"I will write a report in the next few days."

Do it now, some of us need the excitement

Fiona
Glad you had a good time.
Look forward to your report.
I was thinking about Mardi Gras in Feb 2005.
Did you do the trip yourself or tour?
Cher

We did the holiday with Travelbag. I tried to do it DIY but could not beat the price I got.
First of all I will NEVER fly with KLM/NWA again unless I have no choice! I won't go into it much in this post - just say we have now been given 3 sets of miles as compensation and can probably fly to Amsterdam with them!!! When I've a spare couple of hours I will add a report to the airline section.
Entry into the States now involves being fingerprinted and photographed. No big deal though. During two of our flights we were "selected" for special screening- seemed all Brits were!! They even swab your hand baggage!Again no big deal.
On our way out we landed at Memphis but took a flight on to New Orleans. As I am typing this I am remembering the heat and humidity,and looking out to a dismal day! We arrived at about 8pm but by the time we got our luggage and the taxi had crawled through heavy traffic, it was 10pm before we had freshened up at our hotel and were ready to hit the road! ( Remember- we had put our clock bck 6 hours as well!) Not really a good time to hit Bourbon Street. Everything was face on and manic as it was Friday night! After wandering about in a daze we ended up in TGI Fridays, had a snack and a couple of drinks and called it a night.
Our hotel, Omni Royal, was in a peaceful location yet only 3 mins walk from the mayhem! The room was very small but everything was there and the furniture was beautiful. I think that if you want to stay in the French Quarter you just have to put up with small rooms! It had a rooftop pool with great views - we only went there twice- late afternoons- as we had too many places to see.
On Saturday we had a wonder around the Quarter- you turn a corner and are faced with yet another brilliant group playing right in the middle of the street. There were also loads of other street performers. This was something whch really made my holiday.
We went on the Natchez steamboat that afternoon-just how I imagined it!
We also went on 4 other trips- the graveyard/vodoo, the swamps, and walking tours of the French Quarter and the Garden district.
A word about our guides and those in bars, restaurants etc- what a joy they were- everybody polite, helpful and with some sense of humour. We found that with Americans in general- you couldn't even go down in the lift without someone striking a conversation. We were always the only Brits on tours- most were Americans and Canadians and they were all very friendly and outgoing.
The following day we went on the swamp tour. Our guide( Jerry) was something else! He has lived all his life in the swamps and it tells! He knew everything about it and could make the sound of any animal or bird in the swamp. He is an alligator hunter( they only have one month when they can legally hunt- September). Whenever we saw an alligator he called it over( really!!!) and fed it marshmallows! The swamp area is beautiful and we have stunning photos from there.Here is one of them.
http://www.wunderground.com/wximage/viewsingleimage.html?mode=singleimage&handle=bosuntony&number=0#slideanchor
The trip was supposed to last about an hour but we were on the water for nearer two.
A word about the weather- all the locals were complaining all the time- they wanted the winter to start as it had been too hot for too long!!! Whenever we were on a tour everyone tried to stay in the shade but the guide would joke with us Scots that we could stand in the sun if we wanted!
More about trips and nightlife in my next post!

We used Gray Line for our tours. They were very professional. On the swamp tour for instance they use hunters for guides. Our next tour was the voodoo/cemetary one. This was in the morning and thank goodness it was- it was very hot there and would have been pretty unbearable in the afternoon. We went to St louis 1 Cemetary where the voodoo queen Marie Laveau is buried. The tour is fascinating. Cemetaries have to be above ground in New Orleans. There are many stories of "gran" floating off in her coffin! New Orleans is below water level and indeed, since the last hurricane, estimates of when NO will disappear altogether have been greatly revised to just over a hundred years.When the family vault is "full" bodies are placed in chambers( locally named ovens) for at least a year and a day. These chambers are then opened and the remains ( of which there is precious little) are put in the family vault. I loved the voodoo tales. Seems that it really came about as it was the only way slaves could have any sort of control of their "masters". We were given a gris-gris which should give you good luck. My husband is now convinced they work as, while we were unpacking, he was listening to his football team and as he picked up the gris - gris they scored! Bearing in mind this is Aberdeen football club it is by no means a regular event!!
Our guide was an extrovert and had so many good stories. She was on her third husband- I'll bet the others decided they needed a more peaceful life!
Our afternoon was a walking tour of the Garden quarter. There are some beautiful houses there. Also, unusually for NO, they had garden ground. We were shown some celebrity houses- the one which most people were interested in was the lead singer of the Nine Inch Nails. Never heard of them- has anyone here? All the houses were being decked out for Halloween. Halloween is a huge celebration over there. It would be great to be there this weekend.
To be continued.....

