One more quick question. We leave for NOLA Saturday morning. Staying in the Quarter for 5 days/4 nights with no car. Do we need to take a cab to the Garden District? This area sounds really neat, but I don't know how much a cab would cost to get over there, or if it's worth it for our first trip out there. Any opinons?

Take the St Charles St car. A lot of fun. A taxi is a cheap alternative but the st. car ride is a real nice touch.
Kal

Thanks, Kal. Do you know about how much either, or both cost?

Just realized we WILL be going to the Garden District...have reservations at Delmonico for on evening. Didn't realize it was in the Garden District. Is there any other must-see stops to make while we're there...anything open late afternoon or evening? How safe is the Garden District?

The street car, if I remember correctly (we were just there in March but there were many hurricanes involved), is $1.50/ride but we bought all day passes which I think were $4.00 and you can get on and off as much as you want. We rode the street car to about 1st street and got off and took the AAA walking tour. You can either go on a guided tour but we just wanted to walk around and look at things ourselves so we took my AAA book and it guides you through with descriptions of the houses and their histories. We saw several other groups doing the same tour (we all looked like geeky tourists - it was pretty funny). My mom had also downloaded some info off the internet so we sort of combined the two tours. Then we got back on the street car and rode further through the Garden District to the zoo. You pass both Tulane and Loyola on the way. The zoo was pretty nice as far as zoos go. The houses along St. Charles are beautiful though and the street car is a great way to see them. The Garden District was very safe in the daytime (it is a wealthy area - we saw Anne Rice's house) but it is a city so I would follow the same precautions as in any city, especially one that I was not familiar with. I don't know how much a cab would be - the last time I took a cab in NO was in 1994 during Mardi Gras so my memory of that is very dim.....

A couple of basic facts: 1)fare for street car is $1.25 for each trip. As someone else mentioned, you can buy an all day pass for $4.00 (probably the best buy for tourists)Also, keep in mind the streetcar driver will not give change 2)Delmonico's is NOT in the Garden District. The general boundaries of the Garden District are Jackson Ave. on the east, Lousisiana Ave. on the west, Magazine Street on the south and St. Charles Ave (actually Carondalet) on the north. Delmonico's is before you get to Jackson Ave. 3) Garden District is very safe in day time, just be wary at night, as you would in any town. Keep in mind that Anne Rice lives in Garden District (on the corner of 1st and I think Chestnut, look for the house with the limosine parked out front)as do Archie Manning and the lead singer of Nine Inch Nails,(ask your kids). The zoo, much furhter uptown is actually very good, however there is not much shade and summer has already settled in this year I'm afraid. Going on 30 days without rain and several days of record heat. Have fun on your visit.

Does the St. Charles St. car pass Anne Rice's house and if so what is it near? Just wondering what to look for before getting to her home so I will be ready to snap a picture. Thanks.

No, you need to get off the street car at First Street and walk a few blocks over to her house (1239 First Street). There was no limo when we were there (maybe she was not there ).

Thanks Alex.

Hey, Alex, I think my friends and I might have run into you and your friends while looking for Anne Rice's house in March? Some nice group with a guidebook helped us find it. We actually caught a glance of her getting into her limo. What was her personal plate, anyone remember? I think it started with an "o"....

Sheila, you can definitely do the Garden District on your own without a tour. There's a great walking tour of the GD in the Frommer's guide too.

Well, Susan, I don't think it was me - I was with my mom, dad and "baby" sister (22 yrs old). We would have been the group screaming at each other (LOL). But, I sure am glad that someone helped you find it! You are so lucky you saw her!!! I was so sad I didn't - have been a big fan going on 20 years. There were two men sitting in the side yard area - I was wondering if one of them was her son, Christopher.