What You Need To Know About New Orleans' Newest Luxury Resort
For anyone who knows me, they know that whenever NOLA calls, I come running.
So was the case when Bluegreen Vacations invited xoNecole along with several other journalists to experience all that New Orleans has to offer in the comfort of their newest luxury boutique resort, The Marquee. This weekend marked the grand opening of the newest addition to the resorts' The Cityscape collection. And when you're in need of a moment to take a breath from all the sight-seeing or while you recover from one too many hand grenades, The Marquee Resort fully intends to be a little slice of heaven away from home.
When I think of New Orleans, I think of the food (oysters are always and a forever a must), the energy of its people, the pulse of the culture felt all around you, and magic. Inescapable, infectious magic. I'm convinced it casted a spell on me--in that hauntingly inviting way that it does--when I first visited in 2015. Since then, I've been coming back for more and finding more reasons to love it. This weekend, I added The Marquee to that ever-evolving list.
Here are a few more reasons to think of The Marquee for your next NOLA adventure:
Location is king and so are the amenities.
Sheriden Chanel/xoNecole
Conveniently located on Elk Place, the Vaudeville-esque property just off the lifeline of New Orleans' bustling city, Canal Street. It's also a 13-minute walk to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome (ESSENCE Fest, anyone?). In other words, you're in the center of all of the excitement and wonderment NOLA has to offer with most things just a quick $10 Uber ride, a trolley, or a sight-filled walk away.
With their one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom options all coming fully decked out with a full kitchen (with a coffee maker and blender as an added plus), a washer and dryer in unit, walk-in showers, walk-in closets and more, it's definitely on my list to revisit with friends for a long stay where we'd want to share rooms without sacrificing privacy. Hey, whatever happens in NOLA, stays in NOLA.
Sheriden Chanel/xoNecole
Sheriden Chanel/xoNecole
The magic it serves is undeniable.
Sheriden Chanel/xoNecole
Magic could be felt all up and through The Marquee, as we were treated to some of the magnetism of what makes NOLA a place I love to return to. The Marquee is all about theater, a touch that acts as a callback to the history of the neighborhood, that was at one time referred to as Storyville. Story Val is the embodiment of the linear 3D sculpture that greets you in the lobby and acts as the narrator for The Marquee. Story Val leads guests through The Marquee's story and allows them to become a part of the overall story. In fact, once you check-in, your name gets added to the hotel's Featured Cast display.
Instead of dropping our things down and looking to our app for the nearest Uber to get into some excitement (or mischief), you're captivated enough to want to stay a little while and indulge in the little Wizard of Oz-esque moments around the property.
Sheriden Chanel/xoNecole
The integrated AR takes art to the next level.
Sheriden Chanel/xoNecole
AR is everywhere, breathing life into the art pieces that surround you. Portraits move on the walls behind their curtain, hushing you from telling their secrets. On the ground level, you experience a black and white color scheme that boldens and saturates with color as you level up and go higher up on the floors. The idea there is the higher you go on the elevator, the "naughtier" you are, which is why bold reds that spark passion are the choice of color. On your headboard, portraits move too, this time with the help of a mobile app called Inter-Blue that will allow the art piece to tell her story to you.
The Marquee is completely unique in that way from other accommodations that I've had the pleasure of staying at over the years. The reason being, Bluegreen Vacations are resorts that allow friends and families to own a piece of the city that they are visiting, so that they have a go-to vacation spot in their favorite city when it's time to travel.
You'll get all the amenities of home, but with the added magic of being on a vacation. A little piece of heaven in the unforgettable paradise that is New Orleans, Louisiana.
Featured image by Getty Images; all photos by Sheriden Chanel
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'Love Island USA' Star JaNa Craig On The Reality Of Black Women On Dating Shows
Love Island USA just wrapped up its sixth season, and it has been the talk of the town. According to Nielsen, it's the No. 1 show on streaming, proving it's just as entertaining as the UK version. One of the reasons this season has been successful is due to the authentic relationships formed between the islanders in the villa.
You have the sisterhood between Serena Page, JaNa Craig, and Leah Kateb, aka PPG, and the real relationship moments between couples like Serena Page and Kordell Beckham, who were named the winners of this season. The other finalists include Leah Kateb and Miguel Harichi, Nicole Jacky and Kendall Washington, and JaNa Craig and Kenny Rodriguez.
While JaNa made it to the finale with her boo Kenny, her journey in the villa was far from perfect. Viewers saw the Las Vegas native get her heart stomped on a few times after many of her connections didn't work out.
At one point, it even looked like she was getting kicked off the island. While she had a lot of support from people watching the show, it was clear that she was in a position that many Black women on reality dating shows find themselves in: not being desired.
It has been an ongoing conversation among Black women watching reality dating shows as we see time and time again that non-Black women or racially ambiguous-looking women are often chosen over Black women, especially dark-skinned women. In a discussion with Shadow and Act, JaNa opened up about the support she received from viewers.
