Going down to New Orleans

[swamp]

What should I do? 

[taz157]

During Madrid Gras?

[msventoux]

Leave the kids at home.  Earn some beads. 

[Tennesseer]

Watch out for what you might step into on the street if you are going for Mardi Gras.

[rob base]

it's known for Jazz music so figure out a place to see / hear that

and shrimp & po'boys

and showing boobies, so make sure to show yours

[milee]

I know lightning is going to strike me, but I'm not a huge fan of New Orleans.  Also, it's yet another place where my lack of parenting skills was on public display, so there's that.

A couple of years ago I brought my 10 year old son with me to an important conference/meeting. My group "won" the very important vote and one of the group leaders who was from the area wanted to host a celebration dinner at Antoine's in the heart of the French Quarter. We couldn't really politely decline and there's really no way to get in/out of that area without walking through it, so I walked my 10 year old son into the French Quarter around 7 PM (things were not really hopping yet but it was still starting to be an interesting scene) and back out around midnight when things were in full swing.  There was some sort of gay pride celebration going on, so things were even more outrageous down there than normal. Anyway, here were some of the questions and answers between DS and I during the walk:

Son: Mom, is that hat a penis?

Me: Yep.

Son: Mom, what are all those guys doing?

Me: Let's give them some privacy.

Son: Mom, why is that man wearing a seat belt?

Me: Uh, he's very safe. (Couldn't figure out how to explain full on Bondage Gear...)

[milee]

Nov 7, 2016 21:45:58 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Watch out for what you might step into on the street if you are going for Mardi Gras.

Or at any other time of the year. Blech. We were there in July and the rivers of piss were gently steaming in the sultry summer heat... My New Orleans poetry attempt.

I was so sad I'd worn a favorite pair of shoes.  Really wanted to throw those things away but settled for dousing them in Lysol instead. 

[tskeeter]

Nov 7, 2016 21:35:23 GMT -5 swamp said:

What should I do? 

Take some tours.  Architecture, graveyards, etc.

Eat.  Try places that the hotel desk clerk, cab driver, etc. go to eat themselves.  Get away from the French Quarter tourist places.  SIL, who lived in NO for years, talked about places out on Lake Ponchetrain.

Check out some museums.  I understand there is an outstanding WWII museum in the NO area.

[justme]

The food!!! French Quarter is awesome. I can bust out a list if desired.

French market would be a great place to get the kiddos a souvenir.

Mardi Gras world was really cool - even a Louisiana native that has been in the parades liked it once he finally went.

The aquarium wasn't anything spectacular.

There's a brewery there, Abita I think? Friends enjoyed it.

The carousel bar was cool to see.

My coworker liked the walking ghost tour.

[mmhmm]

The aquarium isn't particularly good but the Audubon Zoo is great! The St. Louis Cathedral and Immaculate Conception church are really beautiful. Metairie Cemetery is fascinating. Jackson Square for artists and art and Frenchman street for jazz. That's about all I can come up with right now.

[Tennesseer]

Nov 7, 2016 21:54:48 GMT -5 milee said:

Nov 7, 2016 21:45:58 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Watch out for what you might step into on the street if you are going for Mardi Gras.

Or at any other time of the year. Blech. We were there in July and the rivers of piss were gently steaming in the sultry summer heat... My New Orleans poetry attempt.

I was so sad I'd worn a favorite pair of shoes.  Really wanted to throw those things away but settled for dousing them in Lysol instead. 

Very Tennessee Williams, Blanche.

[Tennesseer]

Depending upon the time of year you go, take a tour of a swamp, Swamp.  Look for alligators.

[billisonboard]

Beignets at Cafe Du Monte, early morning when they are hot. Worth waiting in line.

[billisonboard]

Nov 7, 2016 22:35:01 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Depending upon the time of year you go, take a tour of a swamp, Swamp.  Look for alligators.

Look? Grab one by tail.

