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The Other Side of the Big Easy

© Lain Ehmann

Several years ago, before I became a mommy, my husband and I made a trek to New Orleans, Party Town USA. We spent our time at all the typical touristy spots, never venturing far from Bourbon Street and the French Quarter. We ate Cajun food, I played the washboard onstage with a zydeco band, and we stayed out until all hours. When we left, we were certain we'd "done" New Orleans, and done it right.

Fast forward three years. We're in New Orleans again, but this time with an extra accompaniment - my two-year-old son, Benjamin. All of the sudden, romantic dinners for two and 3 AM jaunts to Café Du Monde were out. We needed a whole new view of New Orleans.

It wasn't until we traveled as a family that we realized there's a lot more to the Big Easy than hurricanes at Pat O'Briens. In fact, some of the city's best attractions are far from the drunken crowds of the French Quarter's year-round Mardi Gras.

All our ramblings around the city started from our home base - the Sheraton on Canal Street (http://www.sheraton.com/cgi/t3.cgi/prope... Unfortunately, the hotel's one restaurant - Café Promenade - was definitely not kid-friendly, and the only thing within walking distance was Wendy's. As a result, we ended up ordering a lot of room service when the unseasonably cold and windy weather forced us indoors. Fortunately, the kids' menu was more than adequate - as well it should be, with rates around $200 per night.

The hotel's pool was out of commission, so we had to find other ways to amuse ourselves. The good news is, there's tons to do in New Orleans. We started our first day by taking a bus tour of the city. Good ones are operated by both Gray Line (www.graylineneworleans.com) and New Orleans Tours (504/592-0560). We opted for the New Orleans city and river tour, which cost approximately $35 for adults, and Benjamin was free. It was a terrific way to get a feel for the layout of this larger-than-you-would-expect city, and also see all the sites, including an historic cemetery, the French Quarter, St. Charles and a river tour on a paddle boat to a battle site of the War of 1812.

The bus portion of the tour was terrific, but the boat was just too windy. Plus, it definitely wasn't child-proof. We ended up sitting inside in the stuffy cafeteria area, to ensure that we didn't lose our hats - or our kid! He could easily have crawled overboard, so I recommend this part of the tour for over-fives or non-walkers only.