New Orleans transportation/parking
 

We will be in the New Orleans area the week of February 10 through the 17th on a humanitarian/rebuilding trip and will be staying in a camp at 9301 Chef Menteur Highway. I will be riding down with others and won't have a vehicle but would like to get into the city for a parade on the 15th in the uptown area. Does anyone know if there would be public transportation out that way? I understand there may be a bus but it doesn't run very late. Any idea what a taxi might cost from the city to that area at night? Would that be safe? How are cabs in New Orleans now? And if we are uptown, do you think we could walk to the French Quarter? How about public transpo there? Do you think the French Quarter, maybe Canal/Royal Street is a safe place to be in the evening during that week? I even read some not so good things on the New Orleans webpage. Any comment?

Also if we can get someone to drive into the city after we finish our work at 4 in the afternoon or so, does anyone have a suggestion for parking? I read something about valet parking at one of the larger hotels on Canal Street. Could you, for example, give me a name? Would they take cars that are not driven by guests?

Thanks

You do NOT want to be taking public transportation in the evening...sorry but I dont think that is a good idea.

From/to Chef Menteur NO NO NO NO take a CAB!!!

Cabs are harder to get Post K...just order it at LEAST an hour prior to you wanting to be picked up.

Chef Ment -----> St Charles...I would say about $30...if you call a cab company they will tell you.

Streetcar in the downtown area/st. charles is ok.

Canal/Royal at night no problem....just use common sense..don't walk alone....or if it seems deserted, go down another road. Royal tends to be one of the busiest streets off of Canal...it is where many of the antiques and cool shops are.

Walking from St. Charles to Royal is a hike....you may want to cab it....about 8$. or take the street car..but I am not sure what time they run...you should be able to get that info online...but who knows if it is accurate with this city government.

There should be plenty of parking available even through mardi gras. Names? Hilton, Sheraton (3 downtown), W hotel...WIndsor Court, at Saks Fifth Avenue...and 3 large public lots at the bottom of the Quarter next to the Mississippi river....you will not have any problems.

God Bless you for helping out!

Mark,

Thanks so much for your reply. Okay. No public transportation. I just hate feeling so dependent on others. But I'm sure we will go to the city one night. And it sounds like parking will be no problem.

I will consider a cab for a night. If you're down there, could you maybe give me the name and phone number of a reliable cab company down there I could call?

I actually was there last year for the marathon. The parades we want to go to are Uptown. I'm assuming there will be places to park there as well. Do you know?

I won't be alone. At the very least I will go in with my son who is 23 and a pretty big guy. We will stay together and be sensible. I would just like to see a parade and walk around the French Quarter a little. Maybe not Bourbon Street, but Royal/Canal, Jackson Square and maybe Cafe du Monde.

Any other advice you can give me is appreciated. Thanks again.

Try this...any of these cabs are as reasonable as the next. When you want to go back to Chef....just go into one of the large hotels and they will have cabs waiting. You might be able to get a flat rate...not sure.

http://www.neworleansonline.com/tool...ound/cabs.html

You have a reasonable plan..there is lots to see and do in the area you mentioned.

During parade times, it will be next to impossible to find parking in the uptown area....not only that...with all the street closures and parade routes and crowds...it will be like a maze...and you will find it extremely difficult to find your way in the madness.

Best thing to do is park near canal or Poydras St at one of the hotels or public lots and cab it over as close as possible.

Your best bet might be parking at the garage at the Hilton at the bottom of Poydras Street...and as soon as you walk out of the garage there will be cabs there to take you to the parade area.

Just a note...from time to time you might run into a jerk who will say he cannot take you there....that is ILLEGAL....they MUST take you...they cannot refuse a passenger.

Also just a note on cabs...try to carry a lot of small bills...I have had many occasions where they would tell me they have no change...assuming they are trying to shake a bigger tip out of you...but these are the rare occasions....I am sure you will have fun.

Thanks again. I'm feeling a little better about it. I'm going to take enough cash so that I can get into the city by cab and back for a parade. I at least want to do that since I'm there. And then get to the French Quarter, walk around a little and take a taxi back. I'd almost rather do that than worry about what everyone else is doing. My son would go with me for sure (on my dollar of course :), but that's okay. Safe and secure.

Have fun. My DH has been to New Orleans 3 times on a work crew, and he's going again in a few weeks. He finds it really uplifting.

They always have a group dinner in one of the French Quarter restuarants on their last night -- they just use the vans that take them to worksites, and have no problems finding parking. But of course it is good to call ahead with a big group (his is around 30)-- I cna find out some names of restaurants if you are interested.

This might be silly....but if you have a large group like 30 or more.....you might want to try slitting the group into 2 or 3 and trying 3 different restaurants and then get together after dinner to compare notes.

MOst restaurants are still not fully staffed, obtaining workers continues to be a real challenge.

Asside from that, restaurants are still hurting, so spreading the business is a good way to help out.

This "hurting" is all the way from the largest to the smallest. I've heard some people say "give the business to the mom and pops, instead of the big one" but some might be surprised to find out that even the large ones are jurting.

WIthout mentioning any names....there are a couple of well known local restaurants that underwent million dollar renovations just before Katrina...and they are having a hard time right now.

These are no rich people...just great chefs who invested their entire life into building their dream.

Thanks so much for your suggestions. It would be great to take a group in for dinner, but I'm not in charge of this trip. Maybe I can check into that once we get there. That is just NOT normal for me as I am the planner! Not sure I like that but anyway ... :) I'm not sure what to expect.

All I know is I am leaving the snow behind (YEA!) in Michigan on Saturday morning at 6 a.m. It is not my vehicle so I have limited options there. I have the cab numbers in hand and a guide book. I ordered a Streetwise Map but not sure if it will be here. Anyway, not a lot of time so it doesn't matter.

My heart went out to NO when we were there last February. You could walk into ANY restaurant, no reservations, no problem. I love the city. Such differences, the FQ, the Garden District. Got to see it all during the marathon and our walks around town. Even took a drive into the 9th Ward. Unbelievable. Even after, what, 5 months, it still looked like a war zone.

It's all very sad, but I'm hoping they are coming back and want to do my part to help. I'm sure it will be an uplifting experience.

Thanks again for your help.