[saveinla]

Don't miss the Preservation hall jazz band 

[Deleted]

YM approved drinking on Bourbon street includes walking a block off bourbon st and buying beer at a convenience store to bring back to Bourbon street which will save a lot over the bars actually on Bourbon street.

I'll be there in January.

[billisonboard]

I spent a month taking a class in a hotel on the edge of the French Quarter when I was in the service. A favored memory was sitting on Bourbon Street, drinking a beer, and listening to a guy playing a dulcimer.  

[dee27]

I second Café du Monde and Preservation Hall. We took the boat ride on the river which was very interesting because there was a presentation about the history of NOLA. Also, the restaurants are great. We met the kids for a long weekend, and it was very humid in early May. Wear comfortable shoes because the cobbled sidewalks are a killer. DH and I took a trolley ride to see the mansions, too.

[happyhoix]

Nov 8, 2016 0:31:04 GMT -5 billisonboard said:

Beignets at Cafe Du Monte, early morning when they are hot. Worth waiting in line.

Du Monde - and yes, the beignets and café au lait are wonderful. Audobon park is very nice.

I haven't been since pre-Katrina, but back then there were some nice house tours you could take, if you're into history. Also a steamwheeler trip on the river, and on the outskirts of town, the battleground of the Battle of New Orleans in 1812, which is interesting if you're a fan of battlefields or Andrew Jackson, or if you like stories about how a motley crew of pirates, American soldiers, slaves and frontiersmen successfully defended themselves against a disciplined, organized, highly trained British force.

There was a really nice seafood restaurant out at Lake Pontchartrain back when we visited, but sadly I think that part was blown away in Katrina.

[sesfw]

Beignets at Cafe Du Monte,


I'm a strange one but I didn't like them that well.  All the sweetness was the powdered sugar on the outside but the cake balls were tasteless.

We took a swamp tour but don't take an air boat, they tear up everything.  Take a regular tour boat.  Take a walking tour of old town, river boat tour.

We visited bourbon street with a crazy group of widows and several 'earned' their beads.  One lady had a double mastectomy and she took off her falsies and threw them up to a balcony.  I think they threw a whole box of beads to her ......... it was funny

[Lizard Queen]

Nov 7, 2016 21:53:08 GMT -5 milee said:

I know lightning is going to strike me, but I'm not a huge fan of New Orleans.  Also, it's yet another place where my lack of parenting skills was on public display, so there's that.

A couple of years ago I brought my 10 year old son with me to an important conference/meeting. My group "won" the very important vote and one of the group leaders who was from the area wanted to host a celebration dinner at Antoine's in the heart of the French Quarter. We couldn't really politely decline and there's really no way to get in/out of that area without walking through it, so I walked my 10 year old son into the French Quarter around 7 PM (things were not really hopping yet but it was still starting to be an interesting scene) and back out around midnight when things were in full swing.  There was some sort of gay pride celebration going on, so things were even more outrageous down there than normal. Anyway, here were some of the questions and answers between DS and I during the walk:

Son: Mom, is that hat a penis?

Me: Yep.

Son: Mom, what are all those guys doing?

Me: Let's give them some privacy.

Son: Mom, why is that man wearing a seat belt?

Me: Uh, he's very safe. (Couldn't figure out how to explain full on Bondage Gear...)

We took my DS1 there when he was 2. One of my favorite pictures is my DH holding him on Bourbon Street in the evening with all the lights. (Because, you know--parents of the year here! ;-P ) We were counting on him being too young to understand and care what was going on. Plus, I took him back to the hotel early to sleep. I was pregnant anyway, so no debauchery for me!

