New Orleans! Any suggestions?

Jay Honeck

Jay Honeck

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Jay Honeck
Now that the busy season is blessedly behind us, we're looking at a few days of R&R in New Orleans next week.

Incredibly, I've never been there, and Mary hasn't since she was a teenager. We're looking for the most GA friendly airport, and some recommendations for non-franchise accommodations.

We've heard that getting off the beaten trail can be more exciting than we might like. True? Any must-see bars/night clubs/restaurants?

Thanks!
 
Hey Jay

I have flown in many times. Typically I go into lakefront as it is very convenient. Last time I flew in they met me at the plane with a couple cold bud lights. So many good restaurants it is hard to name one. I will recommend one though as they give large portions of very good food no matter what you order on the menu and it is dirt cheap - Johnny po boys: http://johnnyspoboys.com/ open breakfast and lunch only. If you do not know what a mufaletta is, I recommend you order one there.
A few times I have stayed at a very conveniently located hotel just next door to johnny po boys: the french market inn. It has a convenient location, a few great rooms (some small, but ask for the ground floor rear courtyard) and reasonably priced.
Bourbon street has 3 for 1 happy hour. If you like frozen drinks, buy the insulated cup at: http://www.fat-tuesday.com note they have a location on bourbon street and one in the riverwalk marketplace mall. You can fill it at one and walk to the other for a refill. The riverwalk marketplace also has plenty of good eats on the cheap. Stay on the beaten path, don't fall for tricks of locals such as them saying they know where you got your shoes...
 
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Jay,

I've been to NO several times and will suggest you stay somewhere in the French Quarter if that's where you want to be. The areas around it are sketchy at best. Back in my dating day, a GF and I went there for a weekend and stayed at the Banana Courtyard BnB just outside the Quarter. The owners were very specific in telling you (once you checked in) that you were in "Bonfire of the Vanities Land" and to watch your ass, particularly walking the area at night. They even posted suggested routes to and from the Quarter.

After a couple of similar experiences, I've put NO into my "Only with a group of friends" trip category. It is out of the "Me and the Wife" category. There are better options for that, IMO.
 
FORANE said:
Hey Jay

I have flown in many times. Typically I go into lakefront as it is very convenient. Last time I flew in they met me at the plane with a couple cold bud lights. So many good restaurants it is hard to name one. I will recommend one though as they give large portions of very good food no matter what you order on the menu and it is dirt cheap - Johnny po boys: http://johnnyspoboys.com/ open breakfast and lunch only. If you do not know what a mufaletta is, I recommend you order one there.
A few times I have stayed at a very conveniently located hotel just next door to johnny po boys: the french market inn. It has a convenient location, a few great rooms (some small, but ask for the ground floor rear courtyard) and reasonably priced.
Bourbon street has 3 for 1 happy hour. If you like frozen drinks, buy the insulated cup at: http://www.fat-tuesday.com note they have a location on bourbon street and one in the riverwalk marketplace mall. You can fill it at one and walk to the other for a refill. The riverwalk marketplace also has plenty of good eats on the cheap. Stay on the beaten path, don't fall for tricks of locals such as them saying they know where you got your shoes...
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Thanks for the advice! A few questions, please:

- Identifier for Lakefront?
- Is this restaurant and hotel in the French Quarter?
- Rental cars at Lakefront? How long of a drive from the airport?

Thanks!
 
Jay Honeck said:
Thanks for the advice! A few questions, please:

- Identifier for Lakefront?
- Is this restaurant and hotel in the French Quarter?
- Rental cars at Lakefront? How long of a drive from the airport?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

KNEW
Yes in french quarter midway between where you likely want to see: bourbon bars, riverwalk mall, jackson square, cafe du monde, Harrahs New Orleans (which has an expensive but good buffet), etc.
Yes rental cars available but not needed nor wanted in my view - I just get a taxi to the quarter.
 
We used KNEW as well. No complaints. When we were there last October, their "AirBoss" (Airnav's fuel program) discount was a full $1 per gallon! Paid for itself and more. Something to look into.

If you depart to the north after dark, be ready for the "black hole"...
 
I always use Flightline First FBO, nothing but good experiences so far.
 
Just stay on Bourbon Street and call it good. Then eat at the Cajun Cabin. Good food and great local talent on stage. Been a few years since I was there, but have enjoyed NO for a couple days at a time on several occasions. Then I'm ready to go home!
 
