The city of New Orleans comes alive through the food bursting with flavor, the jazzy tunes and the revelry of all that is the French Quarter. Walking through New Orleans is also like walking through the footsteps of literary giants of the past. Whether grabbing a drink at the bar at Hotel Monteleone where Truman Capote was known to drink or looking for the next book to immerse yourself in at Faulkner House Books where William Faulkner once lived, there are traces of literary history almost every where you turn.
Luxe in the midst of New Orlean's famous French Quarter this hotel is but it is much more than a place to catch some shut eye. The Monteleone has quite the vibrant literary past. Open since 1886, many literary greats have frequented the hotel while passing through New Orleans — Anne Rice, Ernest Hemingway, Tennessee Williams and William Faulkner, to name a few. In 1999, the Friends of the Library Association designated the hotel a literary landmark. Today, in homage to the ties of great literature of the past, the hotel has five literary themed suites guests can book for their stay. Hotel Monteleone. 214 Royal Street, New Orleans. 504-523-3341. hotelmonteleone.com
Tennessee William's House
For artists, the muse is as tantamount as the work created. New Orleans inspired Tennessee Williams greatly and is known to be where he felt most creatively alive. When Williams turned 28, in 1939, he moved to New Orleans. In the years that followed, he lived in a number of places and frequented many places, too. One of the most notable places is the home on Dumaine Street. Just like Hotel Monteleone, this house is a designated literary landmark. The influence of Williams is so deeply felt in New Orleans there is an annual literary festival named after him around his birthday. Tennessee Williams House. 1014 Dumaine Street, New Orleans.
Formerly an abode where William Faulkner and friends dwelled, a four story yellow home is now where Faulkner House Books can be found. The bookstore holds a host of rarer literary treasures, including of course some of Faulkner's works. The first story of the house is the bookstore while the three other floors are living quarters, including the second floor where the owners of the buliding currently live. Faulkner House Books. 24 Pirate Alley, New Orleans. 504-524-2940. faulknerhousebooks.com
The French-Creole culinary tradition is what Antoine's Restaurant is famously known for but also the literary elite who dined there. Each of the several dining rooms are dotted with pictures of all those who have broke bread at the eatery. To experience the true ambience of the Antoine's Restaurant, dine during the Sunday jazz brunch. Reservations suggested. Antoine's Restaurant. 713 Saint Louis Street, New Orleans. 504-581-4422. antoines.com
The Beauregard-Keyes House and Garden Museum
Frances Parkinson Keyes, a famous author, likened The Beauregard House to be her home of all homes when she moved in and rented the second story of the home in the 1940s. Keyes immortalized the places where she lived in her writing. This was also the case in her writings about New Orleans and the time she lived in The Beauregard House. Some of her most famous works — "The Chess Players" and "Dinner at Antoine's" — were born from her time in this city. When she died in 1970, The Keyes Foundation turned the former living space into a museum visitors can see today. The Beauregard-Keyes House and Garden Museum. 1113 Chartres Street, New Orleans. 504-523-7257. bkhouse.org
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