[souldoubt]

I went to New Orleans for the first time earlier this year for a conference staying a few blocks from Bourbon street.  Full disclosure - I'm an introvert and a boring traveler when I'm by myself.  I went to Bourbon street on my last night and wasn't impressed as it smelled like you'd imagine, a mix of urine and vomit and this wasn't even during Mardi Gras nor had summer started.  Definitely saw some interesting characters and I ended up getting a po'boy from a small bar that sold them out of a small kitchen in the back.  I'd go back for the po'boy if I was in the area but nothing else on Bourbon street appealed to me.  I walked down it for a while and there's multiple places playing music but from what I was told there are other places off Bourbon street that do it better.  People asked me about Cafe du Monte and it seemed like a tourist trap as it's the place with a line out the door because everyone insists you have to go.  In my 20's with friends I would have enjoyed bar hopping there but I've got no desire to go back and if I do for any reason I'll find stuff to do in other areas.    

[Tiny]

I went to New Orleans off season (the week before the Jazz and Heritage Festival (actually had tickets for the first day of the Festival). I also stayed in a 'Downtown' business hotel - my brother supplied the hotel room using his "points" or some business something related.

I went with my niece. We pretty much walked everywhere (or took the street car). We're both walkers so walking the 5 city blocks to Bourbon Street or the 7 city blocks to where ever we were going was no problem. If you can't walk much I don't have any advice for you.

If you are there at a quiet time - Café DuMonde (Jackson Square) is awesome - no lines, easy to get a table, fun to watch the passers by.

If you are in to kitschy stuff and don't mind hanging with old people - a River Boat (the Natchez) dinner and Jazz band trip is pretty fun - do the evening "cruise". The Riverboat is neat (you can go and see the steam engines), the view from the Mississippi river is neat, and when night falls the city looks lovely. the food was so-so, the Band was FANTASTIC, and it was a relaxing, sit back and have some drinks, chat with everyone in your group or other tourists and look at the view kind of evening.

Additional kitschy stuff to do - is a graveyard tour (I needed to see Marie Laveau's tomb and make a penny petition - and scatch a name into the tomb wall  for VENGENCE on an old boy friend... my niece made a petition for 'true love' with her soon to be husband boyfriend - yeah, we had to slip away from the tour group to do that - but I think it's expected.   ).

Definitely visit a candy shop - lots of pralines (mmmmmm pralines). Visit Jackson Square early in the evening - there's usually something going on - street vendors (art, psychics/card readers, musicians).

Actually, you can find all sorts of stuff to do along the river front by Jackson Square (café du monde, etc). I think the local tour company has a kiosk there - the Gray Line? We used that for the tour of cemetaries, a walking tour of haunted places and cheezy ghost stories, the tickets for the Natchez, and tickets for a Swamp tour.

We took the Street Car (on St. Charles) to the Audobon Zoo (a lot of walking once we got there) which was an awesome day... it was pretty and relaxing.

We also took a self directed walking tour of the fancy "rich people houses" - it was from a Fromer's tour book... we used the Street Car to get to that as well.

We also took the Street Car to the Jazz and Heritage Festival.

There are some fun bars on/near Bourbon street - Pat O'Brians for a Hurricane and the dueling pianos and sing along was a VERY fun few hours.

We also got into some hoity toity Hotel Restaurant about 40 minutes before they closed because we heard they had the best Bananas Foster. The guy who checks your reservations/gets you to a table... rolled his eyes at us when we told him what we wanted and why,  we were dressed nicely (and not drunk) which was a good thing.  He did find us a table for 2 off to the side (it was a full dinning room) and we did get our bananas foster and some wonderful coffee.  All the wait staff was really nice - we were having a good time and were 'easy customers'.  And yes, we did tip everyone nicely. Everyone there was REALLY well dressed - tuxedos/suits and evening wear.    I'm pretty sure they didn't shooo everyone out at closing time.

