dwooddon

By coincidence, my SIL and daughter are going to be in southern Mississippi (he's at Camp Shelby training for an Iraq deployment) at the same time as I'm going to be in Mew Orleans. They've never been to N'Awlins and want to drive down, meet me, tour, and go to dinner. They both live in the country but are reasonably comfortable driving in the city - I just don't want them to have to drive in the French Quarter where I'll be staying.

Does anyone have a suggestion as to where we could meet reasonably near the French Quarter where they could park? Somewhere along the St Charles streetcar line would be great if there is public parking and some obvious landmark for us to meet. The reasonably close criteria is because we will probably need to taxi back to their car after dark from the FQ and closer is cheaper.

I would also appreciate suggestions for dinner where we could find good food at reasonable prices in an atmosphere suitable for a 5 year old and a two year old, again, in or near the FQ.

mah1980

Along the streetcar line on St. Charles is considered the uptown garden district, while the French Quarter is by Bourbon Street.

If you want to meet somewhere in the French Quarter, I recommend you park in the pay parking lot adjacent to the river and Jackson's Brewery. You could eat at many places in the French Quarter. A good option would be Cafe Maspero, which is across the street from the parking area. It has good sandwiches (try the muffaletta) and it is cheap.

If you want to stop in the Garden District, I recommend you valet parking at Copeland's Cheesecake Bistro on St. Charles. It's in a good location and you can walk around after you eat. The restaurant has a good variety of food (things like crawfish ravioli and also more tame dishes like pizzas and wraps) and has a kids menu.

Of those two options, I would recommend stopping in the Garden District. You can always drive through the French Quarter on your way out.

Wayne

Guess I would disagree with one recommendation from the previous poster. I'd agree with where to park; that is, in the lot adjacent to the old Jax brewery which is now a multi-story shopping area. From anywhere in the FQ, you can easily walk to the parking lot to meet them there or at the entrance to the Jax brewery.

I wouldn't agree with going to the Garden District as a primary area to stop, shop, and eat. There are many more convenient places to eat in the FQ, and shopping at Canal Place just adjacent to the FQ is excellent, as well as other shops in the area. As for driving through the FQ on your way out, forget it. In the first place, driving within the FQ is a challenge, with the one-way streets, horse-drawn carriages, delivery trucks, and narrow alleyways that are just tough to negotiate around. In the second place, driving through the FQ is no way to get a flavor of the place.

I'll admit that the Garden District is nice, with its colonial plantation-style homes, but if you are going to drive through an area, make it the Garden District, not the French Quarter. Good luck.

neworleanslady

I'm not sure if I am confused or the other posters, but I think you want a place for them to park all day outside of the Quarter but where you can take the street car to meet them and all take it back to the Quarter to tour & have dinner. Correct?
Hmmm... Now to find a place! There are no public lots other than the CBD or FQ. You could find free off street parking Uptown on St. Charles or side streets during the day, but that will be hit or miss and hard to plan a "landmark" sight.
Maybe try www.pontchartrainhotel.com and see if they have paid parking for non-guests. It is on St. Charles Ave Uptown. There is also a new visitor center on St. Charles. www.neworleanscvb.com. See if they allow all day parking in the lot behind the building on Prytainia Street or if they can recommend somewhere.
Both of these are easy to locate - here are the directions from the hotel website. The visitor center is maybe one block further on the opposite side of the street. If my driving/direction-challenged best friend could find my apartment when I lived near here, your family should be able to!

From the East:
I-10 West toward New Orleans
From the left-hand lane take the Business Hwy 90 West Bank exit (I-10 continues to the right towards Slidell)
Stay in the left-hand lane and merge onto the bridge
Take the Carondelet St. / St. Charles Ave. exit
Get in the right hand lane and go through the light
Turn right on St. Charles Ave.
We are eight blocks down on the right @ 2031 St. Charles Ave

The St. Charles St exit is maybe the 2nd exit after you merge on to 90 so it's not far.

Good Luck!

dwooddon

neworleanslady: you were exactly correct in what I was trying to accomplish. Thanks for the suggestions.

Any suggestions on the dining option with one more criterion? My daughter can't stand seafood so we also need a place that has a nice selection of NO food in addition to the seafood options and where the little ones won't cause other diners to be upset.

Fairhope

I disagree with meeting in the GD.
Driving to the parking at the Jax Brewery is not "driving in the FQ" It is a major street albeit leading to the Square but very managable and really reduces going to and from another area. Keep it simple!
Have a muffaletta and give the kids a sugar high on beignets at Cafe DuMonde
And remember the aquarium is up the street!

dwooddon

Fairhope: I agree. I had forgotten that parking lot and a drive down Canal and across on Decauter should not be difficult for them. Thanks all for that suggestion.

Does anyone local have a good idea of how likley it is they'll find a parking space about noon on Sunday, April 17th?

Fairhope

The National Park Service at 419 Decatur offers a free tour and more importantly WASHROOMS::French Quarter Visitor Center. Walking Tour: 9:30 a.m. First-come, first-served. Passes limited to one per person, must be picked up in person on day of tour. One mile of walking.
I am re-posting this comment because you will need clean WASHROOMS with little ones

laurieb_nyny

I was unaware of the parking lot at Jax. I definitely think they should park there & then you could walk around the FQ during the day from that central location.

Cafe Pontalba is a good restaurant for dinner (left side of St. Louis Cathedral looking at the Cathedral with your back to the river -- online menu).
Dessert & coffee at Cafe du Monde before they leave.

You could also go to Central Grocery for lunch (near the French Market).

babs001

There is more than one parking lot along the area near JAX. If the first is full they should keep going till they find a spot. We have never experienced not finding a spot somewhere along there on a Sun. We usually check out of our hotel and aren't ready to leave town yet, so Sunday around noon is usually when we're looking for a spot. If does take patience sometimes, but there is enough coming and going to find one - just don't give up with the first lot if it's full.