New Orleans Trip Report Part 1
Apr 21st, 2003, 11:21 AM
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New Orleans Trip Report Part 1
New Orleans Trip Report
I would just like to thank everyone for all of your comments and suggestions���K.. I hope this trip report will help others who are planning a trip to New Orleans�K I try to be as detailed as possible so I am sure this will be very long and broken down into a few threads��. We were in NOLA from 4/14-4/19
We used Airport Shuttle (http://www.airportshuttleneworleans.com/) for our transportation to and from the airport. The cost was $20 round trip per person. They advise you to make a reservation ahead of time but you do not need to. They have desks located in the baggage claim area where you go and check in or sign up. Having a reservation did make this process go a little more quickly and smoothly. We were not in NOLA during a busy week the shuttles just filled up and off you went���K. During busy times they travel by grids or areas so again the wait is not that long. We were staying at the Embassy Suites near the Convention Center so we were the first ones dropped off. I found a great hotel rate at http://www.neworleansonline.com/neworleans/ back in December for $89 which includes a free hot buffet breakfast. We both felt the location of the Embassy Suites was great as my husband and I were within walking distance of so many areas and attractions. The trip took about 30 minutes as there was a little traffic. We arrived at the hotel around 10:30am; don��t forget you are now on Central Time���K.. The hotel was able to check us in right away which was an added bonus. My husband and I had been up since 4:00am so we were a bit tired and hungry. I had found a 20% off coupon for our hotel restaurant The Sugar House. The food was very good a reasonably priced. They even have a lunch buffet every day which includes soup, salad bar, 4-5 hot entrees and dessert for $8.95. We stayed away from the buffet to save on our waistlines; it was a good meal all the same. We had an afternoon CITY TOUR with Tours by Isabelle (http://www.toursbyisabelle.com/). The cost was $40 per person and it was over 3hrs which did give you more bang for your buck. At first we thought a city tour was a good idea to get us familiar with the area as neither one of us had ever been to NOLA. The tour was very informative but they did keep changing the start time pushing it further back. This was because they kept adding additional guests which varied the pick up times and since we were the last ones picked up my husband and I could not sit together as I was up front and he was in the back. While TBI is very good and you tour with a much smaller group than you would on a regular bus tour, they do hold all tours as not confirmed until they have more than 5 people attending a tour. I was trying to schedule a Plantation Tour to visit Oak Alley and Laura and while we wanted a morning tour we ended up settling for an afternoon tour. We did get out of the van twice during the City Tour, once at the Cemetery and again in City Park. As for dinner on our first night I was glad we did not have reservations since the city tour kept getting pushed back. I had a $25 off coupon for Anthony��s Seafood house which was located at Riverwalk. Riverwalk is a grand mall built along the Mississippi River with wonderful views. This coupon was purchased through Ebay at Restaurant.com. They have a website but also sell gift certificates online through Ebay at well below face value. Anthony��s was nice great seafood and fabulous bread but there prices were a bit high but the coupon did offset this.