We beguiled the concierge at our hotel - and even though he'd sometimes seem 'dissappointed' in us he was always very helpful - I think he secretly liked us and gave us all sorts of ideas for fun things to do that did NOT include getting drunk or high. (he recommended the hoity toity restaurant and a couple of other off the beaten path places for food and such that were good for us.   ) 
Once he realize we weren't too Terrified to take the street car - he was helpful with suggestions for where to go and how to get there (the zoo for example - we hadn't really planned that) and how to use the Street Car to get to the Jazz Festival. (versus paying an arm and a leg to get crammed on a hired bus with all the drunk/high people heading that way.)

 

[Tiny]

Oh, if you are into shopping/antique-ing I think there are a couple of streets full of stores.

I'd maybe recommend taking a look at a Fromer's guide? or whatever one of those travel guide books are - and found all sorts of stuff/ideas. I then utilized the hotel's concierge for more info about the stuff I was interested in. Some stuff differs from the book in real life.

I'm not into getting drunk or high and I'm not all that interested in spending my day at the "pool bar" when I vacation... so I tend to do kitschy/touristy things - and then try to do some off the beaten path touristy things. What I find fun might not be fun for most people. But, hey I have a good time.

[Bonny]

Nov 7, 2016 21:35:23 GMT -5 swamp said:

What should I do? 

vs. What will you do?

 and  a lot!

At least try a Hurricane

We went several years ago for DH's birthday for a long weekend. We had a great time and as already mentioned, New Orleans is a great historical city. I really enjoyed going on a swamp boat tour, just walking through some of the streets that had wonderful architecture. We also went out to Oak Alley. You should also at least tour a Riverboat even if you don't have time to take a trip on the river.

We ran out of time but I thought touring a cemetery where everyone is buried above ground because of the high water table used to have coffins pop up and float away.

And I'm probably a weird one but I would also want to at least go through the 9th ward and see for myself the progress of the rebuild.

Oh and try speaking French with French speakers and see if you can understand them or be understood.

Have fun!

[Chocolate Lover]

Nov 7, 2016 21:45:58 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Watch out for what you might step into on the street if you are going for Mardi Gras.

Any time really, not just Mardi Gras. It's just worse then.

[Tennesseer]

Nov 8, 2016 16:05:33 GMT -5 Chocolate Lover said:

Nov 7, 2016 21:45:58 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Watch out for what you might step into on the street if you are going for Mardi Gras.

Any time really, not just Mardi Gras. It's just worse then.

Just deeper.

[Chocolate Lover]

Nov 8, 2016 16:08:16 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Nov 8, 2016 16:05:33 GMT -5 Chocolate Lover said:

Any time really, not just Mardi Gras. It's just worse then.

Just deeper.

I remember. I've been both during and outside Mardi Gras time. 

I wasn't all that overwhelmed with Cafe du Monde either, but them I'm close enough that people still know how to make those dang donuts that I just suddenly forgot how to spell.

[Anne_in_VA]

I went to NO a couple of years ago for a conference and although I didn't have much free time, I did have a free afternoon to wander around.  My hotel was just at the edge of the French Quarter, so I walked down there, ate beignets at Cafe DuMonde, visited some of the touristy shops for souvenirs and bought a picture at Jackson Square from one of the artists exhibiting there.  One of my grandkids was really into firemen at the time and I noticed when passing a firehouse that they beware selling t-shirts with the name of the NO Fire Dept. so I bought one.  Even got a quick tour of part of the firehouse! 

I had dinner at one of the restaurants in the Quarter with some people I attended the conference with, one of them was a local.  We went to a tiny restaurant with a very limited menu and the food was delicious.  I can't remember the name of the restaurant, but I'll ask one of the people I was with and post it if they remember.  

After dinner we went outside and listened to some of the street musicians, danced in the street, had our fortune told by one of the many fortune tellers set up all over and had a great time.

[swamp]

So far I've taken a cemetery tour, did a tour of the garden district, did a ghost tour, ate at pat obriens, wandered around bourbon st, wandered around the French quarter, ate a beignet and muffuletta.

Today is brunch at 2 sisters and a Mississippi cruise. Maybe a vampire tour.