Particularity looking for places to see good live music, and also interested in any restaurants that are worth a visit. I'm also looking for some good daytrips if there are any.

11/25/2007 11:03:40 PM

titty bars

11/25/2007 11:10:52 PM

I hear they have a good basketball team.

11/25/2007 11:17:17 PM

swim

11/25/2007 11:19:28 PM

Both times I've been to New Orleans, I've pretty much managed to stay shitfaced the whole time I've been. I usually have to recover for about three days after I go.

The last time I went, I stayed at The Columns on St. Charles. Antebellum mansion with ungodly high ceilings in the rooms, and a bit old-fashioned. It's a bit pricey, but not as bad as stuff closer to the Quarter. Killer bar and lounge area downstairs, and I managed to stay pretty ripped without having to really drive anywhere. We hit the Quarter one night, but in all reality, unless you're going for the 24 hour party, it really ain't all that. Everything smells like beer and piss, but there are a few good titty bars down there, and quite a few sex shops, both gay and straight. I can't remember the names of any of the clubs, namely because I was shitfaced before I ever made it into the Quarter.

11/25/2007 11:45:56 PM

Quote :

"Killer bar and lounge area downstairs"

i would definitely stay away from there....

11/25/2007 11:58:30 PM

loot

11/26/2007 12:18:01 AM

drink a hand-grenade on bourbon street

11/26/2007 11:03:25 AM

Check out some of the cemeteries they have around town, they are very old and unique.

Grab a muffellata at some place (can't remember the name) that's near the French Market. It has a huge sign outside that says "home of the original muffellata". Those things are scary delicious.

Get wasted?

11/26/2007 12:19:18 PM

btt

best music venues?

11/27/2007 2:15:01 PM

you dont say WHEN you're going

but if you want music, there's always jazzfest, it's pretty bigtime

http://www.nojazzfest.com/


my trips to NO have always involved staying at the royal sonesta, right on bourbon...there's plenty of top shelf places to eat between there and canal st.

i really liked K. Pauls, that's your classic cajun cuisine, and of course you have to go to cafe du monde and get a beignet and big ass coffee to nurse the hangover

also you cant really go wrong with any of the more casual places that are serving po'boys and assloads of oysters

and go to pat o's because everyone else does...but the outdoor patio is actually kind of nice when its warm out...a nice break from the crowds and piss smell on the street

11/27/2007 2:26:19 PM

HELP THEM CLEAN UP

really you would be amazed how in the non tourist areas its still a POS.

but yea...google new orleans nightlife

11/27/2007 2:26:38 PM

Drink a Hurricane

11/27/2007 2:27:18 PM

Royal Sonesta = $texas

There are plenty of places around there that are MUCH cheaper.

11/27/2007 3:09:38 PM

i like to pay for convenience and luxury

11/27/2007 3:12:50 PM

I need to ask my sister. She got married in New Orleans last year, and her husband is from Louisiana. We had some killer po'boys, and there was this place we ate dinner that fucking ROCKED. Just a hole in the wall.

Everybody and his cousin's sister's dog's puppies goes to Pat O'brien's.

The last place I stayed:

http://www.thecolumns.com/

[Edited on November 27, 2007 at 3:32 PM. Reason : The Columns]

11/27/2007 3:30:43 PM

I was there pre-Katrina, so things might have changed, but the aquarium was nifty, and the zoo was the most depressing zoo ever. Harrahs there is pretty big as well.

Oh, a MUST is grabbing a beignet at Cafe Du Monde.

[Edited on November 27, 2007 at 8:11 PM. Reason : merf]

11/27/2007 8:09:58 PM

pay to go down a street in the 9th ward, yes, it is for tourist. This particular street hasnt changed much since Katrina. They even show you where bodies were found.

[Edited on November 27, 2007 at 10:25 PM. Reason : w]

11/27/2007 10:24:48 PM

Why are beignets at Cafe Du Monde such a big deal?

Just wondering, cuz i walked by there and people were lined up around the block to get a seat. i just went across the street and grabbed one at Cafe Beignet.

11/28/2007 12:20:40 PM

authenticity.

it's been around way longer than any of the other coffee and beignet places...wikpedia says it's been there since 1862.

it's like, i dunno, why go to cook out or char-grille when there's a mcdonalds down the street? that's not a great analogy, but you see what i mean.

11/28/2007 12:24:06 PM

I guess... a beignet's a beignet though.....

McDonald's tastes like shit, and should never be mentioned in the same breath as Chargrill. ever.

