NEW ORLEANS: AMERICA'S FAVORITE CITY Frequent travelers in the Travel + Leisure magazine 2011 America's Favorite Cities survey voted New Orleans as the number one destination for live music/concerts and bands, wild weekends, cocktail hour, singles/bar scene, fine-dining restaurants, friendliest people, cafes, antique stores, flea markets and people-watching. The publication also found that New Orleanians are most proud of their city compared to residents of the other 34 cities in the survey. "We are blessed with one of the most dynamic, rich and culturally diverse cities in the world," said Mayor Landrieu. "In addition to hosting millions of leisure travelers, we look forward to hosting an unprecedented series of international events over the next 18 months and beyond, which gives us another opportunity to highlight our unique culture, cuisine, architecture and music." "The survey results remind us that residents of our city of 340,000 enjoy a cultural quality of life as do those in much larger cities because of the number of culinary, museum, nightlife, sporting and shopping assets made possible by the tourism industry," said Stephen Perry, president and CEO of the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau. Visitors ranked New Orleans in the top three in the following subcategories: Shopping • Antique Stores (1) • Flea Markets (1) • Independent Boutiques (1) Best Times to Visit • Christmas • New Year's Eve • Fall People • Diverse • Friendly (1) • Off-Beat (1) • Proud of their City (1) Nightlife (1) • Singles/Bar Scene (1) • Live Music/Concerts and Bands (1) • Cocktail Hour (1) Quality of Life and Visitor Experience • People-watching (1) • Lots of Hotel Options • Architecture/Cool Buildings Type of Trip • Wild Weekend (1) Food/Drink/Restaurants • Cafes (1) • Fine Dining Restaurants (1) • Ethnic Food Book now at Maison DuBois and experience all that New Orleans has to offer!		Visit America's favorite city.
VISIT NEW ORLEANS PRIVATE HOMES The Spring Fiesta is a series of events designed to entertain, educate, and allow all to revel in the cultural heritage that is uniquely New Orleans. Throughout the year, visitors are encouraged to admire the exterior of the beautiful homes throughout the city. But during Spring Fiesta, visitors are given an opportunity to explore the interiors of 20 privately owned homes in the French Quarter, Uptown and the Garden District. They can experience the grandeur of the past and see what a New Orleans home might have looked like a century or more ago. The festival includes a parade of horse-drawn carriages through the French Quarter and the presentation of the Spring Fiesta Queen and her court at Jackson Square. The event is held from March 23-April 1. To learn more about the Spring Fiesta, visit our events page.		Tour some of the grandest private homes in New Orleans.
NEW ORLEANS HOSTS FINAL FOUR New Orleans will once again open its doors for the Final Four. New Orleans is especially good at hosting basketball bashes. Four times, college basketball has taken its season ender on a bender to New Orleans, producing some of the best and most memorable moments in the game's history books: • 1982: A freshman by the name of Michael Jordan hit the game-winner to beat Georgetown and give Dean Smith his first title at North Carolina. • 1987: Keith Smart's unforgettable shot against Syracuse handed Indiana its fifth crown and Bob Knight his third. • 1993: The Chris Webber Timeout Game as the Fab Five -- you might've heard of them -- narrowly lost to North Carolina but changed basketball uniforms forever. • 2003: Hakim Warrick's fingertip block of Kansas' Michael Lee gave Jim Boeheim and Syracuse their first national championship. What will New Orleans fifth Final Four do for an encore? Impossible to predict of course, but what we can predict is New Orleans will be the perfect place to be during this amazing event. For more information go to our events page.		The NCAA Final Four comes to New Orleans.
PRACTICAL TIPS FOR THE JAZZ FEST VIRGIN For the Jazz Fest virgin, the sights, sounds and smells can be overwhelming. With over 70 food booths, the local and international cuisine is a large part of the experience. With numerous options of Cajun and international fare, Jazz Fest offers everything from po’boys, to Étouffée (fish stew over rice), to boudin (a type of sausage), to beignets (like a donut), to muffulettas (a New Orleans submarine sandwich), to gumbo. Even if you haven’t heard of half of this cuisine, try it all. Your taste buds will thank you. Local top five suggestions: the cochon de lait po’boy (juicy, roasted pork sandwiched in between two piece of French bread), the fried shrimp po’boy, the crawfish monica (crawfish pasta in a secret sauce) the pheasant, quail and andouille gumbo (a delicious Cajun stew in a dark roux) and the crawfish bread (bread stuffed with crawfish and cheese). Is your mouth watering yet? One should mentally prepare for large crowds. While you’ll see lighter crowds on Thursdays and earlier in the day, when it comes to big name performances, seasoned Jazz Fest goers typically camp out at the stages several hours prior to a performance. New Orleans weather is unpredictable and the Fair Grounds tend to be muddy, so bring lawn chairs, an umbrella, and garbage bags, which double as a raincoat and a dry place to sit. The Louisiana heat can be unforgiving, so pack your sunscreen and a hat too. Do not forget toilet tissue, as you are sharing those port-o-potties with 400,000 others. To avoid the heavy crowds, walk on the circular horse racing track around the perimeter of the Fair Grounds, and venture out to the grandstands for food demonstrations, art installations, shade and clean restrooms. While you’re at it, go to the Gospel or Blues tent to discover new bands. Also, get a copy of the official performance schedule and laminate it (the “cubes” schedule- days, times, stages- are released in March 2012). Last but not least, remember the Fest ends at 7 pm, which gives you a chance to venture out into the city and experience the nightlife of New Orleans. Be aware festivals such as Jazz Fest and other popular events often book a year in advance so book early.		Book early for New Orleans major events/festivals.
LEARN THE LINGO: NEW ORLEANS STYLE Gallery (pronounced galllll-rreeeee) More commonly known elsewhere as a balcony, a gallery is a roofed promenade, especially one extending along the wall of a building and supported by arches or columns on the outer side. Galleries are narrow and usually have a railing or balustrade along the outside of the building.
ENTER TO WIN A FREE NIGHT STAY AT MAISON DUBOIS Win a free night stay in New Orleans. Come see us and celebrate! So here is hoping that we will see you soon and be able to say Bienvenue New Orleans. Click here to enter. This month's winner: Mike and Cookie Becker, Baton Rouge, LA		Click here to enter.
Photos courtesy of New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau.