I recently stayed in New Orleans over the Thanksgiving weekend. This made my third stay there in the last 15 years or so. This first two stays were pre-Katrina. I had a blast the first two times I went there. So much of a good time that I tried moving there (pre-Katrina) about a year after my stay. I loved the architecture & history and general "good vibes" I got from the people there.

This last trip, however, just seemed lackluster. Perhaps it was the weather, since we did experience quite a bit of rain. The food we had was so-so and seemed expensive for what we were getting. I'm vegan, so the selection of restaurants available for me seems incredibly small. Service seemed slow at most restaurants. At one place, I actually felt like I was bothering staff with my presence. If I hadn't been so hungry (we had just gotten to our hotel and had been up late), I probably would have gone to a different restaurant. I had been to this same restaurant (Mona's) on a previous trip and had a wonderful meal.

Our hotel, the Lamothe House, was nice and the staff polite, so no complaints there. Nothing really seemed to stand out, though. Bourbon Street was full of clubs blaring rap (blues & jazz seemed nearly non-existant, as opposed to other trips to the area). The French Market was nearly 100% made in China junk. I was expecting at least a few artists and hand crafted items. It's very inconsistent which types of businesses take cash, credit cards, traveller's cheques (ie some Jackson Square artists take credit cards and mysteriously, some restaurants only take cash). I've never been anywhere else (even Europe) where so many businesses refuse traveller's cheques (which are supposed to be as good as cash). I'm saddened by what seems like the demise of the hospitality the area is known for and what just seems like a city that's given up hope.

I'm from New Orleans and sad to say "I will never go back" !! With it being the number 1 city for crime - it's a sad story. I was never scared before but I went back after Katrina to visit I was terrified. My favorite restaurant Brennan's was deserted and the food was terrible ! It's going to take years to come back. They need to make it a safe place before tourist will come back.

I get the impression that there are two different New Orleans these days.

I've been back twice since Katrina, but both times were during Jazz Fest. Both of those weekends, the streets were full of life, the restaurants and hotels busy, the shops bustling, and the people full of welcome and warmth. I've heard much the same about Mardi Gras and big football and festival weekends.

However, those who have visited during off-peak periods experienced what you did, cancankant. It seems that everyone is on their best behavior when there's a crowd in town, but they run out of steam when there isn't.

I don't know how to fix it, but at least for the time being, I plan to make Jazz Fest an annual ritual (just booked my air yesterday for the 2009 Fest, my third in a row). I have too much affection for my college town to give up on it.

I can't really answer the question, because N.O. seems like so many things to so many people - possibly more so than other tourist destinations.

We visited N.O. recently for a long weekend, and did some more "local" things that we hadn't done there much, or at all. Magazine Street's businesses seemed to be doing fine, and the area was full of locals. We went to a local festival in Bywater, and had a wonderful time.

At two of the restaurants we ate at, the service wasn't so good, though the food itself was very good. But the other two restaurants, both the food and the service were welcoming and very good.

We went to great jazz shows at Snug Harbor, and they were as good as always.

We stayed at a B&B in Uptown, Avenue Inn B&B, and the hosts could not have been nicer or more welcoming.

I've got to say, eating vegan in N.O. would be difficult. Even being vegetarian, I think, would be hard.

There were a ton of people in town for the State Farm Bayou Classic, so the money was definitely flowing. I did talk to a clerk at a store who confided that a lot of places purposefully close or plan "remodelling" projects during Thanksgiving to avoid the SFBC crowd. I didn't notice anything strange about them. Just folks having a good time (albeit not my style of music for the most part). I also could not believe the amount of police presence in the area. It was weird. I don't mind a few cops (makes me feel safe), but 100s of them make me wonder what they think tourists or locals are going to do.

I've never been down in NOLA during Mardi Gras or the high season. Both previous trips were in the hottest months of the year - August & September. The second trip was the 4 days before Southern Decadence (Labor Day weekend), and we wanted to extend our stay in the city but couldn't rebook our room (hotel was right on St. Ann near all the gay bars)!

I just felt a sinking feeling of disappointment with the way things seem to be going (downhill). I did not have a bad time, but I don't think I'll be back there for a while, if ever, and then I will probably have to have other plans in the area.

I do agree that NOLA is different things for different people, which is what made it so great. You can party, learn history, walk around and look at gorgeous buildings, see cemetaries and enjoy weather that is typically better than much of the country. I have mixed taste, so it has always been appealing to me.

