I went with a high school best pal, tagging along to a conference my father was attending. We stayed at the Hotel Monteleone, thought we were sophisticated eating dinner at Brennan’s, drank hurricanes at Pat O Brien's with rock stars and behaved about as responsibly as you would expect two 17 years old in New Orleans to behave.
For a few years when we were newlyweds, Mark's project in Niger was managed by Tulane University. We came for work meetings and to see friends in graduate school and spent late nights at Cafe Brasil and the Spotted Cat.
And then somehow, tragically, twenty years went by without a single day in New Orleans. I often say it is a place I am always homesick for even though I have never lived there. For part of Noah’s graduation celebration, we decided to show him this town we both love so very much. If you love Italy, particularly places like Rome, Naples, and Venice then you will love New Orleans. So start planning your visit with my guide that is full of my advice on what to do and where to eat, drink and shop in New Orleans.