I got a refund for shipping from amazon

[Akasa]

I ordered a car charger for my phone online. I paid for 2 day shipping. It SHOULD have arrived on the 16th.

It did not.

So I contacted amazon and was like tracking says it will get here 20th by end of business. It was supposed to get here on the 16th. I leave the morning of the 20th to drive cross country. I NEED this item!

So they looked, saw I paid for 2 day shipping, refunded me my shipping and told me they'll do everything in their power for it to arrive today by end of business, as well as apologizing.

Will it arrive today? We'll see. I'm waiting on doing their "How'd we do?" questionnaire until it arrives.

[wolfie]

What connector is it? If it's one of the "big 3" (Micro USB, Lightning, 30 pin Apple) they should be readily available at any truck stop (act fast if it's the 30 pin - one Pilot had those cords on clearance last week). Mini USB is a bit harder to find, but since some GPS units use that it shouldn't be impossible.

[Akasa]

It's one I can plug the USB connector end into and thus charge.

[wolfie]

Trying to figure out a workaround in case it doesn't come today. I assume you have a home charger. Is this a one-piece wall-to-device unit, or (as is becoming increasingly common) a two-piece (wall-to-USB block, and USB-to-device cable) unit? If the latter, lighter-to-USB gizmos are common at truck stops - get one, and use the cable from your home charger.

What make and model is your phone, and what does the connector at the phone end look like? The connectors I mentioned in my first reply are the most common for recent (past 5 years) phones. I believe Pilot/Flying J (largest chain of truck stops) and TA/Petro (second largest) have a limited selection of "oddball" car chargers - worth a look.

Worst case would be to get a cheap inverter that plugs into your car's lighter socket and run your home charger from that. You'd be looking at the $50 range if you go with this option.

Just curious, but is this trip a permanent relocation, or will you be going back eventually?

[fma_fanatic]

You can probably find a decent one at Walmart or Target if you really get desperate. If you want a good one, Best Buy is a good place to look as well. If the one you bought from Amazon is one that can be got at Best Buy and Amazon is cheaper, you can price match and be on your way. If the one from Amazon shows up, do a return and get your money back from them. That is assuming that the item can be purchased in a Best Buy store.

I'm not sure about Walmart or Target; I don't think they price match online stores anymore.

BTW, this is not unusual for Amazon. I've had this happen before, and they're usually on the ball with this. Only once did I have a rep get snippy with me and tell me "Well you did choose 2 day shipping." I told the rep, "Yes, I chose two day shipping and the item should have gotten here last week!" This is why I keep a close eye on what I order.

[Nunavut Pants]

I recently picked up a USB-to-mini-USB cable at Walgreen's. They also had Thunderbolt (Lightning? the smaller one) cables for iPhones/iPods. I don't remember any 30-pin ones, but they may have had those as well.

I want to say the cable I got was only $10, which is cheaper than second-day shipping on just about anything...

[Akasa]

1) it's 2 piece. USB to electric outlet block, then USB cable to tiny thing that goes into my iPhone
2) Permanent relocation

We're going to be depending on Google Maps to get us from here, to my parents, to NOLA, to our new location, as well as possibly depending on our phones for music.

We also have a couple Kindles that charge in a similar manner to the iPhones.

[EricKei]

I don't live in NOLA anymore, but I can help you find a good place to eat or two if ya like. Lemme know

[wolfie]

1) it's 2 piece. USB to electric outlet block, then USB cable to tiny thing that goes into my iPhone

We also have a couple Kindles that charge in a similar manner to the iPhones.

Since it's a 2-piece, at a minimum you can get away with just getting a lighter-to-USB adapter. These are also available at some dollar stores. I hadn't considered Target or Best Buy because when I'm in the States these stores don't have adequate parking facilities (Pilot/Flying J, TA/Petro, and Loves all have decent parking).