We are scheduled for a visit the day after Christmas - I hope that we get the fun version of NO. I was curious what other restaraunts you dined in - as I am a vegetarian (not vegan) who eats fish (but not shell fish.) Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

We ate at Bennachin (African) - food was okay. Mona's (Middle Eastern) - forget it, try somewhere else. Suko Thai (Thai) - pretty good, not great, a little pricy, but nice restaurant & service. If you are a pescatarian, you shouldn't have any trouble. There is a lot of seafood in most of the restaurants. As a vegan, I don't eat any animal products, including dairy and eggs. Other major cities (even Milwaukee, my hometown), have FAR more choices in the way of pure veg and vegan food.

I have been told that Thanksgiving weekend is one of the worst in terms of the crowd, so I think Christmas should be better.

I would have done a lot more if the weather had cooperated (it rained most of the time). There were lots of tourists, including many international tourists. Just be sure to always have a fair amount of cash on you or be prepared to use an ATM. I got stuck a couple of times with restaurants that only take cash. I am used to that in bars, but it seems really sporadic, much more than any place I've been to in recent years.

Be sure to walk around the French Quarter, Garden District, Magazine Street. Bourbon Street is really only for the bold, but I do recommend a hurricane at Pat O'Briens if you drink! Also a trip to Preservation Hall for great jazz. I guess I just went too many times. I was really disappointed, since I didn't think I could get sick of the city at all.

We had a great time & were just there a few months ago. I'll top my trip report.

Sometimes you just have a lackluster trip, even to destinations you love. Weather, special events in town, the economy, etc can all play a part.

New York, Vancouver and San Francisco are my 3 favorite cities yet my last visit to each was my most disappointing. I'll try them all again, of course, but for some reason crappy weather in all 3 cases seemed to set the stage for a less-than-stellar trip.

In short, try it again.

Oh, and try it again when it's not Bayou Classic weekend.

Yeah, I'll have to do that. I do love the cemeteries and the architechture of NOLA. That's my favorite part, actually. I didn't get to do too much wandering about except in the French Quarter due to the weather. Oh yeah, and my husband hate hate hates HATES rap music, and the clubs always seemed to be blaring it (most likely due to the Bayou Classic crowd). Oh well. I will try again some day. I was hoping NOLA hadn't changed so much after Katrina.

Thanksgiving it NOT the time to be in NO if you want to enjoy the city you remember from other trips! It's fun - but it's different.

Cancankant,

I have to agree 100% with the other posters here. If you visit New Orleans during inclement weather, that can really put a damper (pun intended) on your plans, as New Orleans is a walking city. Also, I would never visit during the Bayou Classic, just not my type of crowd. If you don't like rap, Bayou Classic is not a good time to visit.

I suggest you visit during the Spring sometime. Come during French Quarter Fest and you'll notice a totally different crowd. Or, if you don't mind the crowds, visit during Mardi Gras or Jazz Fest to see New Orleans when she lets her hair down.

Unfortunately for you, New Orleans food is all about seafood and meat. Po'Boys, gumbo, etouffe, jambalaya, etc. As you found out (the hard way), vegan/veggie is not something that is very common at all in that type of cuisine. Honestly, you should have checked a few guidebooks or read some restaurant reviews before going and you would have known this in advance.

My husband and I had been to NO before Katrina and LOVED it! But hubby worked in the reconstruction effort there and he says he has no desire to go back. Until the crime gets better, we'll just go other places.

There are some things that can be ordered that are for vegetarians.

Order red beans and rice without the sausage.

Order gumbo z'herbes .

Order beignets and cafe au lait.

Just wanted to reply to the person who said I "didn't do my research on NOLA". I went expecting fewer choices than most major cities. I've been there twice before. What I didn't expect was lousy food. Oh well. In retrospect, it was a decent time. I have other places to visit, though, so maybe one of these days I'll get on back to NOLA. I still love all the things I loved about the city, so that will always have a place in my heart.

This conversation ended months ago I see, but I just wanted to say that if you came to New Orleans after Katrina with the expectation that it would be the same as it was before, then I am not surprised you had disappointments. Life in this city has been permanently altered. The population, and therefore the workforce for restaurants and hotels, have been through a tremendous trauma and many have not returned. The city has been through something comparable to a death in the family and you sound like a guest who shows up six months later wondering why the family isn't quite as perky as it used to be. I know New Orleans is a tourist city--this is its livelihood--and I hope you return again and again. But the next time you visit, open your mind a bit and try to connect to the real story, not just your personal version of it. The place really does have a lot to offer!!

graft - I agree, & Nola has always had a crime problem but mostly 'crimes of opportunity'. I've never had an issue there from that perspective. It is a big city, people need to treat it as such. To not go back '...because of the crime' is basically an uninformed comment/decision in my opinion, & a poor one at that...