For the first time since Katrina, we stayed at the Ritz-Carlton in New Orleans. Almost since the year we got married, we have stayed at the R-C for a few days during the week between Christmas and New Years, because the company I was working for would always shut down that week. It was a really great time to go, too, because the city was quiet and beautifully decorated, and the hotels would have their very best rates going because so few people stay during that time of the year.
What we really miss about that week was this tradition we started with a friend of ours, of staying at the R-C and always going out one night at the Red Room, which was a supper club on St. Charles that was straight out of a movie set. Everything was red-red-red. The walls, the floors, the accessories, everything…. We would get really-really dressed up, have drinks, supper, and listen to some *amazing* performers. The Red Room is closed now, but I just found a review of it from 1998 that brings back some good memories. Oh! Another thing is that the building was shipped here from Paris – it used to be the restaurant at the top of the Eiffel Tower, and the pieces were shipped to New Orleans and reassembled (more about that is here at the CNN site). How neat is that!? It’s reopened as something else now, but we haven’t tried it yet.
Anyway, back to the R-C! I was looking for places for us to stay while Av was on his business trip, and I guess because the conventions are still “coming back” to the city, and because it’s the summertime (meaning hot), the rates at the R-C were within about $30 of the other places we were thinking of – so Av said we should go ahead and stay there, especially since this is maybe our last “big” trip before the little one comes. He knows I love this hotel…everyone that works there somehow knows and remembers your name as soon as you arrive, and they’re all just incredibly helpful and friendly. Love it. I also got to spend a lot of time in the room since he was working and meeting with people the whole time, so I just lounged around in a robe and read magazines and watched television! So lazy but so nice!
