My wife wants me to take her to New Orleans

cowman

cowman

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Any airport/general destination recommendations? Obviously going to need to find some good cajun food and drink some hurricanes.

Any places clueless midwestern tourists ought to avoid?
 
Definitely, Lakefront - great airport. Don't rent a car, you won't need one.

Opinions vary on where to stay, but my wife and I always come back to the Omni Royal Orleans - it's in the Quarter, well-situated to see everything, but very quiet in your room. Service is impeccable.

Also, there's the Roosevelt. Thought we'd lost this grand old gem from all the underground damage done when the dikes broke, but it's back. Stunning, beautiful. Have a drink in the Sazarac bar and imagine it's 1936.

And speaking of service, New Orleans is a city that has not forgotten service.

Try Galatoire's. Mr. B's Bistro. Commander's Palace.

Make reservations weeks in advance.

Such a place, you have me wanting to go back now.
 
Wow, NOLA in August! I have done July a couple of times (for business). The last time the weather report read "108 degrees, feels like 120" and it did. The other time, I remember going for a run at 6 in the morning, thinking it would be cooler and I barely survived 5 miles (despite having just run a marathon a couple weeks before).
 
It will probably be closer to Sept when we go... I'm just starting to collate data so to speak. I don't like to roast...
 
Used to live in Baton Rouge and went to New Orleans a few times. Nice trip to say you've been there. Some interesting culture. I was there pre and post Katrina.

If you like the smell of urine on the sidewalks the French quarter is a great place to hang out.
 
Do yourselves a favor and eat at Acme Oyster Company. It is worth the sometimes 60+ minute wait.

Grilled/BBQ's Oysters are the item to order. I would suggest starting with 4 dozen to get started
 
Can get touristy midday but Cafe du Monde is a great early AM coffee and beignet place - especially if you've not been to bed yet.
N'a'lins ain't what it was in the Seventies but should be on one's bucket list
 
Lakefront
Monteleone hotel Carousel bar
Palace Cafe
Restaurant Revolution
Cafe Amelie - best gumbo
Mothers cafe for breakfast
Ruby slipper for brunch and Bloody Mary's
Cafe Du Monde for beignets and coffee
 
I love good Cajun food; hot and spicy enough to make most of my friends think I have a few screws loose. They may be right. True Cajun cooking is hard to find in Michigan. OTOH, I'm pretty good in the kitchen but probably can't hold a candle to Desiree. Please spare me from having to eat Okra. The rest of their cuisine I love with a passion.
 
SCCutler said:
Opinions vary on where to stay, but my wife and I always come back to the Omni Royal Orleans - it's in the Quarter, well-situated to see everything, but very quiet in your room. Service is impeccable.
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I'll second this recommendation. My girlfriend and I stayed at the Omni last year and loved it. Great location and a great hotel.

Bourbon Street was not our thing - just a bunch of drunk college aged kids IMO - but there was plenty of other awesome stuff to do in the Quarter. We had a great time.
 
We have been many times. Lakefront is convenient and close (no rental car needed, just let the fbo know your arrival time and they will have a taxi waiting on you). I flew in one mardi gras and the lineman met us at the plane with a couple cold bud lights before I even got out of the plane.
Be aware that KNEW has parallel runways with one shorter than the other, if that is a factor for you.

We like Johnny's po boys for great and relatively inexpensive breakfast/lunch. Get the muffelatta, you will not be disappointed. https://www.yelp.com/biz/johnnys-po-boys-new-orleans

They have a Harrahs casino on the edge of the quarter that is worthwhile walking through for the decor alone. You might check out mardi gras world.

I would avoid wandering too far away from the busier streets of the quarter.
 
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cowman said:
Any airport/general destination recommendations? Obviously going to need to find some good cajun food and drink some hurricanes.

Any places clueless midwestern tourists ought to avoid?
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You can find good Cajun food and hurricanes just about anywhere. Why does she want to go there? Culture? Art? Music? Food? Partying? Shopping?
 
Oh yeah, Culture.

There are some great museums (sculpture garden's worth seeing), WWII Museum, etc.

I love the streetcars as rolling museums, that still fulfill a legitimate transportation need.

And for Bourbon Street, yeah, it can be... seedy. We enjoy people-watching, nonetheless.

"Wash the Girl of Your Choice": A sign on Bourbon Street.

