Want to visit... (New Orleans, Metairie, Jackson: spring break, to rent, credit)

[Neworleansisprettygood]

Originally Posted by selogic

I didn't realize I had burned out . I thought I was just bored with this place . Thanks for clearing that up .

Anytime


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[moiraesfate]

I'm in the hotel industry in New Orleans.

The city isn't the safest but people have been exaggerating. It's no more dangerous than any other major city. So take precautions. Always stay in lit areas (preferably where many people are).

My suggestions....

Attend Mardi Gras only once. As someone that lives here, Mardi Gras is a nightmare of diverted roads, and way too many people in small areas that are drinking way too much. It's not all it's cracked up to be. Come once just to say you've been, and see the scene. Personally, I avoid it if I can. Last year and a the year before, we went to one parade in Metairie and no others, and only stayed about an hour and a half/two hours or so. My first year I was here, we went to the parades in downtown, even saw Endemion. Never again.

If you come during Mardi Gras or Halloween and are downtown, wear jeans NOT a skirt, and running shoes NOT heels. And be aware that there will be so many people packed into only a few blocks that being able to walk and move through them will mean a couple of feet every five minutes. Do NOT carry a purse, put your money and ID in a wallet attached to your skin and under your shirt. I highly recommend leaving the credit cards and debit cards in your hotel room and just carrying cash so that if it goes *poof* you won't have to cancel them.

An old co-worker of mine had just moved here last year and she was looking forward to Mardi Gras on Bourbon. I warned her about all this and she called me an old "fuddy duddy" (I'm only a few years older than she is, so this was insulting) that doesn't want to have any fun. I'm only 36. The next day she came back and told me that I was right. It took them three hours to find a place to park. There were so many people that they could barely move. She was punched in the head, had her hair pulled, was stepped on, and was groped (remember what I said about not wearing a skirt. There's a very good reason why I said that), then had her pocket picked (she only lost about $40). She said that she will never go to Bourbon on Mardi Gras again.

If you're a local, you go to Frenchman, not Bourbon. Frenchman is just as much fun with not quite as many people. If you go on a regular night, they currently have some awesome bands playing and no cover charge (all places on Bourbon have a cover charge). You will find that sometimes surprising bands come and play. I've heard Cold Play, Aerosmith, and more have been here without a big announcement being made, they just showed up and played a gig at a local bar.

Personally, I suggest doing more fun things.

- Bourbons cool, if you go on a regular day for five minutes just to get a drink and a taste, then leave.

- Take a tour. There are carriages that leave from just outside Jackson Square that will take you on a tour through the Quarter. The drivers are very good and will tell you some of the history of the Quarter as you drive.

- Take a visit to the Outdoor French Market. Most of the stuff is cheap, but interesting and you can say you've been.

- Visit St Louis Cathedral during the day (it's so pretty inside), then maybe the Presbitere or Cabildo on either side of the Cathedral. Both are Museums (one for New Orleans, and one for Katrina. The boat outside the one rescued more people than any other boat after Katrina so has a place of honor).

- Go to Cafe Du Monde during the day and get a Beignet and coffee/juice/milk. They are these french sweets that are kind of like donuts and covered in powdered sugar. They are very messy but delicious. Careful when eating so you don't inhale the sugar, it hurts from personal experience lol.

- Walk down Royal Street and visit some antique shops.

- Walk around Jackson Square. Not only are there stores, but there are lots of street vendors from painters to palm readers and every in between. You can go inside Jackson Square at certain times of the day, and it's very pretty inside. Sometimes, like during French Quarter Festival, local restaurants will have booths inside where they sell some of their food for good prices and you can get a taste of New Orleans. Nowhere else in the world is the food as good as it is in New Orleans. If you're allergic to fish, make sure you pay attention to the food, most things have shellfish here. But some places do have things like andouille and chicken gumbo (my favorite) and the like. Andouille is just a very spicy sausage.

- I suggest you try alligator sausage. It's really good, I promise. My sister was here last April and outright refused to try some but my little 9 year old nephew did and loved it.

