We stayed in the worst hotel ever, the Hotel Chateau Dupre, which we affectionately called the Hotel Chateau DuCrap. Our "non-smoking" room reeked of smoke. The TV remote didn't work at all, and you had to stick your finger into a gaping hole, risking an electric shock every time, to turn it on. The radio also didn't work. Everyday our keys would stop working, so we'd have to wait in line to get our keys reprogrammed at the desk, while the woman working there completely ignored you and went on and on with the person in front of you or on the phone about nothing. There was no shampoo in the room and not enough towels for all of us. The first night we arrived shortly after mid-night, and when we found out that there were no cribs, asked for some extra blankets to make Makili a bed on the floor. She told me that I couldn't get more blankets until the next day. Makili's favorite part of the hotel stay was the metal plate that was supposed to cover the edge of the carpet going into the bathroom, which wasn't actually attached to anything, so he could pick it up, wield it like a weapon and hurt himself or one of us.
The best thing about the Hotel DuCrap was it's location, which actually was perfect. We were very close to the Marriot, where Raph and Mark had their sessions in the conference, but also in the French Quarter, so that there was a lot to walk to and see. Makili and I spent most of every day walking around and enjoying absolutely beautiful weather. The architecture in the French Quarter is awesome and it was fun to be in a city. We ate great food, even though we were warned by several people that vegetarians couldn't cut it in New Orleans. Raph loved the beignets at Cafe Du Monde, the croissants at Croissant d'Or, the pasta at Angeli's on Decatur (which was awesome!). We took Makili to the Louisiana Children's Museum, but mostly he just loved throwing and retieving his ball in the grass on top of the levee along the Mississippi River. The weather was glorious. Yum. And it was great to get away without too much agenda (the conference wasn't too consuming...
Though we had a terrific time, I have to say that I sort of felt like I was in Cancun on the beach, not really seeing the real mexico. We were limited by where we could walk, so we only really saw the French Quarter, the business district and the museum area. We never saw the 9th ward, or areas in destitution. I felt like New orleans was one big tourist destination, designed to look a certain way for the tourists. We walked down Bourbon Street one night, which is nothing but a disgusting tourist trap. The rest of New Orleans, though thoroughly enjoyable, sort of seemed like a similar sort of thing, though, with much more character...
At home, it is cold, but look what is popping up!
