Sign in with Facebook"BuickMackane's Alexandria, Louisiana Page" Alexandria by BuickMackane
Alexandria Travel Guide: 31 reviews and 39 photos
Wow, this has been a surprise. I got more mail about Alexandria than any other page I have created on VT. Thanks to everyone who has written on this subject!
What's so controversial about this place, you might wonder? It seems that VT members who live in Alexandria take great exception to my reporting what happened during our first visit to their city in March 2002. Several people we met, including our own family members, told us that Alexandria was a high crime area and to be very careful. We took it at face value because of all the stories about murders and shootouts reported by the local paper, The Town Talk.
We traveled to Alexandria because my daughter and I have cousins who moved from Southern California to settle out in the bayou in Deville, Louisiana, about half an hour east of Alexandria. (I decided Deville needs a VT page of its own; my cousins have been there 14 years and are still considered newcomers!) My relatives are very happy in Louisiana, and they wanted us to come down and check it out for ourselves, maybe even consider moving down to join them. The nearest cities to Deville are Alexandria-Pineville, LA. Alexandria has the best hotels, a convention center, an international airport, a smaller airfield, a former US Air Force base, and the Greyhound bus terminal. For this reason, we stayed at a lovely old landmark in Alexandria called the Hotel Bentley (see picture above; they actually had a throne in the lobby!).
You can click on the small images of little Nathalie to see much larger photos which will enable you to read the historic signs. Here's a livecam shot of current conditions from KALB Channel 5 in Alexandria:
(Oops: With the new VT codes, if you can't see this photo link any more, its address is http://media.mgbg.com/kalb/images/weather/towercam.jpg )
Update: We had such a great time in Louisiana that we actually did move down from Massachusetts. First we stayed with our cousins in Deville, but then we went over to Alexandria for a couple of weeks until we could move into our own place in Pineville. And guess what? Somebody kept trying to break into the apartment where we were staying, and we had to call 911 in the middle of the night! So, there you have it; it's just reporting from personal experience, that's all.
We really loved living in Louisiana, but after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, it was too difficult for us to stay there and we sadly returned to Massachusetts in November 2005.
- Pros:Good place for Civil War history buffs; a family-friendly place to celebrate Mardi Gras
- Cons:Some (but not all) residents say there's high crime
- In a nutshell:We love it and we're very sorry we had to leave Louisiana!
Reviews (15)
Cracker Barrel
Restaurants
(3)
Convenient to several hotels and AEX airport; always a pleasant experience! more travel advice
Mardi Gras: Safe, family-oriented...
Off The Beaten Path
(2)
With all the negative publicity New Orleans gets about the unrestrained revelry during its Mardi Gras celebrations, many... more travel advice
Bistro on the Bayou Deserves A 21 Gun...
Restaurants
(3)
Bistro on the Bayou works hard to create an air of New Orleans world-class cuisine, service and elegance. The main... more travel advice
Sentry Grill
Restaurants
(3)
There was a coffee shop across the street from the Hotel Bentley which appeared to be part of the Sentry Drug Store. The... more travel advice
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Have you been to Alexandria?
Share Your TravelsLatest Activity in Alexandria
- Wrote a Review Cracker Barrel in Alexandria Restaurants
- Uploaded a Photo to "Cracker Barrel"
- Commented on one of jayshell00's Alexandria travel pages
- Posted in Travel Rockport Forum "RE: Where is the gazebo?"
- updated a Alexandria Travel Page "BuickMackane's Alexandria, Louisiana Page"
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Family Travel
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Latest: May 12, 2013 - Inglewood Plantation
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Latest: Feb 11, 2013
Comments (17)
Thanks for a lovely virtual tour ;-)
I do pass through Alexandria on our way to the in-laws relatives in Oakdale... maybe i should stop in next time!
Natalie, I truly enjoyed your honest and open look at Alexandria. I always appreciate all sides. Love the information about dialect, a communitiy trying to come back, the adventures with your darling daughter.
That would be great to visit the Zoo...Must be a nice place!
Hi Natalie, thanks for visiting my pages! You sure do have a lovely page here on Alexandria. G'day from Australia.
thanks for the kudos on our grill! Glad you enjoyed it :) Come back again soon. Vicki Allen, Sentry Drug, Alexandria
Excellant page. Filled with nice phtographs and tips.many many happy returns of the day.Wishing you a happy birthday and all the best for the future.Have a nice party tonight.
Unfair reveiw as far as crime rate I live in Alexandria and theres not as much crime as stated above. Review was based on family from small town outside of Alexandria, and a cabbie. City was never in lock down LOL Nightlife good for drinking not partying.
Great tips
Wonderful, great pictures !