- Take a couple tours. Cemetery, swamp, plantation, ghost, voodoo, walking tours even historic tours are all available at reasonable prices. Some of these may be a fair distance away from New Orleans but they can provide transportation.

- We also have the Imax, the Audubon Zoo, the Insectarium, Harrah's Casino, and the steamboat Natchez (they run daily cruises from the port nearby. It costs money for these, but they also have jazz cruises that include food and music).

And this is only just to start. No other tourist destination in the world has so much to do in such a small area. You need over two weeks to cover it all at a reasonable pace.

Suggested places to stay

Think of the downtown like a rectangle dividied in half by Canal Street. One side is the Central Business District, the other is the French Quarter.

Having been in this industry and worked for several companies, you need to be careful. Not everywhere is all it's cracked up to be. Staying on Bourbon is excellent, but it's also incredibly expensive and often noisy. The hotels on Bourbon are just simply beautiful, and high end. Bourbon is only one street inside the Quarter.

You may like to consider the Central Business District, or a hotel on St Charles near/in the Garden District.

The CBD is further away but it will be quieter and the prices more reasonable. But not all the hotels here are as great as you would think. The owners of several of these hotels lost them in the last year to the bank or sold them to new owners and then shut down so many of them are probably not yet updated to fix the severe problems. I can message you the names of those hotels if you want.

The hotels on St Charles are unique in that they are on the world famous St Charles Streetcar line. And hence, on a major parade route (parades aren't just held for Mardi Gras in this city. Nearly every event or special time period from New Years to Easter, St Patricks Day, to Christmas and more has parades). Most of these hotel will be very small (from 20-50 rooms), and older. Many have been converted from homes, joined together, and made into a hotel. These are the types of hotels that are called "Boutique", though several of them also exist in the Quarter and the CBD too. And the St Charles Streetcar will take you right into any area of downtown. However, the streetcar line is under major construction at the moment that the city has been saying will be done by the Superbowl. Part of it just opened again a couple days ago. I've been hearing that they are trying to join all the separate parts of the streetcars in to one continuous line so people can go anywhere without having to change cars but I'm not sure if that's true or not. I can give you names for these as well, including some that are off the Streetcar line but I'd have to message them to you.

The Garden District is full of very old and beautiful mansions, some of which have been turned in to bed and breakfasts. I can guarantee you've never seen mansions like these.

I hope this post helps you with your decisions.

[confusedasusual]

^^

This is well informed. Lots of good insight.

I hate Bourbon with a passion and avoid it at all costs.

[Podo944]

moiraesfate- lots of useful information, thank you!

I need to check out a "voo doo" tour. Sounds interesting.

Cheers!

[Neworleansisprettygood]

Originally Posted by Podo944

moiraesfate- lots of useful information, thank you!

I need to check out a "voo doo" tour. Sounds interesting.

Cheers!

I especially second a walk through the Garden District. It's about 10 minutes by streetcar from Canal St. Last time I was down there none other than John Goodman, who lives in the area, was walking his dog on the other side of the street. The houses in that neighborhood will blow you away.

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[moiraesfate]

My husband says his friend had Angeline Jolie walk into the Smoothie King he was working at. And I saw Quentin Terentino downtown last spring.

[Neworleansisprettygood]

Originally Posted by moiraesfate

My husband says his friend had Angeline Jolie walk into the Smoothie King he was working at. And I saw Quentin Terentino downtown last spring.

They used to have their kids driven to school (in a limo) past my parents' house Uptown. And if you're close to the universities, you're likely to see James Carville out for a morning jog.

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[Podo944]

I've been hearing how the Garden District has beautiful houses. I'm wondering if there's a bike rental nearby? I would love to meander through those streets on a bike!

[Neworleansisprettygood]

Originally Posted by Podo944

I've been hearing how the Garden District has beautiful houses. I'm wondering if there's a bike rental nearby? I would love to meander through those streets on a bike!

There are several local bike rental companies. American bicycle rentals looks to have the best reviews.

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[Podo944]

Originally Posted by Neworleansisprettygood

There are several local bike rental companies. American bicycle rentals looks to have the best reviews.

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Thanks! I'll definitely check them out!