My daughter lives there. I would avoid River St. unless you want to be touristy. The Broughton St. area is better for shopping. There is a Hyatt (I believe) on the river. We stayed at the Hotel Indigo for my daughter’s wedding. Suite was nice, the staff was great. Add Alligator Soul to the list of Restaurants to try. If you’re there on a weekend, visit the squares. You can probably watch a wedding. There were certainly strangers watching and cheering at my daughter’s.