smrardin

We are spending Dec 12 - Jan 1 in New Orleans this year. It is our second trip during this time frame. Our flight leaves on the 1st and we thought we would stay out by the airport our last night. Can you recommend a good place to eat within easy cab ride of the Hilton airport? Or, should we just plan on eating at the hotel?

There is NO bad food in New Orleans we have discovered - even hotels and gas stations! :-)

Hi,

We are making a visit to NOLA again this year for the week between Christmas and New Years. Last year I booked us into a smaller boutique hotel with lots of charm and ambiance (or so I thought from the website) but the bed was absolutely horrible and we switched after two nights to the Monteleone. I would like to find a nice older hotel (but with working A/C) with nice firm beds. Can anyone recommend a nice hotel, chain or not, with firmer bedding?

I am looking for some off-the-tourist path restaurants and activities for 12/26-12/31. Also, can someone give me a description of which dark beers I should try?

We are visiting New Orleans from 12/25-12/31 and want to see some plantations while we are there. We would rather not take a packaged tour and are wondering if it is possible to rent a car and go on our own or if the devastation from Katrina still makes this difficult. We know it is about an hour from New Orleans along the Great River Road but we are not sure if this would be advisable or not. Your thoughts?

What are your thoughts on a candidate drawing votes based solely/mainly on his/her race or gender?

Before you go off the deep end and say you are voting for someone for other reasons, please step back and re-read the question. I am not asking who you are voting for or what other reasons you have for voting for someone. I want to know your personal thoughts on someone who uses this as their main or sole criterion for their vote. It is well documented that there are those who are life-long Republicans are "seriously considering" supporting Mr. Obama because he is black and so are they. There were certainly women who supported Ms. Clinton because she was a woman. Both sets of supporters have justified their positions by claiming it is "historic." By definition, any election is "historic." Do you take these people seriously when forming your own opinions or does it detract for you? Do you feel that using race or gender as a platform is a form of reverse discrimination?

Today while I was idling in a drive through line, my LS400 (95) battery light came on and I noticed I had no power steering. My husband is out of town on business so I am assuming it is not safe to drive (although I was able to limp it home) and am taking the other car. Any idea what it is and if it is safe for me to drive to the mechanic's on Monday or do I need to have it towed? The car starts, nothing is running hot, no other lights are on. Thanks in advance!

I am looking for the most economical way to get from Amsterdam to Brugge or Ghent. The bus does not seem to work as it does not go the dates we want to travel. Must travel April 11-16. The websites will not give an "international" fare so I can't really see how much it is.