"Girls Only" trip to NOLA - what to see/do and most important where to EAT?

Cafe Society
1

First of all, I have been to New Orleans, years ago (2000) and I LOVED it. It was mid -October so the weather was actually fairly cool (for that area). A few things I was surprised - it was so busy and those guys wanting you to flash for beads were there (I thought they would only be there during Mardi Gras).

Is it always like that? Busy like that?

We are planning a girls trip down there toward the end of July. What do we NEED to see and do?

Where should we eat?

We are planning to stay at a B&B, any recommendations?

2

You NEED to not go in July! It’s freakin’ HOT! :stuck_out_tongue:

Check out some local bands. You’ll see fliers tacked up.

I’ve been to New Orleans many times, but I’ve never eaten at Commander’s Palace or Court of Two Sisters. Too touristy for me. But touristy as it is, I always go to Café du Monde for cafe au lait and beignets. (Except last time – this past June – because I forgot.)

Eat half a muffaletta at Frank’s Restaurant, across the street from Café du Monde. Say hello to Johnny. He’s a card.

We went to dinner at a place in the Quarter that had really good seafood. (Now, THAT narrows it down, eh?) I can’t remember the name, and I’m not finding mention of it in google. Kind of upscale, but not too bad. I treated my friends since they’d just gotten married, and the three of us got out for $120.

Checkpoint Charlie’s is a dive on Esplanade (or is it Frenchman?) that has live music and good burgers.

I like Jager Haus on Conti for German food.

The last two trips I stayed at Degas House. It’s about a mile from the Quarter, so it’s an easy walk. In the July heat, a $5 cab ride is better. I stay in a garrett, which is great for me although the garrets have no windows. But at $150/week in the off-season I reckon it’s a bargain. Breakfast is left out weekdays and consists of muffins, coffee, tea, instant grits, instant oatmeal, fresh fruit, and maybe hard-boiled eggs. Weekends they’ll cook for you, and it’s very good. They have Wi-Fi, but it’s a little tentative up in the garrets. Should be better in the lower rooms (which are very nice). The house gets hotter as you get higher, and the hallway to the garrets is like an oven. But the rooms are all air conditioned, and the laundry room is right there on the top floor.

3

Heh. You’re from Canada, and you plan to visit New Orleans in July? When you step outside, you will be convinced you landed on the north side of Hell. Seriously. Odds are good you’ve never seen a combo of heat and humidity like that.

But if you don’t melt, plan on doing breakfast at Cafe du Monde, if that place is still there. It’s in the French Quarter, famous for coffee and beignets.

4

Oh – I had a very nice shaved beef salad at Herbsaint.

5

Check out Cochon (downtown, not quite sure if it qualifies as the French Quarter) for a nice (not insanely expensive) meal; for the best po’ boy, go to Mahoney’s on Magazine Street, and get the roast beef (trust me). For cheap-ass but delicious soul food, go to Madea’s in East New Orleans - it’s hard to find, but you can get about 10 lbs. of ribs + sides for about $8.00.

6

The Old Coffeepot right next to Pat O’Brien’s on St. Peter is great, especially for breakfast. There’s a place on St. Louis @ Decatur named “Johnny’s” that has good po-boys (better than Mother’s on Poydras, I think)

The Clover Grill on Bourbon @ Dumaine has good hamburgers and can be… interesting in a gay sort of way.

Personally, I’d stay off of Bourbon St. myself… too many tourists and dipshits who are looking for Mardi Gras in November. The rest of the French Quarter is quite different than the places on Bourbon and Decatur- much cooler, and much more laid back.

I like the bar at Arnaud’s (Bourbon @ Bienville), but it’s not at all a Bourbon St. sort of place. The bar at Antoine’s is nice too (St. Louis @ Royal).

7

All fine suggestions on where to eat, (I have a dozen more I will be happy to contribute if you would like) but you REALLY need to reconsider your July timing.

