The Creole Gardens | A New Orleans Bed and Breakfast

In case you haven’t heard, the New Orleans Saints are going to the Super Bowl for the first time in their 43 year history. To say the scene in our city these days is euphoric- or even ecstatic- would be a gross understatement.

In pure Disney-esque twist, the Saints’ first Super Bowl appearance will occur only 9 days before Mardi Gras day, affording New Orleans and its jovial inhabitants the opportunity for a party like none before.

 The chaos began immediately after the Saints won the right to play in the Super Bowl on Sunday January 24th. Within minutes Bourbon Street absolutely oozed with cheery black and gold revelers congratulating the team in our own homegrown fashion, by hugging everyone in sight and sharing a drink with all of them. Brass bands marched down streets in every neighborhood, fireworks lit up the sky and Who Dat chants could be heard from every window. Nevertheless, it is important to remember that our local police force reported no acts of violence in the hours before, during and after the game. New Orleanians know how to party with style and class. As our local newspaper the Times-Picayune noted the other day, “We don’t burn cars. We dance on them.”

 However that night was just the beginning. The last 10 days have been nothing but pure New Orleans vibrance. Coffee shop clerks salute each customer with, “Good Morning. Have a Who Dat day.” Each and everyone of us can’t help but get caught up in the excitement. Conversations always divulge into, “Don’t you just love Drew Brees?” “Yes, but I can’t decide if I love Sean Payton even more.”

Just another case of Puppy Love…..

Please help!  You can text 9099 and type “HAITI” to send $10 to the Red Cross, which is such an easy way of contributing. 

 We’re watching the news on the earthquake and it’ sending us right back in a very emotional and visceral sense to four years ago in August when New Orleans was hit by Katrina.  It’s impossible not to grieve and want to reach out to these people.  Can you believe what that fat reactionary numbnut and that delusional evangelical rightwing extremist (won’t deign to mention their names) said???? I guess these people really have no humanity in them.

 There are so many deep cultural and historical ties between New Orleans and Haiti…our music, our architecture, our celebrations, our food.  The slaves who rose up against their French masters in 1791 and finally drove Napoleon out in 1804 were in many ways martyrs to the birthpains of an expanding United States.  Without those 13 years of bloody revolt, the French most likely wouldn’t have given up on being long distance landlords in the New World and wouldn’t have sold the Louisiana Territory to President Jefferson.  As a result of and during that period, New Orleans was flooded with people of all races and colors, including free men and women of color, and their influence is still felt in our city to this day. 

(For a very interesting book, check out Ned Sublette’s recent “The World That Made New Orleans” which talks about the musical, cultural and historical ties between us and the Caribbean, especially Cuba and Haiti.)

 On a happier note, we had a wonderful New Year’s and Sugar Bowl, with a full house of happy (albeit extremely wet) guests, cheering the end of this awful and troubling decade and enjoying fireworks, ball games and as always, great hot breakfasts at our place.

Plus Creole, the dog in search of a home, who somehow knew to make his way to our door as a refuge house, has a wonderful new home in Atlanta, with our previous visitors and their rescued greyhounds and cat! 

 And Player, our sweet new adopted puppy from the St. Martinville Parish shelter, has settled in quite comfortably as the new “baby” in the house, with all the attendent attention and doting!

This weekend the Creole Gardens Guesthouse is hosting the One World Conference—community and non profit kitchens—at our place, a fitting event to honor the work of the late Rev. Martin Luther King.

And one more time, PLEASE, do something to help the people in Haiti.  Just remember, if you’re reading this, chances are you love New Orleans.  And New Orleans wouldn’t be the special city it is without its profound historical and cultural ties with the nation of Haiti. 

We are so happy to report that our loving boy, whom we named Big Chief, has finally found a great new home!  He showed up on our porch a few weeks ago rather malnourished and tired.  We brought him to the vet, nursed him back to health, and avidly searched for a home for this sweetheart.  Lots of craigslist and newspaper ads gave us very little response, and we really wanted him to find a place that would love him as much as we grew to love him because he is such a friendly and smart dog.

