Classic Crescent City

By Christiana Roussel | Photos Contributed

Of all the times to travel to New Orleans – early spring for Mardi Gras, late spring for Jazz Fest – winter might become your new favorite time. As with every season, the Crescent City loves a celebration and a party. Winter holidays are no different, so plan your getaway now to enjoy all the city has to offer, without breaking a sweat.

Photo by Jeff Anding.

Songwriters for generations have tried to distill the essence of New Orleans into their lyrics. From Fats Domino’s “I’m Walking to New Orleans” where he croons, “And I’ve got no time for talkin’ I’ve got to keep on walkin’ ‘Cause New Orleans is my home That’s the reason why I’m goin’ Yes, I’m walkin’ to New Orleans,” this is a city that gets down into your soul.

5 hrs., 4 min. 344 Miles

Alabama

Photo courtesy of New Orleans & Company.

WHERE TO STAY

While there are myriad hotel options in New Orleans, we offer these three which are, quite honestly, destinations in and of themselves. Each offers more than a place to lay your head at night. Just as any host here would do, they want to provide more than a cozy bed and a hot shower. They want to embrace and engage you, they want you to experience their version of New Orleans, they want you to fall head-over-heels in love with the city the way they have. Also, traveling at the holidays will ensure each is gussied up for your visual delight.

Windsor Court

The epitome of old-world style and grace, the Windsor Court Hotel sets the standard for European-level travel in New Orleans. The stately downtown hotel has undergone extensive renovations and upgrades in recent years, which only adds to her charm. From the moment you enter the cloistered walls of the motor court, you will feel wellcared for. Rooms are large and sumptuous. Make time for high tea on the club level; it might become your new favorite tradition. windsorcourthotel.com

Hotel Peter & Paul

New Orleans is a city which revels in rebirth, at every turn. You will find that here in this former school, church and convent that has been given new life as an intimate hotel in the heart of the Marigny. Within a 10-min ute walk of the hotel’s front doors, you can explore the entire neighborhood. Bring your camera: the zippy, brightly-painted Creole cottages deserve to have their pictures taken. hotelpeterandpaul.com

Hotel Saint Vincent

Located in the Lower Garden District, Hotel Saint Vincent is as funky as it is elegant. The building itself dates back to 1861 but was renovated and completely updated in 2021. Save time for a pre-prandial nibble at the hotel’s all-day restaurant, San Lorenzo, which is named for the patron saint of cooks. Set aside some of your travel budget for a little pop in to By George, the hotel’s lifestyle boutique, which has the most covetable cu rated selection of things you never knew you needed but somehow cannot live without. saintvincentnola.com

Pictured is one of Windsor Court’s signature cocktails. Photo courtesy of The Mayfield Group.

Photo by Douglas Friedman.

WHAT TO DO

There’s simply no way to do all you’ll want to do in New Orleans in one visit. Then again, that is kind of the beauty of travel – we get to come back again and again to the places we love.

Vue New Orleans

Start your visit with a visit to Vue New Orleans. From 34-stories up, you’ll get a fantastic 360-degree overview of the city, literally and historically. Whether this is your first or 50th visit to the Crescent City, you will come away, learning something new about the city. vueorleans.com

The Roosevelt Hotel, a Waldorf Astoria Hotel

No holiday visit to New Orleans is complete without visiting the show-stopping display at the Roo sevelt Hotel. This year’s display will be revealed on Tuesday, Nov. 29 and promises to feature more than 112,000 lights, 1,600 feet of garland and 4,000 glass ornaments. The hotel lobby spans an entire city block and is truly breath-taking. While the little ones take in the Roosevelt Teddy Bear Tea, perhaps the grown-ups can pop in to the Sazerac Bar for a libation. therooseveltneworleans.com

Christmas at the Waldorf Lobby in the Roosevelt Hotel. Photo by Teg Folks.

Photo by Christian Horan Photography.

