shiuri

Hi everyone,

I decided to start a new thread from my previous one because I need help specifically on Thanksgiving Day. I contacted my inn keeper this morning on where should I go on Thanksgiving and I was told that nothing is open on Thanksgiving besides bars and restaurants. I knew that museums and such would be closed on Thanksgiving, but I was thinking the French Quarter would still be open for business. Now, I think I've got a bit of a hiccup. HELP! I literally will be getting in on Thanksgiving Day and I have an entire day to kill. I get in super early, like 7am early. Can anyone suggest or recommend places, sights, shows, events that I can go or do that will help me make the most of my Thanksgiving Day in New Orleans? Anyone else traveling to New Orleans for Thanksgiving holiday? If all else fails, I think I may need to change my flight to get in the early evening/late afternoon. Oh, and does anyone have suggestions for places (that are open) to have a nice Thanksgiving dinner? Any help or insight would be greatly appreciated!

vjpblovesitaly

go to the movies

sf7307

>>

Much of the French Quarter IS bars and restaurants.

Ackislander

I don't know what you expected to find in the French Quarter _besides_ bars and restaurants, which will almost certainly be open, but as in the rest of the US, Thanksgiving is a holiday!

shiuri

Well, when I mentioned French Quarter I was referring to the historical houses -- if they're open and if that was something I could do on Thanksgiving. It wasn't until I posed the original question that I realize I can't edit my message for clarification. I know the French Qtr is bars and restaurants.

nytraveler

Thanksgiving is one of the few holidays on whch most everything is closed. Here in NYC there is still a lot to do- Central Park, Staten Island ferry, walk the Brooklyn ridge or the Highline etc. But in NO - not sure what areas walking around is really safe.

(A colleague of mine was held up 2 weeks ago at gunpoint - because he wandered 2 block outside the quarter. The police told him - you just can't do that. Assume it would be even more so on Thansgiving with fewer tourists.)

Gardyloo

Geno Delafose at the Rock 'n Bowl - http://www.rockandbowl.com/CalandarP.../november.html

We missed going on a rainy Thanksgiving in NO a few years ago, commemorated here: http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...-the-lobby.cfm

Continental_Drifter

I don't know where NYtraveler's colleague was, but we were just there over spring break. I travel there twice a year. As with any city, there are places you don't go alone or at night.

We have never had a problem in NOLA.

We were there on Easter and there was actually a TON of things to do, including a long ride on the St. Charles Trolley, a self-guided walk in the Garden District and the cemetary, etc. I think Cafe Du Monde is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Thursday night is one of the hottest jazz nights, so you still may find some jazz bands that play that night.

Do your homework, make reservations for Thanksgiving dinner somewhere and confirm them and you'll be fine.

However, it's not Disney, so no, most things will not be open.

sf7307

>>

You do have to be more aware of your surroundings and vigilant in New Orleans than other places. There are neighborhoods you simply do not want to visit, and they're pretty close to neighborhoods you DO want to visit. The well-known cemeteries are known to be places you do NOT want to go other than on a tour. But the Garden District is a beautiful, upscale residential area, and between that idea, and Cafe du Monde and Thanksgiving dinner, and some music, I think you'll be all set!

bkluvsNola

shiuri,

First off, please disregard nytraveler, I've never seen her ever write a positive word about New Orleans. I doubt she's ever even been there as all her accounts are always third person accounts.

Some suggestions are you could take the streetcar to Audubon Park and walk around, it is quite beautiful. You could do a French Quarter self walking tour or Garden District self walking tour (as the regular tours will be closed for the day), you can gamble at Harrah's, you could drive to the Lower 9th Ward and check out Brad Pitt's new houses, you could take the Canal Streetcar to City Park (largest urban park in US, even larger than Central Park in NYC by the way nytraveler) and enjoy that park.

Personally, I would go into a sports bar in the quarter and watch the Saints take on the Cowboys, which is what most of the locals will be doing after they eat their turkey dinner.

Actually, now I'm thinking being in New Orleans during Thanksgiving may not be so bad afterall .

nytraveler

Sorry I have been to NO at least a dozen times. All for work grant you - either research - which is usually just a day or two or for conventions - with is usually 5 or 6 days and there is plenty of times to do/see things. And there are several intersting - and safe - areas. But New Orleans is a city in which the very bad areas are immediately adjacent to the tourist areas - and you do need to be really careful.

When we stay at the ritz Carlton - on the border of being too far away from the river there was an armed guard in the lobby (which I have seen before only in Mexico city) and we were told in no uncertain terms NOT to turn left when leaving the hotel - even in groups - since the area was unsafe. Other times were have stayed further down Canal Street (tacky but safe) or right near/connected to the convention center.

I think it is foolish not to warn travelers of these very real dangers. My colleague was told, but figured he was a New Yorker and would be alright. But the conditions are nothing like New York - where the few really dangerous neighborhoods are miles from tourist areas. He lost his wallet, credit cards, watch and cell phone. And the police were not very sympathetic - saying he should not have been in the area.

It is true that I'm not in love with the French quarter - since I don;t drink more than a glass of wine with dinner - and most of the attractions are bars with lots of booze flowing (not my idea of fun). But there are historic sights that are interesting both downtown and in the Garden District.

You just need to be very wary about where you go. (And I've traveled all over the world and the only place I was as careful as in NO was in Cairo.)

bkluvsNola

nytraveler, I think you probably mean they said do not turn right out of the Ritz Carlton. The Ritz faces Canal Street and turning left when you leave the building would take you towards the river which is safe. Turning right would take you to the St. Thomas development which is unsafe. The other entrance is on Dauphine I believe and turning left would take you into the Quarter which is safe and turning right would take you to Canal St which is safe.