Jay Honeck said:
Now that the busy season is blessedly behind us, we're looking at a few days of R&R in New Orleans next week.

Incredibly, I've never been there, and Mary hasn't since she was a teenager. We're looking for the most GA friendly airport, and some recommendations for non-franchise accommodations.

We've heard that getting off the beaten trail can be more exciting than we might like. True? Any must-see bars/night clubs/restaurants?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Define "exciting". Doesn't really matter what your definition is, NO has it. In the quarters, I like Acme Oyster and Arnaud's depending on my level of intoxication and current check book balance. If you've never been Cafe du Monde is worth the trip. Fried dough coated in powdered sugar mmmmmm.
 
bartmc said:
If you've never been Cafe du Monde is worth the trip.
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Have to go once, but once is enough. Unfortunately it's pure tourist trap nowadays.

Take the streetcar out to Loyola and Tulane (they're beautiful), stop at Zea's restaurant at St Charles & Melpomene (get the corn grits).

If you find yourself on Bourbon St saying "we've got time for a few more drinks", LEAVE NOW! (the last time I was there, I don't know how I got back to the hotel, and I had the worst hangover of my life)
 
A friend reported a similar experience. He said he woke up in a bed with a chick that was snoring and farting so he knew he had made it home safely.

PilotAlan said:
Have to go once, but once is enough. Unfortunately it's pure tourist trap nowadays.

Take the streetcar out to Loyola and Tulane (they're beautiful), stop at Zea's restaurant at St Charles & Melpomene (get the corn grits).

If you find yourself on Bourbon St saying "we've got time for a few more drinks", LEAVE NOW! (the last time I was there, I don't know how I got back to the hotel, and I had the worst hangover of my life)
Click to expand...
 
pilot_dude said:
If you and the Mrs want a great meal experience (and spend some folding money) try Galatoire's.
http://www.galatoires.com/home
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+1,000. Pure, traditional New Orleans. Bring a sport coat, gentlemen need 'em at Galatoire's, and you might not want one of the loaners! So much history in that room.

Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse

We have stayed at the Royal Orleans a lot, very well-located, but it is an Omni managed property, and I know you do not care for large hotels (even large old hotels).

Try the Audubon Cottages for a great stay.

Visit the Roosevelt to see a grand old hotel, brought back from the brink of ruin (it did not reopen after Katrina for several years). Have a drink at the Sazerac Bar there.

Go to the lounge at the Ritz, sit and be crooned to by Jeremy Davenport and his band. Such music!

Fly to Lakefront. Use Flightline First. Take a cab - you do NOT want a rental car, because (1) you really don't need to be driving in NOLA, and (2) the cost of parking is breathtaking!

Wander Bourbon Street and the Quarter with common sense as your guide, don't do nuttin' stoopid, and enjoy watching an incredible array of... everything... flow around you.
 
SCCutler said:
+1,000. Pure, traditional New Orleans. Bring a sport coat, gentlemen need 'em at Galatoire's, and you might not want one of the loaners! So much history in that room.

Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse

We have stayed at the Royal Orleans a lot, very well-located, but it is an Omni managed property, and I know you do not care for large hotels (even large old hotels).

Try the Audubon Cottages for a great stay.

Visit the Roosevelt to see a grand old hotel, brought back from the brink of ruin (it did not reopen after Katrina for several years). Have a drink at the Sazerac Bar there.

Go to the lounge at the Ritz, sit and be crooned to by Jeremy Davenport and his band. Such music!

Fly to Lakefront. Use Flightline First. Take a cab - you do NOT want a rental car, because (1) you really don't need to be driving in NOLA, and (2) the cost of parking is breathtaking!

Wander Bourbon Street and the Quarter with common sense as your guide, don't do nuttin' stoopid, and enjoy watching an incredible array of... everything... flow around you.
Click to expand...

A SPORT COAT? Spike, I don't even own shoes anymore! :lol:

Oh, alright. Somewhere in the hangar is prolly a box of moldy dress clothes. Don't know how I'll pack them in the -8...
 
I was there a couple of weeks ago on business. It is a very HOT time of year to be there (forecast read 95 degrees, feels like 115). My favorite restaurant is the Court of the Two Sisters in the French Quarter. All the wild stuff stays on Bourbon Street. There is a lot of other stuff that is more worthwhile in my opinion (jazz, food, art, etc.). Bourbon Street makes Vegas look like Disneyland.
 
