Laurie's light travel travel tips

The following article was originally published on Examiner.com, Dec. 1, 2010 New Orleans New Orleans is known for its music, food and friendly people, but not everyone comes here thinking about the breathtaking views. Think again. Not only do many of the city's hotels offer phenomenal Mississippi River views, but also sweeping, panoramic chances to take in the city lights twinkling above the Quarter or Central Business District. Where to start? That's the challenge. Start with a great river view: • The Westin New Orleans Canal Place At 100 Rue Iberville, this NOLA staple is tucked conveniently between the Quarter and Warehouse Districts. Your heart-stopping view of the Mississippi will be punctuated only by the unusual way you're about to see the lights of Bourbon and vicinity. Enjoy high-speed Internet access from your ergnomically-adjusted desk chair after dining at its River 127 Restaurant -- yes, 127 feet above the river. Then, an urban cityscape: • The Roosevel...

(Note: This article originally appeared on Examiner.com, Jun 14, 2015, as part of a four-part series on hotels for Father's Day) Chatting up the hotel's mascot "Miss Scarlett" will be a highlight of anyone's stay. Scarlett. The name evokes cinematic images of Vivien Leigh fending off Clark Gable in the 1939 masterpiece "Gone with the Wind". But here at the Hotel Modern, the name is for the bird, specifically the rare Eclectus Parrot, "Miss Scarlett". This boutique hotel in the hip and artsy Warehouse District at Lee Circle used to be Le Cirque before its mod and masterful renovation a few years ago. It reminded this reviewer very much of Hotel Modern du Temple in Paris, at least in the lobby and with its modest elevators with fine dark wood panels. With 135 comfy rooms equipped with what the hotel touts as "thoughtfully curated" books such as "The Red Badge of Courage" and divine, eco-friendly toiletries and linens, ...