The B & B shows Louisiana retains its Southern charm

Natchitoches - By Carol Forsloff.  --Just providing the town visitor a simple “hot and cot”
isn't the southern style of the Louisiana bed and breakfast way. Dream
of comfort, sumptuous food and hospitable proprietors, and you have the
elegance and charm associated with the south.

There are many bed and breakfast places in the South, but perhaps none
so fine as those in Natchitoches, Louisiana and its big sister to the
South, New Orleans.

One could write about each of these for a very long time because they
are mostly all so good that a random arrow could hit your target for a
very good stay.
,
Try one of a number of very historic places in Natchitoches, and watch
the horse and buggies ride down the street right outside your window.
Or just eat your fill with the very best fare in fair Louisiana.  The
Judge Porter House ranks high on the list of many chosen places, Maison
Louisiane, Chez des Amis, Violet Hill, and the Jefferson House have been
around for years, but there are many others that will make a stay in
Natchitoches a very special treat.

 

Located in the Uptown District of New Orleans, the
Chimes echoes both past and present culture and architecture in interior
and exterior design. Its outdoor courtyard speaks of beauty in
sunshine. Its interior whispers simple pleasures of food and comfort and
great conversation.

Let's look at this one, because in many ways it describes what the
visitor finds in the lovely places of Natchitoches and New Orleans,
where there are feasts for plates and eyes as well.

The Chimes got its name because of the chimes that actually hang from
roofs and windows along the front of the building. When the wind blows,
the chimes sing; and one can hear them clearly upon entering the
courtyard.

Carol Forsloff This is the entry from the back where the suites are located into the dining area of the main house of The Chimes, a favorite bed and breakfast where the staff of Reuters stayed after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans

The suite where I stayed was at one time occupied by
Reuters people following Hurricane Katrina, so I considered I was in a
place where the writer's spirits continued to bring creativity to the
very walls of the suite. A high topped king-sized bed and easy chair
along with over-sized dresser furnished the room, with the bath down a
short stairway below, this two-floored tiny house that framed the suite
for two. It was lovely for sure.

Carol Forsloff This is the small house-suite at the Chimes Bed and Breakfast in Uptown area of New Orleans where the Reuters staff stayed and where we stayed on a visit

But it was the courtyard that truly amazed and the
sculpture of the buildings frames that were truly a delight. Add to that
the array of guests, and the visit was complete. One of them I must
remember, as she was an example of the people one can meet in an elegant
bed and breakfast in wonderful New Orleans.

Carol Forsloff This beautiful courtyard is in the center back of The Chimes bed and breakfast, a delightful place to stay in the Uptown district of New Orleans where the Reuters staff stayed after Hurricane Katrina.

Ann Lane Breit once lived and worked in New Orleans.
She now teaches community college in New York. She had returned to New
Orleans to visit friends. Her interest in English and the culture and
customs of New Orleans brought conversation to the breakfast table where
I could join in and feel like I belonged. Ms. Breit gave delightful
descriptions of the city and its people, especially after what happened
in New Orleans. Her home, eventually sold, was badly damaged by
Hurricane Katrina. She said, “you learn after things like that what
really is important, and that material things are really immaterial.”
That seemed to sum up what many people believe these many months after
the storm, but the positive sentiments were no better expressed than by
Ms. Breit at the breakfast table on a beautiful day at a bed and
breakfast in New Orleans.

Carol Forsloff Here are two of the guests, along with the proprietor in the middle of the table, that we met at The Chimes Bed and Breakfast in the Uptown District of New Orleans. Ann Breit, a teacher of English, shown on the left, had returned to New Orleans to visit friends. She had her house damaged during the Hurricane Katrina storm.

Bed and breakfasts like The Chimes on Constantinople
Street in New Orleans are a treat for tourists, a romantic niche for
honeymooners and the perfect getaway for the stressed-out business
person who needs the ultimate in Southern hospitality and charm. These
characteristics were all wrapped up in a lovely place to spend some
time. I recommend a place like this to truly enjoy the city because a
time spent there is indeed something memorable.

Carol Forsloff Bed and breakfast guests are shown here in the courtyard of The Chimes, a bed and breakfast in the Uptown District of New Orleans.