New Orleans?

[just2girls1]

Hello Everyone~
I would like to take a trip to New Orleans but I know nothing about the area. I would like to stay within walking distance to shopping, dining and night life. Is the French Quarter a nice area? Anyone with any helpful information? Looking for ideas for things to do and places to stay. The trip would be sometime February / March 2013. Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[jnfr2424]

I recently visited New Orleans in July stayed at the Astor Crowne Plaza which is located at the corner of Canal and Bourbon St. If you don't mind the noise it was a great place to stay. I kept to a known chain hotel because I was leery about the other hotels. The city is totally walk able and taxis were plentiful. We also stayed at the Ritz Carlton which is on Canal street and a block or two from Bourbon. Make sure you visit Cafe DuMonde(it's open 24hrs) and the Southern Candymakers I fell in love with pralines!!!! Down by the waterfront are some restaurants which almost everywhere had great food (my fave was Deanies near Bourbon) and Harrahs casino otherwise all of the action is on Bourbon the street is blocked off to vehicles and just foot traffic just be aware of your surroundings the locals as nice as they were we saw a lot of pick pocketing and they were very obvious too

 

[elsabear]

I love New Orleans! I have been there twice and will go again next spring. I am a little biased though because DBF is from there lol. Last summer we stayed at the Holiday Inn Chateau Leymoyne on Rue Dauphine. (not to be confused with the other Holiday Inn in the French Quarter on Royal Street). We found it to have easy access to things in the French Quarter either by walking or taxi, but not so noisy. In fact we had a loud neighbor and the management at the hotel was quick to respond. Bourbon Street is really touristy. There are fabulous restaurants around - Court of Two Sisters, Antoinnes, Brennans to name a few. If you are into music take a cab to the clubs on Frenchman Street.

 

[kissy]

DH and I go to NO numerous times a year (we live an hour and a half away). I personally like to stay closer to Jackson square as it seems to be more central. Some of the hotels we've stayed in, hotel provincial, french market inn, la place d armes (watch out though because this one does have a couple rooms with no windows). All 3 of these are close to jackson square, bourbon, cafe du monde, the french market, and the riverwalk.
Royal St is nice, lots of antique shops. There is no shortage of fantastic restaraunts. (hubby and I always go for the food!) Masperos, ralph and kacoos, Nola's, Central grocery for muffalettas, Port o call for their burgers (and monsoons if you drink), dragos for the grilled oysters.....
In jackson square is a couple different museums surrounding the cathedral, I think they are must sees. (as is the inside of the cathedral). Theres some haunted tours. We did one a few years back and it was ok. Something to do at least once. If you have a car, you can go down st charles. Check out creole creamery (you'd have to drive there), awesome ice cream, very unique flavors.

 

[HLAuburn]

I think if you want to be in the "center of it all", FQ is a good option, or you could look into the Central Business District as well. FQ has a good selection of bed/breakfast, small boutique hotels, and large hotels - just depends on what you're looking for.

There is a Best Western on Bourbon St that is a great location right in the middle of the Quarter. Royal Sonesta and the Monteleone are also really nice, but can be kinda pricey.

And just a thought...unless you want to go for Mardi Gras, keep in mind that it's in Feb in 2013. If you're not interested in going during MG, you'll get much better rates and lower crowds waiting until after.

Have fun! I NOLA!

 

[bpesch]

If you're planning a trip during Mardi Gras keep in mind it is going to be insanely crowded. If you like streets full of drunks, you'll have no problem. If you're looking for a quieter experience, NO in the French Quarter during Mardi Gras is not what you want to do.

 

[kissy]

Also, if you don't have a car you can take the trolley from one end of the quarter to the other and down st charles. Keep in mind that if your paying cash you have to have exact change. I would recommend that if you plan to use the trolley more than twice, invest in a pass. You can get them online or from the trolley operator.

oh and my favorite breakfast spot is Stanleys. It's in jackson square. Absolutely delicious!!

 

[Planogirl]

What type of hotel would be your preference? There is everything from grand old hotels to tiny historic inns to luxury highrises and so on. I would consider not staying on Bourbon because of the noise.

