smith2x

Eight of us are staying at a Lake House on Ponchatrain, North Shore. How far is that from the French Quarter and will parking be an issue? We have sooooo many things we want to do - are there things that the 16 year olds will want to do? Any advice on where to eat and what to do will be greatly appreciated. We have an itenarary already (mom's idea, of course) but can throw extras in - give some classic down home places to see the real NO. Thanks.

J_Correa

Parking in the FQ is definitely an issue - there isn't much of it and the parking police are very efficient - LOL. Plus the streets are narrow and a lot of them are one way. Also, at night some streets are closed to vehicle traffic and with everyone out walking around, it looked esspecially hard for the cars to get around.

Outside the FQ, parking shouldn't be a problem. Perhaps there is a place you could park for the day and ride the streetcar or a bus into the FQ. That's what I would try to do.

I think that there are plenty of things that 16 year olds would enjoy. There are things like Audubon Park and the Zoo. Loyola and Tulane universities are there and at 16 kids are generally thinking about college so touring the campuses might be fun. The streetcar is great. There are some walking tours which are good and the kids might enjoy - I'd go for the cemetery/voodoo tour. A swamp tour would be fun. Maybe a ride on the river. Wandering through the different shops, watching street performers, maybe checking out a couple museums. Of course Cafe du Monde should not be missed - it's an institution.

Ryn2691

The north shore of Lake Ponchartrain is about 45 minutes to an hour from the Quarter, assuming that you are not driving it at rush hour. You have to cross the Lake before you get to NO.

From Mandeville, you'll have to drive across the Causeway, it's a bit quicker from Slidell because you can take I-10, which is both shorter and faster. From Lacombe you can take either route. Any way you look at it, it's a pretty long commute.

Dan

Depending on where the lake house is located, you're 45 minutes to an hour from the French Quarter.

Parking is a pain in the FQ but lots are available for $10-20 a day.

travelinfamily

Be careful in the French Quarter!! Keep your purse under your coat (or better yet don't bring one) and no wallets in the back pocket. The residents are very proficient in stealing! Let me put it this way, the very first day I was told by a girl that worked at the Fat Tuesday that I should not bring a purse. In fact she kept her own cash in her shoe but said she rarely even brings anything with her to the F.Q. It's an interesting place to say the least, and even a little scary(that's being nice). The locals will give you intructions on where not to venture, take their word for it. We went during the super bowl and I was scared the entire time, but I also know people who enjoy it. I guess they are more adventurous than me. Have fun, just be careful!!

Dan

Gosh, I'm a resident of New Orleans and I forgot to mug you while you were here! Drats!!!

Seriously, that's a questionable statement at best, dumb at worst.

ccolor

We just got back a couple weeks ago, and I was very comfortable wandering alone from the corner of Toulouse and Bourbon to the French Market and back again. That equates to close to a couple miles through the Quarter, and I'm a 5' - 100 lb. female. My point is, just be as careful as you would in any large city and enjoy the city.

J_Correa

Another slight visitor (I'm even shorter than ccolor) who didn't feel uncomfortable in the FQ. Use your common sense as you would anywhere and watch out for pickpockets and you will be fine. During the day, I felt completely at ease - carried a purse or a backpack everywhere. In the evenings I took the regular precautions. I didn't take my purse with me at night, which I usually don't if we are going to be out and about. There are some areas which should be avoided - most notably the areas around Rampart St - and of course any dark alleys or deserted places.

Ally75

As for the parking issue, there are two fairly good size parking lots on Decatur Street--one next to the Jax Brewery shops and the other a little further down near the shopping area next to the Pottery Barn. All day parking (over 6 hours, I believe) is $14. We ate at the Gumbo Shop on St. Peter St. in the Quarter (behind St. Louis Cathedral) and it's very good. Masparros on Decatur is also very good--they are a cash only place. I agree with the postings about the Zoo. The IMAX theatre and the Aquarium are located on the Mississippi River Walk near the Hyatt Hotel, which is also next to one of the parking lots I mentioned. We were in NO two weeks ago and Mysteries of Egypt was at the IMAX at that time. There is a Mardi Gras Museum near the Cathedral which the 16 year olds might like. Also the D-Day Museum is good for history buffs. Many people like to shop on Magazine street for all the antiques and other types of shops. The Central Grocery is fun to nose around in--an old style Italian grocery/deli. The Natchez paddlewheel steamer is nice to take a "cruise" on (about 2 hours). Hope this helps!

Ryn2691

OK, as to tourist spots, here are a couple of points: if you are going to go to the zoo, consider the Zoo cruise. It gives you a really good view of a part of New Orleans that visitors often overlook, the Port. The Port of N.O. is one of the world's busiest, and *is* the world's longest cargo wharf. From the JJAudubon, you can see the port operations clearly. The size of the operation is just overwhelming when you see it from the river.

The display of Mardi Gras artifacts at the Cabildo is very nice, and you should see it, but after you do it, I suggest that you get on the free Algiers ferry and go across the river to see Blaine Kern's float warehouses, now billed as Mardi Gras World. The dens there are full of floats and props from previous major parades (most of the ones for the coming carnival season are built in secret; they don't let anyone outside the Kern studios and the krewe involved see those.) Their site is mardigrasworld.com. There is a fairly high admission charge, but if you are not likely to ever be in NO for carnival, this gives a good feel for the floats are all about, and it allows for fun photo ops.

If you're uptown, I suggest visiting the Tulane or Loyola campuses (next door to one another) and the neighborhoods surrounding them. They will get a feel for what going to college in New Orleans is like, and they will like that, even if most of the students are out of town for the holiday. I know that when I was 16, hanging out at a college campus was endlessly cool. There are plenty of good funky places to eat lunch in the neighborhood, too.

If you're interested in mingling with lots of locals, go out to dinner in Bucktown. (Warning, though, if you're there over T-giving weekend, the waits will be long, because folks visiting family get sick of Turkey and go looking for seafood by the weekend.)
If your house is in Mandeville, this should be easy for you, because Bucktown is not far from the foot of the Causeway.