BaltimoreRob

I would like to clarify my original post for everyone, but I'd first like to share a quick story that spurred it.

Prior to a trip to Los Angeles I read in the Fodor's guide book about a museum in Hollywood that contained the original Cheers set. I loved the tv show so I dragged my then girlfriend, soon to be wife, all the way there. It turned out to be a guided tour that was way too long and wouldn't let you move ahead or go back. It was a bad experience that could have been avoided if we had only spoken to someone that had gone before us.

It is my desire to not repeat this type of experience on our honeymoon. So if something is completely over-rated and a waste of time, I'd like to know about it. If something is worth visiting, but would be best avoided during a particular day or time of day, then that info would be helpful.

I totally want to be a tourist and experience the things that define NOLA. I'd also like to find out about some hidden treasures that locals care to share.

Your postings are helping me do my best to create a loose outline for our trip. So thanks for assisting me.

-Rob

ilovetulips

I think some people feel like a tourist trap is worth their time while others think it is a waste. Touristy things that are fun in NOLA are:

1. Having a drink(hurricane or pick your poison at Pat O'Brien's)
2. Have a beignet at Cafe du Monde (yes it is a glorified funnel cake but so good and fun!)
3. Walk down Bourbon St. and order a drink to go.
4. Take a walking tour of the French Quarter or Garden District and check out some cemetaries along the way.)
5. Walk along Jackson Square.
6. I personally enjoyed my Sunday brunch at Court of Two Sisters, no it wasn't the best food in the world, but I loved my mimosa, laughing with good friends and hearing a jazz quartet in the background. This could probably be done at a number of different places.

ilovetulips

I just looked at my random choice of parentheses. Not sure what I was thinking!

TheWeasel

Things to avoid: 1) taking the street car mid-afternoon when school is letting out, 2) anyone who walks up to you on Bourbon Street and starts a conversation, and 3) walking too far off the beaten path after dark. I've been on the street car (from FQ to Audubon Zoo) and a gaggle of schoolchildren got on on our way back. I can best describe them as poorly behaved urchins - one of them knocked a tourist's bag out of her hands as she was exiting, and then laughed at her and mocked her. The rest of them were noisy like I've never heard before. It turned an interesting ride through the Garden District into a ride from hell.

As for the people on Bourbon Street, there are various scams to try to get money from you, several of which have been described already. I had someone try to clean my shoes (sneakers) and expect $5 for the service. If you're used to passing by panhandlers, etc. and ignoring their pleas, you'll be fine. If not, take lots of extra cash to blow, because they are aggressive.

You can generally walk up and down Bourbon Street and anywhere within a block on either side fairly safely at night because there are a fair number of police patrolling the area. Going outside that area is certainly doable, but I'd advise some caution and common sense. Getting really drunk and stumbling away from Bourbon St. is asking for trouble. FYI, there are many gay bars in the FQ. Straight bars end somewhere around the 600 block of Bourbon, and after that I think it's predominately gay. Feel free to visit them if you want, but some of them would probably shock you.

TripleSecDelay

Or, not, if you've done that before. ROFLMFAO.
The gay bars are obvious once you notice the 20 rainbow flags about 20 feet in the air. We stayed on Bourbon about 3 blocks from them and the flags framed the street as you peer from the balcony towards the skyscrapers.

TripleSecDelay

Staring at the revolving Carousel Bar might have been a better item "not to miss" on the list, except when we arrived, we were not in sync with the demographics of the crowd at that moment.

One year, Riverwalk (mall) was a great source of party/decor items with which to customize our rented apartment for our weeklong stay.

Sand volleyball light your fire? It's possible at

Polynesian Joe's -- 869 Magazine St., 525-9301 -- Daily drink specials, lunch buffet and sand volleyball court make this a great place to down a cold one. Opens at 11 a.m. daily.

iw

A very interesting take on other's opinions of the city. Pick and choose what you want to, IMO! I think it's called River City Brewery...great place to have lunch and...while watching the city down below from the balcony. We just ate at Ralph and Kakoos(sp?),,,good food. Bourbon St. is a sight to behold, but there are more fabulous places away from it. Don't get me wrong, it is worth a night of bar-hopping and people watching! We loved the aquarium and the Steamship Natchez tour. Harrah's is fun...I loved the carriage tour, but we had 4 non-big people on it, so I didn't feel bad for the mule! I can't remember who we used, but we did go on a swam tour and had a ball! The alligator and the guide are so entertaining. Have fun! karen

iw

typo.swamp, not swam tour! Ugh!

TripleSecDelay

Rob, are you still looking for places to avoid? I'm going to vote, once more, for Cat's Meow on Bourbon - if you're there. Difficult to have a bad time there.

BuffaloGirl

Avoid having the Ferdi Special at Mother's. I just didn't get what's so special about it.

Some people would tell you to avoid Mother's all together, but to me it worth visiting once for the "atmosphere."

Congratulations and have a great trip!

snowrooster

I've haven't read all of the responses on this thread but as someone who grew up in New Orleans and visits regularly, here are my thoughts:

Brennans is expensive but awesome. The food is great and it is the most sinfully delicious breakfast - don't skip a morning cocktail (I like their brandy milk punch).

