New Orleans for Jazz Fest - A Trip Report
May 22nd, 2009, 08:56 AM
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New Orleans for Jazz Fest - A Trip Report
This is an overdue report---thanks to everyone who gave me some advice before I departed for New Orleans for the second week of Jazz Fest. Here's my planning thread:
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...ew-orleans.cfm
I think I've put off writing this report because I keep waiting for a big block of time to write it all out. Instead, I'm going to outline our itinerary/where we stayed/what we did/and where we ate. If you have any questions---let me know!
Flight
Afternoon flight from Newark to New Orleans, Thursday April 30 on Continental
Nothing really to report here---smooth flight. I spent the majority of the time dog-earing my Fodor's New Orleans 2009 (I know shameless plug, but the guide really was helpful)
Where We Stayed
Greenhouse Inn - http://www.thegreenhouseinn.com/
1206 Magazine Street (Lower Garden District)
Pluses: Amazingly lush garden/pool area, friendly owner, thoughtful "local recommendations" guide, non-stuffy feel, room was recently renovated, good bar across the street (Bridge Lounge)
Minuses: Due to its location we took taxis often; it's a long walk to most places
(*Tip: Take United taxis only--the owner recommended this and the few times we didn't heed his advice we ended up "going the long way" with other companies. United's # is: (504) 522-9771)
Where We Ate
We really didn't have a single bad meal. But some restaurants (and dishes) wowed us more than others.
Dinners
Jacques-imo's
http://www.jacquesimoscafe.com/
http://www.fodors.com/world/north-am...ew-158110.html
Stella!
http://www.restaurantstella.com/
Eleven 79
http://www.eleven79.com/eleven79menu.html
http://www.fodors.com/world/north-am...ew-430206.html
August
http://www.restaurantaugust.com/
http://www.fodors.com/world/north-am...ew-133523.html
August was hands down the best meal of our trip; a worthwhile splurge. I would heartily recommend for anyone looking for a "special occasion" kind of place in NO. We were particularly impressed with the service. We ordered a cool bottle of wine too--that I'm now forgetting the name of. We took the label it was that memorable so I'll have to add that later.
We went to Jacques-imo's on our first night; when we arrived at around 9:00 the host quoted us a 2-2.5 hour wait. We said great and asked to put our name down; she thought it was funny how accepting we were of this ridiculously long wait. What can I say---we were happy to be in N.O. There was a BBQ set up in the street, a band playing, an artist showcasing his work in a house nearby, and crowds spilling out into the street from the Maple Leaf Bar next door. It felt like the epicenter of fun---a great start to our trip.
I chatted up an older gentleman leaning against a convertible parked in the middle of this scene (I wanted to take his picture with the car). We ended up talking for a long time and he invited my boyfriend and I to sit at a little table outside the restaurant designated for his tarot card readings. He gave me a reading which was fun and we drank a few beers to pass the time. Over two hours later we sat down to eat dinner; I do not clearly remember this meal, but I remember thinking it was tasty. I believe I had gumbo.
I should note that on Monday morning on our way out we stopped at Luke (another John Besh restaurant) in the business district for brunch. I had really good bloody mary and shrimp and grits. Would definitely recommend. http://www.lukeneworleans.com/
Food at the Fest:
The food at the fest was really tasty---though many of the dishes (at least the ones we selected) were heavier and fried. We did feel a little sick of it by the final day (we were there Friday-Saturday-Sunday. Things we tried (based on my notes):
Cochon de Lait Po-Boy
Oyster
Crawfish Sack
Crawfish Beignets
Regular Beignets
Oyster Patties
Crawfish Remoulade
Shrimp and Crawfish Po-boy
Fried Popcorn Shrimp & Crawfish Tails
Muffuletta
Who We Saw - Jazz Fest Strategies
I think there's two basic strategies for seeing music at Jazz Fest--- one being go with a group of friends and stake your claim at a given stage and enjoy what comes up (coming and going as you please). Just being the two of us, and not being particularly organized or up early enough to get to the fairgrounds, my boyfriend and I roamed throughout the day. My favorite stages were the Blues and Jazz Tents---by arriving just as another show was ending we were almost always able to find good seats. At both tents I was able to go to the very front to knee and take pictures throughout the show.
Of course, there's a lot of music that happens at night away from the fairgrounds. We popped into several bars in the French Quarter and made a trip to Tipitina's. I wish we had scoped this out a bit more---for instance, we went to Tipitina's assuming that we'd like whoever was playing--but that wasn't the case and we were a bit bummed. The highlight of the trip for me musically was an unexpected surprise; we were walking by the House of Blues and saw that Susan Tedeschi was playing. I thought House of Blues would be gimmicky--I was very wrong; what a great place to see somebody---the sound was great. Susan Tedeschi did not disappoint; David Hidalgo, from Los Lobos, joined her onstage at the end.
