Never been I am headed down for meetings and a show over St. Patricks day weekend. I will have a rental car and have some time to kill what is interesting to see or do? I don't want to go to the French quarter more interested in seeing stuff that isn't just for tourists. Any ideas?
Eat Crawfish, find some king cake (Randazzos), Go to Aquarium, fishing inshore or offshore, go to Dragos and get charbroiled oysters, Central grocery and get a muffuletta, AAA baseball game (Zephyrs).
I do enjoy authentic boodan, but like I said going to avoid the French quarter I don't care for large groups of drunk people. Guess I will have to drive around and explore.
The entire FQ isn't bad. Just stay off Bourbon. If you want to avoid the drunkeness, just go during the day. Plenty of cool shops in the FQ. Magazine Street is the best street in NOLA if you want to shop, eat, and drink like a local. Its in the Garden District. Eat: Peche $$ Cochon Butcher $ August $$$$ Le Petite Grocery $$ Hi Hat $ Commanders Palace $$$$ Drink: Avenue Pub Courtyard Brewery Do: WWII Museum Audubon Zoo Ride the streetcars up St. Charles Aquarium If you want to listen to live music, go to Frenchmen Street. Plenty of music and jazz clubs there. Just follow the sound of what you like and go in. I can offer much more advice if you have any specific questions. These are just the basics.
Not going to find real boudin in NOLA. Sorry. Need to head to cajun country for that. NOLA is creole. NOLA is walkable downtown. Plus public transportation is decent.
New Orleans or as it is often called Americas toilet bowl.... Stay in the more touristy or heavily traveled areas unless you want to get robbed or worse.. It might be cool to get out of town a bit and check out the country side
I thoroughly enjoyed my time in NO when I was there for work in 2013, including small doses of Bourbon street. I mainly enjoyed the food and history.
Yes the countryside sounds more interesting to me, find some hole in the wall tavern and talk to the locals. If I have time I may do it. I have 2 days of what I call bored meetings, I am on the BOD of a professional association one of the few private sector people on the board and the meetings tend to run long.
I don't know what you think when you say "countryside"..? You wanting to drive out an hour? NOLA metro is kinda large... Avenue Pub is one of the best, oldest taverns or pubs in the country. Go there if you want to mingle and drink with locals. Be warned that no light American beer will be located there though...
don't take it personal, it's not like it's your city or anything... I was robbed there in 1999 while on a business trip, I have a buddy who worked for the same company who was also robbed two years later... I guess that makes me clueless..... Just telling him to watch his back it's not all sunshine and lollipops...
The city is miles better than it was pre-Katrina. Seriously. Nothing like it was in 1999. Obviously crimes still happen, but that is with any major city. Most of the crimes that happen to tourist, happen at 3 am to drunken tourist in the FQ. I don't think Sota is going to be that guy.
I hear ya and didn't mean to come off as gruff, was just relaying my experience I got robbed in the middle of the day just went down the wrong street .... just letting you know I don't post on stuff I no nothing about take it care..
I actually enjoyed the post Katrina feel to it. Everywhere I went to eat had a different story. There were waterlines in some of the restaurants that I went to who refused to remove it because it had become part of them. Of course it was devastating to the city and did lots of damage and I can only imagine how nice it was prior, but it's also part of who they are. They've adopted the history and story behind it which made things all the more interesting. I was able to eat great food with a NO brewed bottle of suds and hear a historical account/experience of Katrina and the aftermath. EDIT: Criminals aren't limited to any city, state, or street and operate at all hours of the night. I had no issues walking back to my hotel from Bourbon street at 2AM and I walked through many dark streets and alleys. Of course it can happen, but it can happen anywhere.
We're going down there for a few days Mid-Nov for our honeymoon. Basically we're going to go be drunken idiots again before returning to grown up world. Hoping to meet up with a call-maker buddy and get a duck hunt in. Might see a few things as well but mostly just eat bad-for-you food and drink a lot.
I am not going to be out and about probably past 10 and that would be staying up late for me. I like to have a few drinks, but no longer have that extra gear or desire to go shweel booze all night. Few drinks and I want to go to bed a shot of z-quil I might actually sleep 4 straight hours without waking up. Getting older sucks.