Glad you had a good time, it sounds really good.
My daughter went to Mardi Gras in February a couple of years ago and had a grand time.
Halloween in the US, well they certainly know how to do it.
You must spend Halloween there one year and Thanksgiving.
I lived in North Carolina for 4 years and enjoyed everyday there.
Look forward to more from you Fiona.
Cher

Thanks Cher
Its good to get some feedback!
My report is taking longer than I'd expected to complete- a busy time for me just now.
Our final walking tour was one around the French Quarter. Again, our guide was great. I had wondered about going as we'd already walked miles around and about, but its good to get a locals knowledge. We also went into the Cabildo Museum. It was the recommended one if you also choose to go to one. We really didn't have time to see more.
We found the Time Out New Orleans to be good for tour recs and for walks to do on your own, also for nightlife.
Naturally we went to Pat O'Briens( I think it is a bit like Raffles in Singapore- you HAVE to go and have their cocktail! This is called a Hurricane and it could certainly blow you away if you decide to have more than one. It has a couple of bars inside and a vast courtyard which has a fountain spouting water during the day but fire at night. You also get to keep the Hurricane glass.
An unsual bar to try is Carousel Bar. This is at the hotel Monteleone. You sit down at it and completely rotates in 15 mins. This takes some getting used to and the twice we went was at the beginning of the night- I'm not sure if I would have stayed on later on!!
Run out of time again!! More later!

New Orleans is worth going to just for the music! Apart from some street musicians you have your pick of live music bars. Our two favourites were the Blues Bar and Storyville, both on Bourbon Street. I found it hard to believe that groups such as the ones who played there were playing in a pub! Most groups have CDs on sale on the night- between $10 and $20. We bought a couple! The tip bucket is passed round from time to time but there is usually no cover charge.
Food is another good reason to go to NO. We were never disappointed- Husband had his fair share of oysters( I can't stand them raw though!). As we were only there a short time we went to the most talked about restaurants. Prices are a lot cheaper than here but then you have to add a 15-20% tip on to that. ( Tipping is BIG there- if it moves you tip it!!!)
One place everybody visits in NO is Cafe Du Monde. Open 24 hours but breakfast is its busiest. You go for cafe au lait and hot beignets. The closest thing we have to this are doughnuts. They are squares of fried dough absolutely drowning in powdered sugar. You can not eat these without making a mess!! Absolutely delicious, as is the coffee. BTW if you want anything else to eat, you can't- they only sell beignets!!

