New Orleans RFI

[WobblyPossum]

My girlfriend and I are going to be spending a week in New Orleans during the fall. I’ve been down once before to attend the Voodoo Music Festival (which we’ll sadly be missing) and had a good time but that was six years ago. I am otherwise not familiar with the city at all. We will likely be staying at an AirBnB apartment in Algiers Point and probably won’t be renting a car. We plan on riding the ferry across the river and then walking or taking Ubers for transportation.

I know we have several members who live or have lived/worked in the area. What are some cool things for us to do/see? Anywhere we should definitely avoid? I know that the violent crime rate in New Orleans is fairly high compared to other populous cities. Algiers Point sounds like a fairly nice neighborhood from what I’m seeing online.

We both like food, music, and museums. I am not much of a drinker and I can’t really drink anyway and still be in compliance with LEOSA.


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[cornstalker]

When the wife and I were there during Mardi Gras 2017 for a work convention, we had a great meal at The Crazy Lobster. Although it was closed at that same time, we noticed an aquarium that we would definitely have attended if it were open. In the same vicinity, there were steamboat rides going on. I am sure there are way better things going on there than that, but from my limited perspective those are the things I can share.

Edit to add: During Mardi Gras, there was a lot of scary things going on. My defensive radar was on overload the whole time. All in all, however, the people were very nice. At one point we walked down a street where it looked like we were walking into shitbag central, so we did a 180 and got out of there. We felt fine going down Poydras St, but the closer we got to Canal, the more the indicators were telling us to leave. Totally a subjective thing, but that's how it was at the time. Never even dared to try Bourbon st. The aquarium is called the Audobon Aquarium.

[Duelist]

WWII museum. Plan to spend some time.

[NickA]

WWII Museum is definitely a full day thing if you're into history. There's just so much to see.
The aquarium is OK but really it's more geared for kids I think.
We stayed in the area around the museum, our favorite eats were:
Cochon Butcher- it's a casual sandwich shop type deal, they had a fantastic muffaletta. They do everything on site- butcher, bake bread,etc. It's next door to Cochon, which is more of a restaurant with fancier dishes. We didn't get a chance to try that but I'm sure it's delicious too.
Across the street from there was Wood Pizza, but it looks like that closed down.
We ate breakfast at The Ruby Slipper several times. Great food, especially if you like eggs Benedict.

Jackson Square is always interesting. It will likely be full of street artists and various weirdos so you'll want to keep your eyes peeled.
St. Louis Cathedral is beautiful and worth checking out for a few minutes, whether you're religious or not.
Cafe du Monde is the obligatory coffee and beignet stop, but frankly it wasn't very good. I'm sure there's better spots.
We didn't make it to Frenchman Street but that's supposed to be the music hot spot these days.
And of course you have to check out Bourbon Street, just to see it if nothing else. We just strolled down it a ways on a Sunday night so it was pretty calm (we had our 11 year old daughter with us).
We walked from the museum area to Bourbon Street at night and never felt particularly threatened or anything. But we also went during the summer during the week so there wasn't much happening anyway.


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[jwperry]

The wife and I have been a few times. A place we found and go to whenever we go back (as well as drive from Alabama when we go visit my family) is a place called Adolfo's. Awesome sea food.

611 Frenchmen St, New Orleans, LA 70117
(504) 948-3800

https://g.co/kgs/W1HTJo

We normaly walk or ride the trolley. With the family, I personally have no need to travel down Bourbon Street, it is covered in frat boy piss and used drug accessories.

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[Jeff22]

I've been on three short trips to NOLA in November of '13, '15, and '17

Some recommendations would be:


Fritzel's European Jazz Pub -- 733 Bourbon Street (great spot for Jazz)(Our favorite place on Bourbon Street)

The Funky Pirate -- 727 Bourbon Street (great spot for Blues -- nice courtyard in back where you can sit and listen to the music if the bar is crowded, which is usually is)

Three Muses -- 536 Frenchman’s Street (quiet place to listen to Jazz & Blues)

Spirits on Bourbon -- 615 Bourbon Street (home of the famous LED skull mug)(A typical Bourbon Street tourist bar but we do love us some LED Skull mugs!!)

