Sparkle in a Small Town: Best day to visit New Orleans + Midtown's City Park

A swan floats along in New Orleans' City Park in Midtown.

Hands down, the best day to visit New Orleans is Sunday. All of the bachelor parties are packing up to go home. The streetcars are less busy and the fear of getting vomited on at Bourbon Street significantly decreases.

Darling Husband and I were in New Orleans Thursday-Monday and Sunday was an unexpected treat. We didn't have any tours or activities committed for Sunday, so we got to sleep in and wander a bit. Here is how we spent our glorious Sunday.

We enjoyed live jazz music by a pianist and a huge champagne brunch at Le Pavillon.

Champagne Brunch
I read THE BOOK to find the best jazz brunch in town and our very own hotel, Le Pavillon, made the top 10! We headed into the dining room about 10 a.m. and enjoyed the over-the-top chandeliers, shiny chafing dishes filled with every breakfast food you ever wanted and the wait staff refilling our bottomless mimosas. Bring your appetite! It's expensive, but a one-of-a-kind experience.

Ride the Streetcar
I had a travel guide that noted different walking tours, so we hopped the Canal Street Streetcar and rode it all the way to City Park. I had no idea what we were in store for. We had only been right downtown in the French Quarter, Garden District and Business District. Midtown was fun. Midtown is where people REALLY live in New Orleans. We wandered around City Park for hours soaking up each landmark.

This was Darling Husband's favorite sculpture in the museum's garden.

Sculpture Garden
You want to know where the cleanest bathrooms are in New Orleans? The Sculpture Garden in City Park. The garden is free and the sculptures are intriguing. Don't miss the gondolas on the pond pushing couples and families through the park. The bathrooms are by the entrance/exit. We loved the Spanish moss on the trees and the swans on the river.

Southern Bridal Shower
We wandered across a little bridge, by Storyland and back around by this mini Greek-style structure called the Peristyle. About 30 well-dressed ladies were enjoying a catered bridal shower and it was the most beautiful event I have seen. I wanted to be those gals! But, I had my Darling Husband, so we found a bench swing and sat for a bit and enjoyed the sunshine.

Gorgeous flowers outside of the Peristyle in City Park.

Pool Time
Sunday was the first day at our hotel pool that we had no trouble snagging deck chairs. And it was the first day without bachelor parties hanging around. Service up at the pool was terrible, but a gin and tonic with lime in the sunshine is the best vacation.

Salon
The only downside about Sunday in New Orleans is that some of the restaurants are closed. We knew we wanted to go to Salon in the French Quarter, right above Sucre (where we had already eaten two times). The restaurant was very quiet and we enjoyed a table on the second-story balcony watching the quiet foot traffic down below. I enjoyed a sorbellini, prosecco with a scoop of sorbet, and they brought us a free amuse-bouche of beet hummus. The hummus was the most vibrant magenta. Darling Husband had some kind of steak and I had vegetarian lasagna that we agree was the most delicious, unexpected take on lasagna we'd ever eaten.

Beautiful beet hummus at Salon.

Cafe Du Monde
One last trip to Cafe Du Monde. We sat down and the server in our section was moving quite slowly and had a lot of business. I looked around and I saw the waiter we had previously and I moved us to his area. He recognized us (Darling Husband is 6 feet, 7 inches) and the service again was impeccable. I generously tipped him again and he gave me a hug when we departed. Remember that the wait staff members are contractors and they work hard! For one last look, we rounded the building to the window on the river side and watched the kitchen staff cut dough and literally throw it over his shoulder into the vat of oil to fry.

Verdict: Sunday was my favorite day to tour New Orleans. The crowds had significantly thinned and the streetcar experience was more comfortable. If you have time, take the streetcar to City Park in Midtown to see a bit more of the city.