@cineaxries i love them 🤧 #janacraig #janaandkenny #loveislandusa #foryou #peacock #loveisland #janaloveisland #xybca #kennyloveisland #janaedit #loveislandedit #janaedits #loveislandusaedit #viral #loveislandusaseason6 #foryoupage #peacocktv
"You know what’s so crazy? I’m so grateful, because when I got my phone, the way they’re making us The Princess and The Frog…I felt honored. I will be that beautiful chocolate queen if I need to be. And the comments like 'beautiful chocolate girl,' I’m like, all Black women are beautiful. There’s the whole light skin versus dark skin, which breaks my heart. I just really don’t understand that, but I will take pride and represent us well," she said.
She also candidly discussed her experience as a dark-skinned Black woman on the show. JaNa and Serena had been in the villa since the first episode, and they were the only dark-skinned Black women there. As new men aka bombshells came into the villa, they found themselves not being wanted by many of them.
"Me and Serena literally had a heart-to-heart before Kenny came in and she’s like, I just don’t think it’s fair that the Black girls don’t get enough fair chance.' Every islander that came in, we were not their top pick. And we just [thought], maybe because we’re Black girls, and the dark-skinned Black girls. It sucked," she said.
"I’m like, 'Serena, we know what we bring to the table. We’re great personalities. A guy’s going to come in for us.' That’s when we manifested what we wanted, and that’s when I manifested Kenny."
@ashleyvera__ We love to see it 🥰 #loveislandusa #loveisland #loveisland2024 #janaandkenny #loveislandseason6 #peacock #realitytv #fypage
After many failed connections, Kenny came in and immediately turned JaNa's experience around. America watched the model get the care and attention that she deserved.
"I’m not going to hold you. When I was in the bottom for a quick second, I’m like, ‘There’s no way America doesn’t [ride for us]. I know Black America had to ride for me, but maybe because I’m a dark-skinned … hmm … maybe … you feel me? And you saw the Casa Amor lineup. Beautiful, beautiful light-skinned [women]," she said.
"We looked at each other like, 'Damn, Love Island did their big one with this. And every single Casa Amor girl was like, 'You girls are gorgeous, you guys are stunning.' They expressed love. You guys are beautiful and it felt good."
Although she and Kenny came in third place, JaNa is happy that she got her man in the end. "I think the thing I’m most grateful about is the fact that this is a beautiful love story like you guys complement each other and there’s no hate toward the skin color. It’s all love and support. I love that more than anything," she said.
"That’s why I was like, 'I won,' even though I didn’t win. And the fact that Serena won, we were like, 'Yeah, run that.' Either way, we won. And I love the support from all communities."
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According to Mrs. Savannah James, she would like to be addressed as “wife” — other monikers simply won’t do.
In a recent episode of the Everybody’s Crazy podcast, James and co-host April McDaniel received a call from a listener caught in a love triangle between a man she was dating while entertaining a “sneaky link.”
The hosts went on to advise the call-in guest to pursue singleness as she sorts out her needs, which led to a discussion what the meanings of "sneaky link" and a "side chick," a topic their producer eventually clarified for them.
“A sneaky link is somebody that you know you sneaking with,” their producer decoded. “But your side chick the majority of the time your main girl knows about the side chick.”
Agasted by the definition, McDaniel went on to share her stance on ambiguous relationship statuses. “I don't even want to be the main chick,” she stated.
“I need to be the wife these days. I don't want to be the ‘wifey.’ I don't want to be nothing. I want to be the wife.”
James went on to express her strong dislike for the term "wifey," sharing that she didn’t want to be called a wife until she officially made one by her now husband, NBA star, LeBron James. “When I tell you I hate, loathe ‘wifey’ with my whole entire soul,” said James. “I'm sorry, don't call me your wife and I'm not.”
“I had to politely tell my husband back in the day,” she says. “He used to introduce me, ‘This is my wife.’ I had to pull him to the side like, ‘Excuse me, sir, don't introduce me as that, please. I am not your wife, and I deserve that title when the time is right.’”
She continued, “I don't want you to start to think that it's okay for you to say this and then, you know, means don’t have to go the next step.”
As we age and new terms become popularized, it’s common to not fully know what titles and terms work best for the relationship and dynamic one might navigate. In McDaniel’s case, finding the right titles to introduce the new men who come into her life can be tricky.
“But that has been interesting, recently, when introducing certain individuals, at my age,” she explains. “‘Boyfriend’ sounds crazy, ‘my man’… mhmm… ‘my partner’ sounds like I’m a lesbian.” Conquous to what the best intro would be at the “big, grown stage” James offered “tiers.”
“I feel like it's tiers,” James said. “You have to start at the bottom and then come up.”
“One of these days we have to go live so we can ask people live like, what is the titles? Because I'm very intrigued by knowing what are the titles people go by and what feels ‘premium.’ Because I want the premium title,” McDaniel concluded.
While every relationship is different, placing the proper titles on who you're dating and where you see it going is key to formulating a bond that’s both secure and amicable. After all, it’s not what they call you, it’s what you answer to.
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Featured image by Araya Doheny/Getty Images for Baby2Baby