Saints Room • Queen Bed • Sleeps 2
The city of New Orleans was awarded an NFL franchise on November 1, 1966. The team was named “Saints” due to its birthday on the Roman Catholic Church’s All Saints Day—a fitting nickname for a team in the largely Catholic New Orleans area. The team’s original stadium was Tulane Stadium, which could seat more than 80,000.
The Saints struggled as a rag tag team for several decades. It was so bad that a local journalist and radio/TV personality, Buddy Diliberto, wore a paper grocery bag over his head to promote the brown bag special of Sonic. Many fans took to wearing bags over their heads when attending games. The moniker “Aint’s” was also born due to the ineptitude of the 1980 Saints.
In the early 2000’s, the Saints began to show some vast improvement and the fans love affair grew stronger.
In 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and much of the Gulf Coast region. The Superdome was used as an emergency, temporary shelter for displaced residents. The stadium suffered damage from the hurricane. The Saints were forced to play their home games at Giants Stadium, at the Alamodome in San Antonio and Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge.
During the season, it was rumored that Saints’ owner Tom Benson might deem the Superdome unusable and seek to legally void his contract and relocate the team to San Antonio, where he had business interests. Ultimately, however, the Superdome was repaired and renovated in time for the 2006 season at an estimated cost of US$185 million.
The New Orleans Saints’ first post-Katrina home game was an emotionally charged Monday Night Football game versus their division rival, the Atlanta Falcons. The Saints, under rookie head coach Sean Payton and new quarterback Drew Brees, defeated the Falcons 23–3, and went on to notch the second playoff win in franchise history.
The 2009 season was a historic one for the Saints. Winning a franchise-record 13 games, they qualified for Super Bowl XLIV and defeated the AFC champion Indianapolis Colts 31–17. To date, it is the only Super Bowl championship that they have won, and as it is the only Super Bowl the Saints have appeared in, they join the New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the only three NFL teams to win their lone Super Bowl appearance.
Frenchmen Street Guesthouse owner, Lisa Sins, was an avid fan and attended the Super Bowl in 2009 in Miami with dear friends. Lisa hosted lavish Saints parties at her home every Sunday for her family and friends. She wore black and gold every Friday through Sunday during Football Season and insisted her guests do the same.
New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival
Jazz Room • King Bed • Sleeps 2
In April of 1970, Mahalia Jackson returned to her hometown to appear at the first New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. She and Duke Ellington came upon the Eureka Brass Band leading a crowd of second-line revelers through the Festival grounds. George Wein, producer of the Festival, handed Ms. Jackson a microphone, she sang along with the band and joined the parade… and the spirit of Jazz Fest was born.
This spontaneous, momentous scene—this meeting of jazz and heritage—has stood for decades as a stirring symbol of the authenticity of the celebration that was destined to become a cultural force.
In announcing the first Festival, scheduled for April 22 – 26, Wein said, “The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival represents a new and exciting idea in festival presentation. This festival could only be held in New Orleans because here and here alone is the richest musical heritage in America.”
Inspired by the spirit of Mahalia Jackson and the Eureka Brass Band back in 1970 which hosted 350 guests, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival continues to celebrate the culture of Louisiana with the combined fervor of a gospel hymn and the joy of a jazz parade. Today, the Jazz and Heritage festival hosts millions over a two-week period: traditionally, the last weekend in April and first weekend in May.
We dedicate this room, to Lisa’s (previous owner) love of New Orleans, New Orleans’ music and the joy of entertaining, celebrating and sharing with visitors from all parts of the world. We celebrate her life and love of New Orleans. Every year, Lisa scheduled her two-week vacation to coincide with Jazz Fest so that she could soak up the joyous music, food and art that Jazz Fest offers. She participated with a group of 20 of her closest friends to spend each day of the Fest in a special reserved area known as the “grassy knoll” from mid-morning to late evening each day, rain or shine.
Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras Room • Double Bed • Sleeps 2
The holiday of Mardi Gras is celebrated annually in the city of New Orleans and throughout Louisiana. Celebrations are concentrated for about two weeks before and through Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday, Usually, there is one major parade each day. The largest and most elaborate parades take place the last five days of the Mardi Gras season.
The parades in New Orleans are organized by social clubs known as krewes. The earliest-established krewes were the Mystic Krewe of Comus, Rex, the Knights of Momus and the Krewe of Proteus. Several modern “super krewes” are well known for large parades and such as the Krewe of Endymion, the Krewe of Bacchus as well as the Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club—a predominantly African American krewe. Float riders traditionally toss throws into the crowds.
Following a color-themed Rex parade in 1892 that featured purple, green, and gold-colored floats themed, the Rex organization retroactively declared that the three colors symbolized justice, power, and faith.