All too soon it was time to move on to Memphis. We arrived at the airport to be told by NW that our flight had been cancelled and to take ourselves over to Continental to see what they could do for us. ( The only thing NW did was put us on standby for a flight in about 7 hours time) Continental staff could not have been more different. They got us to Memphis about 3 hours later than original time, routing us through Houston. As I said, KLM and NW - hopefully I will not fly with them again( mind you I didn't fly with them to Memphis did I!!!) We only originally had an afternoon, a full day and a morning in Memphis - the flight delay meant that we lost the afternoon. ( We had originally only been going to NO but had to change in Memphis so we thought we would be as well spending some time there.
We stayed at the downtown Radisson. 5 mins from Beale Street and so in an ideal position. The reception area was very nice but frankly I was really disappointed with the rooms( we refused the first one we got) They are very worn and dated. Not really what I would have expected from a Radisson. The reception staff were efficient and helpful though. However, we only had 2 nights there so it wasn't too bad.
Beale street is great! Again the groups playing are amazing. Our favourite group- the King Beez were there. We went to BB Kings and came away with another glass to add to the collectiion!
Our main tour in Memphis was obviously Graceland. The house itself is surprisingly small and not as outragous as I would have expected- apart from the Jungle Room. The exhibition rooms though were extensive. You are given an audio tape which was an excellent way of finding out more about the exhibits. You were never hurried and could spend as long as you liked in each room. I think we were there for about 4 hours and you could easily have spent longer. The garden where Elvis is buried is very peaceful. The family are buried there. Apparently Elvis and his mum were originally buried in a nearby cemetary but his father obtained special permission to rebury them at Graceland as "fans" had several times tried to dig up Elvis' grave as they didn't believe he was dead!! Across the road from the mansion there are further exhibits. You can see inside both his aircraft and also visit the automobile museum with the famous pink cadillac amongst many, many others!!
The morning before our Graceland visit we took a city tour. We had a wonderful guide again, which really made the tour brilliant. The most bizarre part though is when they take you to the Peabody Hotel to see the famous duck parade. Every morning the ducks are taken down from their home at the top of the hotel in the lift and they then march along the red carpet, stopping to pose for photos a few times before finally reaching the fountain. They stay there till about 5pm where they parade back and enter the lift again! Hundreds of people go to see them.
We also visited Sun Studios - quite small but interesting and you get to hold Elvis' mike.
If you ever go to Memphis you MUST visti the Civil Rights Museum- we went there on our last morning - we were there a couple of hours but would have liked to stay longer- just didn't have the time though.This is actually situated inside the Lorraine Motel, where Martin Luther King was killed. The outside of the motel is as it originally was and inside - the bedroom has also been kept as it was. However, apart from that, it is completely changed inside. The exhibits really bring to life the struggles and sacrifices made by people. You even board a bus and listen to a re-enactment of the driver trying in vain to get a black woman,Rosa Parks, to give up her seat for a white man. She ended up in prison but this sparked the eventual end of bus segregation as black people totally boycotted buses for 381 days and resulted in many drivers losing their jobs.There are many other exhibits along the same lines. Fascinating.
We flew to Amsterdam with no lights and no sound on the entertainment system- the main lights were working but it was a night flight and the overhead ones were not working so you were in virtual darkness- I took a sleeping pill at this point. When we arrived at Amsterdam KLM told us we were on STANDBY. For a flight I had actually paid for 10 months ago. 16 others were in the same position. When we asked what would happen if we didn't get on it appeared that we would have to get a flight the next day. I say WE but at that point it was my husband- he thought it better that he dealt with it as I was raging( and I am usually the mild mannered one!) We DID get the flight, along with just two others( one of whom had been put in the same position on his last flight with KLM)
Holiday- absolutely brilliant!
KLM- no words I can use which would not result in me being banned from this site!!!

Enjoyed your report. Thanks for taking the time.
I'm glad your visit to New Orleans was a positive one. It's a special place. I was born just outside of NO in Alexandria, but we moved away soon after. Fortunately my parents took us there on vacation frequently. Used to buy up a ton of pralines to take home and covet.
It's been over 10 years since I've been there though, and I'm really itching to go back. My husband's never been there before. We were thinking about going about a month ago when my MIL took our kids to Disney for a long weekend. But, sadly, decided to stay home and get our yard back in order from the mess the hurricanes made of it this past summer.
After reading your report, I regret not going. It made me miss it that much more. We just have to find the time to fit it in somehow!

Fiona, if you havent done so already, can you do the report in Hotel Reviews and resort reports please..

if you do not find your hotel, then place the names in here...

http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/viewforum.php?f=50

Then keep an eye out for when its appeared, glad you had a great time. Never been there, but would love to go.

Beth
One thing is for sure- we will be returning! Place and people were lovely! 2007 is lookng good- believe it or not we have already decided our hols for 2005 and 2006!
Derwentrocker
Yes I will write reports for the hotels. I forgot about that- since I returned home things have been quite hectic and I haven't had the time to do much. My report took forever to complete!

Thanks Fiona

Fiona
Thanks for your lovely detailed trip report.
I have thoroughly enjoyed it.
I have holiday in Feb 05 and as I said before, I would not mind Mardi Gras, maybe you have to do that too.
I just love the US full stop. so much to see and do, lovely food to eat and you do not get ripped off.
Look forward to your other reviews.
Cher

Cher
I look forward to your NO report next February!!

thought I would add the weblink for the group I loved in Memphis.
http://www.thekingbeez.com/epk.htm
Have a listen to the clips and you will see one of the reasons why my holiday was so good!

