About Curt Felch Expertise If you want to know where to stay, where to eat, what to do, deals you can find - that kind of stuff, let me know, and I should be able to help.
Experience basically, i've spent a LOT of time in new orleans, both on business and as a tourist. i can honestly say it's my favorite town in the entire world.
i also have a lot of friends in the area, so if i don't know something, i can get the info pretty quick.
Expert: Curt Felch Date: 3/9/2005 Subject: Where to go in New Orleans
Question Hi Curt,
I'll be visiting New Orleans in May this year and I would like to know what we should go see and where we can eat at reasonable prices. A hotel in the price range of the Radisson and any other info you would like to share would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you again.
Marie Olson
olson328@yahoo.com
Answer well, that depends a bit on what you think you want to do, and who you are.
are you going with a group [how many], or by yourself, or with your boyfriend/husband? what age range are we talking about?
if you aren't set on a date yet, i can tell you that Jazzfest is coming up [april 22- may 1], and it looks to be a really good lineup. so you might want to look into that. it's the second biggest event of the year [behind mardi gras, of course.
Hotels:
you're gonna want to stay in the French Quarter.
there are two kinds of hotels. my favorite cheap hotels are the Dauphine Orleans, and the Prince Conti, both within a block [or less] of Bourbon st.
if you can spend a little more, check out the Omni Royal Orleans [not the one in the CBD], or my favorite, the Monteleone. sometimes the Monteleone has some unreal deals. if you stay there, make sure you have a drink in the Carosel bar. the thing rotates around [and isn't as bad on the stomach when you're drunk as you'd think].
check out each of these hotels on expedia or travelocity, then book directly with the hotel directly online. i've never had a case where a hotel in new orleans didn't have a better rate on their own website. usually, hotels in nola drop in price about 3 weeks prior, and drop again 2 weeks prior, then hold their price. check the rates today for when you plan to go, then check the rates for two weeks from now. you usually see a difference.
the Dauphine and the Prince Conti are really nice, little hotels. but they are on the North side of Bourbon, which is a little more sketchy. if you're alone, or with a group of girls, the Prince Conti is much better, since it's almost right on Bourbon. and it's usually cheaper. if you are with guys, don't worry about it.
if you can get the montelone for under $100, take it. if you're in you're 20's or 30's, and plan on partying hard, also check out the royal sonesta. it's ground zero for bourbon st., and not noisy at all [most of the rooms are in the back of the building]. sometimes you can get a deal on that hotel too.
Food:
breakfast:
gotta go to Mother's once. it's on Poydras, in the CBD [a five-minute walk]. you might have to wait in a big line, but the line moves fast.
one thing that's really cheap is Cafe Du Monde. it's a historical landmark, and open 24 hrs, i think. beignets are only $1 or so for 3. [eat them hot, and you'll be hooked for life. let them cool, and you'll never order them again.] if you stay at the monteleone or omni, i really like the cafe beignet right on Royal next to the police station. it's closer, and kind of cavelike. there's nothing like early morning in new orleans. it's so quiet and everything seems so clean and fresh.
and you have to go to Petunias one day. it's a little house-like place, with unreal breakfasts. get the french toast, and don't put syrup on them. you won't be sorry.
lunch:
i like cafe pontalba, on jackson square and chartres st. it's simple food, but you can usually listen to jazz bands playing in the square, and all the windows / doors open up, so it's almost like eating outside.
another thing that's pretty cheap is a Central Grocery Muffaletta [CGis on Decatur]. that's a really large sandwich. you can go eat it on the levee, and watch the mississippi float by.
dinner:
my favorite restaurants, in order are:
K-pauls, [chartres, between st. louis and conti]
emerils' nola [on st. louis between royal and chartres]
redfish grille [on bourbon, at iberville]
Carmellos [if you're hankerin' for italian], and
g.w. fins
but those guys are all pricey. i mention them because if you go to nola, you really have cough up the dough, and get a reservation at one of them. if you have only one night to do that, go for K-pauls. it's unreal.
for less pricey stuff, i like the acme oyster house. even if you don't like oysters [i don't], the gumbo and jambalaya are really good.
stuff to do:
during the day, you'll probably spend some of the day[s] just wandering around the french quarter, and shopping. another day, i'd strongly suggest that you get out of the quarter, take the St. Charles streetcar, and take in a Garden District Tour. they sell them at the Garden District Book Shop, and many other places. they're cheap, and last about 1 1/2 hours.
at night, that depends on you. not knowing, i'll give you the lowdown for all ages:
if you want to party, bourbon st. is a great place. the great thing about bourbon is that you can drink quite a lot, walk from bar to bar with the same drink in your hand, and listen to music or watch other people get generally crazy. if you choose to get sloppy drunk, you can still make the walk home to the hotel, because it will be very close.
locals would kind of dismiss the quality of the music on bourbon, but i've yet to find a place that has the variety of music from place to place. there are a great number of places outside the quarter in which to listen to live music, but you'd have to cab it. at least on bourbon, if you don't like that particular music, or if the band takes a break, you can go next door.
one note on bourbon st. music: i actually like bourbon better during the week [mon-thurs] than on the weekend. that's because it's not so crowded, and there are actually more live bands playing. the clubs use the live bands to lure in the customers. on the weekend, a lot of them go to dj's - definitely not as fun. the crowd tends to be younger too - college-age and high-school kids come out. i don't want to discourage you if that's when you're coming - you'll have a good time either way.
if you're into jazz, Preservation Hall [also right off bourbon in the quarter] is a landmark. there are also cajun and zydeco bands as well. if you REALLY like jazz, you can try a few places over in the Foubourg-Marigny, a district over by Esplanade. try Snug Harbor. it's a little place with really talented acts. ellis marsalis plays usually every friday.
hope that helps. if you have more specific questions, just ask.
