New Orleans
 

Hi! Some New Orleans questions:
1. Is it true, with ID, that seniors pay only 40 cents to ride the street cars etc and therefore, a Jazzy Pass is not necessary?

2. Dinner reservations are not available because we are too late for highly recommended special restaurants. Have some special places that you like that we might still be able to get a reservation for next week?

3. How far a walk is it from Jackson Square in the French Quarter to the Canal Algiers ferry area?

4. What do you think of the Hop On- Hop Off Bus? is the narration canned? Are the bus guides really informed and enjoyable? Is it easy with all the crowds to easily get on a bus?


Thank you!!!

What nights next wk?

Yes, we paid 40 cents of the streetcar but they did ask for proof of age.

We live in NY but have traveled widely and always avoid the HOHO bus. In NYC they cost over $40 and we live in area where they pass and some of their comments can be utterly ridiculous.

We just visited NOLA and LA last month and liked Mr. B's Bistro in NOLA.

Bayona
http://www.bayona.com/

According to OpenTable they have availability every night but Thursday next week.

2. What restaurants are you talking about? I am sure you can get reservations at some excellent restaurants with a week's notice. Try www.nomenu.com. There is always Galatoire's. First come first served downstairs which is where you want to be anyway.
3. Ferry landing is just a few blocks down N. Peters St from Jackson Sq. If you are on the east bank I can't imagine what you would want to do on the west bank.

DH used his Medicare card, and drivers license to get the 40 cent fare. Worked most of the time with one exception. The driver of street car got really nasty and said fare was only for local or LA residents ( can't remember which he said). We told him that DH had used this for the past 4 days and we even told him the name of the woman at NO transit that answered my email asking if the senior fare was available to out of state residents. That would satisfy him. This went on for a good 5 minutes. We got off the street car and waited for the next one. No problem with that driver.

thanks, everyone! Very helpful. We have planned and planned and now Mother Nature tells us that our dates are going to be full of liquid sunshine - RAIN! Hoping for the best....

I just realized, you are visiting during the first weekend of Jazz Fest. That is why reservations are so hard to come by. Keep in mind that restaurants experience a larger % than usual of no shows during Jazz Fest. A lot of people's plans get altered because of the fest. Check for cancellations.

I was in NOLA during the first weekend of jazz fest two years ago. We found it pretty impossible to eat in the really good restaurants in or near the Quarter without reservations . Yes, we did have to bring down our preferred dining choices. We found that the places closer to the Convention Center (like Grand Isle, which had great oysters and a nice bar) and the Warehouse district (although even there you need resevations at the top places) gave us more options than the Quarter.

Bayona and August might still have tables. We made a reservation at Irene's Cuisine last week for this weekend. Bombay room also was open. Not GREAT food, but decent, nice atmosphere, live music. Muriel's had availability but requires a credit card to hold table and a 48-hour cancellation policy or it's $25/pp. Have fun!

There is also a small off-shoot of Arnaud's on Bourbon St called Remoulade. Casual, seats at the bar available, and good food. It's one of our favorite spots.

http://www.remoulade.com/