This Thanksgiving, we had a couple stay with us who loves the great outdoors.  They have two dogs that hike and run and play on their land, but they had been searching for another, younger dog to become a play buddy for their younger greyhound.  When they met our boy, they knew he was the one!  After playing with him for a few days, they decided to take him home with them to be with their own babies.

We received these pictures from the couple today and wanted to share them.  It seems as though Creole (his new name) is having a GREAT time!

Thanksgiving is always the time of year we give thanks for everything in our life — loved ones, an awesome city, and FOOD!  Miss Annie served up an amazing Thanksgiving feast at 2:30pm, and the guests were waiting with their mouths watering.  The menu included marinated turkey with lots of great New Orleans seasoning, peas, homemade cornbread stuffing, and those pies…MMMmmmMMM!  We had lemon pies and sweet potato pies, all made from scratch.  The guests were so full and so very happy.  Check out our picture from the dinner below.

The Creole Gardens is so excited to be hosting the One World group in January!  Their first annual meet and greet of community kitchens nationwide is going to be going to be held here in our dining room.  Their goal was originally to start community kitchens in a small list of cities, but awareness was built much faster than they could ever imagine.  This non-profit group strives to eliminate world hunger while serving organic, unprocessed food, which is something that the Creole Gardens certainly admires and respects.   We can’t wait to welcome this wonderful group to our extended family!

To find out more about One World, you can check out their website at www.oneworldeverybodyeats.org.

A large chocolate colored dog that appears to be a Labrador/Catahoula mix showed up on our porch yesterday. He was tired and malnourished but after a trip to the vet and many bowls of leftovers from Annie’s breakfast he feels like a whole new animal. We posted flyers in our area and classified ads online but no one’s responded yet

He is house trained and will sit on command. He is such a friendly and loving dog. Anyone would be lucky to have him as a buddy.

The hotel was full of friends and family of newlyweds Peter and Mary over this past weekend. Most of them were from the west coast, specifically Los Angeles. And “surprise surprise” many of them were involved in the film industry. We may have even had some celebrities in our midst! Anyway, they seemed to have a blast during their takeover of Creole Gardens.

Halloween will be upon us soon and we’re very excited. We will be hosting a wedding Halloween night with our own spooky party to follow soon after.  This time of year is always fun for everyone, including our resident ghosts :)  Please check back for details on Halloween at Creole Gardens.
The Krewe at Creole Gardens

That’s right, the Creole Gardens Hotel offers bicycle rentals to hotel guests and the general public! Great daily and weekly rates are available. Trust us, there’s no better way to see the city than on two wheels! Call us at 504.569.8700 for more information.

Stay N’ Spin Special (During the month of September)
Call today for our Stay N’ Spin special! The special includes a two night stay and bike rental for two for $199 plus tax!
(Rooms and Rates subject to availability)

Call us at 504.569.8700

That’s right, the staff at the Creole Gardens Hotel will be going on holiday starting Monday, August 24 through Thursday, September 3rd. Reservations can still be made for future visits during this time by clicking on the flashing button on our home page to check availability and book a room. Future guests can also give us a call at 504.569.8700 and leave a message as we will be checking our messages daily and will return your phone call as soon as possible. Or, you can email us at info@creolegardens.com and we’ll respond as quickly as possible.

We also still have fall availability at our beach house in Dauphin Island, Alabama. Give us a call for rates and more information on our pet-friendly vacation rental! Ask for Steve at 504.214.7665

See you real soon!

The Krewe at the Creole Gardens

The Main Mansion house was buzzing last weekend as the Cedars and Latimer families gathered for a beautiful, small wedding ceremony in the Creole Gardens courtyard. The sun was shining brightly for the morning nuptials as the bride and groom said their I Do’s. Congratulations to the Cedars and Latimer families and the Newlyweds!

Nothing says New Orleans summer wedding like a pup in a blue tux!

The Creole Gardens blog site is back up and running full speed ahead!
There are a number of exciting events coming up in the city of New Orleans and the Creole Gardens is your destination for the ultimate bed and breakfast experience.

