Ellen Byron's Blog, page 9

Hotel Heaven Replaces Hotel Hell

I've posted this before, but summer's here and it's time to remind you of great places to stay on a NOLA vacay!I've guested at some lovely hotels in New Orleans, but I've also stayed in some flat-out dumps. During JazzFest a while ago, we found a burning cigarette and half-eaten brownie in our room - right after they cleaned it!! So it is with great relief I report that we have found a NOLA home away from home... Hotel Mazarin.I found it the way most of us find lodging these days - through an internet search. Then I I joined Stash Rewards to lower an already very good rate.Mazarin is part of The New Orleans Hotel Collection. Joe Jaeger, a NOLA hotelier, investor and real estate developer, has made a habit of picking up distressed hotel properties and turning them into little jewels.We loved our room.Breakfast was a buffet of delicious cold and hot dishes.Even the water was awesome.I was so impressed with the amenities offered at the hotel - Two complimentary cocktails at 21st Amendment Bar! $5 wine at Patrick's Bar Vin! Slippers and bathrobes in each room! - that I sat down with Laura Fanguy, sales manager at sister property Hotel Le Marais (also a great hostelry) to get a little history on the Collection. "Joe Jaeger decided to take on hotels in need of massive renovation," she shared. "Hotel Mazarin was built in 1837 as the town home of J.W. Zachary. You wouldn't believe what it looked like (before being restored). The roof was falling in. Joe saw the potential... the treasure that it was."I could go on and on, but instead I'll just share the link to the Collection's website: http://www.neworleanshotelcollection.com/. Just so you know, I get nothing out of this except the opportunity to give a shout-out to a company that's restoring historic properties instead of tearing them down, and the satisfaction of sharing a travel tip with y'all. Bear in mind that all NOLA hotel rates are subject to change. Mardi Gras and JazzFest prices are high, off-season rates much lower. And the city tacks on a lot of taxes that can up the bill by more than 10%. But to temper that fact, I'll leave you with images of two courtyards. The pool belongs to Le Marais, the fountain to Mazarin. Both are hotel heaven.

Parenting a Teen Cured My Fear of Flying

No joke! I've always been terrified of flying. And then my daughter went to high school. If you'd like to know how that cured my fear of flying, read my most recent post fromChicks on the Case!

Cajun Country Mystery Newsletter - an award, a reveal, a recipe

Click here or on the photo for my latest Cajun Country Mystery newsletter, with a DELICIOUS recipe for a dish just like the Jazz Fest fave, Crawfish Monica!Laissez les bon temps rouler!!

Those plantations on my covers...

I hope when you see my Cajun Country Mystery book covers, you marvel at their beauty like I do. They're the work of brilliant artist,Stephen Gardner. But did you know the plantations on my covers are inspired by real locations? I share which ones in a blog post at chicksonthecase.com...

