Glad you’ll be coming our way, norinew. Here’re some additional thoughts on things to do and see. Be forewarned: I didn’t read every post in the thread, so I may be duplicating.
(1) Streetcar is great, so dittos there. HOWEVER: you aren’t going to see one square foot of the Garden District unless you get off the St. Charles Line somewhere between Jackson Avenue and Washington Avenue and walk into the neighborhood on the river side of the tracks (get a map). You can simply stroll around the area between St. Charles and the river between Jackson and Washington. The area is relatively safe, but I’d keep my eyes open and go during daylight hours.
By April, the Canal Street and N. Carrollton Avenue Streetcar lines should be open. These cars will be air conditioned, so it’s a cooler way to get around than on the St. Charles line. The cost for these new routes is likely going to be $1.50 a ride, making a 3-day visitour pass (ask your hotel concierge how to get one) worth the price. You can ride out to City Park and to the Cemetaries on these new lines. If you go, it’s worth stopping at the intersection of Canal and N. Carrollton and walking two blocks up to Angelo Brocato’s ice cream store - - his granddaughters still serve up the century-old Sicilian recipies, and it’s cheap, too!
(2) The ferry from the foot of Canal Street to Algiers point (leaves on the hour and half hour; returns 15 after and 15 till the hour) is free to pedestrians. You can walk down to the deck and ride at the rail - - great view of the F.Q., since you’re higher up than most of town (river level is higher than street level, in other words.)
(3) If you do Cafe du Monde, you’ve only had half a F.Q. experience. Go across Decatur Street and downriver a few short blocks to Luigi’s Fine Foods. Order half a muffaletta sandwich (Italian meats, provolone cheese, green olive relish, olive oil, great bread) get a bag of Zapp’s Chips, a beverage of your choice, and go eat on the levee or in Jackson Square. This is the authentic, working man’s lunch from the days when the F.Q. was a blue collar Italian neighborhood.
Ditto the Park Service tours. The Lousiana State Museum in the Cabildo (next to St. Louis Cathedral) and the Mardi Gras museum in the Presbytere (other side of the Cathedral) are great and not too expensive.
(4) Ditto Camellia Grill (facing bankrupcy, sadly, due to mismanagement - - still open, though). Cash only there; not cheap; need to get there before it opens (7:45 on the weekend) or the wait’s not worth it. If you come up to that neighborhood on the Streetcar, I suggest you skip Camellia Grill, go in the afternoon, and bring your walking shoes, get off at Audubon Park, stroll the paved walk that loops around the golf course (1.5 miles) and enjoy seeing everyone out - - family reunions, college students, little kids on bikes, little kids feeding ducks, etc. - - then get back on the streetcar, head Uptown. Go past Camellia Grill and get off at Oak Street - - only stoplight between the Riverbend and S. Claiborne Avenue. Walk into the neighborhood on the Rite Aid side of the street three blocks, left one block to the Plum Street Snowball Stand. Shaved ice after a hot walk is great - - there must be 50 flavors - - and they’re the best in town. The neighborhood is fine - - I live there - - it’s a city neighborhood, though, so keep your eyes open.
(5) The D-Day Museum is intense - - if you go, don’t try to see it all. Stick to the European Theatre exhibit and save the Pacific Theatre for another visit.
(6) Go ahead and get some beads. Please note that Mardi Gras is in February this year, and few (if any) locals wear beads during Lent and after Easter. It marks you as a tourist. Better to save them for giving to friends after you get home. If asked, you got your shoes on your feet and there are 12 letters in “your last name.”
(7) Talk some friend into taking a cab up to Dick and Jenny’s restaurant on Tchoupitoulas (chop-a-two-lis) near Napoleon Avenue. Dick used to be a chef at Gallatoire’s; the food is just as good as Gallatoire’s, you don’t have to be “dressed”, and Dick charges about 1/3 what you’d pay in the F.Q. There are lots of non-rice options there. If you go, you can order several appetisers and get a filling meal fairly inexpensively.
(8) Have fun! Say good morning to people in the morning. They’ll usually say good morning back to you. If somebody calls you baby, that’s a good thing, yes indeed.