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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Re: Vacations
Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy
Florence/Pisa (Livorno), Italy
Cannes, France
Provence (Marseille), France
Barcelona, Spain
Naples, Italy
It should be a fun trip. My grandmother (the same one mentioned above) is from the Isle of Capri. So it'll be nice to get to see where my family is from.
Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy
Florence/Pisa (Livorno), Italy
Cannes, France
Provence (Marseille), France
Barcelona, Spain
Naples, Italy
This is basically what my mom and I did in 2012, except we started and ended in Barcelona (which is hands down my absolute favorite city in the world!). Are you spending extra time at the beginning/end? I'd spend a few extra days in Rome (though probably my absolute least favorite city in the world!) and I wouldn't bother with too much time in Naples, but instead take a day trip by train from there to Pompeii or Sorrento.It should be a fun trip. My grandmother (the same one mentioned above) is from the Isle of Capri. So it'll be nice to get to see where my family is from.
ETA: You probably already know this, but the port to sail in and out of Rome is actually 90 minutes away from the city. Naples you can just walk off and you're there. Same for Barcelona. Pisa/Florence is also a drive, but not bad. And are you actually stopping in Cannes, or is it Nice?
In late summer, we are going on a 1 1/2 week road trip to Glacier Natl Park in MT and Banff and Jasper Natl. Parks in Canada. We will be camping and cooking over a campfire for most of the trip, so it will be inexpensive. Then we are splurging on three nights at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise in the middle of the trip. We signed up for a Fairmont credit card awhile back to earn enough points to get two free nights, and H surprised me with a third night as an early birthday present. We'll probably spend well over half of our $2500 budget just on the time we are at the Fairmont, and I'm okay with that
Other than that, we have a few long weekends planned--going to a hot springs resort for Valentine's Day (my dad got us a gift card like 3 years ago and we're finally using it); shopping/staying overnight a couple hours away for my birthday in May; and going to Denver for a few days in July for H's nephew's wedding.
We are planning a trip to Ireland in 2019 for our 10th anniversary, so we're trying to keep our travel spending down the next couple of years to save up for that.
Try Jacques Imo's for dinner. It's my favorite restaurant in the country. Make a reservation. I also think Café du Monde is a must. But go at an odd hour, otherwise you have to fight the other tourist and the lines. It's open 24 hours, I believe. And yes, the cemeteries are something to see. My Aunt Kat's mausoleum is in Lafayette #1.
Yes! A woman after my own heart. This is my all-time favorite restaurant in NOLA. But it's a small restaurant and they don't take reservations, so get there right when they open for dinner (if possible).
There are a lot of neat walking tours, including cemetery ones, in both the French Quarter and the Garden District. But don't visit the cemeteries unless you are on a tour, even during the daytime they are not safe places unless you are in a group.
Yeah! As I'm sure you know, I live there. It is such a fun town to visit. Have you made hotel reservations? And/or do you know what area you are staying in?
So, for drinking, some of the cocktails we are known for:
--Hurricanes at Pat O'Brien's. They have a gorgeous courtyard with a huge fountain
--Hand Grenades...they are a Midori liqueur concoction found at a few locations on Bourbon St.
--Pimm's Cup...a cocktail origingally from England that NOLA stole and re-engineered into a refreshing summertime cocktail by adding lemonade and Sprite, garnished with a slice of cucumber. Most famous at the Napoleon House, but they're good everywhere I've had one.
--Daiquiri shops...throughout the Quarter. They're basically walk-up bars with vats of about 10 different daiquiri flavors to choose from. My fave is the White Russian. It tastes exactly like the White Russian cocktail...except frozen. Pretty awesome.
--Neat bar...Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar...it was built sometime between 1722-1732 and is one of the oldest bars in the U.S.
Food:
@hoffse mentioned muffalettas. My favorite place for those is in the Quarter on Decatur St. called Central Grocery. They invented the sandwich. But they are kind of "Soup Nazi" from Seinfeld. Know what you want to order...either a half or whole muffaletta...and keep the chit-chat to a minimum. One of those places where the food is so good, nobody cares the customer service is a bit bristly, lol.
They are also right near the French Market. It is an outdoor marketplace, but has a roof over it. It's primarily touristy type of stuff sold there, but some of it is more unique and interesting types of things.
I know Jacques Imo's was already mentioned in another post. That restaurant is not in the Quarter, but it is not too far from where the St. Charles streetcar line ends. Walkable from there. And definitely take a ride on a streetcar! All the way down St. Charles Avenue is just a great way to see some of the most beautiful parts of the city. You can buy a day pass for $3 and hop on and off the streetcar to go wandering around the Garden District or just take a closer look at whatever catches your fancy.
For a fancy dinner, one of my favorite restaurants is The Palace Café. It is right on Canal St. Bananas Foster for dessert is a must. This dish was invented in NOLA at a sister restaurant called Brennans. It is one of those flambé kind of desserts where they light it up at the table. But you really can't go wrong with caramel, rum, bananas, and vanilla ice cream!
Delmonico's is an Emeril's restaurant on St. Charles...on St. Charles a couple miles outside the Quarter. They have an awesome Happy Hour from 5-7PM on weeknights. $5 and $7 small plates. You can try a variety of 4-star quality food on the cheap.
Two places in/near the Quarter that are both delicious, delicious food AND reasonably priced...a definitely hard to find combo in that area...are the Jimani and Cajun Mike's. They're both bars, but are open during lunch and aren't too rowdy during the day. They both have yummy, New Orleanian type sandwiches. The Jimani is actually pronounced "Gemini", but spelled Jimani.
Another great place to get good, non-pretentious down-home cooking NOLA food is the St. Charles Tavern. They're open 24 hours and serve breakfast all day. But they have good prices, good food, and most of the kind of food you will be looking for like poboys and red beans/rice and that kind of stuff. They are a couple miles out of the Quarter on St Charles.
My cousin married a man from Spain. They live in FL now, but have been out to visit us a few times. He has told me he loves coming to NOLA because the architecture in the Quarter reminds him of home. Most people assume the architecture is French because its called the French Quarter, but most of the French buildings burned down in the last big fire when it was a Spanish colony, so the buildings we see today have more Spanish influence.
He has told me, if I ever visit Barcelona, his family would be happy to host us. So that is a consideration! Hmmmm.
Now, I did nearly die climbing the dome of St. Peter's. But that was the only low point I can remember.