emd3

I disagree. There is so much to enjoy in NO besides the beignets, the muffalettas, the etouffe. It is not accurate to say there is no NOLA without those, as if the city has nothing more to offer besides that. Maybe someone who would say that is just really into food and drinking and not much else.

We love the art (there are some wonderful galleries in the French Quarter, and the artists who set up around Jackson Square, and the Arts market in Palmer Park, and the Warehouse Arts District), the music (jazz, blues, funk, zydeco) the shopping (great shops of all kinds in the quarter, and the outdoor French Market by the river, etc.), people watching (Jackson Square is great for that), the Festivals (not just jazz fest but the French Quarter Festival also), the Garden District w/its wonderful old homes and architecture and walking tours (esp. if you can catch a home and GARDEN tour), antique shops on Magazine St., the NAtl. WOrld War II Museum (this is designated by Congress as the country's official WWII museum), the Contemporary Arts Center on Camp St., Besthoff Sculpture Garden, the Mardi Gras museums, on and on...

sluggo, here is a good website that has helped us plan our many trips, w/lots of great things to do and see and enjoy. You will have no problem filling up 5 days in NO w/all the ideas here.

http://www.neworleansonline.com/neworleans/

sluggo

Interesting debate! New Orleans is unique, I think, in that food is a huge part of the experience for many people. But our interests are more in line with those of emd3. (And thank you for the link.)

In any case, we were not particularly adventurous eaters before his heart attack and would not have eaten many NO specialties anyway, so our dietary limitations won't be as hard on us as they would be for most others. We WILL miss trying those beignets, however!

november_moon

I love New Orleans food, but there is soooo much more to the city than that. For me, it is a big part of our trip, but I would absolutely still go if I had dietary restrictions. And for the record, I cannot stand the Sazerac cocktail - like drinking cough medicine. You can definitely enjoy New Orleans without that. I don't really go for hard alcohol to begin with, so all that stuff is totally lost on me.

Grcxx3

A New Orleans native here - who doesn't like sweet drinks (like Hurricanes), is a somewhat picky eater, and can't eat seafood. So, while I love going out to dinner in NO, I usually order something simple like grilled chicken. Doesn't diminish the experience at all.

hawksbill

Though this is totally unrelated to sluggo's question, I can't help but jump to the defense of the Sazerac cocktail, a sublime and wonderful creation if ever there was one. November_moon, I suspect someone overdid the Peychaud's bitters in yours.

I personally do really go for hard alcohol, and New Orleans is probably the best city in the world for exploring excellent cocktails. Indeed the Museum of the American Cocktail is located there. But again, despite the great food and cocktails to be had in New Orleans, there are plenty of other reasons to visit, and one could have a good time even just eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and drinking spring water.

sf7307

>>

100% ditto. I'd hate to miss the food in New Orleans, but if you can't, you can't. The city is still a wonderful place to visit in so many respects.

november_moon

I had the Sazerac at Tujaques on a culinary walking tour. The guide and others seemed quite pleased with the drink and someone else happily finished mine. So I am pretty certain that it was a good one. I just didn't like it. But then, as I said, I am not a fan of hard alcohol to begin with. I have just never developed a taste for it.

Bowsprit

Well, the best way to develop a taste for hard liquor is to drink it often. The best Sazerac I've ever had was made by the evening bartenders at the Carousel Bar in the Hotel Monteleone. Sublime.

Bowsprit

*Sazeracs, not Sazerac. Who drinks just one?

hawksbill

November_moon, I was guessing that your Sazerac may have been made by Paul Gustings or one of his disciples at Tujague's. Paul's Sazerac is one of the archetypal versions around town, but it's extremely atypical, in that it includes six dashes of Peychaud's bitters (IIRC, maybe even more), whereas a more conventional amount would be two. A more conventional preparation would probably strike most palates as boozy, intense, complex, maybe too strong, but probably not cough syrup-y. If I were leading a culinary tour, Tujague's definitely would not be the place where I would have suggested ordering a Sazerac.

Of course, Sluggo said she didn't drink, which is perfectly fine, and should in no way preclude a visit to New Orleans, as long as one doesn't mind having a substantial number of jolly drunk people around. But if a non-drinker were inclined to sample New Orleans' brilliant cocktail scene a little bit, I would suggest starting with something less boozy than a Sazerac. Maybe a French 75 (or something else that Chris Hannah recommends) at the French 75 Bar at Arnaud's, or a Pimm's Cup at Napoleon House, or a Vieux Carré at the Carousel Bar, or one of several wonderful original drinks on the menu at the Swizzle Stick Bar. For goodness' sake, don't drink anything on Bourbon Street, except maybe a bottle of water that you bought at CVS.

And by the way, moderate alcohol consumption (about 1 drink per day for women, 2 for men) is thought to be beneficial for the heart. I can write you a prescription if you think your insurance might cover it.

SAnParis2

Ack is correct - I visit Nola annually if not more frequently & we go for the food & music. Not to say there aren't other things we don't enjoy in New Orleans. I start every single trip w/a muffaletta & an Abita Amber @ Cafe Maspero while seated at the bar. EVERY TRIP. I'll probably also have several dozen oysters while I am there...so if I were going to 'cheat', even a little bit, I couldn't think of a better place. All things in moderation is my creed.

Bowsprit

Now I'm craving a po'boy and a Lemon Drop. Thanks a lot.

november_moon

I'll stick with beer and wine, which I enjoy quite a bit. I'll leave the hard stuff to those of you who actually enjoy it.

robertino

I don't think your problem will be in NO. I think your problem will be in the other places on your itinerary.