New Orleans Trip

[lucigo]

http://www.prytaniaparkhotel.com/gallery.html

We stayed at this really cute little hotel last year. We walked to the streetcars and to restaurants for dinner. You could take the streetcars to the aquarium. We drove though, and also to the zoo. I'm usually a Comfort Inn kinda person but this felt like really emersing in New Oreans, and was a lot of fun.

 

[Deb & Bill]

http://www.prytaniaparkhotel.com/gallery.html

We stayed at this really cute little hotel last year. We walked to the streetcars and to restaurants for dinner. You could take the streetcars to the aquarium. We drove though, and also to the zoo. I'm usually a Comfort Inn kinda person but this felt like really emersing in New Oreans, and was a lot of fun.

I actually stayed there, too. It's kind of a boutique hotel, but made of old buildings connected together. No one room is like another. Not handicapped accessible if I remember correctly and the rooms were very small.

It's looks fresher and brighter than when I stayed there. I was there in 1998. Rooms were darker.

 

[lucigo]

I actually stayed there, too. It's kind of a boutique hotel, but made of old buildings connected together. No one room is like another. Not handicapped accessible if I remember correctly and the rooms were very small.

It's looks fresher and brighter than when I stayed there. I was there in 1998. Rooms were darker.

We were there in the summer, the kids loved the spiral staircase in the room, but the upstairs did get a little hot. I have pix if anyone is interested.

 

[cmbonneville]

I second the Place De'Armes... It is SOOO close to everything and was a great deal when I went last year with a friend for her 30th Birthday...

Cafe DuMonde, the French Market, Jackson Square, The Cathedral, Bourbon Street, Harrah's Casino, and seeing the River is a must

We did a Bloody Mary tour - google her - it was AWESOME - it was a vampire/hauntings tour late at night - so much fun!

Went to Blaine Kerns Mardi Gras World across the river...it was interesting - but if you are pressed for time - skip it!

Miriel's restaurant - isn't this the one with the table set up for a ghost? I wanted to go in there - but we didn't have enough time

If your a drinker - don't forget to try a hand grenade!

There is just no place like Bourbon Street

 

[kissy]

I also recommend the Place D'Armes. It's a beautiful hotel! I've also stayed at Embassy Suites (one of our favorites anywhere we go) and it's really nice, great breakfast buffet. It's a bit of a walk from bourbon and jackson square though. It's located at the food court end of the riverwalk. There's a resturaunt one block up from it called mulate's. It's a really fun creole resturaunt. The farmers market is fun to walk around and by that is margaritaville. If you don't have kids with you then the 2nd floor has tire swings to sit in all around the bar. Brennans is fantastic for brunch! Nola's is great for dinner! (and it is kid friendly, as is Emerils). We love the zoo and the aquarium (are season pass holders to both). Whats nice about the aquarium is it's close to cafe du monde so you could have some beignets then walk on over to the aquarium.

 

[tinkercat]

One thing that I haven't seen mentioned while skimming the other responses is the Preservation Hall. It is a HOLE in the wall, but awesome jazz and probably one of my most memorable experiences of my visit to NOLA (and we went during Mardi Gras, if that says anything).

http://www.preservationhall.com/hall/index.aspx

 

[NotUrsula]

If parking is an issue, stay at Le Richelieu; it is the only hotel in the quarter that has free onsite parking. There are no interior halls; all of the rooms open off the courtyard-side walkways. If you're there when it is warm, there is a good pool in the courtyard, too.

The boat cruise to Audubon Park is very worth it, IMO. You get a river-side view of the Port of New Orleans, which is the second-busiest freight port in the US. It's very cool to see how it all works.

Also, a note about bugs: if you cannot tolerate the thought of a roach in your room, don't stay at a small hotel with rooms off the courtyard. One or two bugs will routinely manage to get under those doors in warm weather. The only truly bug-free hotel rooms in New Orleans are the larger modern hotels that were built as hotels; if the building is converted and over 100 years old, no amount of scrubbing and spraying will eliminate them entirely.

Now if you understand that and like small hotels, I can recommend a few. For a romantic splurge, nothing beats the cottages at Maison de Ville. If you like funky and do not have any young kids with you, the upstairs rooms at the Villa Convento are very atmospheric. (VC's legend is that it was the inspiration for the House of the Rising Sun. Probably not, but it is cool to sit and look out over the rooftops in the morning. They don't allow kids under age 10.) If you want modern suite finish in an old building on the fringe of the Quarter, the Iberville Suites in the old Maison Blanche building next to the Ritz offer a lot of room to spread out.

 

[jofo]

I just want to second some of the previous food/drink recommendations that are "must do" things for us whenever we're there:

Cafe du Monde - beignets and coffee
Central Grocery - muffaletta sandwich
Pat O'Brien's - hurricanes
Commander's Palace - 25 cent martini lunch

I cannot recommend Commander's Palace highly enough. If you go for weekday lunch (not the jazz brunch) when they have the 25 cent martinis (different flavors available), it is a bargain. It is the classic iconic New Orleans fancy restaurant, they have the best service I have ever experienced, the food is fantastic and reasonably priced at lunch, the martinis are delicious (and strong!). It is easy (and fun) to get to by streetcar from the French Quarter area and there is a cemetery across the street, which is definitely worth walking through (although keep an eye on the time to make sure you don't get locked in). Dress code is business casual, no shorts, jackets preferred for men at dinner (not necessary at lunch). If price is no object, go for dinner -- but we love, love, love the 25 cent martini lunch.

Preservation Hall (jazz music) was a great experience, as was a swamp boat tour. Also, try to walk through at least one cemetery.

 

[NotUrsula]

A warning about the old cemetaries in the Quarter: DON'T go alone, and DON'T go after dark!

The cemetaries have issues with the homeless population; they have been known to sleep in the crypts. Muggings in the cemetaries (esp. St. Louis No.1, which is next to a public housing project) are fairly common; it is best to go with a tour and not wander around alone, especially if you are carrying expensive camera equipment.

 

[Khill]

I am looking forward to goin and watching the Texans play there this year. We always have a blast.

We stay in the Marriot, 4 blocks from Bourbone and about 3 from Harrahs. Right on the main drag.

Don't foregt about Camillas Diner, and Mother cafe. Both have been featured on the food network, and offer hugh portions for a cheap price.

Take a triain ride through the garden district, and when it dead ends, just stay on and keep riding back to where you got on.

Just a heads up. At the end of Bourbon Street by the Cats Meow, the street is dark. THAT IS THE END!!! Not really, but you get the idea

 

[jgates]

cool! Curious- how much did she charge???

I believe??? it was $20 and maybe $30 for the pair of us. It was actually very entertaining & I felt cheap. We expected very little & were amazed at what she did say.