Read "Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy O'Toole. It's a funny novel, set in NOLA (sixties?), and so funny, my gut aches just to type it. You'll see vignettes everywhere you look as you wander the Quarter, and you'll certainly never look at a hot dog cart the same again!
 
I will second the Monteleone hotel Carousel bar. In fact, we stayed in that wonderful old hotel, and look forward to staying again.

And Gallitoires, as recommended by Spike, remains to this day the best steaks we have ever had, anywhere on this planet.

We hope to visit again in December.

As for Bourbon Street, well, we happen to like earthy places like Beale Street in Memphis, Sixth Street in Austin, and we live in the heart of Port Aransas (within walking distance of 19 bars), so nothing we saw there shocked us.

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I can't believe no one has mentioned Preservation Hall. Go there, stand in the line, and have a truly memorable experience. That, and Cafe du Monde are the two icons that come to mind when I think of NOLA.

We were last there a year or two after Katrina and a bus tour of the damage was very interesting/educational. It covered quite a bit of ground, not just the ninth ward. Whether that would be a good idea now, I don't know but it is worth checking.
 
airdale said:
I can't believe no one has mentioned Preservation Hall. Go there, stand in the line, and have a truly memorable experience.
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Agreed. Anyone who is into jazz owes themselves a visit to that grand old hall. It is to Dixieland (can we still say that?) jazz what Gruene Hall (in Gruene, TX) is to country western music.
 
luvflyin said:
You can find good Cajun food and hurricanes just about anywhere. Why does she want to go there? Culture? Art? Music? Food? Partying? Shopping?
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I think the main reason is just that we haven't been there before.
 
Jay Honeck said:
Agreed. Anyone who is into jazz owes themselves a visit to that grand old hall. It is to Dixieland (can we still say that?) jazz what Gruene Hall (in Gruene, TX) is to country western music.
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Into jazz or not, it is one of the world's great experiences. Not to be missed.
 
If money's no object, the Roosevelt or the Ritz-Carlton. Airbnb for semi-cheap lodging.

Street Car ride up to the Tulane area in a relaxing way to spend some time. Plenty of good restaurants along the way.

If you want to avoid the wildest time in The Quarter, go during the day. Fewer drunks and you can catch some pretty good street acts. Been to the Cafe du Monde just to say I've been there but once is enough for me.

WWII Museum is worth a trip as well as Mardi Gras World to see the float collection.

Cheers
 
airdale said:
Into jazz or not, it is one of the world's great experiences. Not to be missed.
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I'm curious what you saw there that makes you say that. To me, it was only mildly interesting.

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Jay Honeck said:
I'm curious what you saw there that makes you say that. To me, it was only mildly interesting. ...
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Well, the performing bands rotate, so we may have seen different performers than you did. But after three or four times I still enjoy watching the showmanship and just being in the environment of that amazing place. I am not enough of a musician to opine on the absolute musical quality but the experience is right up there on my hit parade, which includes Iguazu Falls and the Taj Mahal as well as other amazing experiences. YMMV, of course.
 
We just got back a few days ago, hadn't been in over 20 years. We drove down to hit some sites on the way. The New Orleans part included the World War 2 museum, almost a must for any military history buff.

We did the French Quarter about 8-10 in the evening, lots of tourists and police. We stayed at the Fairfield Inn, walking distance from Bourbon St. I had the radar tuned up, the outer areas with less people have more crime potential. We went cuz it was close & I wanted to give the younger Son a little supervised expose. Lots to see as ever, listened to a few Katrina evacuation stories.
 
sourdough44 said:
We just got back a few days ago, hadn't been in over 20 years. We drove down to hit some sites on the way. The New Orleans part included the World War 2 museum, almost a must for any military history buff.

We did the French Quarter about 8-10 in the evening, lots of tourists and police. We stayed at the Fairfield Inn, walking distance from Bourbon St. I had the radar tuned up, the outer areas with less people have more crime potential. We went cuz it was close & I wanted to give the younger Son a little supervised expose. Lots to see as ever, listened to a few Katrina evacuation stories.
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Sounds great, but...with all the wonderful old hotels in the French Quarter, one can't help but wonder how you selected Fairfield?

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Jay Honeck said:
I'm curious what you saw there that makes you say that. To me, it was only mildly interesting.

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I agree. The music there was decent but not great. Sure the place has some history but there is better music to be found at many other venues in NOLA.
 