I would just like to thank everyone for all of your comments and suggestions���K.. I hope this trip report will help others who are planning a trip to New Orleans�K I try to be as detailed as possible so I am sure this will be very long and broken down into a few threads��. We were in NOLA from 4/14-4/19
We used Airport Shuttle (http://www.airportshuttleneworleans.com/) for our transportation to and from the airport. The cost was $20 round trip per person. They advise you to make a reservation ahead of time but you do not need to. They have desks located in the baggage claim area where you go and check in or sign up. Having a reservation did make this process go a little more quickly and smoothly. We were not in NOLA during a busy week the shuttles just filled up and off you went���K. During busy times they travel by grids or areas so again the wait is not that long. We were staying at the Embassy Suites near the Convention Center so we were the first ones dropped off. I found a great hotel rate at http://www.neworleansonline.com/neworleans/ back in December for $89 which includes a free hot buffet breakfast. We both felt the location of the Embassy Suites was great as my husband and I were within walking distance of so many areas and attractions. The trip took about 30 minutes as there was a little traffic. We arrived at the hotel around 10:30am; don��t forget you are now on Central Time���K.. The hotel was able to check us in right away which was an added bonus. My husband and I had been up since 4:00am so we were a bit tired and hungry. I had found a 20% off coupon for our hotel restaurant The Sugar House. The food was very good a reasonably priced. They even have a lunch buffet every day which includes soup, salad bar, 4-5 hot entrees and dessert for $8.95. We stayed away from the buffet to save on our waistlines; it was a good meal all the same. We had an afternoon CITY TOUR with Tours by Isabelle (http://www.toursbyisabelle.com/). The cost was $40 per person and it was over 3hrs which did give you more bang for your buck. At first we thought a city tour was a good idea to get us familiar with the area as neither one of us had ever been to NOLA. The tour was very informative but they did keep changing the start time pushing it further back. This was because they kept adding additional guests which varied the pick up times and since we were the last ones picked up my husband and I could not sit together as I was up front and he was in the back. While TBI is very good and you tour with a much smaller group than you would on a regular bus tour, they do hold all tours as not confirmed until they have more than 5 people attending a tour. I was trying to schedule a Plantation Tour to visit Oak Alley and Laura and while we wanted a morning tour we ended up settling for an afternoon tour. We did get out of the van twice during the City Tour, once at the Cemetery and again in City Park. As for dinner on our first night I was glad we did not have reservations since the city tour kept getting pushed back. I had a $25 off coupon for Anthony��s Seafood house which was located at Riverwalk. Riverwalk is a grand mall built along the Mississippi River with wonderful views. This coupon was purchased through Ebay at Restaurant.com. They have a website but also sell gift certificates online through Ebay at well below face value. Anthony��s was nice great seafood and fabulous bread but there prices were a bit high but the coupon did offset this.
Apr 21st, 2003, 12:48 PM
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ez,
Great TR w/ a lot of detail. How's 'bout cut and pasting them all onto this one so it's easy for us NOLA fans, present and future, can find the info w/ a simple text search?
My dear, sweet sis in law and her beautiful daughter (niece in law?) will be going shorlty and I will rec your TR to them.
Then let the gooood times rollllll!
Kal
Great TR w/ a lot of detail. How's 'bout cut and pasting them all onto this one so it's easy for us NOLA fans, present and future, can find the info w/ a simple text search?
My dear, sweet sis in law and her beautiful daughter (niece in law?) will be going shorlty and I will rec your TR to them.
Then let the gooood times rollllll!
Kal
Apr 21st, 2003, 02:03 PM
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Kal,
Unless I am doing something wrong, the entire report will not fit into one post. Posting was very weird today as it posted Part 1 twice and so on. If you or anyone would like the entire report which I have in Microsoft WORD you can email me at [email protected] and I will be more than happy to email it to you.
Elaine
Unless I am doing something wrong, the entire report will not fit into one post. Posting was very weird today as it posted Part 1 twice and so on. If you or anyone would like the entire report which I have in Microsoft WORD you can email me at [email protected] and I will be more than happy to email it to you.
Elaine
Apr 21st, 2003, 02:18 PM
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New Orleans Trip Report Part 2
Author: ezmark
Date: 04/21/2003, 04:08 pm
Message: Tuesday we had a few hours before our swamp tour so we went over to the Aquarium where we would purchase our passport which would gain us admission as well to the Zoo, IMAX Theater and a round trip cruise on a river boat to the zoo. After purchasing our tickets we got hijacked for the timeshare presentation. A lady came up to us and asked if we were from out of town and we starting talking and she claimed that we could receive two free tours and a coupon book if we would travel to this nearby restaurant as they are trying to show outside visitors all the attractions etc. We were driven by this car which had D&J Marketing on the outside and the driver then had us fill out this form to ??Qualify?? and we then picked out our free tours. We had done a timeshare presentation in Orlando, FL without buying so we knew what we were doing??
