NOLA Arrival

  New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Thursday, September 27, 2007

Returning to New Orleans after almost 11 and a half years is bittersweet; it is an occasion of celebration--marking our tenth wedding anniversary.  But with all the images, news, stories and documentaries of Katrina, what will we find of the Crescent City this time? Fortunately for us, the drive into New Orleans by cab has alleviated much of the trepidation we had about visiting after Katrina.  Signs of the flood damage are almost non-existent in the corridor from the airport, west of New Orleans to the Central Business District - where we are staying.

As we get closer to our destination, we tell our driver that we're going to an address on Gravier Street.  He insists there's no hotel there, only a night club.  Could make for an interesting stay...

When he drops us off in front of Le Phare, indeed, it is a nightclub -- but Loft 523 , our hotel, is adjacent - though much less visible then her sibling bar/lounge.  We make our way in through the minimalist, but intimate lobby to check-in.  Loft 523 has been here for six years, and did sustain damage to its penthouse units during Katrina, but those we learn will be reopening in a month or so. Greg in reception helps us fill our one dinner reservation that we didn't schedule in advance. 

We take the converted warehouse elevator, wrapped in tin tile walls and still showing its original wood floors, up to our room.  The room's door is covered in hammered copper, which makes for a beautiful and warm welcome, but means that entry requires a substantial effort(!)

Loft 523 Hallway/Mirror

The door leads into a short, human-scale entry hall. To the left are closets, to the right, just before the end of the hall, a pocket doorway to an expansive limestone-covered bathroom, with a floating tub and shower room.

Loft 523 Bathroom

-- I would be jealous, if it weren't for the fact that I just completed a major bathroom renovation in our own home last year.

The entry hall opens onto a amazingly large, softly-lit loft space; we step into a soaring 20 foot room with windows, seating and workspace to the left, and a bed/entertainment center to the right. The concrete floors and warm, white-washed walls make the room feel like our own private gallery space.

Loft 523 Main View

We've just finished unpacking, when there's an unexpected knock.  A hotel staff member has arrived with a bottle of champagne and well wishes from our Aunt Joan and Uncle Len.  Peter pops the cork, and we toast with this portentious start to our stay in New Orleans...

Dinner tonight is at Arnaud's, one of New Orlean's most established Creole restaurants.  On the night we met here for work year's ago, we were treated to dinner at Arnaud's.  Coming back is a wonderful remembrance...we're seated in a corner of the large, white and green tile-floored and wood-paneled dining room, at a table towards the front leaded-glass windows of the restaurant.  The room is a step back into time with its potted ferns and palms, ceiling fans, brass coat hooks, thonet chairs and supporting columns.  The space is overlooked by portraits of the original proprietors, as well as frequent guests, whose tables have been permanently reserved for them with brass name plates on the paneled walls.

Sitting in a restaurant that dates to back to 1918 is a wonderful beginning to our visit in New Orleans, a place that so easily pulls its rich past and traditions into its present. Our first meal is a direct connection back in time with so many of the creole trademarks that make the city unique - fresh baked bread to be broken by hand, shrimp remoulade with a great horseradish kick (crawfish is out of season at this time, hence the choice for shrimp), quail stuffed with mousse, and an amazing pan-fried snapper.  The meal ends with a delicious chocolate bread pudding, and an empty bottle of Cote du Rhone.

We slowly make our way back up Bienville and across Canal, to leave the French Quarter behind for our hotel. But, we'll be back to the "Vieux Carre" soon...