Anyone Familiar with New Orleans?

[Merriweather]

Ok, won't go into details, but hubby has to go to New Orleans for two weeks (work related).
I MAY be able to go along, for just the price of my plane ticket, any personal expenses, & of course cost of activities we do there.

Neither of us has been there before. We'll have evenings & one weekend to do things together, plus I can get out on my own during the day. Any suggestions as to what we should not miss, what's overrated, places/areas to avoid, etc? The cheaper the better, no expensive restaurants or tours that cost an arm & a leg. And we'd like to do some Christmassy stuff, so even areas that are known for great decorations would be nice.

We both love history, and are already planning to splurge on at least one Ghost Walk.

All help appreciated, he leaves in a few days (and I still don't know for sure if I'm going

[Seraph]

Stay away from the French Quarter after dark! LOL

[Moirae]

I live there and have worked in the hospitality industry in New Orleans for four years.

And wow, you just asked stuff that I LOVE to talk about.

- Make sure you spend some time on Royal Street during the day and hit the antique shops.

- If you don't have kids, spend maybe a half hour or so on Bourbon at night and have a drink (I recommend a strawberry Daiquiri. This is the home of the Daiquiri and they are sooooo yummy on a hot night). Trust me, unless you're into partying, you probably won't want to spend alot of time there. Be aware that you will probably see alot of drunk people and some women showing off their breasts. It's tradition here in New Orleans . The beads you see around peoples necks? Most people don't realize what they are actually for when you're on Bourbon. A successful guy starts the night out with loads of beads and a successful girl ends the night with loads of beads. If you get my meaning. The girls show their breasts to get the beads from the guys. Keep in mind that you don't HAVE to do this, and no one will say anything one way or another. I just want you to be aware so you aren't shocked.

- During the day, go to Jackson Square to see the performers, and the artists (and maybe buy some stuff too). Go to St Louis Cathedral, and the buildings on either side. Right now, they're the New Orleans Museum and the Katrina Museum. That boat outside the one? It rescued the most evacuees from Katrina and has been given a place of honor.

- Go to the outdoor French Market nearby and take a look. I recommend trying the alligator sausage. It sounds gross but it isn't, trust me.

- Have some jumbalya or gumbo. Keep in mind that most things here are made with seafood so, if you are allergic to shellfish, make sure you read the details. Some places also make these with andouille sausage and chicken. My favorite is andouille and chicken jumbalya since I have a mild allergy to shellfish.

- You may also like to try crawfish etoufee (said ay - two- fay).

- Consider trying just plain old crawfish. People here are known to suck the heads of the crawfish, then peel the shell off and eat the meat. Personally, blech, but I've known people to eat pounds of them.

- Consider the red beans and rice.

- But don't limit yourself to traditional New Orleans dishes because there's lots of other stuff too. If you like burgers, consider going to New Orleans Hamburgers and Seafood.

- May I suggest Couchon Butcher's or Mother's for sandwiches.

- Acme Oyster House, Felix's, Mina's Palace for traditional New Orleans.

- Go to Central Grocery to have a Muffelata

Ok, foods done...

- Take a cruise on the Natchez. You'll go out on the Mississippi on a great paddle boat tour. They have Jazz cruises too, but you'll see lots of Jazz performers when you're in the Quarter. There are lots of performers on the streets.

- Consider some tours. Ghost tours, Voodoo tours, bayou tours, walking tours, Garden District tours (to repeat what my sister said when she was here in April "I will never say any house back home is a mansion again because they have nothing on these". The best Ghost tour company is, in my opinion, The Haunted History tours. And the Bayou tours are simply awesome. We had so much fun on the last one. Gators love marshmallows and the tour guide had gator's at least 6 feet big jumping out of the water to grab the marshmallows on a stick.

- Consider seeing at least one plantation. There's a small one in Metairie, but if you drive about an hour and a half (or go on a tour bus), you can go see Myrtles which is world famous and has lots of ghost stories associated with it. It's out near Baton Rouge. Or you can consider driving out of the city (or go on a tour bus) and you can go see Oak Alley Plantation which is the one used in Gone With the Wind and Interview With the Vampire.

