New Orleans? Anything to do?

[defspace]

I just wanted to thank Vsalon for helping my girlfriend and me to plan out a quick 36 hour vacation.

What a cool place, even going the wrong way on the Canal st streetcar was fun!

The recommendation for Peche was spot on. Great food, excellent service, good prices.

I'll toss in a recommendation for Surrey's. We had breakfast there, just because it was nearby and it looked good on Yelp. Delicious. I'd eat there again in a heartbeat.

[giordana93]

cool. parts of the city hit friggin 87 today. ridiculous (did I mention July-August ain't the best time to come for a visit?)

[NYCfixie]

/thread revival


Looking to fly in on Monday 12/28 and fly out on Friday 1/1 before the sugar bowl.

Any great advice on things to do besides the obvious:
- Food
- Bars
- Music
- WWII Museum
- Art Museum

Any please make suggestions on good restaurants and bars. We like to eat good food but do not drink that much.


Me and the wife.

[Mabouya]

- Music

I'd find a joint where they were playing some zydeco and have a ball. Of course Clifton Chenier is now dead, but he was the King.

[rowdyhillrambler]

Kermit Ruffins is playing at the Little Gem Saloon on the 31st, would be a sweet show. They have some really good soul food there as well.

I am sure there is nothing to do in New Orleans over the New Year, quiet sleepy little town. Might be fun to check out the scene from a sober perspective, sit n watch, voyeur style.

Audubon park and the sculpture garden are perfect daytime do's.

[mnoble485]

Just got back from the Big Easy a few weeks ago. went to Mr. B's Bistro on the recomendation from Josh. It was beyond great. I thought I would need a spoon for the BBQ shrimp but I just asked for more bread. Oysters at Bourbon Bar instead of Acmes.

Mike

[giordana93]

/thread revival


Looking to fly in on Monday 12/28 and fly out on Friday 1/1 before the sugar bowl.

Any great advice on things to do besides the obvious:
- Food
- Bars
- Music
- WWII Museum
- Art Museum

Any please make suggestions on good restaurants and bars. We like to eat good food but do not drink that much.


Me and the wife.

Where are you staying? That will influence things a bit...
Just re-read the thread and did not see Galatoire's mentioned, so add it to the list of places in the quarter (men need a jacket, though they have some at the door). I also didnt see it mentioned above for things to do, but there are some good French Quarter walking tours that take 2 hours and give a good history and lay of the land. The best are from Friends of the Cabildo, done by volunteers (myself included) or the Park Service, both of them are more professional than the ghost or "haunted mystery" tours, but even the latter can be good if you get a good guide. Free tours by foot also do an uptown/Garden District tour. If you join the Friends of Cabildo, your tour is covered and free access to the LSM museums included (the Cabildo, which has colonial stuff and music) and the Presbytere, which holds a Katrina and Mardi gras exhibit. The cabildo and presbytere are the two buildings on either side of the cathedral, which is also worth a visit. LSM= Louisiana State Museum


Oh, and tis the season for Creole Christmas exhibits at the museum homes, including Gallier, hermann-grima, beauregard-keys, etc. check out nola.com "things to do" list. I'll look for that link

Will repeat the above: Frenchman street/Marigny is a must, City park has centuries-old Oak trees. If you make it out to the art museum, you will be there (along with the sculpture garden). You can actually get beignets out there too at Morning Call

[giordana93]

Here ya go. Nola.com also has good resto and bar lists in the entertainment section

Events in Greater New Orleans

btw, oysters are good this time of year

[giordana93]

One more. Highly recommnded in heart of quarter--again, for the sober minded history and culture seeking type. Fantastic example of old home, nice gift shop and it's free

THNOC

[murphy]

- Food

If you are outside of bourbon, I had some of the best seafood of my trip at Luke.

[jsrieck]

Clancy's is the local's Gally's.

[giordana93]

At the risk of looking like a shill, I just posted a review of the newly reopened Brennans

Brennan's, a New Orleans classic restaurant, returns to former glory, earns four beans | NOLA.com

Not cheap, as it is part of the pricy brennans group, but it is classic and in the heart of the quarter

[alexis]

Nothing to do there.
Town shuts down at 9 pm

You must have gone with a three year old.

Since I mooched some good information off this thread, I thought I would post about my trip and a few recommendations. We went from Mar 13-18, and stayed at a friend's place in the Irish Channel. If you are driving and can bring a bike, I highly suggest doing so. We had a 3yo with us, and loved exploring all the neighborhoods on two wheels. As mentioned above, it is no place for skinny tires. Even the 700x35s felt wimpy for the inevitable potholes. That said, there are a lot (for New Orleans anyway) of bike lanes, sharrows and separated bike paths that will get you where you need to go. We didn't see much of the Mississipi River Trail, but I understand that it goes 20+ miles along the river.

