alwaysafrica

Hi all,

I am so excited to be writing this post with our tentative itinerary (for me, writing out for suggestions is one of the most anticipated part of any trip planning!). So here goes (sorry in advance that I tend to be a little wordy - I just feel that more info right off the bat is more efficient in the long run)!

My husband and I are heading to New Orleans (for the first time!) in June to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary! We will be arriving on a Wednesday around dinnertime and will be leaving on Sunday after brunch. I’ve spent lots of time reading travel books, posts, and trip reports, and have come up with the start of an itinerary that I’m hoping we can work on together!

Day 1 (Wed.): Arrive in New Orleans at 4:30pm. Taxi to the Dauphine Orleans hotel – we are staying in one of their Hermann House courtyard rooms. It will likely be after 6pm by this point and we’ll need to grab some dinner. Maybe VIP reservations for Preservation Hall on this night – as a beautiful introduction to the music we’ll be experiencing on this trip? Is there a place where we could have a semi-quick dinner before heading to the 9:15 or 10:15 show at Preservation Hall?

Day 2 (Thurs): AM: Start at Café du Monde (how early does one have to be to avoid crowds/mayhem?) for a “light” breakfast of beignets ☺ Wander around Jackson Square enjoying all that it has to offer, see both exhibits in the Presbytere, shop on Royal St., generally explore the French Quarter.

Aft: Where should we go for lunch in the Quarter? We have some big dinners planned (as you’ll see) and so we may not need to have big/long/crazy lunches… suggestions here would be great. Both Mr. B’s Bistro & K-Paul’s looks fantastic and we’d love to be able to fit at least one of them in at some point on the trip – maybe this is a good time for one of them? After lunch, I was thinking that we could head to City Park (and the Besthoff Sculpture Garden) for a few hours. I’ve read great things about it and I think it might fit in best here (or else, Friday afternoon if it's decided that we should spend the afternoon in the Quarter as well – would appreciate hearing opinions on this).

Eve: We’ve made reservations for dinner at SoBou at the W Hotel (French Quarter). After dinner, we’re going to head to the Mid-City Rock n’ Bowl for Zydeco Night (both my hubbie and I would like to hear some zydeco while in town). The show begins at 8:30pm. Any info about how early we need to arrive? Also, is Mid-City in an okay part of town?

Day 3 (Fri): AM: Breakfast at the hotel. Start the day at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art (is it walkable (e.g. distance, safety) from our hotel? Spend a few hours there. Take the St. Charles streetcar (is it scheduled to be back up and running by June?) to the Garden District. Explore the houses and buildings in the area and some of the shops on Magazine St.

Aft: Lunch at Tracey’s for po boy sandwiches. In the mid-afternoon, we either head to City Park (if we decide to do it on Friday, rather than Thursday) or we head back to our hotel for a swim and lounging a bit by the pool.

Eve: Spend the evening on Frenchmen St. We were contemplating an earlier dinner at Bayona (which is near our hotel), but we’ve also been toying with the idea of trying to find a place to have dinner right on Frenchmen St. Which option would be best? Our night on Frenchmen St. will definitely include a show at Snug Harbour… and then who knows from there? Is it possible to “hop” at these places, or does one need tickets in each place because of all the performances?

Day 4 (Sat.): AM: Breakfast at the hotel. Then a ½ day Swamp Tour with Cajun Encounters Tour Co. on a small 10-person watercraft (to maximize sightseeing and photo ops). We are real nature-lovers and so look forward to this section of the trip! Haven’t thought of where we should go for lunch following the tour?

Aft: This is the day that we’re going to be celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary! After our Swamp Tour, I’d like some time to be able to get dolled up for our evening out. We have a reservation at 6:30pm at Restaurant Revolution at the Royal Sonesta Hotel. From there, we’d like to either head to the Carousel Bar at the Hotel Monteleone or the Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse (now that I’m writing this, it may make the most sense to perhaps go the Carousel Bar after Preservation Hall on our first night and then stay at the Royal Sonesta for the evening at Irvin Mayfield’s?). We’d just like to enjoy a romantic night together. Part of me was even thinking of a carriage ride at this point…? Any other ideas?

Day 5 (Sun): Enjoy the Sunday Jazz Brunch at Commander’s Palace. The place opens at 10:30 and we don’t have to be at the airport until 2:30. That should give us enough time to gorge ourselves, right? ☺

So, there's the itinerary as it stands... Thanks in advance for your time and comments – can’t wait to hear back!