This timeshare was a bit pushier etc but we also got free drinks and King Cake???K. After an hour or so we finally explained that we could not afford it and we were given our free tour passes and the coupon book. We barely made our pick up time for the swamp tour. We chose Dr. Wagner??s Honey Island Swamp Tour, which did ask us to meet near Canal Street to pick us up, which was not a problem. We also found in a Visitors Guide a $5 off coupon for this tour, so with transportation it was $40 per person. Great tour as many had mentioned on these boards and we both enjoyed it, as we did manage to see 3 gators???K. The waters of the swamp were very high as the guide mentioned that we could have seen a lot more if the water was lower. Dinner ?V we had reservations at NOLA (an Emeril Restaurant). It was casual dress and the food as well as the service was amazing???K.
=================================
Author: ezmark
Date: 04/21/2003, 04:08 pm
Message: Tuesday we had a few hours before our swamp tour so we went over to the Aquarium where we would purchase our passport which would gain us admission as well to the Zoo, IMAX Theater and a round trip cruise on a river boat to the zoo. After purchasing our tickets we got hijacked for the timeshare presentation. A lady came up to us and asked if we were from out of town and we starting talking and she claimed that we could receive two free tours and a coupon book if we would travel to this nearby restaurant as they are trying to show outside visitors all the attractions etc. We were driven by this car which had D&J Marketing on the outside and the driver then had us fill out this form to ??Qualify?? and we then picked out our free tours. We had done a timeshare presentation in Orlando, FL without buying so we knew what we were doing??
This timeshare was a bit pushier etc but we also got free drinks and King Cake???K. After an hour or so we finally explained that we could not afford it and we were given our free tour passes and the coupon book. We barely made our pick up time for the swamp tour. We chose Dr. Wagner??s Honey Island Swamp Tour, which did ask us to meet near Canal Street to pick us up, which was not a problem. We also found in a Visitors Guide a $5 off coupon for this tour, so with transportation it was $40 per person. Great tour as many had mentioned on these boards and we both enjoyed it, as we did manage to see 3 gators???K. The waters of the swamp were very high as the guide mentioned that we could have seen a lot more if the water was lower. Dinner ?V we had reservations at NOLA (an Emeril Restaurant). It was casual dress and the food as well as the service was amazing???K.
=================================
Apr 21st, 2003, 02:18 PM
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New Orleans Trip Report Part 3
=======================
Author: ezmark
Date: 04/21/2003, 04:09 pm
Message: Wednesday ? up early and walked around the French Quarter, checked out Harrah?s Casino and won $120 on the slot machine?. We then took the FREE Canal St Ferry over to Algiers to visit Mardi Gras World.. The coupon book we received had a buy one admission get one free. The only thing was the coupon said they opened up at 9:00am, a billboard once you got off the ferry said they opened at 9:30am and the FREE shuttle did not come until 9:50am as the driver said they opened up at 10:00am. It was a bit confusing, but you will see a walking / jogging track that goes around the banks of the Mississippi and you can walk to Mardi Gras World. Since the shuttle bus only holds 12 people not everyone could fit in the bus at one time. We tried to walk as much as possible and we did take the walk once we left the tour because we knew there would be a crowd waiting for the lone shuttle bus, and we were being picked up at our hotel at 12:00 for the Plantation Tour. We used Tours by Isabelle once again as I wanted to see Oak Alley and Laura Plantations. Everyone on this site did get it right, when they mentioned how boring the tour was at Oak Alley? We began the tour and snuck out after a few minutes because the tour was so boring. Besides I just wanted to walk around and take pix of the beautiful Oak Trees?.. Laura was a different story altogether?. Our tour guide was Jenny and a number of people on this website said how good Jenny was. We did luck out because she made the tour of Laura very enjoyable and everyone just loved her so much. At Laura they tell the history of Laura and her family which as it turns out to be is very interesting as I even bought the book to read up on the history even more?. The admission into either Plantation is $10 for adults and we could have easily rented a car and driven there as the tour cost $126 for the two of us, but then again who knows if Jenny would have been our tour guide, and she did save the day. At one point as we were walking I told Jenny how people are talking about her on the Internet. She looked at me and could not believe that she had made such an impact on people. We had dinner at the Crescent City Brew house and my hubby wanted to try some good beer. We also had a free entr?e from the good old coupon book so that saved us $20 or so. Food was ok but without the coupon I would not go back again.