Drinks:
Empire Bar at Broussards (FQ)
Napoleon House (FQ) - kinda touristy I guess, but I like it in there
Carousel Bar at the Hotel Monteleon (FQ) - the main bar is a carousel of sorts, but the rest of the bar and the hotel lobby are one of my favorite spots
Bar Tonique (across from Louis Armstrong Park, a great place to hang out) - good vibe, good drinks and drink specials
NOLA Brewing Co (Tchoupitoulas) - Great beer brewed on site and a nice respite from the busier parts of town. Lots of bikes parked out front too.
The good thing about going to New Orleans with a toddler is that you hit everything early when it really isn't too crowded, so take these recommendations with a grain of salt in that we were there in the late afternoon.

Food:
Katie's - great poboys (try the Cochon De Lait) neat City Park
Cochon Butcher - great sandwiches and friendly bar staff (it is the more casual counterpart to Cochon restaurant next door)
Parasols - dive bar a couple blocks from our house with surprisingly good poboys
Coquette (Magazine St) - fancy food with a southern bend, sit at the bar and have a drink and some appetizers
We didn't eat out all that much, so this list is not much.

Other:
We spent a lot of time in Audubon Park, both at the zoo and just riding around. The oak trees here and in City Park are beautiful.
The Canal St-Algeirs ferry is $2 (each way) and takes you across the river. Explore a little around Algeirs or just flip it and come back.
Louis Armstrong Park - probably better to go during the day, but a nice place to lounge for a bit
City Park - beautiful grounds and a miraculous recovery after being almost completely under water after Katrina.

I wasn't all that excited about going to the Big Easy with a kid, but it turned out to be my best visit yet. However, don't ask me what happens after 9pm.

[Matthew Strongin]

I haven't been since I was a stupid college student. Sounds like it might make for a nice adult visit as well.

[alexis]

I haven't been since I was a stupid college student. Sounds like it might make for a nice adult visit as well.

You could fill a whole visit without stepping foot in the French Quarter, not that there's anything wrong with it.

[spopepro]

You could fill a whole visit without stepping foot in the French Quarter, not that there's anything wrong with it.

Aye. I struggle with what to tell people to do who are visiting New Orleans on holiday. Because what I would do is get a half-and-half sandwich and an amber, take it out to the fly, and watch the sky turn from blue to crimson to purple over the river. God damn I miss the city, and it's not a place, or an event, or anything that you can go and see. And I desperately want people to feel it, and understand. It's what makes the city important to take care of--a piece of the gulf coast puzzle that so desperately needs the nation's interest for repair. I just don't know how to guide people to it. But one thing for sure, it's not on bourbon street, and on many days isn't in the quarter.

[Moke]

I been telling people the same story for 40 years now. Antoine's sit at the bar, Brennan's breakfast on the weekend, Central Grocery for a Muffuletta, Acme Oyster bar and Mr. B's should get things started. Of course mandatory stop at Cafe du monde for coffee and Lauras chocolates. I don't think I ever had a bad meal in the City, ever. Alway ride the street car to the end of the line or go for a walk in Audubon Park. Then catch some jazz music somewhere. They are all good. I used to say Tipitinas but I am either way too old or it is way too crowded. The new wrinkle I recommend is to go on the guided cruiser bike tour of the 9th Ward Katrina damage. Pretty flat ride and the guides can talk story all about the city. New Orleans is a great great place to visit, glad I don't live there anymore, but it was fun as a twenty something being there.

[chasea]

And whoever Johnny Vidocovich is playing with at Maple Leaf.

[alexis]

And whoever Johnny Vidocovich is playing with at Maple Leaf.

I will add Little Freddie King to that list. He plays at least once a week, and you will be hard pressed to see a better blues act.


He is also known for his love of riding his bicycle around town. (See video above).

[spopepro]

And whoever Johnny Vidocovich is playing with at Maple Leaf.

Johnny gave me one of the best complements I've ever had as a musician. I wanted to keep playing some Jazz at university, but the lab band (think 2nd string) already had waaaay too many saxophones, and not enough trombones. I had just come back from a summer of marching with the blue devils playing euphonium so I figured I'd hack my way around on 2nd bone. I had a hard time reading the music, because while I do read bass clef (I'm a bassoonist), I was reading the note, transposing it up a step, thinking about the valve fingering on euph, and then translating it back to the position on the bone. It was kind of awful.

Johnny was teaching that day, and he insisted I take a couple of choruses. I went ahead and let it rip, with little understanding of what I was trying to do, and even less skill in execution. Afterwords, he said "man, that was, just like, you could hear it. You could hear what you were thinking and I know it wasn't all coming out because you just don't know the horn, but those ideas man. You gotta just let it go like that and feel the rhythm and music and eventually the notes will catch up. That's the right way to play jazz man".

My career might have been all downhill since that Tuesday afternoon.