Mulate's kitty corner from the convention center.
 
The Saint is another pilot owned hotel, if you are interested in cultivating peer relations.
 
Jay Honeck said:
A SPORT COAT? Spike, I don't even own shoes anymore! :lol:

Oh, alright. Somewhere in the hangar is prolly a box of moldy dress clothes. Don't know how I'll pack them in the -8...
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I knew there was something I liked about Jay!

KNEW
Taxi good. Rental car bad
My wife likes Dauphine st. One block parallel to bourbon st. They have more shops and boutiques where we picked up some interesting stuff for our lobby

We wandered all over the place and never felt threatened.
If anyone asks where you got your shoes; you got them on your feet right here in NO.
Never had any bad food but we did find some overpriced watered down drinks.
Avoid places where they try to talk you in especially if the girls have a 5oclock shadow.
 
Jay Honeck said:
That's the second reference to shoes in this thread. What's that all about?
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Old quarter sham. A guy will tell you he bets you he knows where you got your shoes. you say ok. He says you got that shoe on that foot and that shoe on that foot then demands money and might try to intimidate you if you don't pay. Lots of tricks like that going on in the quarter. If a local comes up and talks with you, often they are trying to run a game on you if only as innocent as trying to get you to enter a bar to spend some cash on a drink.
 
FORANE said:
Old quarter sham. A guy will tell you he bets you he knows where you got your shoes. you say ok. He says you got that shoe on that foot and that shoe on that foot then demands money and might try to intimidate you if you don't pay. Lots of tricks like that going on in the quarter. If a local comes up and talks with you, often they are trying to run a game on you if only as innocent as trying to get you to enter a bar to spend some cash on a drink.
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Ah. Saw that in Memphis, too.

Easy to avoid. My "Red Foreman stare" can be quite effective. :D
 
Late to the thread. Only advice for NOLA is, not to hang around during big hurricanes. ;)
 
Memorial Day weekend 2011, we flew into KNEW and stayed here: http://www.placedarmes.com/ Very reasonably-priced, but nice and in a good location in the Quarter. Very pleasant experience.

Take a cab from the airport and save the cost of a rental car and nightly parking fees.
 
Jay Honeck said:
A SPORT COAT? Spike, I don't even own shoes anymore! :lol:

Oh, alright. Somewhere in the hangar is prolly a box of moldy dress clothes. Don't know how I'll pack them in the -8...
Click to expand...

Just hit a thrift store when you get there, then donate it back to them when you're done.
 
Flew into Lakefront (KNEW) yesterday and drove to the French Quarter for beignets and coffee at Cafe Du' Monde and then back to Birmingham to see patients in the afternoon. We used Flightline and they were great. They do have rental cars available and it's about a 10-15 min drive to the French Quarter. Eat at Drago's one night and try the grilled oysters.
 
PilotAlan said:
Have to go once, but once is enough. Unfortunately it's pure tourist trap nowadays.

Take the streetcar out to Loyola and Tulane (they're beautiful), stop at Zea's restaurant at St Charles & Melpomene (get the corn grits).

If you find yourself on Bourbon St saying "we've got time for a few more drinks", LEAVE NOW! (the last time I was there, I don't know how I got back to the hotel, and I had the worst hangover of my life)
Click to expand...

My coworker says that the last time he did that, he wound up on a train to San Diego... Worked out well enough for him, he became a marine liaison and his job was to hold a machine gun and keep jimmy carter alive.
 
Have not been to NOLA in more years than I care to remember. I spent the four best years of my life there(oh to be 18, naïve and in college again). In my four years there I learned a few things about NOLA:
1. there is safety in numbers
2. if the street is dark and appears lonely it is probably not safe
3. the bars are open all night long, and getting drunk is easy and cheap. Getting too drunk is too easy, and not cheap
4. the best food in NOLA is where the locals eat. My personal favorites(not sure if they are all still open) were the Napoleon House, the original Maspero's, Ye Ole College Inn, the Hummingbird Grill, Acme Oyster House, Camellia Grill, and steak night at Loyola on Wednesday(anyone who lived on Campus at Tulane in the late 80's would know the reference). Fitzgerald's also was a great place to eat. Café Du Monde is an interesting place to eat, but I could only stand to eat a half of a beignet and not a big fan of coffee so the love of the place was beyond my caveman tastes.
5. not everything is what it seems to be
6. the New Orleans police do not have a sense of humor, most of the time, but for some reason gave us college students a lot more latitude than we should have been given
7. there is no better place in the whole universe to have gone to college than Nawlin's