 

[esk]

I was there last month. The FQ was seedy....drunks in the doorway at 11 am on a Sunday morning. Cafe Du Monde was INSANE...lines wrapping around the building. FQ just wasn't our scene, so it depends what you're looking for.

We stayed in the Garden District/Uptown and loved it. Jogged both mornings over to Audobon Park and back along St Charles. Very nice residential area.

The streetcar line is under renovation, don't know how long it will take to finish, but it was a major pain. You have to get off, get on a city bus that may or may not be there, and take a bus to FQ. Same on the way back. But if the streetcar went all the way in to the FQ, I'd recommend staying in the Garden District area. There is a Best Western right on St Charles and several B&Bs scattered in the area.

 

[Chee Chick]

There is a Best Western on Bourbon St that is a great location right in the middle of the Quarter. Royal Sonesta and the Monteleone are also really nice, but can be kinda pricey.

I have spent alot of time in NO and have stayed at many hotels in the FQ. The Royal Sonesta and Hotel Monteleone are my two favorites. I almost always stay at one of these hotels now when I visit.

 

[just2girls1]

Wow, thanks everyone for the responses. Every year we get a trip together for my husband's shift, adults only. We are probably looking at March 2013. As far as the type of hotel, we usually stay in a nicer hotel with a pool and some sort of bar, Queen/King beds preferred. Of course within walking distance to most things is nice. Since we are child free we like to just see the sites and hang out . The time spent at the pool/bar in the hotel is usually minimal but it is nice to have when someone just wants to relax. As a group we don't plan activities. Everyone just does what they want and of course anyone is free to join them. This year we went to Key West and had a great time, prior to that other warm weather and cold weather locations. We are looking for something different, hence New Orleans. I appreciate the help and please keep the info coming. I will be talking in more depth to the shift in the coming weeks. We have to plan early enough to give everyone time to figure out their child care arrangements

 

[wgwtgb]

We live 45 min from Nola, and we travel up (for us it's up...lol) for an overnight stay at least 4 times a year. My favorite hotel is Hotel St. Marie 827 Toulouse Street and my favorite restaurant is Dickie Brennans Bourbon House http://www.bourbonhouse.com/
There are so many great choices that you can almost not go wrong with whatever you choose.

 

[mia998]

I went to New Orleans maybe 15 years ago. My ex brother in law stayed there. It was fun for 2 days, but not more than that. They had a lot of antique and junk souvenir shops that I didn't shop from at all. The rest of the time, I made my ex DH rent a car so we could drive to Galveston, Houston, Biloxi. A week in New Orleans is too much. The waterfront area is not that nice with dark brown waters that are not very scenic. It was fun to drive around and look at the streets, houses, cemeteries, and drive back and forth on that long bridge on Lake Ponchitrain or whatever. We even had a bayou tour with the alligators. We did all of that in a week, but I could never stay in New Orleans proper for a straight 5 days or more.

 

[C_leen]

We stayed at the Loewe's Hotel which we were comfortable walking to FQ and back. I think it is considered in the business district. Nice gym at Loew's and I found it very high end. We are not big drinkers or partiers, so found the obnoxious drunks in FQ a little weird - especially at 10 am. But the history and architecture is spectacular. I could have spent a lot of time just listening to the bands just playing in the streets and on the corners impromptu. We did a cemetary tour through Haunted History and it was wonderful. Our guy was brilliant and seemed to know everything about NO.

Found the WWII museum to be most excellent. We did not allot enough time to this and closed it out.

As for food, we fell in love with Coop's Place for fried chicken and awesome bloody mary's! I adored Commander's Palace - that was the finest meal we had during our visit. They have weekday lunch & drink specials to lower the cost on that splurge a little bit. We did like ACME Oyster House. Another surprise is we loved Napolean House and their drink, the Pimm's Cup. Antoine's was a bust. We had a terrible waiter and the food was not anything to brag about.

For a little added security with all the walking we did - I carried a TINY purse. It held my ID, credit card and a small wad of cash. I have a small cell phone and it held that too. I kept ones and a few tens in my front jeans pocket for tips and buying CDs from the musicians. The purse has an over the shoulder strap and I kept it on under my leather coat.

I hope you have a fabulous time!