New Orleans a Feast for All Your Senses

“You know what it means to miss New Orleans!”

So make your reservations now to return and attend APA's 2010 annual meeting, to be held at the Morial Convention Center from May 22 to 26. For those who have never visited New Orleans, the experience will acquaint you with one of the most enchanting cities in the world, truly a treasure of historic architecture, music venues, renowned restaurants, and art and antique shops all within easy walking distance from the convention center.

La Nouvelle Orléans (“New Orleans” in French) was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville. The city was originally centered on the French Quarter, or Vieux Carré (“Old Square” in French). While the 12-square-block area is still referred to as the Vieux Carré by some, it is more commonly known as the French Quarter, or simply the Quarter. The district has been designated a National Historic Landmark and contains many notable historic buildings. Located throughout the Quarter are private homes, apartments, restaurants, art galleries, grand and small hotels, two elementary schools, places of worship, museums, and a multitude of hidden courtyards. It is also a real neighborhood where people from all walks of life, including psychiatrists and other physicians, as well as musicians, chefs, waiters, teachers, artists, clergy, and trades people, live as colleagues and friends.

New Orleans offers plenty of options to keep you fully engaged. Start with a hands-on cooking class or a theatrical ghost tour of the French Quarter. To embellish your visit further, plan a must-do itinerary of New Orleans classics such as the French Market, the Old Ursuline Convent, the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis, the next-door Cabildo and the Presbytere State Museum of Louisiana, the Historic New Orleans Collection, the Audubon Zoo and Aquarium, the National World War II Museum, and the above-ground St. Louis No. 1 Cemetery.

Later, plan for a meal at one of New Orleans' restaurants, and you will find that the city's signature Creole, Cajun, and French dishes are just the tip of the menu. Famed classical Italian and Spanish restaurants remain deliciously faithful to their roots, while some of the industries' most innovative rising stars are serving their own unique versions of what is collectively known as New Orleans fusion.

Within easy walking distance of the convention center are numerous restaurants and entertainment venues including nationally acclaimed Emeril's, Herb Saint, La Cote Brasserie, Restaurant August, Drago's, Harrah's Café Adelaide, the Sazerac and Dominica at the recently restored Roosevelt Hotel, M-Bistro at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, and the Grill Room at the Windsor Court Hotel.

In the French Quarter, restaurants such as Antoine's, Galatoire's, Arnaud's, the Rib Room, and the many Brennan restaurants including Palace Café, Bacco's, Dickie Brennan's Steak House, and Mr. B's continue their tradition of offering fine food in unique elegant environments. There are also many favorite nouveau cuisine establishments such as Le Meritage, Irene's Cuisine, G.W. Fins, Susan Spicer's Bayona, and K-Paul's; near Jackson Square are Muriel's, Stella, and Stanley (in the neighborhood where William Faulkner and Tennessee Williams resided).

There's no shortage of ambiance and entertainment to complement these incredible flavors. Dinner events come to life at intimate family-owned restaurants and animated oyster bars. Make sure to complete the evening with nightcaps at a jazz club where musicians honor the city's legacy as the birthplace of jazz and Louis Armstrong as a cultural hero.

For those who bring family and children, there are also attractions galore: a walk to the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas on the nearby riverside Moon Walk followed by a trip to the zoo on the John James Audubon Riverboat, a ride on the historic St. Charles Avenue Streetcar, or an airboat venture on the Barataria Swamp (yes, you will probably see alligators). On the Moon Walk you can board the steamboat Natchez, which features both day and evening cruises on the Mississippi River.

For those who are free on Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon, walk to the Crescent City Farmers Market at Girod and Magazine streets, an open-air venue featuring locally produced vegetables, flowers, spices, and exotic orchids and cooking lessons. This is a must for locals and visitors alike.

We look forward to welcoming you and your family to our treasured city and invite you to take home the memories of this APA annual meeting and all New Orleans has to offer. “Laissez les bon temps rouler!” Let the good times roll!