Jenn

SassyCourt

Nice Itinerary!

msteacher

If you like oysters, a suggestion for Thurs lunch is Acme Oyster house. If there is a line to get in, ask to sit at the bar.

mes2525

Ogden Museum is walkable from your hotel if you are used to walking. I usually walk down Magazine Street and then turn right at the D-Day Museum. If you don't want to eat breakfast at your hotel, try Stanley's near St. Louis Cathedral. They do great breakfasts (eggs benedict with fried oysters is my favorite) and lunches-the coffee is nice and strong. The current issue of Saveur has an article on classic NOLA restaurants that is interesting. Of course, Bayona, August, Conchon are not considered classic restaurants but it is a good guide to the old style NOLA cuisine.

SAnParis2

I'll make some suggestions in the area of time saving - Cafe Beignet is just as good Cafe du Monde to me & you'll save a tremendous amount of time by not having to wait. Brunch is just as good (if not better) @ Mr. B's as it is @ Commanders. Again, my opinion. If it is romance you seek, Mayfields is a better option (or possibly the place in the Ritz, the name escapes me) The Carousel Bar is oft times crowded & noisy. Better lighting, better drinks, better music & better atmosphere @ Mayfields. + they have a '5 for $5' special on certain days for drinks & appetizers if you need a snack.

KVR

I thought I was the only one who wrote out itineraries. What you have sounds good. We are returning for our 2nd trip next month to celebrate my birthday. I agree with the Acme Oyster House. The line starts about 10:30am, but if you wait until after 1pm it's easier to get in.

We've done the Commander's Palace Sunday Brunch and it was OK. For this trip, we chose to do thier .25cent Martini Lunch instead. When they still had a restaurant in Las Vegas we went every trip. For Sunday brunch, this time, we chose the Champange Brunch at the La Pavillon. $39 p/p and comp. champagne and mimosas with piano music.

IMPO Cafe du Monde is overrated. I was disappointed to find out that Beignets are nothing but funnels cakes. Not a favorite of mine.

Try Muriels for lunch or dinner. The food was really good. The Red Gravy is getting really good reviews for breakfast. We are going to try and get there.

I regretted not doing one of the City Tours last time and will definately do one this time. A good way to get a great overview of the city and some wonderful photos.

Congrats on your Anniversary. Hope you have a good trip.

Grcxx3

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And if you really don't want to stand in line, go across the street to Felix's. Great oysters and seafood and never a line.
We always go to Felix's when we're down in the FQ.

POlson

I think your plan looks great. You are hitting many of the same restaurants we enjoyed on our trip last fall. Somewhere on the forum there is a trip report with more details.

A couple of comments:

We walked from Hotel Monteleone to the Ogden so yes it is doable. It was a longish walk but we needed it after all the food. If you do breakfast at Red Gravy (125 Camp Street) instead of the hotel you'll already be heading in the right direction and you won't be disappointed in breakfast. We also received some great insight from the museum clerk as to best exhibits or you can wander the whole of the museum, it is not that large.

Cafe du Monde...I enjoyed my beignets with hot chocolate and arrived early in the morning during the week (maybe around 7:00 am ish) and never faced crowds. I liked watching the city wake-up. When we tried to go back on a weekend, later in the morning, the lines were ridiculous. I also really loved the beignets at Cafe Beignet and it was less crowded even later in the morning, or middle of the day. I recommend trying both.

Frenchman Street - we heard some terrific music on Frenchman. Most nights we just wandered down the street to see what was playing - Snug Harbor, Blue Nile, Spotted Cat, d/b/a/, Three Muses were some of the clubs I remember.

If you are still on the fence, I can say we really enjoyed our carriage ride through the city. It gave us a different perspective, a little history and humor, and our driver Paul was terrific.

The Gumbo at SoBou was awesome (as was the Gumbo at Muriels) - those are the two that stand out the most. We went to both of these restaurants for lunch.

I noticed that you don't have Galatoire's - that would be my choice for your celebration evening, but only because we had such a fun time and everyone was "dolled up." We went early on a Friday evening (5:30 or so). On the other hand, we had a great dinner at R'Evolution including two of our favorite desserts - Banana Fosters Souffle and Turbodog Stout Cake. So don't miss that restaurant but you might consider rearranging a bit for a classic.

On Magazine Street be sure to stop at Sucre (3025 Magazine)...their chocolates and macaroons are so good. I even ordered some for a party just to have them again and share a little New Orleans with my girlfriends.

New Orleans was such a great city, have fun and congratulations!

SAnParis2

Cafe Beignet closes after lunch, probably 2 or so, I would check their hours...I could not remember the name of Felixs but it IS a great alternative to Acme...The bar @ Acme IS the way to go & may save you some time also...+ it is more fun anyway...Last time there, I got a pearl (a little seed pearl, of course)

alwaysafrica

You guys are great - thanks SO much for all of the suggestions! I am so excited right now to look into everything that you all have recommended! We are very much looking forward to our trip... We're leaving our two young kids at home with their grandparents to enjoy some grown-up time in a very alluring city!