And no, you're fine in the Quarter after dark, just stay where it's well lit and there are lots of people. Avoid any dark areas, if at all possible, and don't take shortcuts.

Also, don't go anywhere near St Claude at any time, and I suggest you have your hotel stay in the main area of the Quarter, the Business District, the Warehouse District or in Metairie.

[Merriweather]

I live there and have worked in the hospitality industry in New Orleans for four years.

And wow, you just asked stuff that I LOVE to talk about.

Wonderful, I can direct all my questions to you, LOL. Thanks so much for all the info.

Antique shops sound great, but to be honest, I'd rather rummage thru a good thrift or junk shop than a posh antique shop.

Just hubby & I, no kiddies, and we aren't that easily shocked (don't think it'd be any worse than accidently wandering just a tiny bit off the main streets in Amsterdam, ). I have heard about the beads, thought it was just Mardi Gras though. Being a grandmother, I seriously doubt I'd be offered beads

I'll have to look up more on Jackson Square, and the museums - sounds interesting.

French Market sounds good, I love markets. I'll have to think about the alligator, never eaten it, but lived in Florida as a child, and have a distinct fear of running into one.

I love gumbo, if it's fairly mild. I'd probably try anything with okra in it, it's my favourite vegetable. Yeah, I'm weird. No seafood allergies, though hubby isn't too fond of shrimp (he's weird too). As long as I can stay away from the really spicy foods, I'd love to try a few new things. Though it'll have to be the things I can find at lower priced places, no posh restaurants in the budget.

Doubt we can fit a cruise into the budget either, but am SO looking forward to jazz or blues, anywhere.

I love interesting tours, especially ghost tours that include some history. I've lost count of how many of those we've done, both in the US and the UK. If there's one that's especially good at combining the history with the ghost walk, please send me a name or link. A good walk to interesting places, with a good storyteller is great, don't really care for the ones that go for shock value, people jumping out at you, or gore. Not too into vampires, either. Just history tours are great, too.

I do hope to get out to a plantation (I've heard of the Myrtles, that would fantastic, wasn't sure how far away that one was). When we lived in the UK, we did loads of stately homes - I think we may have set new records on how many stately homes and other historic sites you can manage to get to on any year's memberships to the National Trust & Cadw

Not sure where we'll be staying, possibly at the Lodge on the base (hubby works for the Navy). If they have a room available, I think that's what will be booked, if not, then it's a scramble. I don't get much say, as it's just really hubby being sent for a specialty school. I'm just along for the ride, providing my own plane ticket, but can stay in his room as long as it either doesn't cost extra, or we document & pay the difference. I tagged along on a couple of trips when he was in the Navy, too. It's a great way to get a cheap sort-of vacation (I'm on my own in the days, but he's free evenings & the weekend).

Because it was such a last minute, unplanned thing, the budget for what we can do is extra low, not like it would be for a long-planned-for vacation. Still, how often can you spend two weeks in New Orleans for just the price of the plane ticket & a few activities.

We'd love to do some Christmas activities, too, do you know of anything? Inexpensive or free light displays, even neighborhood or areas that have lots of decorations to drive around & see?

[Moirae]

Hehe, always happy to help. I love doing this stuff. I've seen advertising for tour guides here and I'd love to do that but I can't walk for that long due to a car accident from 2004. I'm usually fine for 2 hours, in pretty bad pain by 4 hours, and limping for the next day and in agonizing pain after 6 hours.

The reason I suggest the antique shops is that some of that stuff is hundreds of years old and from all around the world. It's like walking into history in some shops. I was in one last spring that was like walking into a fantasy wonderland because it was covered in old antiques and crystals. Can't remember the name of it for the life of me but it had a fountain. Admittedly, it could be any of them and was probably a converted courtyard (which they do tours for too).

