Me and my sweety are going to spend the last week of April in 'Naulins! 
Any suggestions for what we should see/do there?
There’s lots of great things in New Orleans. I’m taking it for granted that you plan on going to the French Quarter. I don’t know anyone who would visit N.O. without stopping at Bourbon Street. While you’re in that area, take the time to walk to Cafe Du Monde. They have the absolute best bignets (pronounced ben-yay). I am so ashamed that half of my family is pure Cajun but I’m still unsure about the spelling of that tasty treat. I love the Audubon Zoo. It’s one of the nation’s greatest. Go there if you have enough time to really enjoy it. You could always go on one of the haunted or vampire tours. They’re always very creepy but fun at the same time. That’s all I can think of right now. I’m sure you’ll be able to amuse yourselves down here. There’s always something to do.
Oh yeah. Be sure to bring cool clothes and comfy shoes. Today’s heat index was 89 F, and it’s only the beginning of April.
Have fun!
You have got to get a Mufalatta (sp?) with Barq’s root beer. mmmmm… I haven’t been there in a few years so the memory is a little foggy, but I must agree on the Beignets(sp?) from the Cafe du Monde. Another must. mmmm… Ferry Ride on the Mississippi was amusng as well, if you go for that sort of thing
And don’t forget the Aquarium! (or the corrupt police force, had a colleague arrested and locked up overnight for dealing crack, when all he had done was walk over the road for a pack of cigarettes :eek: )
Beignets at Café du Monde. Definite must! Especially enjoyable in the morning.
Mufuletta. I’m dying for one. This is a sandwich made with a hollow Italian loaf, three kinds of meat (capicola, salami, Genoa ham – or whatever), cheese, and olive salad. I prefer them hot, but mostly I’ve had them cold.
Audubon Zoo. Where else are you going to see a real live nutria?
Checkpoint Charlie’s. A cool littl bar with live music, good burgers, pool, and a laundromat.
French Market. Try the alligator-on-a-stick.
Hurricanes. Forget 'em. Too touristy.
Siam Café. (I think that’s the name.) It’s at the end of Esplanade across from the Armory. Good Thai food. Go upstairs, sit on the floor, groove on the decor, enjoy the food.
Marie Leveau’s Tomb. At least it’s purported to be. It’s at the cemetary across the Quarter from the river. I don’t remember the name. (Jackson Cemetery #?) Nothing special about it, other than it’s supposed to be the tomb of the best-known voodoo practitioner. BTW: She was supposed to be a bit of a humanitarian, nursing people others wouldn’t. Check out the Voodoo Museum on Dumaine. There’s a little tour that’s mildly interesting. Marie Laveau’s House of Voodoo is at 732 (?) Bourbon Street. I like the Voodoo Museum better.
Clover Grille. Even though I’m straight, nobody cared. It’s a fun little diner on Bourbon and Dumaine. Show tunes on the jukebox and flambouyant staff. “Yes, we have Fruit Loops!” 
“Please don’t steal the menus.” They cook the burgers under hubcaps to keep them juicy. Have a burger with a side of hashbrowns. Use the Tabasco®.
Algiers. Just a little community across the river. Free ferry. My friends (who lived in The Big Sleazy) and I didn’t have any trouble, but I’m not sure if it’s a “nice” place. Better talk to one of the locals on this board.
St. Charles Street Trolley. My friend lived Uptown by Tulane University the first time I went there. Since he didn’t have a car at the time, the trolley was a good way to get to the Quarter.
The Famous Historical Court of Two Sisters. My friend’s girlfriend worked there in the office. She said the place was overpriced and overrated. I’ve never eaten there. When I was in N’Awlins for Mardi Gras we altered their sign to say “Lamest Hysterical”.
Pirate’s Alley. Mmmmmm! Smell the urine!
Watch Down By Law. Nice little Jim Jarmusch film set in The Crescent City. (My friend made two films while he lived there: Cut Up and Zombie! vs. Mardi Gras. The latter might not be your “cup of tea”, but I think it’s hilarious.)
The Mermaid Lounge. Good place to hear local talent. I picked up Mermaid Suite, a CD released in 1996 or 1997 that has good local music on it. One of my favourite CDs.
Kaldi’s. Right across from Café du Monde. Not as touristy. More “gutter punks”. It’s nice to sit by a window on a nice day, sit and drink coffee, watch the people, read the paper…
Satellite Bar. Weird, cluttered little dive. Reminds me of someone’s garage.
R Bar. Near Checkpoint Charlie’s. Not as raucus.
Walk around. Do a lot of walking around. The French Quarter isn’t that big, but it’s interesting. Royal Street seems to be the place to buy overpriced art. Bourbon Street is the most famous street there. Nice and sleazy. Don’t mind the two-inch flying cockroaches. I’ve been living in this L.A. neighbourhood for 14 years, and I’ve rarely seen a roach. Having the little critters everywhere in New Orleans was surprising to me. You’ll get used to them.
Have fun. Wish I was there.