Thanks for the great report Fiona, your holiday sounded great

New Orleans- after Katrina
We are just back from a great week in New Orleans. Our first visit was in Oct 2004 and we loved it. We watched with dismay as the events of August 2005 unfolded. Most of the dismay was with the way the disaster was handled( or not handled- probably more appropriate) I could say a lot more but this is not a political website so I'll reserve my opinions. We decided we would like to return to show our support for a recovering city.
We flew via Houston( as we used a redemption voucher and airmiles). Our flight took a bit longer than usual as the pilot had to take a different route to avoid the storms further north. It was still one of the most bumpy flights I have had. The last time we went we stayed in the French Quarter- but this time I was not willing to pay the high prices they wanted so we stayed a 20 mins walk away at the Hilton Riverside.( I can't figure out why the room prices have soared so much as its hardly encouraging visitors to come to NO.)
I'll write a report on the hotel in the review section- lovely hotel, the only niggles we would have had would be down to lack of staff. As no-one can get staff just now, to complain would have been trivial. The one thing that would put me off rebooking it in the future is that it was just too big for us. The Hilton was at 50% occupancy - apart from 2 days when it went to 100%- for a National Hurricane Conference!
I'll write about the hurricane first and then speak about the rest of our holiday.
If you went to New Orleans and stayed within the French Quarter( the main tourist bit) you might go home and say that there was no sign a hurricane and the flooding ever took place. The French Quarter was actually not flooded as it is one of the few areas above sea level. Start moving out to the immediate surrounding districts(eg Warehouse, Central Business districts) and the evidence is still there.The French Quarter and immediate tourist areas were tackled first- presumably as they needed the tourists back.
We took the "hurricane tour". This may seem a bit "off" but the locals positively encourage you to do so. Most of NO's visitors are fellow Americans and they want them to go home and tell everyone what they saw and hopefully put pressure in the right places. Our guide was one from one of the worst affected areas and he had his own stories to tell. One of them- his son worked in a tall office building so they retreated there as they thought it would be safer. Unfortunately for them, it was next to the Superdome and when its roof blew off it slammed into the office .As you travel a bit further away from the French Quarter, to the business districts you see hotels which will never re-open, others still under repair, sidewalks being repaired. Many businesses, in order to stay running had to provide their employees with accommodation so you will see car parks full of mobile homes. In fact some factories had vast areas filled with mobile homes. Mobile homes were in evidence throughout NO- many parked beside the ruins of the owners homes. 300 000 homes were lost during the hurricane and the flooding. 65% of New Orleans STILL does not have electricity- 19 months after Katrina I find this quite staggering. All the hospitals bar one are out of commission- and the one still going only has the first floor in operation. Nothing can prepare you for the sights you see. Our tour was 3 hours long, and you can not get off the bus and we saw neighbourhood after neighbourhood of devastation. Many of the outsides of the houses are still standing with everything else missing. The houses are actually poisonous to go into and need the 6 inches of mould removed by specialist firms. Every house has signs painted on the front- indicated it had been searched, by whom and how many dead were found in it. Our guide's neighbourhood had mainly old folk in it. He said many of them had had no intentions of leaving, a lot of them saying that they had fought in wars and nothing was going to make them leave. As the waters grew higher they had to resort to climbing on the roof. Bad enough to have to spend any time there when you are in your 70s and 80s but for a lot, they could not cope with the 6 days they had to wait before rescue came and most deaths came from this neighbourhood.
We did see signs of neighbourhoods beginning to come back to life but I think the scale of destruction will mean a good decade or more before things can be "normal" again. At present the population is down to 50% of what it was. One positive was seeing Artists Village being constructed. This was being done by students from all over the States. They have built 50 houses so far and are aiming for 500.No one on our tour took any photos- somehow it seemed inappropriate.
I could write far more on the subject as there are just so many stories from Katrina. To finish on a lighter note- our guide told us that the police now have a new uniform- due to hundreds being stolen during the flooding and being used!
I'll continue with more about the tours we took, the restaurants we tried- and of course the music( one huge reason I wanted to return )

Thanks for the report Fiona. Looking forward to reading more.

I too have my opinions on the whole rescue/rebuilding affair but like you I won't post them hear. One of closest friend's worked in New Orleans for over 2 years in one of their hospitals. She loved the place and the people - she was inconsolable when Katrina happened. It's such a shame but it's still on my list of places to visit one day, although I am shocked to hear about the hotel prices. As you say, it's hardly going to get the tourism industry kicked back off is it?

Indeed, the way the corrupt local and state officials dealt with Katrina was disgraceful. Now people are wondering where all the money went... Anyhow, glad you enjoyed NO. Did you learn to say it with an appropriate southern drawl? "N'arlins..."

I was sounding more like Randy Jackson from American Idol every day ( he is from N'arlins isn't he???) I loved the place- thought it best to get the depressing bit over with first. I'd go back there like a shot- even though I think I've exhausted all the trips, as I LOVE the music there