New Orleans

[Hotblack]

Where are your favorite places to go in the Big Easy?

[Johnny_Crab]

I just "Remember", as Hendrix wrote.

Lived there from 1960 ~ 1989.

Plenty of memories, video, pics, gigs, etc. that are fine the way they were.

I'll list the "used to" places. Some may still be around, others not.

 

Riverfront Park behind Audubon Park on a Saturday or Sunday for a concert

The Swamp Room on Veterans Hwy

The Sanger

Cosmo's Jazz City Studio(gone. Cosmo is THE MAN http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosimo_Matassa)

Tulane University Quad behind Gibson Hall and near the FORMER Electrical Engineering offices(EE=gone)

Riding a streetcar from Carrolton & Claiborne for the entire line

Irish Channel during their parade

Huck's Levee Bar

Ol' Man Rivers(club on the westbank)

Donz in Mandeville(close enough)

K&B nectar sodas in one of their booths with a burger

The Mushroom(records/CD's now near Tulane)

 

Tons more.

The times I've been back take away.

[Thunderbroom]

 

Where are your favorite places to go in the Big Easy?

 

 

I've only been once (couple of weeks before Katrina) but had a blast.

 

What is it you want/don't want to do/see? For food places, what's your budget?

[JacieFB]

Slim's on Magazine St for breakfast. Bring cash else you'll be doing dishes.

 

Juan's Flying Burrito on Magazine.

 

Skip Cafe Le Monde. Go to Cafe Beignet on Royal St for full breakfast including awesome beignets.

 

For an awesome pricy dinner Court of the Two Sisters. Also on Royal St.

[marxalot]

In the French Quarter-

 

Fiorella's has some mighty fine food (esp. Fried Chicken... makes me hungry just typing the name) and good prices!

 

Pat O'Briens for hurricanes and dueling piano requests.

 

Court of Two Sisters has an amazing brunch buffet

 

Coops, nice tavern with good drinks and food

[marxalot]

 

I've only been once (couple of weeks before Katrina) but had a blast.

 

 

wow, I flew out the day before Katrina, we couldn't even look at our photos for a couple of weeks.

[i_wanna_les_paul]

 

Pat O'Briens for hurricanes and dueling piano requests.

 

 

I really enjoyed Pat O's. I'm not much of a bar person, but the atmosphere was really cool, and of course, the dueling pianos was great, especially the crowd's response.

 

Dustin

[dDigitalPimp]

bring a flack jacket.

[Thunderbroom]

In the Garden District:

Commander's Palace for brunch. They had 25 cent martini's when we were there.

 

In the French Quarter:

Brennan's for breakfast. You must have Bananas Foster.

 

Preservation Hall. Loved the music. Absolutely loved it. The atmosphere was really great.

[Phantasm]

Everyone's suggestions so far have been pretty good. There's a lot to do and see in the French Quarter, and pretty much anywhere you eat anything it will be pretty good.

 

Drago's restaurant is really popular with the locals and tourists for oysters. Emeril has a restaurant named Delmonico's, I think it was around St. Charles, that I enjoyed. If you're willing to get really pricey, try Commander's Palace which is also very good. There's a place in the French Quarter on Decatur St. called Cafe Maspero's, it has mufalettas if that does it for you. I also like the Crescent City Brewhouse a little further down Decatur St. For general cajun cuisine also with a steakhouse, there's a Copeland's restaurant chain, i think they have one on St. Charles (they did pre-Katrina, don't know if it reopened.) On Canal St., there's a place called the Palace Cafe that's got sort of a fancier creole menu, lots of seafood/jambalya/gumbo type dishes. On Tchopitoulas St. there's a good old hole in the wall called Frankie and Johnny's that has a lot of fried/boiled seafood and it's excellent, though the portion sizes have decreased in the past 2.5 years.

 

There's a lot of music on Bourbon St. on any given night.

 

There's a Harrah's casino if you're into the gambing thing.

 

If you like the "underground record store" type thing with lots of interesting stuff, take a cab to The Mushroom on Broadway, next to The Boot.

 

If you want to see the Garden District and some really big old houses, ride down St. Charles St. on a streetcar to Uptown. I don't remember if the streetcar goes all the way to Audabon Park and the zoo, but I bet it does.

 

General tips to keep you safe:

 

- Don't walk down any dark streets in the French Quarter at night. If it don't look safe, it ain't safe.

 

- Most homeless/street people don't just panhandle, they hustle. Don't talk to anyone that you don't know because they are just trying to scam you out of money. Especially don't talk to anyone that tells you "I bet you $20 I can tell you where you got your shoes." That's the CLASSIC tourist hustle.

 

- Beware pickpockets and loose women. There's a sign that says that in almost every bar on Bourbon St., and it's true... keep your valuables in your front pocket.

 

Good luck, have fun, and remember that the alcohol content of beer in Louisiana is higher than most "dry" states where it's just 1.5%.

[i_wanna_les_paul]

- Most homeless/street people don't just panhandle, they hustle. Don't talk to anyone that you don't know because they are just trying to scam you out of money. Especially don't talk to anyone that tells you "I bet you $20 I can tell you where you got your shoes." That's the CLASSIC tourist hustle.

 

One guy tried that with me. I have a bad habit of leading these people on, though. There was no way in hell he was going to get Cut Bank, Montana...

 

And I didn't like Emeril's that much. Oh, well.