Musical Highlights at Jazz Fest (off the top of my head)
Neil Young - This was a fantastic show that did not disappoint; he even played one of my favorite songs: "Everybody Knows This is Nowhere". We suffered through a cramped 1 hour intermission before this show in order to have a good spot towards the front it was completely worth it.
Bonnie Raitt
Doc Watson - His version of Summertime was especially good.
Poncho Sanchez Latin Jazz Band
Chris Thomas King
John Mayall
Aaron Neville
Allen Toussaint
Buddy Guy
We saw a little bit of several other bands; in trying to see our individual "must-sees" I think we didn't see enough local N.O. musicians, though many played with several of the above artists. Maybe we should have spent less time eating! =) I'd also consider going to the actual fest for 2 days instead of 3 in order to see more of NO; we'd just go earlier the other two days to catch more bands.
I think that's all for now---thanks to both shormrk2 and mah1980 for the suggestion of the Carousel Bar. We liked that place a lot and started joking about opening something similar in New York.
I'll try to post some of my photos soon---thanks again for all of your help
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...ew-orleans.cfm
I think I've put off writing this report because I keep waiting for a big block of time to write it all out. Instead, I'm going to outline our itinerary/where we stayed/what we did/and where we ate. If you have any questions---let me know!
Flight
Afternoon flight from Newark to New Orleans, Thursday April 30 on Continental
Nothing really to report here---smooth flight. I spent the majority of the time dog-earing my Fodor's New Orleans 2009 (I know shameless plug, but the guide really was helpful)
Where We Stayed
Greenhouse Inn - http://www.thegreenhouseinn.com/
1206 Magazine Street (Lower Garden District)
Pluses: Amazingly lush garden/pool area, friendly owner, thoughtful "local recommendations" guide, non-stuffy feel, room was recently renovated, good bar across the street (Bridge Lounge)
Minuses: Due to its location we took taxis often; it's a long walk to most places
(*Tip: Take United taxis only--the owner recommended this and the few times we didn't heed his advice we ended up "going the long way" with other companies. United's # is: (504) 522-9771)
Where We Ate
We really didn't have a single bad meal. But some restaurants (and dishes) wowed us more than others.
Dinners
Jacques-imo's
http://www.jacquesimoscafe.com/
http://www.fodors.com/world/north-am...ew-158110.html
Stella!
http://www.restaurantstella.com/
Eleven 79
http://www.eleven79.com/eleven79menu.html
http://www.fodors.com/world/north-am...ew-430206.html
August
http://www.restaurantaugust.com/
http://www.fodors.com/world/north-am...ew-133523.html
August was hands down the best meal of our trip; a worthwhile splurge. I would heartily recommend for anyone looking for a "special occasion" kind of place in NO. We were particularly impressed with the service. We ordered a cool bottle of wine too--that I'm now forgetting the name of. We took the label it was that memorable so I'll have to add that later.
We went to Jacques-imo's on our first night; when we arrived at around 9:00 the host quoted us a 2-2.5 hour wait. We said great and asked to put our name down; she thought it was funny how accepting we were of this ridiculously long wait. What can I say---we were happy to be in N.O. There was a BBQ set up in the street, a band playing, an artist showcasing his work in a house nearby, and crowds spilling out into the street from the Maple Leaf Bar next door. It felt like the epicenter of fun---a great start to our trip.
I chatted up an older gentleman leaning against a convertible parked in the middle of this scene (I wanted to take his picture with the car). We ended up talking for a long time and he invited my boyfriend and I to sit at a little table outside the restaurant designated for his tarot card readings. He gave me a reading which was fun and we drank a few beers to pass the time. Over two hours later we sat down to eat dinner; I do not clearly remember this meal, but I remember thinking it was tasty. I believe I had gumbo.
I should note that on Monday morning on our way out we stopped at Luke (another John Besh restaurant) in the business district for brunch. I had really good bloody mary and shrimp and grits. Would definitely recommend. http://www.lukeneworleans.com/
Food at the Fest:
The food at the fest was really tasty---though many of the dishes (at least the ones we selected) were heavier and fried. We did feel a little sick of it by the final day (we were there Friday-Saturday-Sunday. Things we tried (based on my notes):
Cochon de Lait Po-Boy
Oyster
Crawfish Sack
Crawfish Beignets
Regular Beignets
Oyster Patties
Crawfish Remoulade
Shrimp and Crawfish Po-boy
Fried Popcorn Shrimp & Crawfish Tails
Muffuletta
Who We Saw - Jazz Fest Strategies
I think there's two basic strategies for seeing music at Jazz Fest--- one being go with a group of friends and stake your claim at a given stage and enjoy what comes up (coming and going as you please). Just being the two of us, and not being particularly organized or up early enough to get to the fairgrounds, my boyfriend and I roamed throughout the day. My favorite stages were the Blues and Jazz Tents---by arriving just as another show was ending we were almost always able to find good seats. At both tents I was able to go to the very front to knee and take pictures throughout the show.
