ROMANTIC NOLA CHARM My stay at Anne's was sheer joy. I am a widow and stayed there with my friends 2 dogs - and no one else - so why do I say it was romantic - because in this beautiful tiny house oasis I fell in love with me I feel in love with being alive. For the first time since my beautiful, amazing wife J.Karen Thomas made her ascent to heaven in 2015 - I found myself truly enjoying myself without guilt, or shame. I don't know what it was about this space but it provided a healing I was not looking for but gratefully accepted.
When I arrived at 8p it was dark and squeezing through the narrow walkway between the front house and the fence was a bit daunting . But once I made it through the passageway -- OooH!! It was like discovering the secret garden!
Pictures simply can not capture the Feeling of this space. The space to me, feels like a two level tiny house, (I'm a huge fan of tiny house shows). When I walked in the local radio station WWOZ, was playing on an old Bose radio. The whole weekend week I was there they were doing a tribute to a deceased jazz legend named Danny Barker who I have never heard of. Now I am a huge fan, and I stream WWOZ at home in Nashville daily.. I am a total TV junkie - but, I found myself never turning on the TV the whole time I was there.
Ok, so that first night I arrived it was dark. (The view of the courtyard at night could be enhanced by some "Christmas"/patio lights). That said it is still completely lovely - especially from the "Romeo & Juliet" balcony. Where u can peek into the neighbor's backwards and see their swimming pools.
After a long drive from nashville it was heaven to soak in the tiny claw foot tub. I am 5'6 and in the tub my knees were bent. Yes, it's tiny! but it is Deep and the water was nice and hot and the pressure from the shower is great. The bed is Divine and I slept well every night.
Once dawn came, the beauty of the patio was truly revealed. ** TiP ** Make sure you ask Ginger how to plug in the fountain if it is off when you arrive. The fountain plugs into an extension cord --- which plugs into the wall of the front house - both of which were unplugged when I arrived. It made a HUGE difference to have it on.
The large tree which reaches up to the second floor is glorious! The storm doors downstairs are beautiful and I found myself closing them When I left to go out just so I could open them when I returned. (Also to help insulate the neighbors for the 3 min of wailing the dogs perform when they are left behind.
My road dogs - a 13 lbs havanese named PaCO and a 12lbs Pomeranian/Silky Terrier named BeAR were in dog heaven! They were able to chase squirrels, sleep in the sun and bark at a possum and kitty cat.
The location is perfect. I was able to walk the dogs in Washington park everyday - which is right across the street. The park leads you right to Frenchmen Street, a wonderfully music and art filled fun entre to The French Quarter. I enjoyed walking all the way to Café Du Monde for beignets & hot chocolate and then strolling along the river. On the practical end-a few block away is Robêrt's grocery store - a sort of NOLA Whole Foods. They have a small liquor store, full deli with cooked foods and I was able to buy wine, king cake, sushi and kombucha. Don't judge! After 4 days of rich shrimp and grits, biscuits and beignets - I got a yen for lighter fare LOL.
Any downsides you ask? The kitchen cabinets are a bit cluttered, the towels don't match and once and if you look hard you'll find some dust and a small bit of grime in the corners. And once, only once the toilet made a faint dripping sound for about 30 minutes. I rang GiNGER who assured me it was simply the old plumbing. All that is super minor. This is a warn home that feels like a place your cool, hip young aunt has let you stay in while she goes to visit friends in NYC's Greenwich Village. If you want a sleek minimalist modern space- look elsewhere.
BTW Ginger, the property manager is a super responsive, cheerful, firecracker and an absolute jem.
*** TiP *** my favorite spot in NOLA is THE COUNTRY CLUB RESTAURANT - where you can have a delicious meal or drinks at the bar/ hip lounge space AND/or take a dip in their pool and hot tub for only $15 for an all day/night pass! You can swim at the pool during the day, go out to eat for dinner and come back in the evening and soak in the hot tub - it's genius! It's only a 6 min drive or 15/20 min walk away.
Finally, I enjoyed my 4 days there so much and was so relaxed, I actually booked an extra night because I couldn't bear to leave. I'm currently looking for a reason to come back for another five day stay in the next three months LOL!