11/28/2007 3:09:52 PM

why go for the off brand when you can go to the original?

just some people like authenticity...if you don't no big deal...why drink a hurricane from pat o's when they sell them EVERYWHERE on bourbon st.? the supposed authenticity...supposedly they were the creators of the drink, or atleast first to serve them during prohibition in the 40's

and while cafe du monde wasnt the creator of the beignet, they are one of the oldest establishments around to serve them

11/28/2007 3:32:27 PM

Let a native in...synapse, PM me when you're coming, I'll look up things for you to do here. If you don't suck, I'll hang out with you for a spell also. Here are some things to consider for a start....

- Gray Line Tours. Sign up for one now. They'll take you through the devastated areas without you potentially busting a rental's tire on an unseen nail in the street. Much worth it.
- Get clarity on the cajun vs. creole thing. Cajuns look more like you; Creoles look pretty much exactly like me. Much of New Orleans' culture is Creole-inspired. If you want Cajuns in abundance, get on I-10 westbound and have a spell in Lafayette.
- Julia Street if museums are your thing. Even the Children's Museum rocks.
- Bourbon St. during the weekend at night = huge sausage fest. Even clubs like Jazz Emporium and Bourbon Street Blues will switch their format to a DJ playing Lil Jon and shit.
- If you can't parallel park, walk where you have to go or pay for the darn garages.

Quote :

"Grab a muffellata at some place (can't remember the name) that's near the French Market. It has a huge sign outside that says "home of the original muffellata". Those things are scary delicious."

Central Grocery. On Decatur St.

Quote :

"HELP THEM CLEAN UP really you would be amazed how in the non tourist areas its still a POS"

Even if this isn't the reason you're coming, still try to find a way to help anyway. I could run circles around this topic.

Quote :

"Pat O's"

If it's your first time down, make it a point to stop in. I rarely go because it's super-easy to get saturated on the place, but most out-of-towners that I take there have a blast.

Quote :

"Cafe du Monde"

Absolutely. It's a short walk upriver (i.e., toward Canal St.) from Central Grocery.

11/28/2007 7:24:16 PM

thanks for all the info! i'll send you a pm

Quote :

"why drink a hurricane from pat o's when they sell them EVERYWHERE on bourbon st.? the supposed authenticity...supposedly they were the creators of the drink, or atleast first to serve them during prohibition in the 40"

so are these hurricanes actually good? worth it? whats in them?

11/30/2007 2:23:06 PM

it's like a daquari on the rocks that tastes like koolaid (supposed to be passion fruit or something). strong as shit. a couple will do you right.

kind of a bourbon st. tradition.

at pat o's you can keep your glasses for like a couple bucks. they're cool to have around if you like that sort of thing.

11/30/2007 2:27:16 PM

I'm heading with a crowd down to New Orleans July 11th, not sure if we'll have a guide or not. Anything suggestions on where to stay, what to see, what to avoid? We've heard basically stay on bourbon street and obviously don't stay out too long.

7/2/2008 2:28:06 PM

Quote :

"titty bars"

i stayed in a hotel across the street from larry flynt's hustler club back in november when i was down there on travel

i forgot to take my phone charger with me, so my gps led me to the closest wal-mart which was in jefferson parish. they had two armed deputies guarding each of the two entrances. yea, don't go there.

7/2/2008 2:29:39 PM

^^ No. Go to Bourbon St. to say you did it, but the better experience by far is a short cab ride away to Frenchmen St. Frenchmen isn't nearly as crowded as Bourbon is, has cooler people/bars, and just generally sucks way less.

Friday's a mixed bag type of day (I typically do "common" stuff like go to the movies), so get your Bourbon fix out of the way then. Just be wary of Bourbon & St. Louis -- the women may not be what they seem...! I can't really suggest a great number bars because I haven't been on Bourbon in ages, but steer clear of places that have stupid guys on a stage with a microphone. I will vouch for Pat O'Brien's and Cats Meow (stupid MC guy or not) because they tend to always have flocks of women who realise that New Orleans is still a great place to unwind and have temporary lapses in moral judgment. If you go to Pat O's, drink a Hurricane or a Rainbow and thank me later. Think of Cat's Meow more as a hunting ground.

Eat a burger and have a bloody mary from Port of Call, but go at "unconventional" hours or you'll be waiting forever for a seat.

To see, the D-Day museum should have a day set aside for it, if you're into that kind of stuff (or even if you're not). The whole Warehouse District has lots to do, Julia St. in particular.

For hotels, anything you can find with a reasonable price between Poydras, Esplanade, N. Rampart/Loyola, and the river:

http://www.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=New+Orleans,+La&ie=UTF8&ll=29.956608,-90.062742&spn=0.017513,0.037594&z=15

will have you no further than a short cab ride away from most of what's worth to do here. Failing that, couch surf.

