Notes on Visiting New Orleans...

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
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  1. Don’t drive through the French Quarter.
    1a. If you do, don’t expect ANYONE to watch where they
    are going. They don’t care. Apparently it’s normal to abandon all notions of proper safety because you are in the “French Quarter”.
  2. The practical speed limit in the FQ is about 5mph.

All this was at 5pm. I didn’t go there at night, I don’t think its family friendly at that time. One thing I did notice is that big business is invading. There’s a Hard Rock, Planet Hollywood, Tower Records, and Virgin Records all in the FQ. Of course, Rev. Joe Bob’s Voodoo and Sex Shop is still there.

Do Not Stay at the Radisson in New Orleans. We had the worst time there I’ve seen. All over the place it was crowded. I mean, 100 people in a small bus meant for 25 people. Elevators loaded to the gills. The Marine convention wasn’t their fault, and they were a nice group of guys (and gals) to be around. Funny and nice. As of this post, there should be about 2000 Marines in that hotel. Still, I’m not convinced that having less people to deal with would make things better, they seemed pretty adept at passing blame and avoiding responsibility. Heck, they didn’t even have TOWELS in the room until I ran down a lady from Housekeeping to get them in there. I guess their main problem could be understaffed, which means someone is trying to get by with less people. Which brings us to…

  1. Do Not expect to get a crib at the Radisson. We told them we would need one at the time we registered (3 weeks prior) and 7 times that night. It wasn’t until the shift changed at 11pm that we finally found out they didn’t have any. The manager never did call, we’re not sure if they ever told him he needed to call us. My wife lit into him in the morning, with the complete list of what happened. He did refund the nights stay, and with only paying tips and overnight fees for the Minivan, we left.

The National D-Day Museum is cool. They have a lot on the events leading up to, and the invasions themselves. Awesome stuff. They will have a Pacific Invasions wing open in 2001, which we will go back to see.

The garden district is cool. We drove through, hit I-10 to Causeway Rd, and took one of the world’s longest bridges (24 miles) back to I-12, took that to I-55 which led us home.

Next time, we will have a different hotel, and be armed with the knowledge that everything will packed to the gills.

Nice place to visit, not sure I want to live there.

(Juliana hijack) I would, simply to show these people how to run a hotel… (/hijack)

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My best friend just moved to New Orleans—he’s renting a house (with a private courtyard) in the French Quarter. I’ll be visiting him in October and plan to raise seven kinds of hell—any suggestions for kinds of hell I can raise, and where? Though I’m sure my friend will have ideas of his own . . .

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Eve,

It was my fortune to live in New Orleans for three years. During those years, I was terribly poor and did not have an opportunity to take advantage of many things that N’awlins has to offer, but I had a wonderful time.

If you will be staying with your friend, great, have a good time. If you need a place to stay, I’d suggest either the Cornstalk or Le Pavilion. Although the latter offers rather small rooms, they are quite luxurious and the service offered is absolutely fabulous.

Eat lightly and often. It is very easy to sit down in one of the ridiculously wonderful famous restaurants of New Orleans and gorge yourself. Resist the temptation. Rather, sample a few dishes from as many restaurants as you can. There are many and they are all quite different. At the top of your restaurant list should be Commander’s Palace. Save it for last, lest everything after seem a disappointment.

Do not spend all your time in the French Quarter. Sure, that’s where you’ll find a good concentration of delightful opportunities, but there is a lot more to New Orleans than just a few blocks. Walk a lot. Wander through the Garden District during your mornings. Ride the streetcar up St. Charles and take in Audubon Park and River Bend for an afternoon. While you’re up there, wander through the Tulane campus. There are sneaky little things there to be discovered and the architecture is fabulous. Take a leisurely drive or adventurous walk through Mid City. Some of the gardens and homes you will find there are quite amazing. Have lunch and do some shopping in the Fauberg Marigny. Tour a cemetary.

When in the French Quarter, abandon restraint. Indulge. Spend some time in those cheesy, touristy pubs and clubs. You will meet loads of wonderful people from all over the world if you give them half a chance. While you’re shopping on Rue Royal, don’t stop at just looking in through the windows of the ultra classy shops. Walk in and talk to the delightful owners whose families have held those shops for generations. Many times, there are cool stories about how they acquired specific artifacts. Ask.

Drink shots at Molly’s on the Market. Maybe that’s not your style, but you should do it anyway. The gutter punk scene is a big part of New Orleans culture that should be experienced and appreciated. You’ll be in no danger on Rue Decateur.

I do hope that you’ll be in New Orleans for Halloween. If so, find a nice place around the 800 block of Bourbon to sit and people watch. New Orleans goes all out for All Hallows Eve and you will be amazed by the costumes and performances.

Remember the following: You’ve got your shoes on your feet, and there are always twelve letters in “your last name”.

Um. . . That’s all I can think of right now. I’ll try to post more if you like, though.

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Tymp—thanks! I will certainly take up your suggestions in paragraph no. 4. I don’t drink, so the shots are out. I do want to hit the bookstores and old graveyards.

But as far as “abandoning restraint” and “indulging,” I plan to have a VERY good time. Five or six very good times, in fact, depending on who I meet the first night. I will be staying with my friend—he has a two-floor house, so we can both bring our conquests home without bothering the other.

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Go to Central Grocery and get a moufallata (sp?) and soemthing cold to drink (cold beer was made for this, but I understand from your post that a Dixie is out). A great little hole in the wall, off the beaten path, and a great sandwich to boot. Avoid Jax Brewery like the plague. That’s about all I remember from my week there (which should go to show you just how much fun can be had).

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I went to high school in Jefferson Parish, about 5 miles west of the city.

Stop in Pat O’Brien’s at 624 Bourbon Street for some good drinks and friendly people. I was in there once with a couple relatives and some guy came over to talk to us. He also suggested we have a picture taken, which I still have.

For some great pizza (once ranked #7 in the country by People Magazine), check out Mama Rosa’s at 616 N. Rampart.

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Note: I’m sure it is possible to have a good time at Pat O’Brien’s without drinking any alcohol.

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“I’m sure it is possible to have a good time at Pat O’Brien’s without drinking any alcohol.”

—How friendly ARE the people at Pat O’Brien’s? I will be looking for VERY friendly people.

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Goodness. Well, Pat O’Brien’s will be a good place for that, Eve. Perhaps the best. You should have very good luck with the patrons there, as should your friend. You also might try The Columns on St. Charles on a busy night when they have a band in the house. There you will find a good selection of the playful New Orleans upper crust.

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Upper crust? Playful? That’s for me!