Ten New Orleans Do's and Don'ts

March 2018: As summer approaches and people start making travel plans, I thought I'd re-share this post for anyone planning a NOLA trip. Remember, this is the year N'Awlins celebrates its 300th anniversary!It's official. The Big Easy has beat out my hometown, The Big Apple, as my favorite city in America. I adore New Orleans' warmth, exuberance, and fascinating culture. But even though the Crescent City is magical, it's important to remember that it's still an actual city, replete with all the pluses and minuses of a major metropolis. Here are ten do's and don'ts that will help you laissez les bon temps rouler - let the good times roll.DO: Eat at off hours. During normal meal times, you may find an hour-long wait at the most casual French Quarter restaurant. So go earlier or later. We went to Mother's, one of my favorite haunts, at 4:45 one day simply because we were starving at that time. We got right in. Ten minutes later, there was a line down the block. This is especially true if the Saints are in town. Those fans like to eat and party!DO: Visit quirky museums and watering holes. You certainly want to go to The Presbytere, with its wonderful exhibits and beautiful location next to St. Louis Cathedral. But the city's quirky museums are absolutely worth a visit, like the funky New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum and the also-funky New Orleans Historical Pharmacie Museum. For a memorable Vieux Carre afternoon, follow a museum visit with a little libation at one of the city's historic bars like the Napoleon House or Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop, the oldest bar in the Quarter.DO: Take the time to stroll along the Moonwalk and watch vessels glide down the Mighty Mississippi. I've always loved relaxing on the wooden stairs that abut the river at the foot of Jackson Square. Nothing soothes me like listening to the Mississippi lap at my feet with occasional ship's horn in the distance. Adjacent to the Moonwalk, you'll find both Washington Artillery Park - a raised plaza that offers a great view of Jackson Square - and in the other direction, Woldenberg Riverfront Park. Enjoy a lovely walk with river vistas in one direction and the Quarter in the other. Sidebar: Moonwalk is named for the city's legendary mayor, Moon Landrieu, who spurred the walk's development in the 70s. His son Mitch is the current mayor of New Orleans.DO: Take a streetcar ride up St. Charles Avenue. The St. Charles Avenue streetcar offers a beautiful, old-timey ride that passes through the city's gracious Garden District and the mansions of Uptown. (Built later than the Garden district, this area is also known as the Silk Stocking Ward.)You’ll tootle by Loyola University and my alma mater, Tulane University. (Roll, Wave!) Both are across the street from Audubon Park. You can stay on the streetcar to the Riverbend neighborhood and stop for lunch at Camellia Grill, whose waffles, burgers, and pecan pie are legendary. But make sure you get on the right streetcar, or you could end up going in the wrong direction. DO: Watch where you step on Bourbon Street. Everything you've heard about Bourbon Street is true. There's nothing like walking past a strip club barker with your sixteen year-old just as the man yells out jovially, "It's Titty Time!" (Hope I didn't offend anyone, but had to share!) All party roads eventually lead to Bourbon Street, and the unpleasant result of too many Dacquiris or Hurricanes can be icky puddles of you-know-what on the ground. So keep one eye on the crazy and one eye on the ground.AND NOW SOME IMPORTANT DON'TS:DON’T: Wander off the beaten path at night. New Orleans - especially the French Quarter- may feel like an adult Disneyland, but it's not.There's crime, like in any major city, so protect yourself by making your wallet as inaccessible as possible and doing your nighttime exploring in a group. I was told by natives that it’s best not to stray past Dauphine Street in the late evening. Where's Dauphine, you ask? I couldn't tell you north, south, east or west in NOLA if you put a gun to my head - which unfortunately has happened to some visitors. I can tell you that it's away from the river. Sidebar: you'll frequently hear these kind of directions in the city. "How do I get to Decatur Street?" "Walk two blocks toward the river." "Where's Rampart Street?" "It's six blocks away from the river." The Mississippi serves as a de facto compass for NOLA.DON’T: be surprised when your hotel bill shoots up at checkout. Holy moly, we were! The city tacks a lot of taxes onto your room rate. By the time they were figured into our bill, our nightly rate increased by 20%. It didn't break the bank, but it did up-end our budget a bit. So either check before you make a reservation or assume there will be an increase and prepare for it. And if you dodge it, let me know where you stayed.DON’T: lose track of your liquor consumption. In a city where people walk around wearing sixty-four ounce fish bowls full of liquor around their necks - I kid you not - this is very easy to do.New Orleans is open-carry when it comes to booze. As long as it's in a plastic container of some kind, you're good to go, which is why you see people stumbling drunk at 8 a.m. Pace yourself, people. If you don't, there's a good chance you’ll be the one barfing up what others are trying to step over.DON’T: be shocked by the number of homeless people with dogs. Especially on Decatur Street near the French Market, where you'll see them in practically every doorway. I nearly went broke handing out dollar bills, along with warnings that the money was to be used for the animals. I saw homeless men and women who cherished their pets, and vagrants who seemed to use them as a tool to garner sympathy dollars from rubes like me. I will say that the dogs seemed well-fed. But it still upset me, which is why I'm including this warning in my list.DON’T: be afraid to be a tourist. Go ahead, hit those restaurants you’ve heard about for years. Places like Antoine’s, Brennan's, Galatoires, et al, have been around for decades and even centuries not because they’re tourist traps but because the locals still frequent them. Here's an example. My family was at Brennan's having a drink before dinner during a recent visit when I was surprised by an old college pal who happened to be there with her daughter. She told me that Antoine's would be closed the next night for a private debutante party. (Being a deb is a huge deal in NOLA.) To take advantage of Antoine's Happy Hour at their Hermes Bar, we flipped around our evening plans.These are just a few suggestions on how to have a great time in The Big Easy from moi. Readers, if you have any do's and don'ts about visiting New Orleans, I'd love to hear them!

Happy Mardi Gras!

Behind the scenes of a float.Everywhere else it's Tuesday... except where they celebrate Mardi Gras! It's the theme of my fourth Cajun Country Mystery,MARDI GRAS MURDER, now available for pre-order. And nowhere celebrates Mardi Gras better than New Orleans. I discovered book blogger Christine Gentes (of mapyourmystery.com) and I shared a passion for the city and the holiday. Here's my interview with her with great photos, anecdotes, and tips.https://chicksonthecase.com/2018/02/12/an-insiders-view-of-mardi-gras/

(Flash) Drive, she said.

I love swag, which is probably obvious from my newsletter contests. I always thought personalized flash drives would be a wonderful giveaway, so I did a little online research and came upon usbmemorydirect.com. They had the most amazing collection of unique drives, but sadly my budget didn't allow me to live my dream. So imagine my excitement when they contacted me with an awesome offer. To show their support for authors - because they know we love our flash drives - they wanted to gift me with 25 featuring my logo. All I had to do was choose a style.That was the hardest part because I couldn't decide. I like multi-purpose items, so I was torn between business card, pen, and keychain drives. In the end, the Fit drive seemed the best "Fit" for my logo.When the box arrived, I was beyond excited. I was even more excited when I saw how cute they were. AND that they came with 8 gigs of memory!I said goodbye to my cheapo drives from local big box stores and embraced these beauties, which were superior in quality on every level. And they light up beautifully. I've had drives where I couldn't even tell whether or not they were working.I'm going to share some of these cute flash drives with my readers through a contest in my upcoming newsletter, which should go out on Sunday. If you're interested in entering, you can sign up at ellenbyron.com. And thanks,usbmemorydirect.com!

Ellen Goes Undercover

Ever wonder what happens when an author gets stonewalled while doing research? Read my story about how I went "undercover" to get what I needed...https://wordpress.com/post/chicksonthecase.com/17399

What's Martha Stewart Really Like?

I worked with Martha when she was first starting out. The first year, someone was always taking pictures, and I wondered what that was about. She kept us busy, though, so I didn't think about it too much. Then her first book, Entertaining, came out - and I was in it! I came across a copy at our local library sale, and it brought back memories. Here's a post I wrote about it...https://chicksonthecase.com/2017/12/0...

A Tour of Creole Mourning Customs

Last weekend, I was in Louisiana to do a panel and book signing at the Louisiana Book Festival. I decided to take the St. Joseph Creole Mourning tour during a little downtime I had. I learned so many fascinating facts about the Creole attitudes, customs, and superstitions re: death that I wrote an entire blog post about it for Chicks on the Case titled"Good Mourning."