Deanies Seafood -- 841 Iberville Street (intersection with Dauphine St)(Good food at reasonable prices – recommended to us on our first visit by the clerk at our hotel)

Café Pontalba -- 546 St Peter Street (on Jackson Square)(Good food at reasonable prices)

Crescent City Brew House -- 527 Decatur Street (food was good, they have live music until 11. Our favorite beers were the Red Stallion Vienna Amber, the Black Forest Dark, and the Weiss Bier)

Saints & Sinners -- 637 Bourbon Street (grilled oysters)

Acme Oyster House -- 724 Iberville Street (grilled oysters)

K Paul's Louisiana Kitchen -- 416 Chartes Street (highly recommended!!! and surprisingly reasonable prices)

New Orleans Police Department – 8th District – 334 Royal Street (they have vending machines in the lobby that sell NOPD souvenir hats and T-Shirts and challenge coins. New Orleans might be the only city in the world where you can tell your associates: “Hold my cigar and absinthe while I go in the police department and buy cool stuff from the vending machines in the lobby with my charge card”)

Frenchman's Street in the French Quarter has some blues clubs worthy of further investigation on our next expedition to NOLA.

New Orleans Airboat Tours
4757 Orleans Way
Marrero, LA 70072
(504) 738-4778

[willie]

Louisiana has difficult to interpret(unclear)knife laws. Check N.O. ordnance on knives. Cops there are underpaid and overworked. Don't argue with them. I grew up 116 miles north of the city, lived there briefly, and was always cautious. Traffic is terrible.

[Jamie]

I worked in New Orleans from 1987 until Katrina in 2005. So I can't offer current information. But...I see Deanies recommended above.

Our favorite seafood restaurant was the original Deanies in Bucktown. That's in Metarie on Lake Avenue. Their half platter was nothing short of remarkable and friggin' huge (at least at the time I frequented Deanies).
Their fried soft shelled crabs and oyster poboys were pretty awesome too.

Enjoy your time there. Great food and some fine folks there.

[RoyGBiv]

I've not spent much time in NOLA post Katrina, so, FWIW.
Many nights at the Hilton Airport, and had an apartment off of Lee Circle for a year.

The best places to me no matter where I go are the holes and dives that are mostly locals.

Favorite breakfast was always Bluebird Cafe, walking distance from my apartment, but it closed a while ago.
https://www.yelp.com/biz/bluebird-cafe-new-orleans

Mothers, on Poydras, has a decent breakfast and Cafe Du Monde is always an experience.
Mother's makes my favorite jambalaya too.
http://www.mothersrestaurant.net

+1 for Deanies, although my favorite location is the one on the lake.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUser...Louisiana.html

ACME is pretty good if you're stuck in the Quarter.

My favorite hole in the wall is a place called Harbor Seafood, not far from the airport in Kenner.
Great oysters, crawfish and po boys, among other things.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaura...Louisiana.html
Try the Artichoke Oyster soup. Awesome.

I'm not familiar with this list but it looks sufficiently divey to be worth exploring.
https://www.nolaweekend.com/boiled-c...very-day-week/

Girlfriend, now wife, and I really enjoyed the zoo...
https://audubonnatureinstitute.org/zoo
From the Quarter take the streetcar a few miles up St. Charles. The zoo is right there.

Have fun!

Enjoy

ETA.... Favorite place to splurge on dinner.
https://www.commanderspalace.com

[JR1572]

I’ve lived in the metro New Orleans area my entire life. The French Quarter is great while the sun is up, but it gets kinda shady at night. I spent some time working a foot beat at night on Bourbon back in 04-05. The whole “going down to the French Quarter to party” isn’t really my thing.

The aquarium, the zoo, WW2 museum, and one of the boat tours (either a riverboat or swamp tour) are all nice. Hopping on a street car isn’t too bad either.

There are great restaurants all over the place. Don’t get sucked into the trap that all of the good ones are downtown in the French Quarter. There are some great places in Midcity, Uptown, and out on the Lakefront. Also, don’t forget the neighboring parishes (Jefferson, St Bernard, St Tammany, Plaquemines, St. Charles, Tangipahoa, etc) all have things to see and places to eat.

JR1572