August 14: Saints Preseason Opener vs. the Cincinnati Bengals
August 21-23: The 2009 Louisiana Tailgate and BBQ Festival at the Morial Convention Center (http://louisianatailgate.com)
August 29: Hurricane Katrina 4th Anniversary
September 2-7: Southern Decadence
September 3: Saints Preseason Game verse the Miami Dolphins
September 5: Project 30-90 (http://project3090.com)
September 25-27: Seafood Festival @ Fulton St.
October 3: Congo Square Rhythms Festival
October 8-15: New Orleans Film Fest

We’re running some money-saver, fantastic specials on room rates right now, so give us a call at 504.569.8700 to plan your getaway trip! Weeknight specials starting from $69/night and weekend specials starting at $79/night through the months of August and September. Also, guests can take advantage of our outrageous weekly special for $295 (single occupancy) through the end of September (weekly stay rate does not include breakfast). Certain rooms available.

Also, don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook for new weekly specials and updates.

The Creole Gardens Bed and Breakfast Hotel on Facebook

Luna

Mardi Gras Puppy

A brave search and rescue dog

The Great and Incredibly Adorable Oz!

So, we have a facebook page now

the facebook page!
But Ms. Annie, internationally renowned breakfast cook, dancer,disc jockey, comedian, historian and overall charmer has her own facebook fan club. One of our guests thought (rightfully so) she has a large enough following for a fan club.

the Annie fan club!

Creole Gardens just wouldn’t be the same without Annie here every day. She’s an amazing woman, and the best co-worker we could ask for. It’s never a dull day with Annie.

So, if you’re on facebook, add Creole Gardens as a friend to keep up with our crazy antics. And join Annie’s fan club to share photos and stories about our dear friend Annie.

What a coincidence! After all of the recent hoopla over The Obama Family’s new pet, one of our repeat guests checked in with her famous dog, Higgins. Higgins is a black and white Portuguese Water Dog and former Westminster champion. He’s such a sweetheart!

**What do you think??**

Higgins is the Obama’s new dog Bo’s grandpa.  Right after Obama was elected, he promised the family would try to adopt a shelter animal. Well, he did adopt a dog without a home… from the Kennedy’s. As a gesture of good faith to animal rescue advocates, the Obamas donated to the Washington, D.C. Humane Society.

*Did the Obamas break their promise to adopt a puppy who needed a home?

On top of the shelter adoption controversy, there is also the issue of puppy milling. The Portuguese Water Dog Society is concerned about the high demand of Portuguese Water Dogs.

*Are you concerned about puppy milling after the rising demand of Portuguese Water Dogs?

The new, popular blog family Cities on the Cheap are a great resource for these trying economic times when everyone’s looking to save a buck or two. The New Orleans on the Cheap Site lists local coupons, restaurant specials, contests to win tickets, festivals, freebies, drink specials, helpful links, … need I say more?! It’s a great guide to check out sweet deals and events before you make your Big Easy trip.

New Orleans On the Cheap!

Maybe your town has its own On the Cheap blog…

Find Our Here

We’ve caught On the Cheap’s attention with our Fiscal Stimulation Packages and ridiculously low weekly rental rates.

Read the article here

Hello folks,

We now have a youtube channel! Get a glimpse of what life is like at our bed and breakfast hotel, where there’s never a dull moment. If you’ve stayed with us before, see what Annie and the staff are up to and remember all of your fond memories of that New Orleans vacation.

We have so many talented guests walk through our doors, we have live entertainment on a regular basis. Find videos of everything from interpretive dance to comedic spoken word poetry to French Cajun music. You’ll find highlights from Jenny Lindfors’ visit, footage from the Palimpsest book release party, Kari and Dan Lovell performing at breakfast just to name a few acts. Be sure and add us as a friend, or subscribe to be alerted when we share new videos.

Tada! Our Youtube Channel!

Ljova (Ljova and the and the Kontraband) and Steve performing the classic “Blue Monday” one morning at breakfast, and Annie shaking her ass as usual. What an amazing viola player! Find this video in our “favorites” section.

Congratulations Amy Beilawski! Amy won our Mardi Gras Photo Contest by tickling our funny bone with this hilarious, irreverent moment captured on film. She wins a free night at the hotel.