Norman said:
I love good Cajun food; hot and spicy enough to make most of my friends think I have a few screws loose. They may be right. True Cajun cooking is hard to find in Michigan. OTOH, I'm pretty good in the kitchen but probably can't hold a candle to Desiree. Please spare me from having to eat Okra. The rest of their cuisine I love with a passion.
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You obviously haven't read some of her posts where she admits to rarely venturing into the kitchen unless it is to grab a cold beer or ice for her booze.
 
SCCutler said:
Definitely, Lakefront - great airport. Don't rent a car, you won't need one.

Opinions vary on where to stay, but my wife and I always come back to the Omni Royal Orleans - it's in the Quarter, well-situated to see everything, but very quiet in your room. Service is impeccable.

Also, there's the Roosevelt. Thought we'd lost this grand old gem from all the underground damage done when the dikes broke, but it's back. Stunning, beautiful. Have a drink in the Sazarac bar and imagine it's 1936.

And speaking of service, New Orleans is a city that has not forgotten service.

Try Galatoire's. Mr. B's Bistro. Commander's Palace.

Make reservations weeks in advance.

Such a place, you have me wanting to go back now.
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All of this. I love the Royal Orleans, years ago I stayed at the Bourbon Orleans, also very good, though my more recent stays have been the Royal.

There are a handful of "dive" places around the area where the food is every bit as good as the "name" places in the French Quarter. I mean lines of everyone from the suited business owners to the laborers.

Preservation Hall is a jazz experience to see for historical interest, there are other great jazz places in town, too. Some of the gardens are fabulous, the streetcar ride is nice, and there are quite a number of antique places in town - a couple of friends furnished their house with antiques they purchased in NO, and most have appreciated nicely in value.

It you are IFR going into Lakefront and the marine layer is in, you may break out at minimums on the precision approach - there is pretty much no difference between the color of the lake and the color of the clouds, follow the rabbit in.

Great town. Charlestown, SC is the New Orleans of the east, minus the Jazz and the reputation of Bourbon Street.
 
Jay Honeck said:
Sounds great, but...with all the wonderful old hotels in the French Quarter, one can't help but wonder how you selected Fairfield?

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For us, the WW2 museum was the main even, French 1/4 was down the list a bit. That said, it was still worth the visit since we were right there. My wife doesn't care for some of the more provocative nightlife in the French Quarter area, which was another factor.
 
SkyDog58 said:
You obviously haven't read some of her posts where she admits to rarely venturing into the kitchen unless it is to grab a cold beer or ice for her booze.
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Des admits she is not the greatest cook but I think her heritage lends her some credence. Cajun cooking is good no matter how you slice it.
 
Lakefront... then uber or cab or whatever. Stay in the French Quarter...

I second Acme Oyster House.. both raw and char grilled are yum. Dont let the long line in front turn you off. Its worth it.
Drago's has a location in one of the big waterfront hotels... its also worth a stop.

A week ago I saw a pic of Bourbon being all torn up. Hopefully that rehab work on the road will be fixed by the time you go.

I bought a day pass to the trolly car for something like 6 or 12 bux and used that to get around up and down Canal and to Latrobe park.
 
sourdough44 said:
For us, the WW2 museum was the main even, French 1/4 was down the list a bit. That said, it was still worth the visit since we were right there. My wife doesn't care for some of the more provocative nightlife in the French Quarter area, which was another factor.
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So the deciding factor was proximity to the WWII museum? Makes sense. That is an AWESOME museum.

Still, with grand old historic hotels like the Monteleon perhaps just a few blocks away, a Fairfield just seems...unfortunate.
 
Sorry for the crappy link.
Here are the two:
CAFÉ DU MONDE
City: New Orleans
Type of food: Coffee shop
What people say: This French Quarter landmark started out as a humble coffee stand in 1862. Now it's a busy café welcoming tourists and locals alike 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
What to order: The beignets. These small, square doughnuts are served hot with a healthy amount of powdered sugar. The chicory coffee is also considered a must.

COMMANDER'S PALACE
City: New Orleans
Type of food: Creole
What people say: It's worth the splurge to eat at this turquoise Victorian landmark, which served as a training ground for chefs including Paul Prudhomme, Emeril Lagasse, and Jamie Shannon.
What to order: Don't miss the turtle soup. Other go-to items include the gumbo, shrimp and grits, and bread pudding soufflé.
 
Anyone ever fly into Louie Armstrong? I'm close enough to make day trips (when it cools down) and have flown into NEW a couple of times a few years back, but never MSY. We always rented a car...cabs, uber, trolley seemed to cost more.
 
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