New Orleans City Park

New Orleans does so many things well and an abundance of public green spaces is certainly one of those. City Park offers more than 1,400 acres of space to picnic, walk or bike. At the holidays, the largest grove of live oaks in the world get dolled up in thousands of lights for the Celebration in the Oaks. This annual tradition has been going strong since the 1980s with hol iday-themed displays, which are practically guaranteed to inspire more than a few sugarplum-filled dreams.

neworleanscitypark.com

Tour the city by bike

Winter months are ideal for being outside and New Orleans’s flat terrain makes bike riding a breeze. There are scads of itiner aries on-line, so be sure to pick one or two before you go and make a day of it.

neworleanscitypark.com

Photo by Zack Smith.

Photo courtesy of New Orleans & Company.

Alexa Pulitzer

To meet Alexa Pulitzer, acclaimed paper and leath er-goods designer, is to meet New Orleans. The woman is clearly besotted with her hometown, and her daily work girds that passion. From her ceaseless support of Preserva tion Hall, to the custom goods she’s created for the National World War II Museum, to the whimsical royal alligator that is synonymous with her affec tion for this place, Alexa is a New Orleanian through-andthrough.

As Hurricane Katrina bore down on her beloved city, a very pregnant Alexa and her husband fled to Birmingham to literally ride out the storm. Friends housed them, found her an OB/GYN and a printer, so that she could continue to operate her business. Alexa adds, “To this day, I am forever grateful to the incredible people of Birmingham, who opened their arms and hearts to me. They left a magical impression on me and showed me the true meaning of gen erosity, hospitality and ‘Bless Your Heart!’”

So, before you hit I-59 South, you simply MUST visit Alexa’s eponymous website, alexapu litzer.com, and read what is basically her love letter to New Orleans entitled “Guide to NOLA” at the bottom of the homepage. She updates the listings quarterly to reflect new additions and closings. Learn more about Alexa and check out her work at alexapulitzer.com

Mardi Gras World

For many, New Orleans is synony mous with Mardi Gras. To be sure, the annual celebration between Kings’ Day and the start of Lent is a sight to behold and experience. Per haps responsible for more than $1 billion in revenue for the city, Mardi Gras is serious business. Go behind the scenes at Mardi Gras World to learn the history of Mardi Gras, see how floats are made and maybe take more than a few Instagram-wor thy photos. mardigrasworld.com

Take a cooking class

In a city that is renowned for its mul titude of represented cuisines, why not take a cooking class and bring the flavors home with you? Explore more at the New Orleans School of Cooking neworleansschoolofcook ing.com or do a deeper dive at the Southern Food and Beverage Muse um southernfood.org/events-1 or book a private class at New Orleans Culinary and Hospitality Institute nochi.org

Photo courtesy of Alexa Pulitzer.

Photo courtesy of New Orleans & Company.

Photo courtesy of NOCHI.

Photo courtesy of NOCHI.

uAlex Beard Studio – Equal parts work space and studio, travel gallery and wanderlust zone, Alex Beard’s studio is a must-visit. His work is inspired by a love of animals and travels to Africa and is teeming with what he calls “abstract natu ralism.” Kids will marvel at the intricacies, and adults will feel a yearning to own a piece. Do it. You’ll never regret buying the art you love. alexbeardstudio.com

uHome Malone – New Orleans gets down in your soul, and you’ll find yourself wanting to bring that bonhomie and joie de vivre back to Birmingham with you. Pop into locally-owned Home Malone for fun door décor or yard art that will remind you of this holiday trip, anytime of year. homemalonenola.com

Stroll Magazine Street

Spend an afternoon bouncing between the fantastic retail emporiums that line this beloved street. You are bound to knock out your entire holiday shopping list in an afternoon – that is, if you don’t get distracted by all the pretty things you want for yourself. Not to be missed:

uDunn & Sonnier – More than a florist, more than an antiques shop, more than you can imagine on every surface and wall. These are the folks respon sible for the famed rose display in the lobby of the Windsor Court Hotel – go see them in person and bring home a treasure for your own home. dunnandsonnier.com

uPerlis – Located way uptown, Perlis is the go-to clothing shop here, carrying such brands as Barbour, Peter Millar and local brand TASC. But what you might also know them for is their signa ture crawfish logo, which will put you in a New Orleans state of mind wherever you are. perlis.com.