I have been to New Orleans many, many (many) times and I think its one of the most vibrant, unique, ethereal cities in the world, a place that everyone should get to experience (in all of its beauty and sorrow) but I want you to just be aware what the climate is likely going to be like.

Please see if you can possibly look into moving up or postponing your vacation (two months sooner or later will make a huge difference in heat and humidity) as I think it would make your trip much, much more enjoyable.

I am telling you this solely as someone who LOVES New Orleans, and wants everyone who visits to have the most satisfying time possible.

Matthew

8

IMHO, the best food for the money is The Gumbo Shop. It’s extremely casual, inexpensive and absolutely delicious.

BTW, you’ll melt.

9

Good breakfasts too. I go there every time I go to New Orleans. (Twice, this last trip.)

10

I’ve remembered the seafood place. It was Ralph & Kacoo’s. (Warning: Zydeco music plays upon opening the page.) I had the Mahi-Mahi Toulouse (mahi-mahi fillet topped with soft-shell crab, crawfish tails and hollandaise sauce). Quite tasty. And we started off with blackened alligator. Yum! :slight_smile:

11

I used to live in New Orleans. July is the slow tourist season because it really is that strikingly hot but some people still do it and people live and work there just fine year round. Fortunately, you don’t have to wear many clothes at all and there will be lots of people walking around in various stages of undress. The city parties 24/7/365 and Mardi Gras traditions like flashing for beads are always happening. You may find yourself doing it even if you have no intention of it now. I have seen it time and time again once someone gets swept up in the atmosphere. New Orleans is one of the best food cities in the world and it is difficult to get a bad meal. That makes specific recommendations hard unless you want to go someplace really, really high-end or novel. There have been plenty of threads on this if you do a search for threads with “New Orleans” in the title.

12

Thanks for all of the warnings about the weather - we are almost looking forward to it since we didn’t get much of a summer in Winnipeg last year - some heat would be nice.

One of the B&B’s we are looking at has a pool - that one may have jumped the queue.

:slight_smile:

13

French Quarter during the day is actually very pretty walk… Minus the drunks. :slight_smile:

Personally, I like Cafe du Monde and their beignets for a snack and rest.

There are streets farther away from the usual Bourbon street area, with bars dedicated to jazz, which are very good.

Since I love animals, I enjoyed going to the Audubon Zoo. Awesome place to walk around, too.

My family and I rode one of the streetcar trains… I think the St. Charle’s route. Relatively cheap, you can see miles of the city, pretty houses, and stay seated.

14

I’ve taken a few summer trips to New Orleans and just want to make sure you understand what everyone has already said…it will be hot. Not pleasantly warm, but hot. Personally I like it, but it does affect your trip.
Somewhere in July or August they have the Satchmo Fest and the White Linen party. Smaller events, but fun. That time of year you should be able to Hotwire a 4* hotel for approx $60. These are usually the big ones on Canal.
It’s hard to recommend specific restaurants because tastes vary and there are so many good ones in NOLA. I usually tell people to take the street car up to Jacques-Imo Cafe. You’ll get to see other parts of the city on the trip up, and the place is usually fun. Grab a drink at the Maple Leaf while you’re there. Many of the smaller places have some tasty food. Emeril and Paul Prudhomme have restaurants there, but check out places like Coop’s or Irene’s for good food at reasonable prices.

Entertainment wise, music is all over. You have concert places like the House of Blues, One-Eyed Jack’s, Howling Wolf and Tiptina’s that features national and local acts, and bar music galor with places like The Kerry, Checkpoint’s, d.b.a and all the other places on Frenchmen St.

You can get some good travel advice at Tripadvisor, and dining advice on the Chowhound forum.

Good luck!

15

When you need a break, take the street car along St. Charles to see houses in the finest tradition of the Old South. (I’m not sure which street car lines are up and running now, but I think this one is).