Love Mothers - worth the wait. I get the Debris - drippy and yummy.

Ghost Tours - fun for one time. Definitely hokey but dh and I still joke about the one we took 5 years ago.

Swamp Tours can be great if you take the right one. We did Airboat Adventures on a small boat with 6 people plus the guide. Really great. Very differnt then the swamp tour "party boats" that fit 30 people.

Carriage Rides - we did one for $16/person since there were already people on the carriage. It was worth $16, but $50 would have been a lot to pay.

My favorite restaurants are: cafe du monde, mothers, acme oysters, commanders, jacques imos, and central grocery for muffelettas

There is a free ferry we took to Blaine Kern's Mardi Gras World which we enjoyed as well.

BTW, we were told to try the Hurricanes at Jean Laffittes as they are made with real juice and Pat O'Briens now uses a mix/artificial flavors. I love Pat O'Briens, but the one we tried at Laffittes was REALLY strong!!

spiegelcjs

I am new to this board and having some difficulty posting in the correct place so bare with me. We have been told to go to a cooking school while in NO in October. Can anyone tell me which is the best and what to avoid.
Thanks

SAnParis

Have a beignet @ Cafe Beignet, not Cafe du Monde. Have a muffaletta from Central Grocery. Have a 'Hurricane' from Pat O'Brien's (you can get them to go) or a 'hand grenade' (that would be the big plastic thingy folks are talking about). Go to Dominiques & have a great dinner at a place that no one knows about. The Court of 2 Sisters has gone downhill since they lost their batender several years ago but they still do the best tableside prep in NO. So, if you want a real Caesars Salad perpared tableside & Banana's Foster for dessert, that is the place. Go to the Old Absinthe House & have a drink by the fireplace (particularly if it is cold & rainy). Go to Acme for lunch & have a Dixie beer w/your oysters or red beans & rice. Wander down Royal & peek into all the galleries. Take the trolley out to the Universities & visit the zoo. Patrick is right, do whatever you want. But most of all, have fun. This comes from a frequent NO visitor & I'll be going back in December.

nolagirl

SAnParis, I have to disagree with you about the beignets. As a native New Orleanian and French Quarter resident, I would never recommend that a visitor to New Orleans automatically choose Cafe Beignet over Cafe du Monde. Cafe du Monde is the classic, the original, dating from the Civil War era. Cafe Beignet is a modern imitator, which is not necessarily a bad thing. But for me, the history and tradition of Cafe du Monde, with its extremely limited beignets-and-coffee menu, 24-hour-a-day service, and classic location right on Jackson Square -- with all the people-watching fun that goes along with that -- mean something and are part of the experience that I think of when I want beignets. I feel Cafe du Monde should definitely be one's first exposure to beignets. Personally, I wouldn't consider having beignets in the French Quarter anywhere other then Cafe du Monde, so naturally I have never been to Cafe Beignet. I can't tell you if their product is good, bad, or indifferent; of course, everyone is free to try them both and make his or her own decision as to which is preferable. However, to me, there isn't even a decision to make! It's Cafe du Monde all the way.

SAnParis

nolagirl - My opinion, the beignets are equal, but it is not worth the time nor the fight, to deal w/the mess that Cafe du Monde typically is. At Cafe Beignet (& I am sure many other eateries) the beignets are just as good w/out the crowd. I would encourage you to try Cafe Beignet, Cafe du Monde I believe would fit into the 'tourist trap' category. Jackson Square IS a great place to hang out & people watch but I typically do that on the Square itself. Speaking of...make sure you don't miss the street performers - the magicians, & musicians are typically very good as well as the 'Showtime' troupe.

nolagirl

I definitely agree that at Cafe du Monde, one should avoid the times of the huge crowds, with massive lines of people waiting to get it. Go earlier or later: it'll be a mob scene at 10:00 a.m. on a Sunday. Actually, late night is an especially good time to hit Cafe du Monde. With that caveat, Cafe du Monde is not a tourist trap. Natives go there too! As I said, for me, getting beignets is about a lot more than just eating the beignets: it's the whole experience of Cafe du Monde. My parents used to take me there occasionally when I was a child, and it was always a huge treat to me. The beignets taste as unbelievably delicious to me now as they did then, and the whole scene is very much unchanged from the way it was when I was a child! (Just a thought: I wonder if most locals would not actually consider Cafe Beignet to be the tourist trap, since it is not the original. I have never thought of that before; I'll ask around! That's definitely the way I feel about it, regardless.)

SAnParis

I understand your attachment to Cafe du Monde & to each their own. However, the crowd is enough to dissuade me, particularly when I can get a similar product & actually enjoy it in relative peace. I also spend a lot of time @ Royal Tea & not too many people seem to venture back there either, which is fine w/me when I am seeking a little peace & quiet.

Leona

I've been to both, and IMHO, there's not a bad beignet or praline anywhere in NOLA!

BaltimoreRob, don't avoid ANY praline shop!

Cira

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding. I am wondering if you are re-considering visiting N.O. in light of the Hurricane Katrina situation. Best of luck to you.

Budman

If this hurricane is anything close to what they are talking about, it will take well over a year to rebuild the city from the devestation caused by Katrina.

The Fla panhandle still hasn't fully recovered from last year's storms.