[Jazz Ad]

The Maple Leaf used to be my favorite but I don't know if it's still there.

If you go during the big touristic season, stay the hell away from Bourbon.

[boogiebassbill]

as long as I have a balcony............about $300 per night off season. Now its crime city. Don't go now.

[Phantasm]

 

The Maple Leaf used to be my favorite but I don't know if it's still there. If you go during the big touristic season, stay the hell away from Bourbon.

 

 

You will also probably want to avoid the weekends of:

 

- Decadence Fest (unless you were shooting for the Gay Pride festival, if so then go for it. This is the least dangerous of the three, there are not any shootings or anything. However, I have been witness to grown men receiving head in the street along with other assorted sodom and gomorrah-isms, though I hear they've toned it down in the past few years.)

 

- Essence Fest (a more affluent client base but still there are usually shootings and hijinks. I would consider going but stay in a group/pack and walk briskly away from any verbal conflict.)

 

- Bayou Classic (when strip clubs and restaurants don't close for Christmas or Easter or Nuclear War but they do close for the Bayou Classic, that says something. It says STAY AWAY.)

 

Just my opinion, YMMV, etc.

[Jmarcus2]

Maple Leaf

Tipitina's

Howlin Wolf

French Quarter Festival

(Court of Two Sisters is way overated)

Mandina's (Mid-City)

Erin Rose (bar in French Quarter)

Tropic Isle beach Club (on Bourbon to see my bro Sammy do Cajun/Zydeco)

 

Got more, what are you interested in doing?

[Phantasm]

Maple Leaf Mandina's (Mid-City)

 

Mandina's has an Italian Meatloaf that is just freakin awesome.

[Incubitabus]

In the French Quarter- Fiorella's has some mighty fine food (esp. Fried Chicken... makes me hungry just typing the name) and good prices! Pat O'Briens for hurricanes and dueling piano requests. Court of Two Sisters has an amazing brunch buffet Coops, nice tavern with good drinks and food

 

We made a point of going there:

 

[Incubitabus]

Happiness is:

 

 

Two Hurricanes, a cuban cigar, beads and an approving girlfriend.

[Phantasm]

Happiness is: Two Hurricanes, a cuban cigar, beads and an approving girlfriend.

 

Was that New Year's Eve? If so, I was one of the other ten bazillon people out there that night.

[Incubitabus]

That was new years eve/sugar bowl 2005/06. Back before Katrina. I haven't been back since.

[Phantasm]

 

That was new years eve/sugar bowl 2005/06. Back before Katrina. I haven't been back since.

 

 

My bad, I thought the shirt said "Georgia Tech" and not "Virginia Tech." I should have my eyes checked!

 

It would have been 04/05 if it was pre-Katrina. 05/06 would have been 6 months post-Katrina and it was a strange scene down there indeed... nothing but relief workers, carpenters, and other laborers working all day and getting drunk and partying all night!

 

I have a friend who sings at Razoo's M-Th and he said they were making mad stupid crazy money during that time frame. The bands on Bourbon St. are paid by the "tip jar" at the front of the stage, and all of the out-of-town workers had money to burn. One night, a guy wanted them to "play some Skynard" and had $100 to offer. He said they played Sweet Home Alabama three times becuase the guy wanted to hear it over and over at $100 a pop... so other people in the club were tired of hearing it and started putting up $100 per song to hear a different Skynard tune. He said this went on for the rest of the set and they considered not taking a break! I should mention my friend is a super-duper southern rock vocalist and he GREW UP ON SKYNARD.

[Incubitabus]

My bad, I thought the shirt said "Georgia Tech" and not "Virginia Tech." I should have my eyes checked! It would have been 04/05 if it was pre-Katrina. 05/06 would have been 6 months post-Katrina and it was a strange scene down there indeed... nothing but relief workers, carpenters, and other laborers working all day and getting drunk and partying all night! I have a friend who sings at Razoo's M-Th and he said they were making mad stupid crazy money during that time frame. The bands on Bourbon St. are paid by the "tip jar" at the front of the stage, and all of the out-of-town workers had money to burn. One night, a guy wanted them to "play some Skynard" and had $100 to offer. He said they played Sweet Home Alabama three times becuase the guy wanted to hear it over and over at $100 a pop... so other people in the club were tired of hearing it and started putting up $100 per song to hear a different Skynard tune. He said this went on for the rest of the set and they considered not taking a break! I should mention my friend is a super-duper southern rock vocalist and he GREW UP ON SKYNARD.

 

yeah, you're right. Damn that was longer ago than I thought...

 

There are some great cover bands in NO. I stopped an watched one band for six or seven songs because I walked up while they were playing "Sober" by Tool, and the singer easily pulled of Maynard's voice! Then they played a few other random rock songs (Black Hole Sun, She Talks to Angels, etc), and all of them rocked. I couldn't make myself leave until they took a break.

 

It took me an hour and a half to track down my group again!

[Hotblack]

Thanks for the info.

I've been down there once before, and since I'll be in that Southern region, I was thinking of popping in there for a long weekend.

 

I definitely think I will be taking full advantage of all the dining options available to me.

[picker13]

I always liked walking around the Quarter smelling the piss and vomit.

[Phantasm]

 

I always liked walking around the Quarter smelling the piss and vomit.

 

 

Well, it's cool right now... the piss/vomit smell is more of a hot July/August thing.