I will be back in touch on this post as soon as I've had a chance to look into some of those options. One thing I was interested to hear is about the wandering down Frenchmen St. all night. When you read the books or look at the websites of the jazz clubs on Frenchmen, it makes it sound like the shows are at specific times (e.g. 8 and 10pm) and that those are the only times you can go. I'm getting the sense here that that's not the case. Which takes off some of the pressure to be done our dinners so quickly...

POlson, thanks for the suggestion about Galatoire's - I'll check it out. We both got very excited when we saw the menu at Revolution and decided to book it for the Saturday night, but perhaps we should rethink it. We're planning on getting really dolled up (in fact, I'm actually thinking of wearing a little white dress to be corny and romantic ) and so it might be a fun thing to do!

As for the beignets, it's an interesting dilemma. I know that my hubbie lined up for VooDoo Donuts when we were in Portland Oregon a few years back, which were awesome! But I also know that he hates the idea of lining up for any such thing! It makes me think that we might end up at Cafe Beignet, if just for the flexibility of being able to go at a more reasonable time (e.g. 9:00 or 9:30).

Jenn

alwaysafrica

Oh and thanks for the suggestion of ACME's! I'll admit that we overlooked it because I'm not a seafood eater and I avoided the name "Oyster House" Yes, I know that it sucks that I don't eat seafood when heading to New Orleans, but my DH loves seafood and is very excited about enjoying it for days on end. The menu at ACME looks great though - lots for both of us - and so I think we're going to try to fit it in. The mention of lines worries me - does that mean that one can't make reservations??

Also, I wanted to mention to get some of your thoughts. My hubbie is lactose-intolerant. And we're getting the sense that New Orleans might be the toughest place in the world to eat with a dairy allergy! Is absolutely everything made with butter? While DH often will "cheat" here and there to enjoy some dairy-ful treats, he doesn't want to be sick the entire trip either!

Thanks guys!
Jenn

ccolor

We travel to New Orleans at least twice a year so, of course, I have to toss in my two cents!!

If you don't want to eat breakfast twice at your hotel, Toulouse House Grocery has take out breakfast po-boys that are big enough for two to split and so good! (Turn left outside of your hotel and walk 1 block to Toulouse. It looks like a hole in the wall, but many locals eat there regularly.)

Use the take out window at Cafe du Monde and walk up to the Mississippi to watch the boat traffic. (Since you're in NOLA, you really should be able to say you at least tried them once!)

Another great breakfast/lunch place is Red Gravy - it's a bit of a walk (it's just off Canal St.) but is absolutely out of this world.

I definitely second the idea of Muriel's when you're looking for someplace to eat close to Jackson Square. Excellent food and the balcony is fantastic to have a drink and people watch.

Acme is way overrated as far as I'm concerned - I'd rather not pay for the name and just go across the street to Felix's.

Our first trip this year is in May - I'll try to save some fun for you. *wink*

POlson

Snug Harbor had definite sets as we joined one set near the end but still heard 45 minutes or so of big band jazz, another time we arrived between sets and just continued on our way. Everywhere else we just wandered in with music in progress, grabbed an Abita beer and stood or sat at the bar. Happy to see you are going to Preservation Hall that was one of my favorite New Orleans moments. Yes sir, that's my baby....

There are so many great food choices in New Orleans, I think your hubby will be fine. I recall that lard figures more prominently than butter in southern cooking so that should be better for your guy. But, that's just something I picked up at the cooking school - not really a solid piece of info - so use your best judgement. Maybe skip the hollandaise (though the best eggs benedict I've had was in New Orleans, most every morning!) The oatmeal at Red Gravy was terrific.

Grcxx3

Just commenting - I have an allergy to seafood, so my comments about food places (with respect to seafood) are based on the opinions of my DH and my 2 sons.

BUT - keeping my food issues in mind - I would never recommend a seafood place unless there were enough things for non-seafood eaters. Most of the time, I try to stick with salads, but that's only because I'm trying (best I can) to be good.

As for Snug Harbor - LOVE IT!!!! Haven't been there in a while, but used to go all the time because a good friend of mine was dating a young Harry Connick, Jr - and he played at Snug Harbor all the time.

SAnParis2

ttt

alwaysafrica

Hi guys!

So I've now digested all of your suggestions and done some more reading/research and here's the revised itinerary I've come up with. I still have some questions, so I look forward to further suggestions!

DAY 1 (Wed):
PM: Arrive in New Orleans at 4:30 pm. Taxi to the Dauphine Orleans Hotel (Hermann House courtyard room).
Eve: Dinner at Sylvain (menu looks great!) or Felix's Oyster House - any opinions about which would be better? Also, which would be quicker (given that we want to be in and out quickly to catch a show if possible). 8pm show at the Irvin Mayfield Jazz Playhouse to see the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. We know that dinner seems a bit rushed, but we do need to eat and I really want to see the NOJO if possible, which starts at 8:00.