I'd advise getting an extra cable (go for a charge-and-sync, not a charge-only) as well to cut down on "single points of failure". This can be obtained at (most of) the places that sell the lighter-to-USB adapter.

Since you've got Kindles as well (I assume they're Micro USB - never had one myself), you might want to get an adapter that has 2 USB ports. Pilot/Flying J and TA/Petro sell an adapter that plugs into a lighter socket, or you can swing out the prongs and plug it into a wall socket, and has 2 USB ports. IIRC, it's around $20.

[Akasa]

The car charger I bought has 3 USB ports on it.

[Akasa]

I don't live in NOLA anymore, but I can help you find a good place to eat or two if ya like. Lemme know

Oh yes! Tell me some good places to get Cajun food! That's the whole reason for going to NOLA, that and to show the French Quarter to fiance.

[EricKei]

A good place to start is nomenu.com -- It's the site for a major local critic. Part of his thing is that he refuses to review chains at all, so that's a built-in filter Here's his "by cuisine" list, scroll down a bit for Cajun. http://nomenu.com/?page_id=39899 -- Note that a lack of "stars"/fleur de lis simply means "listed but not yet formally reviewed"

When in doubt: Ask your cabbie or a random local. Most folks are friendly like that.

I mostly know po-boy and "New Orleans-style Italian" joints (plenty of crossover there). My main turf was Metairie. My faves (all generally in the $8-15/plate range, or less):

Metairie :

Deanie's on Lake Ave. Fresh seafood and tons of it, right across the street from a levee (read: the lake). Just down the block: New Orleans Seafood & Spirits for more upscale fare; R&O's next to it for legendary Italian/po-boys

Parran's Poboys (Cajun for Grandpa) is tucked away in a mini-mall near Clearview.

China Rose (Chinese) a block west of Severn, near Lakeside Mall. Quiet, good food and friendly folks.

If you want something different: Spudly's Super Spuds along the Service Road, near a series of medical clinics. Looks like a little 2-story house tipped on its side. Featured and recommended: 2 or 3 dozen varieties of stuffed baked potato -- everything from traditional to crawfish.

Avoid Red Lobster (there's only one, if it even still exists) at all costs. I swear we let them have that spot out of pure pity.

Uptown:

Domilise's poboys. Know what you want before you get to the front of the line, lest they go all Soup Nazi on you. Parkway Tavern is good too.

New Orleans proper/Downtown:

Cochon and the like (video has a good overview of local food in general)

specifically, Treme:

Dooky Chase for old-school Creole dining (may have a dress code in the evening; unsure), which is similar to Cajun but just as awesome

Willie Mae's Scotch House, just around the corner -- The best fried chicken on the freaking planet. Go early -- more like noon than like 2.

NOLA East:

The (in)famous Rocky & Carlo's out near the Chalmette Battlefield. NOLA-Italian and po-boys (their roast beef is beyond amazing). Known for fried chicken made to order and the Macaroni -- long-noodle style, served with brown (aka roast beef) and/or red (Italian) "gravy" on the side, if desired.

If yer in a hurry - Popeye's Chicken tastes better there than anywhere else I've tried it. Still overpriced tho.

I'll ask my brother, too, as he used to be a Quarter rat.

[Akasa]

The charger did indeed arrive today.

[Kogarashi]

Bit late now, but I've been very happy with the Rocketfish charger I picked up a few years ago at a Best Buy to be my go-to travel charger. It's wall/lighter to USB (only one USB port, though), and came with three different cables by default (iPod, mini, and micro), though I don't think the cables are sync cables. But I picked it up because I needed something I could charge my iPod Shuffle with, which needs a USB port, so this gave me something that could recharge that either in the car or at whatever hotel/other destination we reach. Plus I can use it for my phone, our camera with the non-removable rechargeable battery, etc.

[Dreamstalker]

For car chargers, I have one of these for picky devices (I know my Galaxy Tab for some reason refuses to charge properly if I'm not using the 'official' cable even though it is getting the required power).