My New Orleans
01/18/2021
During a time when many businesses are seeing closures due to the pandemic, a new hotel is bringing a new era to the French Quarter. One11 Hotel is the first hotel allowed to open in the Vieux Carre district since the ‘60s, taking up residence in the old Louisiana Sugar Refining Company.
The One11 Hotel features 83 guest rooms and suites on eight different floors with three “sweets” (which is the hotel’s cheeky spelling of suites) aiming to give guests a look into the area and the building’s rich history. The Riverbend Sweet, located on the top floor, is a spacious two-bedroom, two-bathroom suite with two private terraces with seating and a wet bar and what sounds like just enough space for a bride and her maids to get ready for the Big Day.
My New Orleans
01/13/2021
Each Wednesday, we tackle wedding etiquette. At times, it’s a reader question or one from a colleague, friend or family member and other times we’ll cover a popular issue. (Note: Questions may be edited for clarity and brevity.)
Question: My fiancé and I decided to proceed with our upcoming wedding, but due to COVID have scaled it down to only us, our parents and one witness each (our siblings we each have one, so it worked out!), plus the officiant and photographer (all socially distanced, of course). The original plan was 200 guests and eight attendants for each of us. Now I have to break the news to all of my best girlfriends who have been with me through every relationship up and down, plus now a pandemic. They were even willing to still do the wedding if we could find a safe way to manage it. (We couldn’t, at least not in good conscience.) We are having it outdoors and will livestream the ceremony, but again, we will have no in-per
My New Orleans
01/12/2021
It’s not surprising that a pandemic hinders travel plans. Sitting on a plane while trying to maintain six feet of social distancing or heading to the downtown area of a big city could easily continue the spread and no one wants that.
However, New Orleans ranks among the best cities in the world. OK, maybe we’re giving it that honor for this year (and every year), but for myriad reasons it consistently ranks on many travel-related lists that spotlight cities. So, when New Orleans landed on ApartmentGuide.com’s list for the top 10 staycation cities in the country, we weren’t surprised.
My New Orleans
Proposal season is in full swing with data from The Knot
01/11/2021
We’re all well aware that the coronavirus has ruined many wedding and engagement plans in the past year. But as we are in peak proposal season – November through February according to
The Knot magazine – national entities are seeing that love really isn’t cancelled and, actually, proposals and wedding planning are happening at higher rates than normal. All of these and additional findings were released in
The Knot’s 2020 Jewelry and Engagement Study.
With a subject pool of 5,000 engaged couple’s,
The Knot found a few key elements to pandemic proposals. The three main findings included average proposal planning time shortened in 2020, along with COVID accelerating the reliance on digital shopping for engagement rings and newly engaged couples are eager to get to the actual “I Dos.”
My New Orleans
01/07/2021
What could be more romantic than hiding away from everyone and everything in a remote cabin? Honeymooners looking for sanctums far away from the maddening crowds should consider a stay at some of these stunning bolt holes, each set amid magnificent nature.
Boulder, Utah
There’s a lot to see around the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, a slick rock paradise in remote Utah. Land of slot canyons, dinosaur fossils, petrified wood and myriad paths to scramble up and totter down, this far-from-airport getaway clarifies the notion of retreating into nature. Stay in tranquility’s web at Boulder Mountain Guest Ranch, a 168-acre, eco-minded haven, crisscrossed by hiking paths. With teepees, a yurt, a campground and well-equipped cabins, it occupies a swathe of pastures, wetland ponds and hilly terrain. Its farm-to-fork restaurant, Sweetwater Kitchen draws ingredients from its gardens and orchards. Ideal for weddings, family reunions, works