Glad about the beads. I wish it were just Mardi Gras lol. But it will be fairly cold out so maybe you'll get lucky and no one will be like that when you're here. You likely won't see snow at all (last time it snowed was 5 years ago).

Jackson Square is awesome. During the day, around the outside are artists and performers. At night, you have the tarot and palm readers and the like.

I love the outdoor French Market. It's a little ways down the street from Cafe Du Monde. Oh, and I forgot to tell you about that. They are the oldest business in NOLA and have been around for hundreds of years. They serve coffee, milk, orange juice and beignets (a kind of french doughnut covered in icing sugar. Careful you don't breath in the sugar, it will actually hurt lol). I highly recommend you try some. Each order comes with three beignets so one order should be good for the two of you.

You might have a hard time finding anything mild here because everything is spicy. Sometimes it's like breathing fire but if you stay in the touristy areas to eat it, they will probably lighten up on the spices. I don't like shrimp either (have a bit of an allergy). Most places will have alternatives like chicken and sausage. If you're not much on seafood, I suggest avoiding Deenie's since that's all they serve. Lots of places serve gumbo with okra, though not every one, so you'll have to read the ingredients.

I completely understand about the restaurants. The Court of Three Sisters is expensive. As is Emeril's, Muriel's (which is said to be haunted) and Arnaud's. All three have excellent food but you can expect prices of around $40 a place or so. The few that I have recommended have much better prices at around $10, possibly a little higher.

I understand, the cruises are about $70 a person just for a regular cruise, never mind the Jazz version. Don't worry, you can walk up to the riverwalk on one side of Jackson Square and take a look at the boats and the Mississippi river from there. Careful, there aren't any railings except for on the lookout so you can fall in if you lean out too far. Trust me, you don't want to fall in to that water.

You will love the Haunted History Tours. Just look them up online. They are really awesome. It's not just a ghost tour. These tour guides know a deep history of the area and can answer any questions. You will see really fascinating places. I even have lots of ghost stories to tell myself since I've been on a bunch of the tours but I don't want to spoil them for you. The Haunted History Tours do a whole bunch of different kinds of tours, not just ghosts. They also have a VooDoo tour, and a Vampire Tour among others. You can choose to take any and all. It's not very expensive. You'll walk around the Quarter with them to different locations and they will tell you ghost stories and stories about the history of the area. No jumping out at you, I promise. Though your tour guide will probably be interesting to look at. The last one I went on, the guy was wearing all black, including a black poet shirt with high boots, had long hair and an earring. He looked like a pirate lol.

You will love the plantations. They're very beautiful. Just to warn you though, Myrtles won't allow you upstairs in the manor house. It's a bed and breakfast and that's where the guest rooms are. But the bottom floor has plenty of stories and history all on it's own.

I don't think we're allowed to publicly post company names on here so I won't tell you what hotels to stay away from here. I'll message you that info. I want you to have a good trip. Especially since he will be busy most of the time, and you will need something to do.

There is lots you can do in this area without needing alot of money, sometimes stuff is completely free. If you are here on the right day, there may even be a festival in the downtown area around Christmas that will let you try a bunch of NOLA food for really cheap prices from places like the expensive restaurants I mentioned earlier.

Around Christmas (they've already started putting up the decorations), the downtown area is really pretty. Filled with lights and mistletoe. The Roosevelt has a Christmas tree display in the lobby with (I think) 20 trees or so. The Astor will have a great big Christmas tree out front.

You can always go to Christmas In The Oaks. It's free and it's in city park. They already have it set up, and this year seems bigger than last year for some reason.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Christ...75433829142633

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...Louisiana.html

There will be concerts at St Louis Cathedral and St Augustine Church. If you walk through the Quarter, you will see people dressed in period costume during the Christmas season.

I'm sorry, I don't know what dates you'll be here, but if you take a look at the following link, it applies to this Christmas season.

http://issuu.com/neworleansonline/do...ode=doublePage

Heh, you're making me excited. I always forget how much fun the area is for tourists until I start talking about it because I've been working here for so long.