Must dos and sees in New Orleans

[Abby]

I noticed that many of you said one of your favorite weekend spots was New Orleans in the Best Vacations thread. I'm going there in a few weeks for the weekend with my husband and need tips on things that we should do and see. I'll be on my own during the day on Friday because my husband will be at a meeting, so what are things that would be good for me to do on my own and things for both of us to do on Saturday when he's finished with business? Thanks in advance for your tips!!!

[ellielk]

Hi, Abby,

I go to NO every April for the Jazz and Heritage Festival. NO has some great web sites that'll list lots of ideas. Where are you staying? The aquarium is supposed to be spectacular - I haven't gotten there yet because my days are spent at the Fest. The haunted tours or swamp tours are supposed to be fun. The streetcar ride through the Garden District is supposed to be good. A good source for ideas would be the Fodor's web site or Frommer's. Or, go to the library and look at the tour guides. Offbeat Magazine's web site may link you with interesting stuff.

Be careful, though, although I haven't had any problems, they say that NO is one of the most dangerous cities in the country. Stay in the 'tourist' areas if you're alone. Take cabs - they're everywhere. -Ellie

[NydiaC]

The aquarium is fantastic! I've been there twice. Also, if you like shopping, the French Market down in the Quarter is pretty neat (kinda like a flea market).

[phantomcg]

Abby:
Even just walking through the French Quarter neighborhoods is great. The buildings are beautiful. The French Market is fun to walk through -- so many fruits and vegetables. There is also a flea market that tends to have a lot of junk, but it is worth a look.
If you like to listen to the blues, I have to suggest that you go to The Funky Pirate and listen to Big Al Carson (and big he is!). Music is a big draw to New Orleans, you can find just about any type of music you want to listen to. I would definately suggest that you check out Fodor's or Frommers - I just got a copy of Frommers (I think) 2001 guide from my husband and they list some very specific places. If you let me know where you are staying I'll be happy to look in the book for you and list some of their suggestions.
Be aware that there are a lot of con artists (especially on Bourbon St.) who will try to get money from you with such lines as "I bet I can tell you where you got your shoes?" Answer: On Bourbon Street. The best thing to do is just ignore them. If you talk to them they seem to become more insistent. As far as crime, as long as you stay in the populated areas and use common sense, I don't think that N.O. is any more dangerous than any other big city. You do want to be aware of your surroundings because neighborhoods can change very quickly. I'm sure that you will have a great time in N.O.

Cheryl

By the way, if you go to www.nolalive.com (http://www.nolalive.com) they have several bulletin boards where people discuss several aspects of N.O. There is one titled "Bourbon Street" which seems to be frequented by a group of people who visit N.O. quite a bit. You can find all sorts of advice there as well.

[This message has been edited by phantomcg (edited 11-14-2000).]

[Susann]

Abby-We went to NO for our anniversary last year. It is such a lovely city-rich with personality and culture. If you feel like splurging, I would recommend Commander's Palace. It is a dining experience. The food is yummy, the service is top notch, and the atmosphere is unforgettable!

[Jodi]

Abby,
Have fun!! New Orleans is a really fun town, with LOTS of great food. If you like history and have a day to yourself, I recommend a plantation tour. Most hotels have info on them. They're really neat. Also, a WWII museum opened earlier this year and is supposed to be good. The French Quarter is really nice -- lots of good shops, cute streets, etc. There are lots of jazz places, which would be good for either night of the weekend. Make sure you have cafe au lait and beignets while you're there at cafe du Monde! Enjoy--
Jodi

[lindrusso]

I've been to NO twice and loved it both times. We plan to go again next year - the in-laws live about 4 hours away from NO, so we drop the kids off and head out for a couple of days of fun! Can't wait - we didn't get a weekend to ourselves this year. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/frown.gif

K Paul is a restaurant owned by Paul Prudohmme (spelling?). You can get reservations for upstairs dining, but downstairs you have to wait in line and then you get seated whenever, wherever, with whomever. Very, very good.

