Front yard display of hope and flowers in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Everyone Has A Little New Orleans In Them.

Do you know what it means to love New Orleans? If you’ve never been to New Orleans, you should visit. Nobody ever says their visit is too long; it is always too short. The longer you invest time in New Orleans, the more you’ll grow to love it. Everyone has a little New Orleans in them. How do I know? I’m an innkeeper in New Orleans. I see the transformation happen every day. New Orleans can change your mental habits for the better. New Orleans can make you enjoy life more. In a New Orleans state of mind, you’ll have a better idea of what history, community, and joie de vivre mean in being fulfilled. We are all a part of something bigger in New Orleans. You’ll see.

I know what you think. You think New Orleans is all about drunken debauchery, burlesque shows, and getting sucked into a tourist trap. New Orleans is those things for a lot of visitors to our fair city, but that is only a facet of this wonderful kaleidoscope of a city that New Orleanians call home. Try authentic New Orleans. You’ll like it.

EVERYONE HAS A LITTLE NEW ORLEANS IN THEM.

It doesn’t matter how old you are. It doesn’t matter what political persuasion you subscribe to. No matter your race, your ethnicity, your religion, your background, what you’ve done in the past or what you plan to do in the future, whatever you hold dear, New Orleans is here for you. Everyone has a little New Orleans in them, they only need the opportunity to discover it.

There is tourist New Orleans, and, if that’s for you, that’s okay. New Orleans doesn’t judge. There is another New Orleans, a richer and more imaginative New Orleans, a mythic New Orleans that is totally off the typical tourist radar that coexists alongside and parallel to the tourist side of the city. The two often overlap, or, more properly put, the touristy side feeds off the authentic side. No place is so nice as authentic New Orleans. I know you’ve heard of Bourbon Street. Name me another New Orleans street and I can show a whole other side of a world-class city that is unique on the globe. There is a reason that New Orleans is known as “America’s Most Unique City.” That reason is that once New Orleans captures your heart, you want more, and then some more.

You may not be tempted to move to New Orleans. After all, you have roots wherever you grew up or where you live now. You have responsibilities. New Orleans doesn’t claim to have a lock on your soul. Think of New Orleans as a seasoning, a place where you can ground your desires and put your faith in, a place where you can spice up your life and take it with you as long as you are alive. Good memories are made in New Orleans every day. How do I know? I live here. If you can’t trust New Orleans, who can you trust?

During this coronavirus pandemic, everything is shut down in New Orleans. La Belle Esplanade is open. After all, everyone needs a place to sleep. La Belle Esplanade is a tiny, five-suite bed-and-breakfast hotel on Esplanade Avenue. Our last guest left on March 16 this year. Our next guest isn’t expected until October. The bigger hotels are in the same boat. Most of them have plywood over their doors and windows. New Orleans economy revolves around tourism. If Hurricane Katrina couldn’t kill this wonderful city, this won’t either. When it’s time for you to visit New Orleans, La Belle Esplanade will be here. You have a friend on Esplanade Avenue.

Graffiti in City Park, New Orleans, Louisiana. — Graffiti in City Park, New Orleans. No one is a stranger in New Orleans. Everyone is a friend you haven’t yet met.

You belong here.

La Belle Esplanade. Your home in New Orleans.

When you are ready to visit New Orleans, you are on the right website. We aren’t on Expedia. We’re not on Booking.com. Cut out the middle man and deal direct with the proprietors. Our ‘Check Availability’ button is in the upper right corner of this screen, or, you can just CLICK HERE. Visit New Orleans like you mean it and discover if you have a little New Orleans in you. I’ll bet you do. Everyone has a little New Orleans in them, they just need to know where to look. That’s what we’re here for. We look forward to meeting you in person.

Have a great New Orleans day today, wherever you happen to be. Until you can visit in person, keep yourself in an authentic New Orleans state of mind.

If you want a taste of the real thing before you get here, you can read this collection of essays called Esplanade Dreams. EsplanadeDreams.com is your go-to source for a portfolio of poetic pleasures. Who doesn’t like to get a package full of pleasures in the mail?