Voodoo, Krewes, Music and Food -- Four Days in New Orleans
Feb 4th, 2008, 04:55 AM
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Voodoo, Krewes, Music and Food -- Four Days in New Orleans
Had a great time in New Orleans. during the last week in January. Although I'd been before, I really felt like I got to know the city this time. They say it's the Amercan city most like Europe and I now understand why.
Weather in the four days we were there varied from COLD and/or wet to chilly and one day was springlike warm. Some mornings it was in the 30s when I headed out, so layering was the way to go.
I didn't realize we'd get in on Mardi Gras parades. It was great. We were able to watch from our hotel on Canal, or go right now in the middle of things. I learned a lot about the traditions and the Krewes, which was fascinating. Caught plenty of beads, too.
Saw Jonny Lang at House of Blues-- awesome show--he is a prodigy. Be prepared to stand for the entire show at HOB because there are no seats unless you buy the dinner package and sit in the balcony.
Per Fodorite suggestions, I took two walking tours -- the NPS French Quarter Walk and the Historic New Orleans Cemetery/Voodoo walking tour.
If you want to do the NPS tour (it's free), arrive early. I got there at 9 a.m. and there were only three tickets left. It was a good history lesson.
Historic New Orleans does a wonderful job with the cemetery/voodoo tour. Our guide, Gwen, was fun, informative and easygoing. She even took us to meet a Voodoo priestess at her temple. The cemetery is really interesting and doesn't need theatrics to be creepy. I wouldn't have ventured to the area we went on my own, so I was really happy I took the time to do this one. It was about 2 1/2 hours and the $15 cost was probably the best bargain I got in NO.
Food-- cabbie from the airport was a local, so I asked him for seafood suggestions. We tried all of his -- Acme Oyster Bar, Deanie's and Felix's. All excellent and reasonably priced. It was strange at Acme to have a police officer sitting at the bar greeting customer and sort of acting as the host.
Also ate at Mona Lisa Pizza, K-Pauls, Fiorella's and had breakfast at Brennans. Of course there were a few breaks at Cafe Dumonde and after my tour I picked up half a mufallata at Central Grocery. Ended up giving half of it to a young guy who asked to use my phone up by the cannon near the river overlook. Long story, but let's just say it was my good deed of the day!
I walked all over the French Quarter, just going in shops and talking to people. I had a palm reading in Jackson Square and a tarot reading in some little shop. Both said similar things and gave me some food for thought, so it was worth the money. I also hit the flea market a couple of times and bought a beautiful tie-dye for a friend from an interesting man who's been perfecting his technique for years.
Bar hoppping on Bourbon was fun for a couple of times. It was amazing how much live music we saw with no cover and no drink minimum anywhere. We just wandered in and out at will. We did get down to Lafite's Blacksmith shop one night. It's on the dark end of Bourbon, but the cop at Acme Oyster told me it was perfectly safe to go down there, with the warning that purse snatchings and such happen anywhere. I was glad we went. There was a piano bar in the back and the woman who was playing was a great pianist and OK singer even if she forgot some of the words. Everyone was having fun.
A police officer was murdered with her own gun while we were there, which put everyone on edge. It happened in an area (I believe it was called the central district?) that has a bad crime problem. One of the tour guides told us there are more police officers in the FQ than any other area of New Orleans and that some of the people you see "passed out" on the street are actually detectives.
We personally had no incidents while we were there, although we were on guard like we are anytime we travel.
I also took the St. Charles streetcar from near Canal to the end of the line and back. That was fun, cheap and a great way to get a glimpse of garden district mansions, Tulane and the zoo area. It was really neat and beautiful.
I would still like to do a Katrina tour as well as visit a plantation.
I am so glad I went to New Orleans and hope to return again soon!
Weather in the four days we were there varied from COLD and/or wet to chilly and one day was springlike warm. Some mornings it was in the 30s when I headed out, so layering was the way to go.
I didn't realize we'd get in on Mardi Gras parades. It was great. We were able to watch from our hotel on Canal, or go right now in the middle of things. I learned a lot about the traditions and the Krewes, which was fascinating. Caught plenty of beads, too.
Saw Jonny Lang at House of Blues-- awesome show--he is a prodigy. Be prepared to stand for the entire show at HOB because there are no seats unless you buy the dinner package and sit in the balcony.
Per Fodorite suggestions, I took two walking tours -- the NPS French Quarter Walk and the Historic New Orleans Cemetery/Voodoo walking tour.
If you want to do the NPS tour (it's free), arrive early. I got there at 9 a.m. and there were only three tickets left. It was a good history lesson.
Historic New Orleans does a wonderful job with the cemetery/voodoo tour. Our guide, Gwen, was fun, informative and easygoing. She even took us to meet a Voodoo priestess at her temple. The cemetery is really interesting and doesn't need theatrics to be creepy. I wouldn't have ventured to the area we went on my own, so I was really happy I took the time to do this one. It was about 2 1/2 hours and the $15 cost was probably the best bargain I got in NO.
Food-- cabbie from the airport was a local, so I asked him for seafood suggestions. We tried all of his -- Acme Oyster Bar, Deanie's and Felix's. All excellent and reasonably priced. It was strange at Acme to have a police officer sitting at the bar greeting customer and sort of acting as the host.
Also ate at Mona Lisa Pizza, K-Pauls, Fiorella's and had breakfast at Brennans. Of course there were a few breaks at Cafe Dumonde and after my tour I picked up half a mufallata at Central Grocery. Ended up giving half of it to a young guy who asked to use my phone up by the cannon near the river overlook. Long story, but let's just say it was my good deed of the day!
I walked all over the French Quarter, just going in shops and talking to people. I had a palm reading in Jackson Square and a tarot reading in some little shop. Both said similar things and gave me some food for thought, so it was worth the money. I also hit the flea market a couple of times and bought a beautiful tie-dye for a friend from an interesting man who's been perfecting his technique for years.
Bar hoppping on Bourbon was fun for a couple of times. It was amazing how much live music we saw with no cover and no drink minimum anywhere. We just wandered in and out at will. We did get down to Lafite's Blacksmith shop one night. It's on the dark end of Bourbon, but the cop at Acme Oyster told me it was perfectly safe to go down there, with the warning that purse snatchings and such happen anywhere. I was glad we went. There was a piano bar in the back and the woman who was playing was a great pianist and OK singer even if she forgot some of the words. Everyone was having fun.
A police officer was murdered with her own gun while we were there, which put everyone on edge. It happened in an area (I believe it was called the central district?) that has a bad crime problem. One of the tour guides told us there are more police officers in the FQ than any other area of New Orleans and that some of the people you see "passed out" on the street are actually detectives.
We personally had no incidents while we were there, although we were on guard like we are anytime we travel.
I also took the St. Charles streetcar from near Canal to the end of the line and back. That was fun, cheap and a great way to get a glimpse of garden district mansions, Tulane and the zoo area. It was really neat and beautiful.
I would still like to do a Katrina tour as well as visit a plantation.
I am so glad I went to New Orleans and hope to return again soon!