I've heard that Emeril's restaurants are very good - one is Nola's - and I think he has two others?? Court of the Two Sisters has gotten good reviews - however, when my husband and I ate there we were already stuffed, so we couldn't really evaluate it!!

We try to ALWAYS make the Sunday brunch at the Meridian. All you can drink champagne, crawfish, shrimp, etc. There are many very good brunches in NO, this is just the one we stick with due to habit.

If you'd like to read more about New Orleans, check out any of these sites:
www.zagat.com (http://www.zagat.com) www.digitalcity.com (http://www.digitalcity.com) - will give you info on the whole city, including info and reviews of restaurants by critics www.epicurious.com (http://www.epicurious.com) - has a restaurant forum www.foodtv.com (http://www.foodtv.com) - also a has a forum for rest.

That's all I can think of for now. Have fun - you can't help but have fun there!

[AndreaU]

A must see, in my opinion, is Cafe du Monde. To go there for breakfast for your Cafe au Lait and delicious beignets (doughnuts) is a NO tradition. Of course, the beignets are not the ideal health food, but hey, when in Rome... or in this case, New Orleans...

[Gail]

I love New Orleans and I'm a sucker for the French Quarter, but frankly I didn't do any of the big, famous restaurants. We hit the little places, like the Gumbo Shop or Olde Nawlins Cookery (across from The Royal Sonesta, which is a lovely, lovely place if you avoid rooms on the Bourbon Street side. Ironwork grills, classic courtyard, French Provincial furniture... really nice) We hit institutions-- Mama's on Poydras for what is supposedly the birthplace of the Po' Boy sandwich; The Central Grocery for a Muffaletta; Cafe du Monde for the beignet and cafe au lait... New Orleans is NOT the place to visit if you trying to watch your diet! Sure you can do the K Paul's, Arnaud's, Antoines, Brennans, Gallatoires etc-- but there is loads of great food everywhere you look.

If your husband's company is meeting for a convention and they're offering daytrips for spouses, you can get a city tour or a tour of Houmas House, a plantation not far from town. You can take the St Charles Avenue Streetcar and get a tour through the Garden district and uptown. You can (believe it or not) take a cemetery tour which, due to the criminal element preying on tourists, is the preferred way to see some of the most bizarre Cities of the Dead you may ever encounter (some with interesting legends.) River Cruises are a hoot-- those with food may not be top-of-the-line cuisine, but they're still good and the music is atmospheric and fun. Be prepared for some pretty raunchy places and characters if you cruise Bourbon Street at night or for spontaneous musical eruptions elsewhere. Someone else recommended Preservation Hall for jazz-- which is kind of hard to miss. Dunno if Pat O'Brien's-- next door to Preservation Hall-- still makes such a big deal out of those Hurricanes and taking the glass as a souvenir, but years ago we had a pretty funny time trying to ditch the glasses inside the bar. People kept following us, giving the glasses back!

Whatever you decide to do, I'm sure you'll have a great time! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

BTW, my vote for a great tour book goes to the ACCESS series. New Orleans Access maps out information about places to stay, eat, visit with interesting little tidbits about the city in an easy to read format.



[This message has been edited by Gail (edited 11-14-2000).]

[jjf]

in my opinion, new orleans is one of the best cities in the country to eat. i love it there - luckily you are going when the humidity will not be too bad.
i have to put my vote in for the garden district - walking around or driving around this area is great - beautiful homes.
i second the gumbo shop and the funky pirate - big al is great - fun, fun place.
emerils is one of my favorites - service, food, everything was wonderful.
there is also a little place - kind of a whole in the wall - called frankie and johnny's - they have the best crawfish in all of new orleans. ask locals about it - they can point you in the right direction.

but if you don't make it to any of the places we have mentioned - you can't go wrong - there is amazing food and entertainment everywhere you look.

have fun!

jen

[JanetB]

NO is a favorite of ours. I highly recommend going on the walking tours. We have gone down twice in the past year. If you like a little bit of a scare - I would recommend the Haunted History Tours. They are a lot of fun. They offer ghost tours of the quarter, cemetary tours, and the like.

