New Year's at Hotel Monteleone

Whenever I visit New Orleans I love to stay at the Hotel Monteleone, not just because we are related to the owners, but because it exudes the essence of the city. It is easy to understand how it has earned the title of “Grande Dame of the French Quarter.” Its beaux-art architecture blends in beautifully with the rest of the Vieux Carre.

 

It is conveniently located on Royal Street (Rue Royale), home of some of the swankiest antique stores in New Orleans. A lobby display case features collectibles from Moss Antiques… 

…showcasing colorful oyster plates… 

…and fancy epaulettes in the original box.

Another display case boasts of the hotel’s rich literary history… 

 

…including a letter written by Tennessee Williams. 

 

The lobby flowers are always spectacular, but the lobby is at its finest in December, with the traditional Christmas tree… 

…and the antique grandfather clock… 

 

… all gussied up for the holidays. 

I like to tag the spot in front of the clock where the years have worn a dip in the marble floor.

 

The decorative wood panels by the elevators add a flair of elegance. 

 

 

*** 

One year ago, one hundred of our closest relatives converged upon the Hotel Monteleone for a family reunion. We decided that the week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve was the perfect time to gather because all schools, universities, and many businesses are on holiday. 

When my husband and I were getting ready for the reception in our room upstairs, I watched the sun set from our window. I held my breath as I watched a barge make the impossibly tight turn at the bend of the Mississippi.

 

The reunion gathering was in a downstairs meeting room overlooking Royal Street.

 

The hotel’s catering staff did a spectacular job preparing and serving a delicious and beautiful buffet of fruits… 

 

… and crudités. 

The soup buffet offered a choice oyster artichoke, white asparagus and brie, and seafood gumbo served in demitasse cups. I can attest that all three soups were fantastic.

 

I can also tell you that the martini glasses with grilled artichoke heart with lump crab and avocado brunoise with radish sprouts and lemon for garnish were scrumptious. As for the shooters with tomato, basil, and dilled watercress pana cotta - my goodness, they were delicious.

 

I forgot to take photos of the barbecue buffet and I didn’t have room for the sliders, but I did stop to admire the gorgeous jewel-toned floral arrangements by Perfect Presentations.

 

Most of all, though, I loved catching up with relatives I hadn’t seen in a long time and meeting new ones that I never knew existed. 

 *** 

Two nights later, on New Year’s Eve, my daughter, my sister and I had a cocktail the Carousel Bar, where you can literally feel the room spinning every fifteen minutes.

 

Earlier in the week, my father-in-law reminisced about his courtship with my mother-in-law when they used to listen to Liberace play here.

After weighing all our options, we chose to bring in 2011 in the comfort of our room upstairs, watching the fireworks across the Mississippi while sipping mango bellinis. 

Here is a glimpse of the fireworks at Jackson Square about seven blocks away.




From the comfort of my home in Palo Alto, I wish you all a Happy New Year!

Olde Good Things Antiques in New York City

On the same day that I found all of the Bakelite treasures, I followed Pamela Keech’s other recommendations in the “Chelsea – Antiques, Collectibles, and Vintage Stores” chapter of her excellent book The Curious Shopper’s Guide to New York City, Inside Manhattan’s Shopping Districts. First, I was greeted by a lovable pair of laughing lions. Maybe the Circus Center that Tangobaby recently mentioned should procure them. I think they are water fountains; how fun would it be to stick your head in to take a drink of water? Then I stepped inside Olde Good Things:

While I waited for assistance from one of the “architecturologists”, the self-anointed title of the staff, I came across a striking statue of Diana the Huntress:

Keech promised that this was the place for architectural antiques. Staff members follow wrecking balls all over North and South America hunting for architectural treasures. I’ve heard of ambulance chasers, but I’ve never heard of wrecking-ball chasers. Once it was my turn, I got the undivided attention of one of the architecturologists. My husband is from New Orleans and I was planning to decorate our guestroom in a New Orleans style with a modern twist. I told her I was looking for vintage door hardware. Was I looking for strike plates?

Or was it escutcheons?

No, I was looking for door knobs. 

Like these?

Yes, very nice, but do you have glass door knobs?

I guess you do have glass door knobs. These porcelain ones in this glass case look very interesting to me, do you have more?

My goodness! I’ve never seen brown porcelain door knobs before; I love the black ones.

You wouldn’t happen to have matching black porcelain cabinet hardware would you?

Pretty remarkable isn’t it? It turns out I couldn’t quite make a set of ten compatible knobs, but I have the photo and I was told that I can put an order in and they will call me when the wrecking ball scores some mates for these cabinet knobs. This is only one example of the depth of merchandise they carry. You can even own a piece of history and buy a piece of stained glass window by glass artist Robert Sowers that were excavated from JFK International Airport. Their website states that they have over 2,000 doors in stock. I believe it! Down the street, I saw a couple of light fixtures that caught my eye. This chandelier is not really my style, but I'd never seen turquoise teardrops like these before:

This light fixture, however, is very much my style:

Oh to have an infinite amount of wall space!

Next time, we go fabric shopping!

Jeffrey Tillou Antiques - Litchfield, CT

After I left White Flower Farm I stumbled upon a beautiful antique store in Litchfield, CT. Jeffrey Tillou Antiques specializes in 18th and 19th century American art. I love folk art, so my heart sang as I walked through the store. I am so grateful I was allowed to take photos!

The carousel horse in the window did a great job of luring customers inside. It immediately made me think of my best friend from high school who restores carousel horses for a living. I love being able to say that! Learn about Lise Liepman's studio here.

Speaking of horses, horse lovers can appreciate these weather vanes:

Speaking of weather vanes, this one's great. How great would this be to point the way during a wedding? I can also see myself using an image like this to say "see reverse side" on a brochure.

This photo is dedicated to Dr. Robin at Bird Tweets. Maybe she can tell us what those keys unlock and what the bird is tweeting about.

I was familiar with cross stitch samplers, but I had never seen family records that were done in calligraphy:

My inner calligrapher was very inspired. That day I decided that some day, in my spare time, I might make a family record like these. I thought the eagles give it a flair of authenticity so I started photographing the eagles displayed around the store for inspiration. Plus my mother makes patriotric quilts, she will appreciate these too:

love that camel:

A patriotic quilt to inspire my mother:

White Flower Farm and Jeffrey Tillou Antiques make for a very good day!