That being said, there are very dangerous areas of New Orleans, as there are in New York. Since you give one isolated example of a friend in New Orleans, let me counter with one isolated incident in New York. I was about 12 years old and we were driving through Harlem. We stopped at a gas station in Harlem, and my dad told us to stay in the car with the doors locked while he went in to pay (this was before pay at the pump was available). While he went in to pay, they attempted to steal the hub caps off our car!!! My mom was so scared and she said "Do not do anything dad will be back soon". My dad finally ran back and confronted them, and they said they were just "adjusting our hub caps". Yeah right. My dad was often too brave for his own good (or too foolish), somewhat like nytraveler's friend and he could have been hurt, mugged, our car could have been hijacked, etc...

In other words, yes anytime you go to a big city, you need to understand the risks involved. That was the most unsafe I've ever felt in my life, in NYC. I've never felt unsafe in New Orleans, and I visited the lower 9th Ward this past February.

However, I wouldn't walk through Treme at 2 AM or do anything stupid.

sf7307

Nytraveler is absolutely correct, though, that some bad areas of NO are adjacent to "tourist" areas which is not the case in NY. (as for Cairo, I simply cannot understand why you felt unsafe there!)

Hawah

When you get in early go first to Cafe de Monde in the French Quarter and get some good coffee and begnits and watch the city wake up. Then catch the St. Charles street car and go out towards Audubon Park as someone previously mentioned. Take a walk around the park, it's a large park. It's a nice park with Spanish moss hanging from the oak trees. Do be careful in New Orleans, especially at night. When in the French Quarter, stay in well lit areas to be safer. Bourbon Street has always got something going on. If anyone says something to you about where you "got dem shoes", ignore them. It's a stupid hustle designed to separate you from your money. Try to see some of the areas damaged by the hurricane and still looking like hell. I don't know how to recommend you do that but try. That city is still a big mess in a lot of parts and it's not evident in the French Quarter or in the Uptown area along St. Charles Ave. The enormity of what happened is not felt in the tourist areas. Be safe.

nytraveler

Yes - but your story about Harlem was years ago - when it was less safe. that area has been largely gentrified/rehabilitated and is where many young people are moving since it has the only vaguely reasonable prices left in Manhattan.

The problems in NO are now - and yes I did mean right - not left.

The clue was the police being totally unimpressed that he was held up at gunpoint, had to lay on the ground, was frisked and all his belongings taken - and was threatened with being shot. It is possible to run into a criminal anywhere. The fact that the police told him it was his fault for being in the wrong place tells you what overall conditions are.

cferrb

Are you renting a car? You might want to take a look at things that you can do outside of New Orleans for part of the day. We lived there many years ago, and I remember being impressed by the Ponchartrain Causeway, and by the River Road that wound up the river through St. Charles Parish. It's not scenic because there is a lot of industry up there, but the river is so impressive.

bkluvsNola

nytraveler,

I realize that crime conditions have improved in NYC greatly since that incident, that was during the worst of the crime years in NYC, we actually saw cars that were totally stripped of everything - tires, hubcaps, lights, all windows bashed in, etc... just because the car had broken down on the road and they had to get help. I guess when they got back to their car, it was dismantled.

That being said, one of my points, which I think you may have missed (or ignored) was that sometimes bravado or machoism can put people in danger - it sounds like your friend is a macho New Yorker who believed that he was untouchable since he was a streetwise New Yorker - you should never have that attitude unless you intend to be humbled.

As an example, there was a soldier who had returned from Iraq and someone cut him off at an intersection in Atlanta. He went to confront the driver saying he would beat him up, and he ended up getting shot and killed. The irony was that the war didn't kill him but his thinking he was invincible once he returned from the war. You always have to take your surroundings seriously. He was probably more careful in Iraq then he was during that incident, hence the horrible result. Had he not confronted the guy and just "let it go" he may still be alive.

However that does not excuse what happened to that guy, your friend, or my family in Harlem. Common sense is always wise though.

nytraveler

No - it wasn;t bravado-it was a lack of understanding that a really dangerous area was immediately adjacent to the major tourist area. When people said not good he assumed they were talking about a tacky area like that you can find near Times Square - with porno shops and a hooker on the corner. Not that it was infested with armed robbers.

shiuri

Hi Everyone,

Thank you for all the great responses! There are lots of great suggestions here! I was getting a little worried when I first posted this question. But after reading a lot of the suggestions and recommendations, I think I may just be fine on Thanksgiving Day! Scribbled down a lot of the suggestions already! You guys are the best!! So glad I posted here! =)

bachslunch

Good suggestions from sf7307 and bkluvsNola above.

Fodor's may have these in their guidebooks as well, but I know for sure that Frommer's has a few very good walking tours that can be done whether things are closed or not, given that you're mainly looking at architecture -- one each of the Garden District and of the French Quarter. The one they list going up Esplanade Avenue is also good, but might be better done on a day with more people walking about than is likely on a holiday.

Re all the chat about safety concerns, nytraveler is right that in NOLA there are unsafe spots very close by tourist areas, which in my experience is a little unusual in US cities nowadays. In addition, one can run into situations in NOLA where a good area suddenly turns bad in a hurry or vice versa -- in a few cases encompassing a block or two at most. For example, the French Quarter beyond Bourbon Street going towards Rampart Street rapidly goes downhill block by block as you walk, and by the time you've headed just a block past Rampart (Rampart is already not good) to Basin Street (and Basin is a grand total of four blocks from Bourbon), you're at the entrance to one of the most notoriously dangerous housing projects in the city. It's not to suggest that one be paranoid, but knowing things like this is extremely useful. As always, trust your instincts, and head back if things don't seem right.