Enjoy,
Doug
 
douglas393 said:
Have not been to NOLA in more years than I care to remember. I spent the four best years of my life there(oh to be 18, naïve and in college again). In my four years there I learned a few things about NOLA:
1. there is safety in numbers
2. if the street is dark and appears lonely it is probably not safe
3. the bars are open all night long, and getting drunk is easy and cheap. Getting too drunk is too easy, and not cheap
4. the best food in NOLA is where the locals eat. My personal favorites(not sure if they are all still open) were the Napoleon House, the original Maspero's, Ye Ole College Inn, the Hummingbird Grill, Acme Oyster House, Camellia Grill, and steak night at Loyola on Wednesday(anyone who lived on Campus at Tulane in the late 80's would know the reference). Fitzgerald's also was a great place to eat. Café Du Monde is an interesting place to eat, but I could only stand to eat a half of a beignet and not a big fan of coffee so the love of the place was beyond my caveman tastes.
5. not everything is what it seems to be
6. the New Orleans police do not have a sense of humor, most of the time, but for some reason gave us college students a lot more latitude than we should have been given
7. there is no better place in the whole universe to have gone to college than Nawlin's


Enjoy,
Doug
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Awesome. Thanks!
 
Napoleon House is definitely still there, and still worthwhile.
 
Jay Honeck said:
Details, please!

We are always looking to patronize pilot-owned biz.
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Might be a conflict with your anti-chain leanings, but read this article and decide.

Mark is good people. He worked his way up the pilot ranks, but kept outside interests in real estate too. Both turned out well.
 
In NO two weeks before THE hurricane.
Sleepy Sunday morning and we are window shopping the closed shops in the quarter.
In the plate glass I see the reflection of two guys coming up fast behind me.
No one else around. I am carrying an expensive Nikon with a big lens in my hand.
Well, I was only 60 something back then and still ten feet tall.
So I turn around and stick my hand into my jacket pocket and push my little 3" pocket knife forward so it looks like a gun barrel bulging the cloth.
I wish I had a video of it - absolutely hilarious.
The two of them pirouetted like marionettes at the same instant and they were walking away in the same step they were walking towards.
It looked like a sunday cartoon.

Be careful.

Two weeks later we watched the scene on the bridge on TV. We were aghast.
 
EppyGA said:
https://sites.google.com/site/starsteaklobsterhouse/home

A little hole in the wall kind of place that I've enjoyed.
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Never been there, was not there when I was there a long time ago, but it seems to support my observation that often the best places to eat are the little holes in the wall that no one thinks about. Certainly, some of the best food I have ever had from a restaurant was those places that from the outside seemed to be ptomaine central, and only knew trust it because others had gone before.
 
This place has Villas and house boats for rent and they have a shuttle to the quarter.
http://www.pontchartrainlanding.com/pages/resort.html

Back in the day. I took many a date flying from BTR to Lakefront then out to eat in the quarter. A flight over the CBD at night looking down into the city lights and back to BTR.. (ATC is used to requests to flyover the CBD and will work with you.) Those were really a nice trips and unually ended with good results. :devil:

As mentioned before departing lake front at night bring your "A" game. You have NO visual reference over the black hole of the lake.
 
Good point, Fox, about KNEW's zero-visual-reference approach/departure over the lake. It can be very intimidating even in broad daylight, good WX. Be vigilant to unintended upsets.
 
Landed Rwy 9 at KNEW about four hours ago, after a pleasant flight up the coast from Galveston.

I tried to taxi to the recommended FBO (Flight line First) but after idling out front for a few minutes, and drawing NO attention, I went back to where three guys were waving at us, Hawthorne.

Oh, my goodness, it was like pulling into a 1950s service station! Two guys parked us, one guy took our luggage, and the lady at the desk got us a screaming good deal at the Hotel Monteleone, right in the French quarter. $109/ night, and it looks just like the Driskill in Austin, or the Menger in San Antonio -- our two favorite hotels, anywhere. So far, I can highly recommend it.

The cab ride in was splendid, and we've already hit a few bars in preparation for an afternoon siesta, which is, in turn, in preparation for a night on the town.

Thanks, all for the recommendations!
 
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