New Orleans fits the romance bill
Heat up your love life in America’s most beguiling city
NEW ORLEANS— The fact that this city once had a streetcar named Desire says it all.
Arguably America’s most comehither city, New Orleans is known as both “the Big Easy” and “the City Care Forgot,” both rather suggestive monikers. This is a city so sultry it really doesn’t need Mardi Gras to release its inhibitions.
It is vibrant, sexy, jaded in that old dowager empress kind of way, and as textured, multi-faceted and glittering as the Imperial Crown of the Holy Roman Empire. With a fabric laid by pirates, plantation owners, French explorers, Spanish conquistadores, runaway slaves, Native Americans, Cajun string players, white-suited Confederate duellers, not to mention a few literary vampires and a cadre of voodoo priests, the city is deeply rooted in myth, fantasy and unabashed hedonism.
New Orleans has architecture that ranges from columned plantation mansions to French Quarter houses adorned with ornate cast iron railings that rim provocative galleries. The city exudes the scent of magnolia blossoms and purrs to the sound of jazz trombones. Simply said, New Orleans arouses. Forget about drunk fraternity boys on Bourbon Street, in the Crescent City (another nickname), the exaltation of the five senses is a bona fide code of honour that must be met.
That makes New Orleans the perfect place for a romantic rendezvous. While the lust for life is contagious, visiting couples will want to aim their passions toward one another — and revel in the libidinous mood of the city. Where else can you get a voodoo love potion and be serenaded by a zydeco accordion ensemble on the same day?
WHERE TO SLEEP
International House: Just 10 minutes from the French Quarter, neatly ensconced in the central business district, this flirtatious hotel exudes an atmosphere of New Orleans bordello baroque, with a modern twist. Find film noir ambience and Hollywood glamour, all spiced with voodoo vavoom. Enjoy the spellbinding Bar Loa (a homage to the benevolent voodoo spirit) and its provocative cocktails. Ihhotel.com. From $159. 221Camp St.
Saint Hotel: Posh, snazzy, tons of fun, this hotel isn’t just for the “righteous.” A sexy, jazzy spot with posh amenities, a sultry Burgundy Bar that begs you to cuddle, a rooftop hangout that serves lobster corn dogs, its site on Canal Street puts you right in the middle of the ac- tion. From $189. thesainthotelneworleans.com. 931Canal St.
W French Quarter: Celebrating its ravishing facelift that dabbles in tarot and jazz motifs, provides spacious rooms complete with courtyards and hot tubs, and institutes a truly hip bar to the French Quarter scene (Bar SoBou — that’s for South of Bourbon, folks), the ideally sited W offers a Sparks Will Fly package all year long: champagne, JimmyJane Massage, chocolates and more. From $339. starwoodshotel.com/ whotels
AROUSING ACTIVITIES
Ride the Streetcar: There is no longer one named Desire, but you can still grab a Muffuleta sandwich at Central Grocery and a bottle of wine, head to Canal Street and hop the Museum line to City Park. There, somewhere beneath ancient oaks where the impassioned fought duels, enjoy your meal alfresco. Feeling frisky? Rent a rowboat at City Park Boat and Bike Rentals. Or, just wander the park, one of the America’s biggest green spaces. Soak up the Spa: The best place to escape the frenzy of urbanity, albeit the Big Easy version of slow-motion city buzz, is ensconced at the Ritz Carlton’s opulent spa. Indulge in a treatment “à deux” with Crescent City undertones, like The Marie Laveau Voodoo Love Massage and Bath. Afterwards, dine at the hotel’s M Bistro, where you can hide behind velvet drapes in an old-fashioned cheater’s booth for a post-spa kiss. Ritzcarlton.com/neworleans Eat Some Oysters: We all know what they say about oysters. And a credence in their ability to inspire lust is an integral part of every New Orleanian’s belief system. Ask anyone, but the shuckers at Acme Oyster house can fill you in on their prowess factor while you await your order. Try them raw or with remoulade, a local tradition. acmeoyster.com Scream like Stanley: Literati may want to shout about it! Attend the Tennessee Williams/ New Orleans Literary Festival March 20-24 and prove your love in the annual Stella and Stanley hollering contest. Tennesseewilliams.net Do the Moonwalk Meander the Moonwalk, a boardwalk at Jackson Square that edges the banks of the Mississippi River. Best at dusk or beneath the dancing violet light cast by a full moon. Confer with a Voodoo Priestess A long-standing New Orleanian tradition for paramours, a love reading, love blessing, love potion (if needed) and gris-gris bag for luck will implant you in the voodoo vibe of the Big Easy. Bloody Mary’s Tours (bloodymarystours.com) even offers a wedding ceremony, presided over by an 11th-generation spiritual guide. Pay Your Respects Find the Greek Revival tomb of famed voodoo queen and enchantress Marie Laveau, in St. Louis Cemetery #1. Lovers and others seeking blessings pay homage here, bringing gifts in exchange for incantations. Follow the ritual by knocking three times, making your wish, and leaving a little something behind. According to legend, once your wish has been granted, you must return and mark the grave with three x’s, though conservationists have banned this step. OTHER IDEAS:
Shop for garnets at M.S. Rau Antiques on Royal Street; huddle in the back booth of a steamy jazz bar; drink a Pimm’s Cup at Napoleon House; visit the galleries of the hip Warehouse District; take Grayline’s Cocktail Walking Tour of the French Quarter; have a glass of bubbly at Bacchanal Wine; head to Bar Uncommon for a Ramos gin fizz (or any other cocktail by master mixer Chris McMillian) at the Renaissance Pere Marquette Hotel; take in a midnight burlesque show at Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse with Miss Trixie Minx; take a horsedrawn carriage ride; see the city by private limo. Rauantiques.com, napoleonhouse.com, bacchanalwine.com, graylineneworleans.com, midcitycarriages.com, baruncommon.com, irvinmayfield.com Splurge: It has to be Galatoire’s Restaurant, but don’t forget to pack a sport coat or you’ll be turned away. However, for ladies boas and tiaras are optional. To enter this Creole icon on Bourbon Street is to enter a jewel box packed with the embodiment of old school New Orleans. Locals love Friday lunch, which can last all day. Order trout amandine or crabmeat Sardou. galatoires.com.
And don’t deny yourself a boozy brunch at Brennan’s Restaurant in the French Quarter. Brennansneworleans.com.