While many tourists center their Carnival season activities on Bourbon Street, major parades originate in the Uptown and Mid-City districts and follow a route along St. Charles Avenue and Canal Street. Mardi Gras day traditionally concludes with the “Meeting of the Courts” between Rex and Comus. Bourbon Street is more focused on “popup” costumed walkers parading through the French Quarter and the ever-coveted balcony patrons tossing beads to the begging crowds below.
No one had more passion for Mardi Gras, than the previous owner of our Guesthouse, Lisa Sins. She was part of the bustier ladies’ parade group. You could find her every Mardi Gras waving to the crowds from the Arnaud’s Restaurant balcony donned in her bustier and loaded with beads and perhaps a cocktail or two. Her FAVORITE color was purple and during Mardi Gras she adorned herself, with purple, green and gold. The more outrageous the better!
The Blue Dog by George Rodrigue, Artist
Blue Dog Room • Queen Bed • Sleeps 2
Welcome to The Blue Dog Bedroom! At Frenchmen Street Guesthouse, we are all about introducing you to “New Orleans’ favorite Things” and to our beloved, previous owner’s “favorite New Orleans things”.
George Rodrigue was Born and raised in “CAJUN COUNTRY” in Southwest Louisiana. The Blue Dog inspiration was spawned from a Cajun legend, the loup-garou.
Meet Tiffany, the Original Blue Dog
It was an accident that a terrier/spaniel mix named Tiffany found herself involved with an artist’s legacy years after her death. The Blue Dog, in truth has little connection to the Rodrigue family pet. Instead,
its roots lie in a Cajun story, the loup-garou, a scary legend about a werewolf-type dog that lurks in cemeteries and sugar cane fields, haunting naughty children in the night.
“If you’re not good today,” George’s mother used to tell him, “the loup-garou will get you tonight!”
In the beginning, the Blue Dog was no different than these other Cajun subjects, and Tiffany was no different than George’s other models. Rodrigue has hundreds of pictures of her, snapped as she sat beside his easel late at night, keeping a Cajun artist company in the wee hours.
“She was a mean little dog, always eating the furniture and chasing the neighbors. But we got along great.”
Tiffany was dead four years when Rodrigue chose her photograph as the basic shape for his first painting of the loup-garou in 1984. As almost an after-thought, he painted her a pale grey-blue, an artistic decision, as her white fur reflected the dark night sky.
We hope you enjoy being introduced and surrounded by Tiffany and experiencing some of New Orleans “favorite things”. By the way,
Rodrigue has an Art Gallery in the French Quarter, just a few blocks away at 730 Royal Street. Enjoy!
New Orleans Saints – A Love Story
Saints Room • Queen Bed • Sleeps 2
The city of New Orleans was awarded an NFL franchise on November 1, 1966. The team was named “Saints” due to its birthday on the Roman Catholic Church’s All Saints Day—a fitting nickname for a team in the largely Catholic New Orleans area. The team’s original stadium was Tulane Stadium, which could seat more than 80,000.
The Saints struggled as a rag tag team for several decades. It was so bad that a local journalist and radio/TV personality, Buddy Diliberto, wore a paper grocery bag over his head to promote the brown bag special of Sonic. Many fans took to wearing bags over their heads when attending games. The moniker “Aint’s” was also born due to the ineptitude of the 1980 Saints.
In the early 2000’s, the Saints began to show some vast improvement and the fans love affair grew stronger.
In 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and much of the Gulf Coast region. The Superdome was used as an emergency, temporary shelter for displaced residents. The stadium suffered damage from the hurricane. The Saints were forced to play their home games at Giants Stadium, at the Alamodome in San Antonio and Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge.
During the season, it was rumored that Saints’ owner Tom Benson might deem the Superdome unusable and seek to legally void his contract and relocate the team to San Antonio, where he had business interests. Ultimately, however, the Superdome was repaired and renovated in time for the 2006 season at an estimated cost of US$185 million.
The New Orleans Saints’ first post-Katrina home game was an emotionally charged Monday Night Football game versus their division rival, the Atlanta Falcons. The Saints, under rookie head coach Sean Payton and new quarterback Drew Brees, defeated the Falcons 23–3, and went on to notch the second playoff win in franchise history.
The 2009 season was a historic one for the Saints. Winning a franchise-record 13 games, they qualified for Super Bowl XLIV and defeated the AFC champion Indianapolis Colts 31–17. To date, it is the only Super Bowl championship that they have won, and as it is the only Super Bowl the Saints have appeared in, they join the New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the only three NFL teams to win their lone Super Bowl appearance.
Frenchmen Street Guesthouse owner, Lisa Sins, was an avid fan and attended the Super Bowl in 2009 in Miami with dear friends. Lisa hosted lavish Saints parties at her home every Sunday for her family and friends. She wore black and gold every Friday through Sunday during Football Season and insisted her guests do the same.