Bourbon Street? (New Orleans, Lafayette, Houma: credit, hotels, house)

[Road Pig]

I have posted on some other threads about coming down from TN on motorcycles to visit the NO area and was planning on staying the night on or around Bourbon St. I am now reconsidering that location based on safety/security issues and fear of just plain being caught in a nasty(unhygienic) environment. Are my concerns valid? Is there a better place to visit in the city to stay the night and eat? If I do feel more adventurous then I might ride a street car or cab to the center of the party city?

I need a recommendation on an authentic cajun eating experience also. Thanks.

[Neworleansisprettygood]

Most of the rowdiness in the Quarter is confined to Bourbon St., though there are bars and places like the House of Blues all over the area. I was going to recommend that you stay in the Omni Royal Orleans; it's across from the LA Supreme Court building if that gives you any idea of the "niceness" of the area.

As far as Cajun, New Orleans really is NOT the best place to get Cajun food, although we do have some good restaurants. Depending on your budget, you might want to try K-Paul's- it's half a block from the Omni and is owned by Paul Prudhomme, this guy:

Moderator cut: if you didn't take it, don't post it: copyright violation


who was born in real Cajun country and is usually credited with bringing Cajun into the mainstream.

[Road Pig]

Thanks for the reply. I had seen quite a few of your posts on other threads and was going to pm you with requests but we can do it here. I want to spend one night in the city seeing some wildlife but not getting caught up in it becoming a victim. We do not drink but are not afraid of being around it. I was hoping to see some of the odd and bizarre so that was the reason for Bourbon St.

When I travel I want local food so what ever the area is famous for is what I want to try. We are going for a day ride down into the marsh to that coastal park at the end of the world them back up through Houma and the other towns where those gator hunters live. I hope to find a more local experience down there. What are they known for cooking?

I will google the area you have recommended.

Mel,aka Road Pig

[Neworleansisprettygood]

No problems. Open discussions are nice because they can answer questions for others too.


We do have good Cajun food, don't get me wrong. But Lafayette is the de facto capital of Cajun country. Houma is also very Cajun, though I've only been there 2/3 times and have no idea where to eat.

Bourbon St. is definitely "wildlife"...but where the locals go (really) is Frenchmen St. just downriver of the Quarter. Still plenty of alcohol but not a "frat boy" atmosphere and it's the best cluster of local music places.

I'm really not sure what park you're talking about, but I personally find the marsh beautiful... if you want a swamp experience the best way to get your fix would be to go to the Jean Lafitte Preserve: Barataria Preserve - Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve... that might be what you're talking about anyway, but the amount of water around there makes it a little harder to get to Houma.

[Chilly Gentilly]

Security isn't too much of an issue. The issue is sleep! Unless you plan on partying all night on Bourbon with other tourists, you shouldnt stay there.

I recommend a B&B on St. Charles Avenue

[BeenThereDunThat]

You go visit Bourbon Street but no one really "stays there".... go to hotels off Bourbon in the quarter or in the Central Biz District.

[Road Pig]

I had planned on going to Grand Isle SP on the coast but the trip is still in the formation stage. I liked the look of the Omni Royal and may call for more information. I do the wisdom in staying off Bourbon and visiting for a while. I do not party all night and in fact prefer to retire around 10:30pm, real party animal I am.

I do want to eat till I puke. That' why I was hoping Neworleansisprettygood would reply looks like they really eat out a bit. Maybe I should change my name to Table Pig?

[Neworleansisprettygood]

Okay, Grand Isle. I should have remembered there was a park there, as I was just looking at a website about Grand Isle the other day. Whatever you do, make sure to get a po-boy... It's our New York Pizza, Chicago hot dog, et cetera et cetera

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 4 Beta

[Podo944]

Originally Posted by Road Pig

I have posted on some other threads about coming down from TN on motorcycles to visit the NO area and was planning on staying the night on or around Bourbon St. I am now reconsidering that location based on safety/security issues and fear of just plain being caught in a nasty(unhygienic) environment. Are my concerns valid? Is there a better place to visit in the city to stay the night and eat? If I do feel more adventurous then I might ride a street car or cab to the center of the party city?

I need a recommendation on an authentic cajun eating experience also. Thanks.

Hi!
We are from California and visited NOLA for the first time in March. I was also wary of Bourbon Street, just be "aware" of your surroundings, and use common sense like in any city. I'm also a non drinker and my hubby is a lightweight, so it's not our thing as a rule but really we had a great time. It was fun to people watch, and we didn't stay out till all hours of the night so we didn't have to endure the repercussions of what happens to people when consuming mass quantities of Hurricanes! (It's a popular drink there) Nevertheless, it is wise to keep on eye on where you're stepping, there are police on horses and horses will do their thing in the streets as well.

We popped into various music clubs as we walked up and down, and found our favorite music venue on Bourbon (we even liked it more than the clubs on Frenchman) called Fritzel's European Jazz Club.

fritzelsjazz.net

Amazing musicians! No cover charge, just a one drink min. at least when we were there.
By the way, we also loved loved all the street musicians on Royal Street during the day, just fantastic!
I brought a stash of dollar bills and hard candies to put in their tins. (I got extra smiles for the candy!)

We stayed at at Hotel Villa Convento and loved it!

Hotel Villa Convento | New Orleans French Quarter Guest House

Nothing fancy and a bit tattered if you look too close, if that bothers you, but for us it was great. We splurged and upgraded to a top floor room and the views were amazing especially at night!
Very convenient location between between Bourbon Street and Frenchman's street. Close to the action yet far enough away to get a good night's sleep.
We walked everywhere from there and even though there were enough taxi's around, we felt quite comfortable (with our eyes open) to walk back to our hotel at night. There were other people walking as well.

And yes, the food was amazing! We have a friend that is originally from there and he told us, "you go to New Orleans a tourist, and come home as freight!"

As far as cajun, I believe New Orleans has more of a "creole" flavor, or so I've heard. We were fortunate enough to be able to get out of town and stay in Breaux Bridge (near Lafayette) and that's where we got the true cajun experience, dancing and all!

Have fun! I'm so jealous! I want to go back soooo bad!

[Road Pig]

Well crud! I just called the Omni Royal and the rooms were a tad steep but in the acceptable range of $230ish but they wanted an additional 36.00 to park each motorcycle per night. Since I have two in the family that brings the rate to over $300 PLUS tax. What a buzz-kill.