J. Stephen Young/Jung Hotel & Residences
New Orleanians haven’t historically thought of the downtown Central Business District as a place to staycation. Sure, it’s home to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and Smoothie King Center, so concert going and Saints games are a given. But for most locals, the CBD is a place to conduct business and thought of as a neighborhood with large convention hotels and business travelers in town for meetings.
But that’s changed. Thanks to a flurry of development in the last five years, the CBD, with its South Market District micro-neighborhood, is booming with new mixed-use residential and retail buildings and a slew of new and newish places to eat, drink, and be entertained. With more than one thousand loft apartments and condos and 200,000 square feet of retail space planned just in the five blocks designated South Market in the heart of the CBD/Warehouse Arts District, millennials and young professionals are working and living here, imbuing the CBD with an influx of new energy and ideas.
Location... is pitch perfect, in the heart of the theater district and steps from the French Quarter and tons of CBD attractions and eateries.
Historic sleep
The latest addition to the CBD hotel scene is the newly renovated Jung Hotel & Residences, a $140 million redo of the famous hotel that opened to much fanfare in 1907. The Jung (pronounced like “jungle”) was party central, playing host to Mardi Gras Krewes, be-seen cotillions, and even a 1964 appearance by President Lyndon Johnson. The hotel became known as the largest meetings and conventions hotel in the South.
Shuttered in 1971, the Jung changed hands four times and was closed twice until it was purchased in 2012 by the New Orleans Hotel Collection, a locally owned company known for breathing new life into historic hotels. Opened in April, the Jung, added to the National Register of Historical Places in 1982, is a showstopper of a hotel at the intersection of historic and contemporary design. The lobby is quite fetching, with its acres of white marble, muted gray seating areas, and bold, modern art. The spacious rooms are fab, sleekly designed in shades of pearl, gold, and cream and done up with swanky amenities and extras like double sinks in most of the marble baths and cozy recliners for lounging. Head to the sixth floor rooftop for city views and drinks at the pool bar, open on weekends.
J. Stephen Young/Jung Hotel & Residences
The Jung is still a bit of a work in progress—the eponymous restaurant just added dinner to its breakfast and lunch service and the rooftop pool awaits umbrellas and landscaping. Location, on the other hand, is pitch perfect, in the heart of the theater district and steps from the French Quarter and tons of CBD attractions and eateries.
CBD doings
Theater lovers will have some tough decisions to make. Beyond the concerts booked at the Dome and Smoothie King Center, a concentration of restored theaters are steps away, including the Saenger, the Orpheum, and the aptly named Joy—all hosting touring music and comedy acts and Broadway shows.
For live music, head to The Little Gem Saloon on South Rampart, a historic venue that offers live music five nights a week spotlighting local artists from Kermit Ruffins to Meschiya Lake and the Little Big Horns and Marc Stone. Southern comfort food is served and there’s lovely balcony seating if the weather is fine.
Foodies will want to reserve a spot at Simplee Gourmet, an upmarket kitchen shop with cooking classes on themes like sheet pan suppers and brunch and boards. Another interactive experience is shaking at Drink Lab on Barrone. Master bartender Daniel Victory teaches would-be mixologists how to craft cocktails muddled, mixed, and shaken. For gamers, it doesn’t get better than the newish Dave & Buster’s on Poydras, a massive all-ages playplace with tons of game and sports-related fun. The pub food is actually quite good here too, well priced and tasty.
Head towards the river on Canal, and everything French Quarter awaits, from rowdy Bourbon Street to the Theatres at Canal Place and shopping to sightseeing trips on the mighty Mississippi. It’s all in the CBD’s “front yard.”
[Going further afield in New Orleans? Read up on The Lakefront Revival]
CBD eats and drinks
Match your mood with one of the scads of bars and restaurants in the CBD. Adventurous eaters won’t do better than Maypop, MoPho chef Michael Gulotta’s newest restaurant in the Paramount building. Fans of MoPho will find an elegant step up here, with the kitchen mixing flavors of Louisiana and Southeast Asia, a pursuit of bold memorable flavor without borders.
Around the corner Willa Jean dishes toothsome breads and pastries from James Beard Award-nominated chef Kelly Fields, along with Southern-inspired dishes that bring comfort food to lofty heights. For Mexican, try Johnny Sanchez on Poydras, home to tableside guac and a killer happy hour. Another fun place to hang out is the World of Beer on Julia Street, home to more than 500 global brews along with a menu of tavern eats and tons of flat screens for watching sports.
For a more swank experience, have drinks at the Cellar Door, the intimate brick-lined cocktail lounge housed in the oldest house in the CBD before heading to Vyoone’s Restaurant on Girod. It doesn’t get more romantic than dining Vyoone’s courtyard on French Creole cuisine from Vyoone Segue Lewis and partner Zohreh Khaleghi, last of the Flaming Torch. Against a chic backdrop, slurp one of the best French onion soups in town, velvety sweet onion broth capped with gooey melted cheese or try the crawfish beignets. The place is a bit spendy, so maybe split an entrée and spend the rest of your budget at the Windsor Court’s wonderful Polo Lounge, where dancing cheek to cheek is a prelude to pillow talk sure to make you feel Jung at heart.
This article originally appeared in our June 2018 issue. Subscribe to our print magazine today.
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