PM me if you have more questions.

[Edited on July 3, 2008 at 3:29 AM. Reason : for your hotels, zip codes either 70112 or 70116 will do.]

7/3/2008 3:25:28 AM

I know when I went, I enjoyed hearing Big Al Carson play at the Funky Pirate (along with consuming 2 hand grenades while there).

7/3/2008 3:36:23 AM

Don't stay on Bourbon Street. There are better places in the area for less dollar bucks.

Cafe du Monde is nice, as others have mentioned, but beignets are delicious in general. For some good Cajun food, you should eat at Ralph and Kacoo's; I've heard they may not be quite as good as they used to be, but I grew up in Louisiana and it used to be my favorite whenever I was in N.O. or Baton Rouge. There are lots of bars and clubs around the entire city with good live music; just pick up one of the free alternative papers and look for who's playing when you're there.

7/3/2008 4:08:13 AM

http://www.coopsplace.net/

close to Central Grocery, great food

7/3/2008 6:44:53 AM

leave if a huge hurricane is coming.

7/3/2008 6:46:36 AM

Quote :

"HELP THEM CLEAN UP really you would be amazed how in the non tourist areas its still a POS."

YES. It's very sad. My friend did grad school down there. Originally she was going to try and stay after school but things are so bad she gave up and is coming back to Raleigh.

Quote :

"Why are beignets at Cafe Du Monde such a big deal?"

I've wondered the same thing. They have them ALL OVER Japan, and other than the chicory coffee which is pretty good I don't get what the big deal is.

7/3/2008 6:54:20 AM

Quote :

"Get clarity on the cajun vs. creole thing. Cajuns look more like you; Creoles look pretty much exactly like me. Much of New Orleans' culture is Creole-inspired. If you want Cajuns in abundance, get on I-10 westbound and have a spell in Lafayette"

lol, you be a coonass! [/cajun]

I have some friends down in port fourchon so I know the cajun side of things down there

and yeah it's amazing to me how fucked up NO still is

[Edited on July 3, 2008 at 7:21 AM. Reason : ...]

7/3/2008 7:21:13 AM

some great pointers there sleik. i might have some questions for you later. what areas to stay away from? thats about my biggest concern and what i keep hearing about when i tell people i'm going to New Orleans

7/3/2008 1:34:25 PM

bttt

7/4/2008 6:06:08 PM

http://www.segwaynola.com does Segway tours of the city. It takes about 2-3 minutes to learn how to ride it.

7/6/2008 3:14:27 PM

Lousianna Bistro, on Dauphine St is some damn good chow.

I went for mardi gras this year, and i found Bourbon St to be the least interesting part of the whole trip. Look for stuff off the beaten path.

7/6/2008 4:07:59 PM

port of call

awesome burgers + drinks that could tranquilize a horse

basically had a 7-11 big gulp size tankard of rum while waiting on my burger

7/6/2008 4:33:16 PM

10/10 thread, will post again

Trip to NOLA was fun, Frenchmen street definitely gave you a more feel of the old jazz and had a lot of personality and one particularly buff tranny

Saw a wedding in the chapel that's in French Quarter, went to Cafe Du Monde (the stuff they sell is actually a Dutch food), saw the aquarium...Bourbon street was alright. One of the people who met us there got belligerent and angry and we had to end the night early at 2am to take him back

Good visit overall, thanks to all of you people

7/15/2008 4:00:04 PM

i got thrown out of rick's cabaret last time i was there for inadvertently backhanding a strippers ass

7/15/2008 4:35:29 PM

I was thrown out of there too. They thought I was videotaping; I was silencing my phone.


My phone didn't even have a camera on it.

7/16/2008 8:54:50 PM

Walk down Bourbon St once to say you did.

But do all your drinking on Frenchman St.

d.b.a., in particular, has about a million beers on tap.

[Edited on July 17, 2008 at 7:43 AM. Reason : .]

7/17/2008 7:40:14 AM

bttt

11/7/2008 3:58:45 PM

Definitely had the best time on Frenchman Street. Bourbon was pretty good, but not as fun. That was probably more due to the drama company though...

11/8/2008 12:46:43 AM

I love NO

Quote :

"Oh, a MUST is grabbing a beignet at Cafe Du Monde. "

Visit Muriel's for amazing bread and lunch. My husband and I were engaged there in 2005 (pre-Katrina) and visited last year for memories. It is pretty much the same as it was before
http://www.muriels.com/html/home.html

11/9/2008 11:59:13 PM

Quote :

"loot"

11/10/2008 12:07:15 AM