The Pontchartrain Hotel

The Pontchartrain is the hotel for travelers who want to live on St. Charles Avenue rather than visit it. The fourteen-story building in the Lower Garden District opened in the late 1920s and spent decades as one of the city's society addresses, a place where writers, entertainers and visiting celebrities stayed and where locals came to dine. A thorough revival under the Aparium Hotel Group restored its old glamour with a playful, literary twist and made it a destination again. The headline is Hot Tin, the rooftop bar crowning the building, styled after a 1940s artist's loft and named in a nod to Tennessee Williams, who is said to have stayed here while he was working on his plays. From the rooftop the views stretch over the oaks of the Garden District to the downtown skyline and the curve of the Mississippi, and at sunset it is one of the best seats in the city. Downstairs, the Bayou Bar is the opposite mood: a dark, tavern-style room of wood and leather with an extensive whiskey list and live piano, once frequented by Truman Capote and Frank Sinatra. The Silver Whistle cafe serves breakfast and pastries in a classic diner style, and the hotel's restaurant rounds out the dining. Rooms are individually styled with residential charm, vintage touches and modern comfort, and many have views up and down the avenue. The St. Charles streetcar stops just outside. Fit: couples who like a stylish base with nightlife inside the building, foodies exploring Uptown and Magazine Street, and repeat visitors who have already done the Quarter.

The location argument: the Pontchartrain sits on St. Charles Avenue at the edge of the Garden District, which means mornings start with a walk among the mansions and Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, Magazine Street's shops and cafes are a few blocks toward the river, and the streetcar carries you to Canal Street and the French Quarter in a scenic ride or Uptown to Audubon Park and the zoo. It is quieter than downtown at night, yet Hot Tin keeps the building lively, so you do not have to go far for an evening out.

Room craft and timing: ask for a higher floor facing St. Charles for streetcar and oak-canopy views, or a downtown-facing room for the skyline. Suites are named and styled individually, so if you are celebrating, look at the suite options carefully. Get to Hot Tin early on weekends, especially around sunset, when the rooftop fills with locals as well as guests. The Bayou Bar's piano evenings are the hotel's best-kept secret for a nightcap. During Carnival, St. Charles Avenue is the main parade route, and the hotel becomes a front-row seat; book very early, expect premium rates and minimum stays, and be ready for crowds and noise.

Practicals: the hotel is on St. Charles Avenue in the Lower Garden District, on the streetcar line. Valet parking is available. Rates are generally lower than top French Quarter luxury hotels, with the best value in summer and December. It suits travelers comfortable using the streetcar or rideshares for the Quarter, about ten to fifteen minutes away. Fit: couples, foodies and design lovers who want a hotel with personality, a great rooftop and the Garden District on the doorstep. For a perfect first evening, take the streetcar Uptown for dinner on Magazine Street or in the Garden District, then ride back for a nightcap at the Bayou Bar while the piano plays; it is the most New Orleans way to end a day without ever going near Bourbon Street.