Of course, there's a lot of music that happens at night away from the fairgrounds. We popped into several bars in the French Quarter and made a trip to Tipitina's. I wish we had scoped this out a bit more---for instance, we went to Tipitina's assuming that we'd like whoever was playing--but that wasn't the case and we were a bit bummed. The highlight of the trip for me musically was an unexpected surprise; we were walking by the House of Blues and saw that Susan Tedeschi was playing. I thought House of Blues would be gimmicky--I was very wrong; what a great place to see somebody---the sound was great. Susan Tedeschi did not disappoint; David Hidalgo, from Los Lobos, joined her onstage at the end.
Musical Highlights at Jazz Fest (off the top of my head)
Neil Young - This was a fantastic show that did not disappoint; he even played one of my favorite songs: "Everybody Knows This is Nowhere". We suffered through a cramped 1 hour intermission before this show in order to have a good spot towards the front it was completely worth it.
Bonnie Raitt
Doc Watson - His version of Summertime was especially good.
Poncho Sanchez Latin Jazz Band
Chris Thomas King
John Mayall
Aaron Neville
Allen Toussaint
Buddy Guy
We saw a little bit of several other bands; in trying to see our individual "must-sees" I think we didn't see enough local N.O. musicians, though many played with several of the above artists. Maybe we should have spent less time eating! =) I'd also consider going to the actual fest for 2 days instead of 3 in order to see more of NO; we'd just go earlier the other two days to catch more bands.
I think that's all for now---thanks to both shormrk2 and mah1980 for the suggestion of the Carousel Bar. We liked that place a lot and started joking about opening something similar in New York.
I'll try to post some of my photos soon---thanks again for all of your help
May 22nd, 2009, 01:13 PM
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"I believe I had gumbo", lol Katie, I know how that can happen!
Fun, lovely and informative trip report! I hope you two get an opportunity to visit the Jazz Fest again. It will be fun to see your photos too.
Fun, lovely and informative trip report! I hope you two get an opportunity to visit the Jazz Fest again. It will be fun to see your photos too.
May 24th, 2009, 05:54 AM
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Sounds like a great trip, What can be bad, New Orleans, its food and music?
Funny I saw Aaron Neville on the corner of Third Ave and 15 St in Manhattan the other day. A bicycle messanger stopped to talk to him. Neville could have not been nicer.
Funny I saw Aaron Neville on the corner of Third Ave and 15 St in Manhattan the other day. A bicycle messanger stopped to talk to him. Neville could have not been nicer.
May 26th, 2009, 06:59 AM
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Thanks for the comments; I know I completely failed in the Nachitoches meat pies. I found them on our final day but I had already sucked down something else and I just... couldn't... do... it. So full. Could not eat another bite. We will be back!
williams--your etouffee comment reminded me of what I ordered for my main course at Jacques-imo's that hazy first night. It was the shrimp etouffee!
Speaking of NY sightings aduchamp---over the weekend I saw Allen Toussaint at a restaurant in Soho.
williams--your etouffee comment reminded me of what I ordered for my main course at Jacques-imo's that hazy first night. It was the shrimp etouffee!
Speaking of NY sightings aduchamp---over the weekend I saw Allen Toussaint at a restaurant in Soho.
May 26th, 2009, 07:13 AM
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It's okay, young Jazz Fest rookie! In time, you will learn to overcome those feelings!!!
The Jazz Band from my sons' school were in NO over the weekend and played across from Jackson Sq (on the steps by the levee). They had a blast - eating good food and snowballs! DS#1 can't wait to be in the band next year and go on this trip. The other kids are already looking to him to show them where to go for good food!
It's okay, young Jazz Fest rookie! In time, you will learn to overcome those feelings!!!
The Jazz Band from my sons' school were in NO over the weekend and played across from Jackson Sq (on the steps by the levee). They had a blast - eating good food and snowballs! DS#1 can't wait to be in the band next year and go on this trip. The other kids are already looking to him to show them where to go for good food!
May 27th, 2009, 07:59 AM
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None of those SanParis! A really good martini (grey goose up with a twist, super dry) at the Carousel Bar was a highlight; Otherwise it was Abita beer except at Jazz Fest, which disappointingly seemed to only have Coors Lite available after the first day!
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