the neighborhood.
The suddenly bustling Warehouse Arts District has also become a
popular place to stay, with several new hotels, all within easy
walking distance of the city's major attractions. Most notable is
the Loews New Orleans, which is just across the street from
Harrah's (the city's only land-based casino), two blocks from the
convention center, and three from the French Quarter. The
Riverwalk shopping complex, on the site of the city's World's Fair
along the banks of the Mississippi, is just a block away. In
addition to its ultraconvenient location, the Loews, which opened
in December, is one of the only hotels in New Orleans with a
full-service spa and health club. And if that's not enough for you,
the Brennan clan - the family behind New Orleans' renowned
Commander's Palace - opened a "Creole bistro" called Café Adelaide
in the hotel, their first new restaurant in the city in 12 years.
Another recent arrival in the Arts District is the Renaissance Arts
Hotel, which showcases three stunning Dale Chihuly chandeliers in
the lobby and features a permanent art space. Keeping up with the
new arrivals, the city's venerable lodging, the Windsor Court, part
of the luxury Orient-Express chain, has just finished a total
renovation of its famed New Orleans Grill, and added new artwork,
rounding out the hotel's $8 million museumlike collection.
Elsewhere in the city, a dozen other new hotels are under
construction.
City Park, New Orleans' largest green space, has also just
completed an extensive renovation, adding an impressive 50-piece
sculpture garden, a gift from a prominent local businessman. The
free exhibit is laid out along paths meandering through century-old
stands of trees. City Park is also the northern terminus of the
Canal Streetcar Line, which opened in April, bringing open-air
streetcars back to this route after a 40-year absence. Overlooking
the refurbished City Park is a popular new restaurant called
Ralph's on the Park.