The runner up photo goes to the Kecks’ adorable ode to Mardi Gras. You’ve probably seen this on our home page. We just love it!

*Sigh* Is it Mardi Gras 2010 yet? It’s hard waiting around for our favorite holiday, but luckily we have some great festivals to keep us company in the meantime. Give us a call and book a room for the Jazz and Heritage Festival, Voodoo Music Experience, Southern Decadence and so much more! And if you’re still dreaming of Mardi Gras, make your reservation for 2010 early.

This weekend we are graciously hosting novelist Catherynne M. Valente as she celebrates the release of her latest novel Palimpsest.

Valente and posse are celebrating the urban fantasy novel Palimpsest with a train ride from Chicago to Memphis to New Orleans.

Valente is a widely published poet and short fiction writer, and we are so excited to have her here, along with many other talented musicians and artists.

We are very excited to see our banana courtyard transformed into a most unique gala, with theatre, readings, even bondage and rope suspension art.

The event starts tonight, March 21 at 7:00 p.m. Tickets to an event you will not soon forget are $30.

Links:

http://www.catherynnemvalente.com/

http://skinnywhitechick.com/neworleans.php

We are so happy to have renowned Irish musician Jenny Lindfors at our place for an extra long visit! Jenny is on her dream trip to New Orleans, seeking musical inspiration after the success of her debut album When the Nighttime Comes. We hope she finds what she’s looking for in the Crescent City after perusing the Maple Leaf Bar, d.b.a. and Soul Fest at Audobon Park just to name a few hot spots.

Music critics in the UK rave:

“truly special and sublime stuff.”

“stunning … a refreshing absence of self-importance.”

“…truly and utterly brilliant.”

Jenny will be playing in the Creole Gardens courtyard this evening at 6:30 p.m. What a treat to catch this talented musician in action before she becomes wildly famous!

Stop by the Creole Gardens blog for pictures and video from our special concert! Hear Jenny Lindfors here:

www.myspace.com/jennylindfors

Are you excited about Change? Because we are! We love guests who flaunt their Obama memorabilia at the bed and breakfast.

The Taylors, Habitat for Humanity volunteers, checked in with Obama t-shirts

The Kecks’ Obama bumper sticker

Resident Hostess Madeline sporting her Change t-shirt

Amelia Favoy from Scott, LA visited us with her parents this Mardi Gras/Valentine’s Day weekend. Isn’t she the cutest?!

Amelia loves Annie!

She wouldn’t let Annie put her down!

Amelia and her dad eating breakfast.

Time to leave! Come back soon!

This past weekend we opened a small bar for our lovely guests. We turned the breezeway between the courtyard and the Bordello House into a small lounge area, much to the guests’ delight. Just what we love to see… strangers from all over sharing laughs and talking like old friends. That’s why people love Creole Gardens so much!

 New Orleans local Nicholas Hite (pictured right) entertaining guests.  Elaine Williams, loyal repeat guest and Animal Rescue New Orleans volunteer (pictured left), is probably laughing at one of his goofy stories.

The Watsons from Tampa, Florida relax after watching the parades.

UL women’s volleyball coach George Hagenmaster winding down before a tournament

From the desk of the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, here is the breakdown of all Louisiana artists who racked up Grammy Awards this past Sunday:

“Twenty nine Louisiana artists were nominated among the 104 categories for GRAMMY® awards. Louisiana artists took home eight golden gramophones.”
The following Awards were given to Louisiana artists:
Best Jazz Instrumental Solo- Terence Blanchard
Best Traditional Gospel Album- The Blind Boys of Alabama
Best Contemporary Blues Album- Dr. John And The Lower 911
Best Zydeco Or Cajun Music Album- BeauSoleil & Michael Doucet
Best Rap Solo Performance- Lil Wayne
Best Rap Performance by Duo Or Group- Lil Wayne
Best Rap Song- Lil Wayne
Best Rap Album- Lil Wayne

Why not make a trip to New Orleans and catch some of these Grammy winners in action? We’ve got everything from blues to zyedeco. Plus, everyone knows Lil Wayne’s the bomb like tick….tick.