=======================
Author: ezmark
Date: 04/21/2003, 04:09 pm
Message: Wednesday ? up early and walked around the French Quarter, checked out Harrah?s Casino and won $120 on the slot machine?. We then took the FREE Canal St Ferry over to Algiers to visit Mardi Gras World.. The coupon book we received had a buy one admission get one free. The only thing was the coupon said they opened up at 9:00am, a billboard once you got off the ferry said they opened at 9:30am and the FREE shuttle did not come until 9:50am as the driver said they opened up at 10:00am. It was a bit confusing, but you will see a walking / jogging track that goes around the banks of the Mississippi and you can walk to Mardi Gras World. Since the shuttle bus only holds 12 people not everyone could fit in the bus at one time. We tried to walk as much as possible and we did take the walk once we left the tour because we knew there would be a crowd waiting for the lone shuttle bus, and we were being picked up at our hotel at 12:00 for the Plantation Tour. We used Tours by Isabelle once again as I wanted to see Oak Alley and Laura Plantations. Everyone on this site did get it right, when they mentioned how boring the tour was at Oak Alley? We began the tour and snuck out after a few minutes because the tour was so boring. Besides I just wanted to walk around and take pix of the beautiful Oak Trees?.. Laura was a different story altogether?. Our tour guide was Jenny and a number of people on this website said how good Jenny was. We did luck out because she made the tour of Laura very enjoyable and everyone just loved her so much. At Laura they tell the history of Laura and her family which as it turns out to be is very interesting as I even bought the book to read up on the history even more?. The admission into either Plantation is $10 for adults and we could have easily rented a car and driven there as the tour cost $126 for the two of us, but then again who knows if Jenny would have been our tour guide, and she did save the day. At one point as we were walking I told Jenny how people are talking about her on the Internet. She looked at me and could not believe that she had made such an impact on people. We had dinner at the Crescent City Brew house and my hubby wanted to try some good beer. We also had a free entr?e from the good old coupon book so that saved us $20 or so. Food was ok but without the coupon I would not go back again.
Apr 21st, 2003, 02:20 PM
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New Orleans Trip Report Part 4
=============
Author: ezmark
Date: 04/21/2003, 04:09 pm
Message: Thursday � Visited the Aquarium and saw an IMAX movie. The Aquarium was very crowded with school tours but it was nice. The IMAX movie was no big deal as we thought it might rain one day so it would be a good indoor activity. We did luck out as we had 80 plus temperatures and no rain all week. One of the free tours we took was the paddlewheel boat to the Battlefield. The boat ride was nice but the Battlefield tour was no big deal, for free it was fine. Dinner we had reservations at Emerils restaurant and again his food was amazing� I had the best ever grilled salmon and an amazing chocolate souffl� for dessert�. We then took a ride on the St Charles Streetcar and on the way back did get a really nice nighttime view of all the houses along St Charles Ave.
Friday � Even though we had tickets for the zoo cruise we ended up using the streetcar instead. The Zoo opened at 9:30 and the cruise did not leave until 10 and does not arrive at the zoo until 11:00am or so. Since this was the only day we were including a lunch (Camellia Grill which was near the Zoo) we decided to go early. There is a free shuttle bus that will pick you up in front of the Audubon Park which is about a 15 minute walk to the zoo. Since we were early we walked along the jogging walking path around the golf course and the zoo was on the opposite side of St Charles Ave which was Magazine St. You take a regular bus on Magazine ST which would drop you off in front of the zoo as well. The zoo was fun and we then walked to Camellia Grill, it was now 11:30 and there was already a line out the door�. But it was well worth the wait of almost 40 minutes. The burgers were really good and the Chocolate Pecan Pie was amazing�. Since they topped it with Bluebell Ice Cream (I had this is great Ice Cream in the South), we got the pie a la mode. They took the pie put it on the grill with butter, flipped it over put more butter on top and the added the Ice Cream on top. It was pure heaven. We decided to do some walking so I could take pix of some of the houses along St Charles. We finally got back on the streetcar for a few minutes to head down to the Garden District. We got off by Washington St and walked as we were trying to find a place for dinner that night. The man who created Popeye�s Chicken also had a couple of restaurants called Copeland�s. After more pix taking, we stopped in at Copeland�s Cheesecake Bistro and sat at the bar where the bartender cooled us down with frost covered glasses of water.