Beignets at Cafe du Monde (went there for a week and managed to eat there seven times) down by the waterfront, right close to the French Market. Only thing they serve there is beignets (DO NOT sneeze or wear black when eating these powdered food-of-the gods) coffee with ot without milk, hot chocolate and drinks of the non-alcohol type. After your fat and sugar fix, wander through the Market for kitsch, hot sauce and alligator-foot backscratchers.
Then you’ll be right close to the little funky shops and back alleys of the French Quarter. Browse. Get a takeaway beer or two (legal to carry anything you want to drink as long as it’s not in a metal or glass container UNCOVERED by a paper bag).
Central grocery has the famed Muffalata, which is a round loaf of bread hollowed out, stuffed with meat, cheese and olive salad with lost of oil. One per person if you’re hungry, but they sell 'em cut up. Wander over to Lafayette Square and enjoy the human spectacle. You can pretty much skip anything touristy, unless that’s your thing. Go over to Canal street and find the Acme Oyster Bar. Half a po’boy (turkey, roast beef, catfish, oyster, etc.) and a side of RBR should run about five-six bucks, or sit @ the raw bar and slurp a dozen. Abita is good, Jax is decent, Dixie and Pearl are an acquired taste.
Go on a cemetary tour, but lose the guide to avoid paying the semi-obligatory gratuity. Wander through the Garden District.
Best hamburgers in New Orleans are at the Port of Call, off Esplanade in a semi-residential district. Two can split one hamburger and its baked potato side. Good mixed drinks.
Oh, and when in doubt as to places to eat, just ask someone other than a cab driver or a concierge. Best places are local and do NOT feature Emeril Lagasse (who’s from Brooklyn anyhow.)
Damn, now I want to go down there again…
Lumpy, too bad you’re not going to be there next weekend (Easter)! My girlfriend and I leave our hubbies home each year and go down for 4 days or so for just girl fun. We’re staying in the Quarter at the Chartres Motor Hotel, a nice enough hotel with a courtyard and a pool. Plus, its resonably priced.
Last time we went, we did/experienced the following, all I’d recommend:
[ul]
[li]Trolley off Canal Street to Garden District. Walked practically to the Aquarium but were exhausted from all our sightseeing so we picked it back up and went back to the FQ. We’re actually going to make it to the Aquarium this year. The homes in the Garden District are truly amazing - you’ve got to wonder how much they spend in maintenance on those beautiful hulks![/li][li] Zaps Potato Chips along with a po’boy. Yum!! You can buy the olive salad they use on the po’boys, by the way. It’s a delicious edition to any sandwich. I bought one jar and wished I’d bought two.[/li][li] Bourbon Street, of course. The Bourbon Street Blues Club (which wasn’t actually a blues club at all) had the rockinest house band and it was jumpin’ in there! We must have stayed about 3 hours just dancing up a storm.[/li][li] Trashy Diva. Vintage clothing, very cool.[/li][/ul]
This year, we’ve got reservations for brunch on Easter at Brennan’s, which will be fun.
My biggest recommendation would be to skip the touristy spots (okay, well, try to anyway. Some are worth it, like the Farmer’s Market) and just explore the Quarter. I was amazed that it was really just a neighborhood once you got off the main tourist drags. We loved walking along and peeking into the courtyards, seeing all the flowers blooming and how people had decorated them so beautifully.
A word of caution though: we never got off the main drags after dark. Never. Stick to the well-travelled paths at night. It really is dangerous there if you get foolish.
Are you going to the Jazz Fest? I really wanted to go this year, but the hotel prices jumped and we couldn’t afford to do it. Rats! Maybe next year. The Jazz Fest will be on while you’re there!
Here’s a link to the Jazz Fest page so you can get some info.
Have fun!
I second (or third) some tips above: take the Charles Street trolley (a treat in itself) to the Garden District, then get off and wander around. And the various cemetary tours are indeed not to be missed.
Adding to the food list: the jambalaya at the Gumbo Shop (in the French Quarter) is DELISH.
If you like such things, try Drag Bingo at Oz on Thursday nights. The bingo numbers are called by a REALLY mean drag queen. Oh—and the wax museum is HILARIOUS.
I went to high school about 5 miles west of the city. The one time I went exploring the French Quarter on my own, I took a Kenner Local bus from home and connected with the St. Charles trolley line. Visit Pat O’Brien’s on Bourbon Street; very nice decor. The drinks are good, too. Plenty of those little funky shops around Jackson Square. If you like pizza, go see if Mama Rosa’s is still at 616 N. Rampart. One can probably still find daquiri stands on every corner, but the best is probably at the top of the Jax Brewery Mall. Got a raspberry daquiri from them once, good stuff!
The Oldest bar in North America!
It’s called Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shoppe, because it used to be a blacksmith’s shoppe. It’s on Bourbon at Phillips, I believe.
http://neworleans.about.com/citiestowns/southeastus/neworleans/library/blpages/bl-lafittes.htm
Oh, and have some pralines. Have ten, they’re small.
