I need a vacation, I need suggestions

[dean_martin]

I had a dream I went to Quebec City for two nights. The first night I stayed at the Manoir Victoria and the next day I walked through the city to the Chateau Frontenac. I have no idea why I switched Hotels. I have stayed in and enjoyed them both. Now I am missing Quebec City. I feel more alive when I am there than any other place I have been.

Follow your dreams, John! A familiar place might be good for you.

OTOH - You CAN do the NOLA French Quarter over a weekend. But, for me, it's always a place I'll go back to so not everything gets done over a weekend and there's more to it than just the FQ.

Friday night - St. Charles trolley to Avenue Pub - great bar food and beer, then to Roosevelt Hotel for a Sazerac cocktail in the Sazerac Bar, then out to Bourbon St or down to House of Blues if there's a show you want to see. (I saw Iron & Wine there.)
Sat - shops and galleries in FQ off Bourbon, Muffuletta for lunch, Jackson Square, dinner at the Bourbon House Oyster Bar - beer from Abita, gumbo, oysters any way you like, gator tail and finish with bread pudding and a flight of bourbons (whiskey on beer, never fear!), then out onto Bourbon St then maybe to O'Brien's for a Hurricane.
Sun - back to Jackson Square for beignets at Cafe Du Monde and photography, stroll side streets of
FQ - the houses are colorful with distinct architecture - photogenic. Back up to Bourbon and Laffitte Black Smith Shop for a drink on your way to last stop at above ground cemetary just outside FQ (check to see if it's open ahead of time) - more photos. Get to airport to catch plane.
Hotels - Royal Sonesta on Bourbon - nice, on Bourbon(!), a little pricey. Le Richelieu on Chartres - good rates, still nice, but older/dated rooms, FREE PARKING in FQ but closer to Jackson Square.

I like Bobsticks' suggestion re Charleston. I'm saving that one. We lived there once, but I was too young to remember. I need to go back and take my family

Other Southern cities of interest:
Memphis - for Beale St. and points of musical interest. Watch the ducks come in at the Peabody while sipping an excellent martini. (You don't have to stay at the Peabody to enjoy their lobby bar and duck parade.) My wife and I went to Memphis for a short trip and had a blast. Some of the sights require transportation.
Louisville - planned a trip there last year but it fell through - when is the KY Derby? - that would be a great time to go if you like crowds and festive atmosphere. I'm a bourbon fan so my trip would've focused on distilleries and bourbon history and a trip down to Bardstown/bourbon country. L'ville has a couple of nice/famous hotels.
Nashville - again, if you like points of musical interest - it's not just for country anymore.
St. Augustine - went there years ago, can't remember much, but might be worth looking into if you have any interest in way early Spanish settlements.
Savannah?

I suggest not going too far south between Memorial Day and the end of September unless you love heat and high humidity and are going to the beach.

[JohnMichael]

Follow your dreams, John! A familiar place might be good for you.

OTOH - You CAN do the NOLA French Quarter over a weekend. But, for me, it's always a place I'll go back to so not everything gets done over a weekend and there's more to it than just the FQ.

Friday night - St. Charles trolley to Avenue Pub - great bar food and beer, then to Roosevelt Hotel for a Sazerac cocktail in the Sazerac Bar, then out to Bourbon St or down to House of Blues if there's a show you want to see. (I saw Iron & Wine there.)
Sat - shops and galleries in FQ off Bourbon, Muffuletta for lunch, Jackson Square, dinner at the Bourbon House Oyster Bar - beer from Abita, gumbo, oysters any way you like, gator tail and finish with bread pudding and a flight of bourbons (whiskey on beer, never fear!), then out onto Bourbon St then maybe to O'Brien's for a Hurricane.
Sun - back to Jackson Square for beignets at Cafe Du Monde and photography, stroll side streets of
FQ - the houses are colorful with distinct architecture - photogenic. Back up to Bourbon and Laffitte Black Smith Shop for a drink on your way to last stop at above ground cemetary just outside FQ (check to see if it's open ahead of time) - more photos. Get to airport to catch plane.
Hotels - Royal Sonesta on Bourbon - nice, on Bourbon(!), a little pricey. Le Richelieu on Chartres - good rates, still nice, but older/dated rooms, FREE PARKING in FQ but closer to Jackson Square.

I like Bobsticks' suggestion re Charleston. I'm saving that one. We lived there once, but I was too young to remember. I need to go back and take my family

Other Southern cities of interest:
Memphis - for Beale St. and points of musical interest. Watch the ducks come in at the Peabody while sipping an excellent martini. (You don't have to stay at the Peabody to enjoy their lobby bar and duck parade.) My wife and I went to Memphis for a short trip and had a blast. Some of the sights require transportation.
Louisville - planned a trip there last year but it fell through - when is the KY Derby? - that would be a great time to go if you like crowds and festive atmosphere. I'm a bourbon fan so my trip would've focused on distilleries and bourbon history and a trip down to Bardstown/bourbon country. L'ville has a couple of nice/famous hotels.
Nashville - again, if you like points of musical interest - it's not just for country anymore.
St. Augustine - went there years ago, can't remember much, but might be worth looking into if you have any interest in way early Spanish settlements.
Savannah?

I suggest not going too far south between Memorial Day and the end of September unless you love heat and high humidity and are going to the beach.

Thanks for some great suggestions. You may be right for this mental health break going home to Quebec City may be the thing.

As I have been looking at Hotels I realized for just me I do not need the Chateau Frontenac or the Manoir Victoria. I spent most of my time taking my mother to Quebec and we stayed at very nice places and ate gourmet foods. I think I just want to stroll the streets and take pictures. Oh and I know where to drink.

I do not know why Quebec feels like home.

[RoyY51]

I have a good friend who lives in Nashville. He claims that there is more live music per square mile than anyplace else on earth. And, as was noted above, it's not just country music. The abundance of recording studios insures a wide variety of styles comin' through town. Plenty of hotels, nightspots, and just a few hours away; DOLLYWOOD!

[Woochifer]

I would add Toronto the mix as well. Big and very international city, but more like a pastiche of neighborhoods than anything. When I visited several years ago, I just roamed from neighborhood to neighborhood, with no particular destinations in mind and discovered many interesting places. Lot of distinct ethnic shopping districts, so food choices abound. Very similar to San Francisco in its scale and diversity, but flatter and cleaner, and more European and Middle Eastern in its ethnic mix.

But, I will say that Quebec City had some of the best dining in recent memory. Out here in Cali, French cuisine is fancy and expensive, but out in Quebec, it was just regular everyday food and every meal I had there was outstanding.

[Woochifer]

I have a good friend who lives in Nashville. He claims that there is more live music per square mile than anyplace else on earth. And, as was noted above, it's not just country music. The abundance of recording studios insures a wide variety of styles comin' through town. Plenty of hotels, nightspots, and just a few hours away; DOLLYWOOD!

Hmmm, I always thought that Austin had dibs on that claim. When I went there, I remember live music everywhere. Even the most obscure and generic looking restaurants had bandstands up front.

Another great (and often overlooked) town for live music is Minneapolis.

[Woochifer]

Thanks for some great suggestions. You may be right for this mental health break going home to Quebec City may be the thing.

As I have been looking at Hotels I realized for just me I do not need the Chateau Frontenac or the Manoir Victoria. I spent most of my time taking my mother to Quebec and we stayed at very nice places and ate gourmet foods. I think I just want to stroll the streets and take pictures. Oh and I know where to drink.

I do not know why Quebec feels like home.

Sounds like you'd really rather go to Paris, and Quebec City (and Montreal) is as close as you can get in North America.