New Orleans? Anything to do?

[rowdyhillrambler]

Yea, so I am totally tired of the mother funking cold. Decide, last minute to take my wife to NoLa. Valentines and all. I have been there once, when it was a turd who cared about bicycle racing. Went to race and nothing else.

Staying in the garden district.... Gimme whatcha got. GO!

[cdickens]

I heard they serve drive thru Daiquiri's :)

[RickM]

Don't be too cool or shy to hit a few touristy spots. For V-day...take the missus to brunch at Brennans. Just go. You might need to make a res. It's worth it. It should be at least a 4-hour affair if you're doing it right. At least once hit Cafe' Du Monde' for muddy coffee and fatty beignets. Casamentos for oysters. Then walk down the river to St. Louis Cathedral. Hop one of the riverboat rides down by the cathedral. Corny? Yeah..but relaxing ..and the real fun is the acquaintances you make on the boat. In the Garden District...walk thru Lafayette Cemetery and the surrounding neighborhoods. Stay off Magazine St and wander the side streets.

If you're curious...eat at Galatoires...where old, secret, out-of-sight New Orleans goes to dine. Again..it's all about the acquaintances you make. The food is good goes without saying.

Best hotel bar; Bellocq.
Best shithole; The Saint.

Don't even think about riding a bike in that town. Walk. Take the streetcar.

I won't recommend much more if you've only got a weekend. Between the Quarter and the Garden District you'll find plenty to do and you'll also easily be able to tell what to avoid and what to stick your noses in to.

[rowdyhillrambler]

Bikeless holiday. I am ok with that, first in a long time. We will be there for 5 days, Just gonna do the tourist thing. Eat, drink, look at stuff and make love.... That types so terrible.

Good leads, will do.!

[MacLaughlin]

I'm heading to the Bywater neighborhood next week for a stay through Mardi Gras.

Why should I not "even think" about bringing a bike? My local friends encouraged it. Bad roads? Flat land? Theft?

I haven't seen a +35* day since the beginning of December. The bike will be coming, but I'm curious why I'm being stupid.

[RickM]

I'm heading to the Bywater neighborhood next week for a stay through Mardi Gras.

Why should I not "even think" about bringing a bike? My local friends encouraged it. Bad roads? Flat land? Theft?

I haven't seen a +35* day since the beginning of December. The bike will be coming, but I'm curious why I'm being stupid.

You're not being stupid...and a beach cruiser or an old rigid MTB w/ slicks, etc.. for just tooling around town is a-ok, especially if you've got a cup holder on it. Beware; Lots of drunk/negligent drivers in the areas around the Quarter. Beyond the Quarter and Garden District...plenty of areas that are just boring/dicey/super-dicey to ride in. Yes, it's flat. You won't hate yourself or anything if you bring a bike. For a short visit, you can easily do without one, and walking around is the best way to get the feel of the place, see the little things, meet the folk. S'all. I see that you are going to be in town for awhile...so YMMV.

[MacLaughlin]

How dicey is super-dicey? I ride in the parts of Detroit that one sees pictures of in news articles, but I know the area pretty well. I keep a low profile with a rusty, rattle can fixie conversion (27 x 1 3/8"!), and my wardrobe and facial hair skew laid-off blue collar. We call it the "Detroit Screen" (pronounced "dee-troit" in this context).

I guess my question becomes this: Is there a "bad side" or are there many pockets spread throughout (like here), and will I have a hard time predicting/avoiding them at night? Ultimately, can I pedal along the river trail without needing to have my eyes peeled?

[Bobonli]

Don't even think about riding a bike in that town. Walk. Take the streetcar.

I've only been there once but my experience taught me to be careful on the streetcar. It's easy to go "a stop too far" and land up in a dicey 'hood. Don't be afraid to go into one of the dive bars for a drink; quite an experience. If you're into wandering around, wander into one of the old cemeteries.

[RickM]

How dicey is super-dicey?

With all due respect, that is a rathole that I don't want to go down. If you' are an experienced urban rider, then you'll be able to fend for yourself just fine. I'm not saying that you should hole up in a bubble or anything, but outlying parts of the city..like the 9th or 7th wards...can be bad. Or...you can be fine. Check with your local friends. They'll know. Like a lot of things...it's all relative, and luck, circumstance, and your own personal mojo figure into things. I've lived in Boston since 1980 and I've been all over this town. People used to tell me about "bad" Boston neighborhoods. Having grown up and hung out in Philly...I don't think Bostonians know what a Bad Neighborhood is, ya know what I'm sayin'? If you're comfy in Dee-troit, then New Orleans wont be a shock or anything....it just becomes maybe more of a "why bother?" thing then it being anything else. Shoot, I've been hassled way more on upstate Pennsylvania backroads then I've ever been in any urban environment.

[MacLaughlin]

If you' are an experienced urban rider, then you'll be able to fend for yourself just fine...

Good to hear. It is all relative, truly, and it is important to account for personal mojo--something impossible to relate over the interwebz.

My cabin fever has reached quite a pitch this past week, there are only so many indoor isometrics I can do before I go crazy.
go crazy
gocrazy

[rowdyhillrambler]

MacLaughlin, when will you be down there. We will be there from monday-friday.

[MacLaughlin]

I'll be around from Tuesday late late, until Ash Wednesday's Boxing Thursday.

[RickM]

Rowdy--> Got some bad news for you. See below. If this is a permanent closure...it's a real loss. I'll get back you with some alternative suggestions...but right now I just need to to collect myself.


Closure of Brennan's in New Orleans spotlights family feuds | Fox News

[rowdyhillrambler]

as long as they serve beer somewhere else, i may be OK. If not, i may need a shoulder to cry on.

[spopepro]

re riding in the city: it's just not fun. You won't be prepared for just how challenging the streets are (narrow, potholes, heavily crowned, rail tracks, bad sight lines, etc). Also, the whole good/bad neighborhood thing is tougher in nola because it's all so small and changes quickly--it's unlike any place in America in that regard. Local knowledge is generally required if wandering away from standard areas.

Stuff you should do: casamentos does make the best fried seafood. Elizabeth's is my new favorite brunch spot (casual). If you bring a jacket, lunch at commanders is affordable and everyone should go to commanders once in their life (and it's across the street from Lafayette no 1 which is worth a visit). Have a drink at Molly's and say hi to mr wu (I have a soft spot for their frozen Irish coffee). Walk through Audubon park. Miss Dot died recently, so I don't have a poboy to recommend unfortunately, but if you find a place that looks good, don't hesitate to have them put brown gravy on your fried fish. A trip out to Jacques-imos is worth it and the wait. Can also combine with the maple leaf if the act looks promising. The marigny is the place for live music unless tips has something that looks good.

I miss the place so, so much.

[jitahs]

Aside from avoiding certain neighborhoods I'll offer this: A local guy rode his bike from here to nola, no probs. Was killed there road riding by an inattentive driver.

[rowdyhillrambler]

Buzzkill



NQUOTE=jitahs;581251]Aside from avoiding certain neighborhoods I'll offer this: A local guy rode his bike from here to nola, no probs. Was killed there road riding by an inattentive driver.[/QUOTE]

[jitahs]

For the guy wondering, better'n getting kilt by the buzzed.

[joosttx]

For the guy wondering, better'n getting kilt by the buzzed.

In Oakland, better to be killed by the buzz than the fuzz.

[Corso]

Forget biking, just eat. A lot. Great food.

I got hooked on the beignets & hickory coffee.

Gain a few pounds, them bike them off latter. It’s winter.