New Orleans Trip Part 5
=========
Author: ezmark
Date: 04/21/2003, 04:10 pm
Message: We had done so much walking that day I think we had heat stroke. Dinner was a nice choice as I had a great Mahi Mahi with fried shrimp on top???K.. The homemade cheesecakes were amazing as well. The airport shuttle picked us up at 8:50am on Saturday and after a couple of stops we were at the airport by 9:30am. Our flight was not boarding until 11:00am but it was nice not to have to worry about being late for the flight. The only disappointment was Bourbon Street as it smelled like beer and urine walking along the street. Since we are both almost 40??s I know our idea of a good time is not hanging out and getting drunk on $1 beers???K Thanks again to everyone for there ideas and for anyone getting ready to take a trip you can and will have a great time???K..
=============
Author: ezmark
Date: 04/21/2003, 04:09 pm
Message: Thursday � Visited the Aquarium and saw an IMAX movie. The Aquarium was very crowded with school tours but it was nice. The IMAX movie was no big deal as we thought it might rain one day so it would be a good indoor activity. We did luck out as we had 80 plus temperatures and no rain all week. One of the free tours we took was the paddlewheel boat to the Battlefield. The boat ride was nice but the Battlefield tour was no big deal, for free it was fine. Dinner we had reservations at Emerils restaurant and again his food was amazing� I had the best ever grilled salmon and an amazing chocolate souffl� for dessert�. We then took a ride on the St Charles Streetcar and on the way back did get a really nice nighttime view of all the houses along St Charles Ave.
Friday � Even though we had tickets for the zoo cruise we ended up using the streetcar instead. The Zoo opened at 9:30 and the cruise did not leave until 10 and does not arrive at the zoo until 11:00am or so. Since this was the only day we were including a lunch (Camellia Grill which was near the Zoo) we decided to go early. There is a free shuttle bus that will pick you up in front of the Audubon Park which is about a 15 minute walk to the zoo. Since we were early we walked along the jogging walking path around the golf course and the zoo was on the opposite side of St Charles Ave which was Magazine St. You take a regular bus on Magazine ST which would drop you off in front of the zoo as well. The zoo was fun and we then walked to Camellia Grill, it was now 11:30 and there was already a line out the door�. But it was well worth the wait of almost 40 minutes. The burgers were really good and the Chocolate Pecan Pie was amazing�. Since they topped it with Bluebell Ice Cream (I had this is great Ice Cream in the South), we got the pie a la mode. They took the pie put it on the grill with butter, flipped it over put more butter on top and the added the Ice Cream on top. It was pure heaven. We decided to do some walking so I could take pix of some of the houses along St Charles. We finally got back on the streetcar for a few minutes to head down to the Garden District. We got off by Washington St and walked as we were trying to find a place for dinner that night. The man who created Popeye�s Chicken also had a couple of restaurants called Copeland�s. After more pix taking, we stopped in at Copeland�s Cheesecake Bistro and sat at the bar where the bartender cooled us down with frost covered glasses of water.
New Orleans Trip Part 5
=========
Author: ezmark
Date: 04/21/2003, 04:10 pm
Message: We had done so much walking that day I think we had heat stroke. Dinner was a nice choice as I had a great Mahi Mahi with fried shrimp on top???K.. The homemade cheesecakes were amazing as well. The airport shuttle picked us up at 8:50am on Saturday and after a couple of stops we were at the airport by 9:30am. Our flight was not boarding until 11:00am but it was nice not to have to worry about being late for the flight. The only disappointment was Bourbon Street as it smelled like beer and urine walking along the street. Since we are both almost 40??s I know our idea of a good time is not hanging out and getting drunk on $1 beers???K Thanks again to everyone for there ideas and for anyone getting ready to take a trip you can and will have a great time???K..
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