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Where would you stay in New Orleans without a car?

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Where would you stay in New Orleans without a car?

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Old Oct 11th, 2012, 09:35 AM
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Where would you stay in New Orleans without a car?

I have read that while certain areas of New Orleans are quite safe to walk in, this is not true everywhere.

So what's a good area to stay if you don't want to have a car while there?
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Old Oct 11th, 2012, 10:05 AM
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Stay in the Quarter and be very careful every time you leave. Have you hotel give you a street map showing you where NOT to go.

(Yes, there are areas near the quarter that are dangerous - but IN it there are usually people around. You can go to other parts of the city that are not bad areas - but are deserted at night - and I would;t touch with a barge pole.)
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Old Oct 11th, 2012, 10:15 AM
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We stayed in the Warehouse/Arts district, which we really liked (wanted to stay in a quieter area), BUT one night we walked FROM the French Qtr to the hotel and I was not comfortable -- I have a feeling we were walking where we shouldn't have been, and should have taken a taxi. (but I'm here to tell the story ). The thing about New Orleans is that bad neighborhoods are not clustered together -- you can easily go right from a safe neighborhood to an unsafe one, so you need to know where you're walking (which I found out AFTER my trip).
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Old Oct 11th, 2012, 11:00 AM
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Stay in the Quarter - there are quieter areas within it to stay.
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Old Oct 11th, 2012, 11:03 AM
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Now you have got me worried, we are staying at Quality Inns & Suites 210 O'Keefe St. It was recommended by a Fodorite and has high ratings on Trip Advisor so hopefully it is okay.
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Old Oct 11th, 2012, 11:18 AM
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Great responses - what are a couple hotels in the Quarter that you would specifically recommend for location?
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Old Oct 11th, 2012, 11:22 AM
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We've always been happy at the Dauphine Orleans. On a quiet street but convenient to everything in the Quarter.
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Old Oct 11th, 2012, 02:19 PM
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Will Travel - we are locals (suburbs of NOLA) but sometimes stay in New Orleans hotels for different reasons. Personally, I would MUCH prefer to stay in a hotel either smack in the French Quarter or no further than Canal Street, which borders the French Quarter. Anything too far past Canal Street is too far to walk at night. The top 2 hotels on Canal Street in regards to location (to give a frame of reference)for me would be the Sheraton or Marriott. Since Canal St. borders the French Quarter, you would either walk down Bourbon, Royal, Chartes or Decatur from Canal, all safe areas to walk, mostly tourisy, not homes.
Also, Harrah's and the Hilton on Poydras are very good locations with an easy walk to the French Quarter, well lit with no back streets to walk when getting to the French Quarter.
Another GREAT location is where the Place d' Armes hotel is. I have never stayed there but the location has to be one of the best for exploring the French Quarter. You are not in a noisy area, you are less than a minutes walk to the beautiful Jackson Square and Cathedral and a 2 minute walk from Cafe du Monde.
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Old Oct 11th, 2012, 02:22 PM
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Brian - Dauphine Orleans is also a good location. In my opinion, to get the real feel of New Orleans, anything withing blocks of Jackson Square is great.
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Old Oct 11th, 2012, 03:08 PM
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I like the Place d'Armes a lot. It is just off Jackson Square - great location close to everything in the FQ. I also like the Hotel Provencial - also a really good location, esspecially if you want to check out the clubs on Frenchman Street. There are some great clubs on Frenchman with great music and a very low-key atmosphere - good counter point to the craziness on Bourbon (which I also enjoy).

My favorite part of the FQ is the lower quarter - between Jackson Square and Esplanade, so I always stay closer to that end if I can. This area is more residential and further away from the high rises - I like the smaller shops and bars in the lower quarter and just the general atmosphere - but still a reasonable walk to everything.

Canal Street is technically the border of the FQ on that side, but the FQ doesn't really start to feel like the FQ until you are a couple blocks in from Canal - this is due to some misguided urban "planning" awhile back. I stayed at the Hilton once (not my choice) and didn't care for the location - just too far from my favorite parts of the FQ and the Faubourg Marigny. It is closer to Magazine St and uptown though if you want to visit those areas.
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Old Oct 11th, 2012, 03:37 PM
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Some of Our favrites that are in the Quarter:

Dauphine Orleans http://www.dauphineorleans.com/

Iberville Suites http://www.ibervillesuites.com/

Monteleone http://hotelmonteleone.com/

le Richelieu http://www.lerichelieuhotel.com/
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Old Oct 11th, 2012, 03:51 PM
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Marriot is in a good central location & usually has great discounts.
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Old Oct 11th, 2012, 06:32 PM
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On our walking tour, we went into the courtyard of what looked like a lively hotel/inn in the Quarter, although we didn't get to see the rooms. It was called the St. Ann Marie Antoinette, but I think it is this hotel, now called "Le Marais":

http://www.hotellemarais.com/photos/
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Old Jul 9th, 2013, 01:20 PM
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Will, I am planning a New Orleans trip. Where did you end up staying? Like it, safe area?
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Old Jul 9th, 2013, 02:45 PM
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Dauphine Orleans
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Old Jul 9th, 2013, 07:21 PM
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We liked the Lafitte Guest House in the French Quarter.
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Old Jul 10th, 2013, 01:50 AM
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BowenLinda, I haven't made it to New Orleans yet. I postponed this trip, but hope to go sometime this year.
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Old Jul 10th, 2013, 08:54 AM
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IMHO stay only in the French Quarter - central, near most of what you want to see/do and relatively safe.
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Old Jul 11th, 2013, 05:47 AM
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This is particularly true if you have never visited Nola before, stay in the Quarter. During the daytime, things are not so bad but we generally don't stray across Rampart @ night. You can also easily access the F-M & CBD from the Quarter & use the street car to visit other areas (like Magazine St.). The cemetaries are apparently something you need to be careful about as well.
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Old Jul 11th, 2013, 08:20 AM
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Ah, Will, that's too bad, hope it happens for you. I have cancelled many a trip in the past five years or so as well, but am tentatively planning NO for this December. If I go I'll report back on my hotel.
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