Also - on the high end of prices - and if you can get reservations - go to Commander's Palace for a meal. It really is the BEST in the country. And, for a cheapie but great brunch/breakfast - head to the Coffee Pot - I can't think of the street it is on - but it is just a few doors down from Preservation Hall. They have the best Pecan Pancakes! Far from cooking light though!! Have fun!!

[cjm]

Abby-some of the responses have talked about jazz - if at all possible (Sat. night) try to go to Preservation Hall at 726 St. Peter St. in the French Quarter. I think the music starts about 8:00pm. You need to go early and stand in line, seating is very limited but it is just the best music. While standing in line, it is fun to do some major people watching too(with Hurricane in hand).

Jackson Square is so pretty. On the weekends there are all kinds of vendors selling all kinds of stuff. One of my favorite day time things to do to relax is to go over by the Mississippi river and sit on the "Moon Walk" and watch the barges and other ships going up/down the river.

Napoleon House is one of the never ending lists of good places to eat. The court yard is nice, cozy & romantic.

[Gina O]

I have been to New Orleans 4 times so far, and always planning another trip. My first piece of advise, and many will disagree, is do not go during Mardi Gras. Did that once, will never do it again. Too many people, too much vomit and urine in the streets (sorry for being so graphic, but it is true).

Ralph & Kacoo's is one of my favorite places to eat. A swamp tour is fun, wandering around the quarter is a must, and the revolving bar in the top of the World Trade Center during a thunderstorm is awesome. On my third trip I took the Creole Queen paddle-wheeler tour to the site of the Battle of New Orleans. It was very fun, especially sitting in the sun on the top deck drinking a bloody mary as we cruised down the river. (For info on that trip call 800-445-4109).

[Abby]

Thanks to everybody for all of the great tips! I knew I could count on you guys for great advice! Oh yeah, we are staying at the Bourbon Orleans.

[This message has been edited by Abby (edited 11-14-2000).]

[MaryH]

I'm with ellielk. Have been to Jazz Fest twice and would rather go for that than Mardi Gras any day.

K Paul's is very good. If you like coffee - Cafe du Monde!! The walking tours of the garden district are great - you can see Anne Rice's house.

If you like cajun or Zydeco music go to Rock n Bowl - its a NO insttution., They have live bands every weekend. (You'll need to drive or take a taxi though if you'r ein the French Quarter area.)

I would also recommend a swamp tour.

m

[acorreia]

I'm sorry jjf, but I totally disagree with your opinion of Emeril's. I went there 2 years ago and found them to be 1) skimpy on the food and 2) "not so skimpy" on the price. I left there and was still hungry (and I'm 5'3" at 100lbs). My suggestion...don't waste your time at Emerils.

Emeril's other restaraunt, as someone mentioned earlier, is NOLA's and is a little more casual. I wish we would have gone there instead of "Emeril's".

Pat O'Brians is a must, if you like to get rowdy. Like I'm sure you've heard before, the hurricanes do sneak up on you.

-ac

[acorreia]

I'm sorry jjf, but I totally disagree with your opinion of Emeril's. I went there 2 years ago and found them to be 1) skimpy on the food and 2) "not so skimpy" on the price. I left there and was still hungry (and I'm 5'3" at 100lbs). My suggestion...don't waste your time at Emerils.

Emeril's other restaraunt, as someone mentioned earlier, is NOLA's and is a little more casual. I wish we would have gone there instead of "Emeril's".

Pat O'Brians is a must, if you like to get rowdy. Like I'm sure you've heard before, the hurricanes do sneak up on you.

-ac