Photo by Richard Nowitz.

Pictured is Alex doing what he loves: painting. Photo by Bryan Tarnowski.

WHERE TO EAT

You could close your eyes and throw a Mardi Gras doubloon and hit some place great to eat in New Orleans. Be it tables clothed in white linen or weathered wooden high-tops flanked by worn barstools, the same love and pride goes into all the food this town serves up. Make reservations where you can, pack extra patience when you must wait in line. This is by no means an exhaustive list but just a great place to start.

Chemin à la Mer

This sexy and sophisticated spot atop the Four Seasons in downtown New Orleans offers a beautiful river view, with a menu featuring so much of what chef Donald Link and his team do best: take the freshest local ingredients and simply elevate them. Think blue crab boulettes, duck confit, oysters. cheminalamer.com/neworleans.

Frankie & Johnny’s

This uptown neighborhood joint bears the patina of decades of pitchers of local beer, discarded oyster shells and more than a few tall-tales told. Grab a seat and order a couple dozen chargrilled oysters to start – you can look at the rest of the menu later. frankieandjohnnys.net.

Photo by Zack Smith.

Try some oysters at Chemin à la Mer on your next trip! They won’t disappoint.

Photo by Paul Broussard.

Seafood is one thing New Orleans gets right everytime.

Domilise’s Po-Boy and Bar

There are as many iterations of poboys in New Orleans as there are Mardi Gras krewes. You just have to find the kind you like. But the basics must include the freshest bread (usually from Leidenheimer’s bakery) and something good stuffed in between – it could be fried shrimp or oysters but might also be alligator sausage or roast beef. Grab a stack of po-boys at Domilise’s Po-Boy and Bar and head to Audubon Park for a make shift picnic. domilisespoboys.com.

La Boulangerie

During Mardi Gras season, La Bou langerie turns out some of the most fantastic King Cakes you’ve ever seen (ask them about The Elvis). But this Magazine Street bakery and sandwich shop is renowned year round for the caliber of their fare, which includes croissants, turnovers, bread pudding, savory biscuits, quiche, sandwiches with Butcher ham and Comté cheese, tarts, pies and really great coffee. laboulangerienola.com

Mosquito Supper Club

Founded to celebrate the bounty of the seafaring community that surrounds the Crescent City, the Mosquito Supper Club menu mir rors those waters, with an ebb and flow of what the fishermen haul in. Go hungry and curious; you won’t be disappointed. Reservations through Tock and via email only. mosquitosupperclub.com

Make This at Home

Even if you can’t get to New Orleans for the holidays, you can still have a bit of that Big Easy feeling at home, with this boozy egg nog from Cochon Butcher. Go ahead and double (or triple) the recipe. Jars of this holiday treat will be exact ly what your friends and neigh bors hope you’ll gift them when you come a-calling.

Cochon Butcher’s Boozy Butcher Eggnog

Ingredients: u 12 eggs u 2 cups sugar u 2 cups milk u 2 cups half-and-half u 2 cups heavy whipping cream u 2 ½ cups spiced rum u ½ cup bourbon u 1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1) Separate the egg whites and yolks into two clean mix ing bowls. There can be no yolks in the white mixture, or they won’t mix correctly.

2) Whip the yolks until light, then add sugar and salt and whip until thick and white and form soft peaks.

3) Fold the whites into the yolks.

4) Add all the dairy and alco hol. Mix thoroughly. Pour into mason jars and seal; label and share, share, share!

Photo by Todd Coleman.

Photo by Joyce Bracey.

La Boulangerie's "King's Cake" is fit for a king, himself. Photo courtesy of New Orleans & Company.

Photo courtesy of Cochon.