Although it sounds a little weird, be sure to check out some of the old cemeteries. Each is more of a necropolis rather than a cemetery, really. The Latin style graves are beautiful. However, it’s highly recommended that you either drive or go in groups. They used to be prime spots for muggers, and I’m not sure if that’s changed yet. A popular spot is the St. Louis cemetery, where Marie Laveau is buried. Any New Orleanean can tell you her legend.

16

It’s like Africa hot. Tarzan couldn’t take this kind of hot.
When I was there in June it was 95°F/35°C and humid. (I think it hit 99° or 100° one day while I was there.) Not so bad if there’s a little breeze, but it seemed the breezes were avoiding me for the most part.

17

Heat? Be prepared for the world’s largest sauna! :wink:

I spent five years in the area. Stepping out the front door on most summer days was like walking into a wall of humidity.

18

Disclaimer - I haven’t been to either of these places in a few years. During my last trip to NOLA (June 2006 for ALA Annual), Mr. B’s Bistro was still closed after Katrina.
I am hoping that they rebounded successfully and are still a great place to eat, but I can’t guarantee it.
Mr. B’s Bistro - (WARNING - annoying flash landing page that plays sound! I’m trying not to hold it against them)
The Garlic Chicken and Mississippi Rabbit were divine

Ralph and Kacoo’s - seafood

19

Native checking in with some opinions…

Others have pegged the hot. Be prepared also for afternoon thunderstorms if we’re in a Gulf-dominated weather pattern (which we usually are that time of year), though as Johnny L.A. found out, when we are getting Texas air it’s hotter and drier.

I’m going to take issue with Shagnasty. The French Quarter has been the front door to visitors to New Orleans since the colonial period. All port cities have a place where sailors and visitors can let their hair down and where locals look the other way when they do. Just because New Orleans and other port cities have that aspect to them doesn’t mean that everyone everywhere in all parts of town is partying 24/7/365. Chances are the guys bugging the girls to lift their shirts are from away, as are the girls doing the lifting. Other than a few green strands on St. Patty’s Day, nobody but a tourist wears beads outside of Lent and certainly not after Easter. End of rantlet.

If you come in July, be prepared for temps in the upper 80s to low 90s during the day, low-to-mid 80s at night, and 70% to 95% humidity. This can vary if a thunderstorm has rolled over, in which case it can drop into the mid-to-low 70s for a few hours.

As for the crowding, summer is the off season. There will be folks around, but there’s a reason your hotel rooms and/or B&B fees will be 1/3 what they would be in more temperate times of the year.

Food favorites:

Central Grocery - French Quarter - Muffaletta sandwich.
Cafe du Monde - French Quarter - Beignets
La Marquise - French Quarter - Breakfast
Camellia Grill - Uptown - Breakfast
Joey K’s - Uptown - Breakfast
Dick and Jenny’s - Uptown - Supper
Mandina’s - Mid-City - Lunch and Supper
Angelo Brocato’s - Mid-City - Gelato
Vincent’s - Uptown - Italian
Lilette - Uptown - French
Gumbo Shop - French Quarter - Traditional
Columns Hotel - Uptown - Cocktails on the Porch

People will try to steer you to Mother’s. Don’t go. Under new management and the food sucks by New Orleans standards.

Tipitina’s, Maple Leaf, House of Blues, Preservation Hall all have great live music. Lots of other places do, too. Ask your concierge for a Gambit Weekly paper to get a sense of who is where and when.

Friends run the Mandevilla B&B on St. Charles. It’s way Uptown but on the streetcar line.

All of the major city infrastructure is repaired, though some hard-hit neighborhoods are still rebuilding.

“Need to Do” items for me, beyond the food and music suggestions, include getting out on the river for a cruise or just to cross on the Algiers Ferry. It’s cooler on the water for one thing, and it’s fun to see the town from that angle. Take a walking tour of the Garden District. Take a swamp tour. Take a carriage ride at night. Follow your nose. You’ll have fun.

20

Ignore anyone that tells you that they know where you got your shoes.