New Orleans Advice

[Dodsdomd]

Originally Posted by MissTeeks

I'm heading down to New Orleans in 15 days for a week and I was wondering if anyone had been and had any tips for a first timer.

Depending on what you like and how adventurous you are I would suggest heading down to St Claude Ave for nightlife. There are 4 or 5 really fun bars on a two block section. Off the wall fun and you won't have to worry about puking fratboys. Kajuns, Siberia, Hi Ho, and Allways Lounge are must hits. Plus you can hit Gene's PoBoys a block down for the my favorite post bar Po Boys in town. There are a couple great dive bars not far from there as well. Marie's, BJ's and Lost Love Lounge.

Frenchmen Street has lots of great clubs for all kinds of amazing live music and is usually hopping every night.

So much good food down there. I usually gain 10 pounds everytime I visit.

New Orleans has a reputation for being a rough place. And probably righfully so. Use common sense and be aware but not scared. It's a great city, some of the most humble and engaging people you will ever meet. Have a blast!

[MissTeeks]

How about riverboat tours? What one is the best to go on?

[MissTeeks]

Does anyone have any experience with this?

http://www.visiticket.com/NewOrleans...ower-pass.aspx

Is it worth the money?

[calgarywinning]

Oh yeah, check this place out (you gotta take a cab, it's near the University)

http://curenola.com

Great food -- amazing cocktails.

[EverfresH15]

Heading there on Friday. Anybody have any other must do's and donts?

[Derek Sutton]

Originally Posted by EverfresH15

Heading there on Friday. Anybody have any other must do's and donts?

Food. Food is my favorite thing about NOLA. Acme Oyster house and Felix's oyster house (gator and turtel on the menu) across from each other just off of Bourbon are my two favorites. Go to Pat O'briens for a Hurricane or two or more. Hand Grenades are ok to. Cafe Du Monde is overrated in my opinion however my wife would disagree. Oh and get a Mufelata for the little store down by the market.

Jackson Square is pretty neat and tons of artists to check out if you like. Check out the houses in the Garden District, you can ride the street car out there and print off a self guided walking tour. There is also a cemetery right there that you can tour to. Take in Bourbon and Royal, walk and enjoy the music coming out of all the bars, it is quite expensive to sit in them and drink, you can buy your own at the convienience stores cheap.

Swamp tour.

[V]

The only good music I could find on Bourbon street was the Royal Sonesta hotel. The rest was garbage. If you like live music at all you have to get off of Bourbon and go to Frenchman street. Just incredible music and so much of it. Just don’t walk there at night. Take a cab everywhere that’s off the main strip, even if it’s just a block.

Man, I would love to get back to that town.

[Oil Stain]

A trip out in a fan boat to see the gators is pretty great.

Raw oysters. Fresh and cheap!

[D as in David]

I, too, highly recommend the bars around Frenchmen St. The Spotted Cat was an absolute blast.

[Strange Brew]

Best restaurants anywhere. Commanders Palace my favorite.

And a few posts refer to “Cafe Beignet”. It is Cafe du Monde.

The WW2 museum is fantastic. And definitely recommend Pat O’briens Piano bar but monitor your hurricane consumption.

[MoneyGuy]

The WWII museum is one of my favourite places. I spent two full days there.

[_Q_]

I used to live in the area so at one point I was a local.

Do:
- go to Frenchman street for live music
- eat fried chicken at The Praline Connection on Frenchman
- eat a poboy at Acme Oyster House. Also you absolutely must try the char grilled oysters at Acme. I can not stress this enough. If you only eat McDonald's every day but have one order of char grilled oysters, then your trip is complete. If the line up is too long at the French quarter location (as it usually is), just take an uber to the Metairie location.
- check out a plantation outside the city. I really enjoyed the Oak Alley plantation.
- get a hand rolled cigar at Cigar Factory New Orleans on Decatur. They are incredibly smooth.
- get to magazine street, check out the cool homes in the garden district.
- go for a walk in Audubon Park and Tulane University.
- bring an umbrella. It's now hurricane season (not the alcoholic type)
- stay hydrated and take consistent breaks indoors (it's the hottest time of the year).

Don't
- spend your entire trip in the French quarter.
- expect Bourbon Street to live up to expectations
- attempt to eat crawfish now. They're out of season.
- get too adventurous. New Orleans is like third world levels of dangerous. Stay away from most of the city. Make sure you carry around $100 with you at all times. This is your "mugging money". If you get mugged and don't have enough cash on you, you will get shot. This is to prove a point to other tourists that you need to carry money on you at all times.

[dobbles]

glad to see that these updated posts have Frenchman street listed. I highly recommend as well for superior music and less touristy. google d.b.a. or snug harbor for an idea on location.

Also for a non nightlife related activity I really enjoyed the aquarium when I was there years back. Aside from Shedd aquarium in Chicago, it is the best I've been to. Hopefully it hasn't gotten worse over the years.

[blankall]

Originally Posted by FlamingHomer

Talking to a couple of people who just returned, take lots of money. They were shocked at how expensive things were. Admittedly second hand info though.

Really? I was there this December for a week, and I found it insanely cheap. The "hand grenade" drinks were like $20, but those got you ridiculously wasted. At a concert we paid $10 for a double, but that was about 4 ounces of booze. If you go to bars outside of the main tourist strip, it's dirt cheap...like $3 for a double and $2 for a can of beer cheap. I was able to get a room in the best hotel downtown for $90/night.

It's a very fun city, but unfortunately very based around drinking culture. I can see how if you don't drink and don't like a grimy scene, it would be no fun. It's kind of like a more laid back/grimier Vegas in many ways. There are strip clubs and messy bars everywhere. People are friendly though.

Lots of great food though. The seafood and BBQ is fantastic. Great fried chicken too. There are free bands playing at many bars all over the city.

The safety does decline quickly in the poorer neighbourhoods though. The poor in New Orleans are very poor. It almost looks 3rd world, with houses that are basically shacks placed on cinder blocks. Some areas haven't been properly repaired since the hurricane either, yet people are living there. It's not a city where you can just walk around anywhere at night. I took an Uber through the Treme going to some Jazz bars at night, and even that was questionable. There were areas that Uber's wouldn't stop, bars with TV screens inside so patrons could see if there was trouble coming through the doors, and identifiable gangs in all red.

Several of the bars in the Treme we went looking for jazz had actually been shut down and replaced by sketchier crowds. I wouldn't recommend spending too much time there. If you are going to the Treme, I'd recommend a walking tour in the day, or having a distinct destination that you know will be open.

[MoneyGuy]

I didn’t find NOLA expensive at all. The opposite, in fact.

[_Q_]

It's not expensive, but it's very easy to spend a lot of money if that makes sense.

[Cowboy89]

Originally Posted by MoneyGuy

I didn’t find NOLA expensive at all. The opposite, in fact.

The unit cost of items are not expensive in New Orleans. Eg. Food, drinks, lap dances. It's just that being in New Orleans might make one consume many more items than usual!