DAY 2 (Thurs):
AM: Start at Cafe Beignet for a "light" breakfast of beignets (and to avoid the line-ups at Cafe du Monde ). And then, explore the French Quarter: wander around Jackson Square, see both exhibits at the Presbytere, shop on Royal St. etc.
PM: Lunch at Mr. B's Bistro. More exploration of the FQ. Pop into LaFitte's for a drink. Then in the mid-afternoon, head to City Park for a short while to see the live oaks and to check out the Besthoff Sculpture Garden
Eve: Dinner at SoBou at the W Hotel (FQ). We've decided against Mid-City Bowl and instead are going to try for VIP seats at Preservation Hall at 9:15 or 10:15. After that, perhaps we'll check out some jazz on Bourbon St. Is Maison Bourbon a good option?

DAY 3 (Fri):
AM: Breakfast at the hotel (or perhaps another breakfast place - we're still searching). Start at the Ogden Musuem of Southern Art for a few hours. Take the St. Charles Streetcar (or buses to the Garden District. Explore the area (maybe take the Frommer's suggested walking tour), the houses and buildings and the shops on Magazine St.
PM: Lunch at Tracey's for poboy sandwiches. Further exploration of the Garden District and then back to the hotel to lounge in the pool for a while.
Eve: Dinner at Bayona. After dinner, head to Frenchmen St. Shows at Snug Harbour are at 8pm and 10pm. After a show there, we plan to club-hop a bit (maybe Spotted Cat, dba)

DAY 4 (Sat):
AM: Breakfast at the hotel. 1/2 day Swamp Tour with Cajun Encounters Tour Co. on a small 10-person watercraft (to maximize sightseeing and photo ops).
PM: Once back to the quarter, lunch at K'Paul's or Muriel's (opinions?). After lunch, head back to the hotel to lounge by the pool and then start getting dolled up for our evening.
Eve: Dinner at Restaurant Revolution (Royal Sonesta Hotel). After dinner, a private carriage ride around the Quarter. End up at the Carousel Bar (Hotel Monteleone).

Day 5 (Sun):
AM: 10:30am Jazz Brunch at Commander's Palace. Rush back to the hotel to pick up our bags and head to the airport for 2:30pm

Thanks! Can't wait for responses

Jenn

SAnParis2

If you like muffaletta's go to Cafe Maspero & sit @ the bar...You will get free entertainment (the bartenders are a hoot) & I believe they have the best muffaletta's in town (IMHO).
In case you haven't had enough to eat...I start every trip right there @ the bar as soon as I arrive & get checked in...

POlson

Looks like a great itinerary. I have a few suggestions:
Day 3 -
Have breakfast at Red Gravy, it is on the way to the Ogden. I really enjoyed the oatmeal, the waffles and my husband's french toast (great syrup) and the table next to us raved about the meatballs so you will probably be happy with anything you order.
While in the Garden District, get a treat at Sucre.
Day 4 -
We had a terrific lunch at Muriel's, great value and ambience too.
Carriage ride - if you see Paul and his mule Firefly, grab them, he was very entertaining and Firefly knew to avoid the potholes (though I understand the streets are much smoother now after Superbowl street enhancements).

Can't wait for your trip report! Have a great trip and congrats on the anniversary.

alwaysafrica

Thanks guys! One more quick thing -- I'm thinking of switching our Thursday evening plans with our Friday evening plans. I just checked the Preservation Hall website and it looks like Thursday nights there are Brass Band (which isn't our favourite). I'm thinking maybe we could do Frenchmen St. on Thursday night instead and then Friday night at Preservation Hall (with the Jazz Masters, and Leroy James) and then head to Maison Bourbon, etc. Is Frenchmen St. still a good party on Thursday nights? (we don't want to miss out on a good Frenchmen St. experience either).

caze17

One quick thought...I know you said that you don't like seafood, but when at Mr. B's, at least have your husband order the BBQ Shrimp which have nothing to do with typical barbecue sauce. Easily the best (and most famous) thing on the menu. You can at least dip the french bread in the sauce to see what you're missing! They bring you a plastic bib and you have to peel the shrimp yourself, but it's all part of the fun. That and the $1.50 Bloody Mary...

And I realize that sometimes it's just about the food (beignets in this case), but history is important too...how can you pass up Cafe du Monde for an imposter even if you have to wait a few minutes?! New Orleans is about taking things slow, not being as efficient as possible. You can meet some interesting folks in line, people watch, enjoy the scenery. My two cents only, of course.

Have a great trip!