolation offering:
Three Muses Menu
We visited some new places as well this time. Again, we were not disappointed. Can I post this and not get skewered? We are not fans of Cajun food and yet we had so many delicious options. My husband did try the Shrimp Boil special at the Grand Isle Restaurant just a short walk from our hotel and thought it was tasty. My salmon salad was probably the best salmon salad I’ve ever eaten.
Salmon Salad at Grand Isle
Shrimp Boil at Grand Isle
We also enjoyed our afternoon snack of pretzels and beer (for my husband) at Cochon Butcher, a short walk from the WWII Museum. Mine was stuffed with ham and Gruyere, my husband went for a traditional pretzel to eat with his craft beer.
Stuffed Pretzel at Cochon Butcher
Traditional Pretzel and Beer
Next Up: The Fun
We had just 2 activities on our must see list: The Monet Experience and The World War II Museum. The Monet Experience was housed in the same location as the Van Gogh experience we had visited previously. The exhibit was nice but we were underwhelmed and definitely preferred the Van Gogh Experience.
The World War II Museum did not disappoint. Even after a 4 hour visit, we feel we could easily return again in the future for another visit. We spent the four hours on the Merchant Marines and Pacific Side of the museum as well as visiting the special exhibit about Women in Service – which was my favorite part! We concluded our time there in the theater watching Beyond All Boundaries: A 4D Journey Through the War that Changed the World. Narrated by Tom Hanks, this movie is not to be missed!
Women Exhibit
Women Exhibit
Women Exhibit
The Sazarec House on the corner of Canal and Magazine, offers complimentary tours and tastings. The house gives interesting history on the culture of New Orleans in addition to the distilling process.
Sazarac House
Finally: The Fantastic Hotel
For our new experience, we chose a different hotel. We stayed at the New Orleans Marriott Warehouse Arts District, a 4-star hotel directly across the street from the cruise terminal. This hotel experience was a definite upgrade over our last trip.
The rain was falling as we arrived. Immediately upon pulling up to the curb, the valet opened my door and escorted me beneath the entrance to stay dry. We gave him our key, he helped us unload our bags and took our car to park. Inside, we were greeted warmly by the front desk staff. At check in we received coupons to multiple city tours to be used during our stay. We also received vouchers for meals in the hotel restaurant.
Marriott Vouchers
Our room was spacious and our bed comfortable. The location across from the cruise terminal and outlet mall was excellent and I would highly recommend choosing this location for a pre-cruise stay.
Marriott Warehouse District
We used our restaurant vouchers for dessert our first night. I was tempted by their peanut butter pie on the menu and skipped dessert at our dinner. That pie is my only complaint against the hotel and restaurant. This peanut butter addicted traveler was quite disappointed in its lack of peanut butter flavor. Breakfast the next morning was a vast improvement.
The Dreadful Peanut Butter Pie
Avocado Toast Breakfast
As I shared in my original NOLA blog post, I really had no great desire to visit. However, after 2 visits, I can safely say, that is no longer the case and I am looking forward to planning a third trip one day!