If you can, have Jazz brunch at COmmander’s Palace. It’s about $30 per person, but you can eat REALLY good food and have a little jazz band play whatever song you want. You can probably still get reservations if you call now.
http://www.commanderspalace.com/
From there, you can take their Garden District walking tour, and see some great old houses, including one with a fence shaped like cornstalks. Right across from Commander’s is a cemetary, so that’s a bonus. you can dowload the walking tour from their web site.
We go every year, and love the fact that you can decide what to do after you get there. Planning is optional! If you can take a AAA guidebook, do so.
“If you can take a AAA guidebook, do so.”
—If you’re planning to follow the advice in this thread, the AA guidebook may be more helpful . . .
If you’re planning on going to New Orleans at all, be prepared to see at least one person throw up. Just hope it’s away from your shoes.
See a jazz show at Snug Harbor. Ellis Marsalis (the dad of the other talented Marsalises) plays there regularly.
Go on an alligator tour!
http://www.bigeasy.com
Go back often, since you won’t be able to do it all in one trip!
The Shim Sham Club has old-style burlesque shows on Saturdays.
http://www.shimshamclub.com
Is there anything specific you need advice on?
Some things to do, and survival tips in no real order, from a native.
Ditto the Cafe du Monde and muff sandwich tips. Central Grocery and Progress Grocery make the best muffelatas. Bonus: they’re practically next-door to one another, across the street and downriver from Cafe du Monde. (Trivia: the muff sandwich dates from the days when the F.Q. was largely populated by Italian immigrants. The ingredients (salami, provelone cheese, and green pickle relish) were traditional staples in a workman’s lunch.) Go to Preservation Hall for a few moments for some authtentic N.O. jazz. The Cabildo is worth a visit. That and some walking around and you’ve about exhausted the good points about the F.Q.
From the F.Q., get over to Canal Street and take the St. Charles Avenue streetcar Uptown (few, VERY few call it the “trolley” here - - buy a pass to save $$ - - $1.25 ride per person every time you get on). Go early in the morning for breakfast (cash only) at the Camellia Grill in the Carrollton neighborhood near Riverbend (where St. Charles Avenue ends and Carrollton Avenue begins). Other things to do Uptown: stroll through Audubon Park on the loop walk/jog/bike path; and enjoy Audubon Zoo.
Before leaving Uptown, go to Williams Plum Street Snowball Stand. Plum Street intersects Carrollton Avenue on the streetcar line not too far from Camellia Grill - - it’s three blocks downriver (roughly east) from Carrollton. There must be 100 flavors to choose from, and nothing is more refreshing after a hot day of walking. The neighborhood is mostly safe; we live 1 1/2 blocks away. Don’t buy a snowball at the zoo - - they’re lousy.
Check out the N.O. Museum of Art and other things in City Park. If you’ve littles with you, be sure to take them to City Park’s Storyland and Amusement park. City Park also has a trail of impressive live oak trees, as well as the N.O. Botanical Garden (small fee; very pretty).
Eat at a REAL New Orleans restaurant - - Mandina’s at 3800 Canal. It’s quite far from the F.Q. so you’ll have to drive. Cash only; no reservations. Go Wednesday night. Get the turtle soup and creole catfish. Afterwards, go up Canal to Carrollton Avenue, turn right, go 1 1/2 blocks to Angelo Brocato’s Italian gelato and pastry shop. They serve their own, home-made gelatos, ices, sorbets, and Italian candies and pastries like they’ve been doing for 100 years.
For neat shopping that beats the F.Q. hands-down, spend a day hitting the spots on Magazine Street (www.magazinestreet.com for more details). Better stuff, better prices. Also, there are some great restaurants off the tourist path.
Tips:
Cool clothes and SUNSCREEN if you’re out. The sun’s brutal here.
If you haven’t been walking much, bring your own moleskin. It’s rather expensive at the shops near where you’ll be walking.
Crime can happen to anyone, anywhere (here and in other big cities). Don’t carry much cash. Stick to well populated, well lit areas. Beware pick pockets. Don’t take bets from street people (“Ize betchoo five dollahs Ize can tellz you where you gotz your shoes.” If you accept: “Youz gotz your shoes on your feets on Bourbon Street.”)
Don’t buy beads. If you MUST buy beads, don’t wear them. During Mardi Gras is fine; after Lent and after Easter you just look silly and are easily marked as a tourist.
Don’t expect to turn left very often. Pass the street you want to turn left onto and make a “Louisiana Left” (u-turn across the neutral ground (median - - watch for streetcars on St. Charles and Carrollton - - they have the R.O.W.), come back, and turn right). That’s just how it is. Medians are called neutral grounds since the area that was-to-be-a-canal-but-didn’t on Canal Street separated the French and American sectors of the city after the La. Purchase. The name stuck; all grassy medians along the main thoroughfares are neutral grounds. If it’s raining, and folks start pulling their car up onto the neutral ground, follow them or get flooded.
Say good morning when you see people out in the morning. That’s just how it is down here. If someone calls you “baby” that’s a good sign.
Have fun.