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nola / january
bsjezz
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
i'm going to new orleans! hell yeah!
i'll be on my own for three nights (jan 13 - 15), hopefully sinking up some food and live music (i'll be tuned to wwoz so i should be able to find something that sounds good closer to the date). preservation hall is a priority. i'm also keen for a plantation / swamp / nature tour, so if anyone has a recommendation on that front, please let me know!
what i'd really like is a safe, adventurous urban walking route - something that will take me beyond bourbon street. if it could incorporate parts of Treme (you got me), the river and the st louis cemetery, wonderful! but any interesting history, food or culture would be a bonus. if there are any locals, send me some directions and i'll buy you a beer or two!
lastly - what are the odds i'll catch a second line? how does that work? i'm arriving on a sunday morning, fairly early i believe
(i know crime is an issue, and i'm a skinny australian on my own with a camera, so please don't send me to the cemetery in a figurative sense)
i'll be on my own for three nights (jan 13 - 15), hopefully sinking up some food and live music (i'll be tuned to wwoz so i should be able to find something that sounds good closer to the date). preservation hall is a priority. i'm also keen for a plantation / swamp / nature tour, so if anyone has a recommendation on that front, please let me know!
what i'd really like is a safe, adventurous urban walking route - something that will take me beyond bourbon street. if it could incorporate parts of Treme (you got me), the river and the st louis cemetery, wonderful! but any interesting history, food or culture would be a bonus. if there are any locals, send me some directions and i'll buy you a beer or two!
lastly - what are the odds i'll catch a second line? how does that work? i'm arriving on a sunday morning, fairly early i believe
(i know crime is an issue, and i'm a skinny australian on my own with a camera, so please don't send me to the cemetery in a figurative sense)
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I'm from New Orleans, living about an hour outside of it now.
Definitely go to Cafe Du Monde and get beignets! That is a MUST! I'm trying to think of what might be going on at that time. Unfortunately, it looks like you'll be missing all the parade for Mardi Gras (list of parades for 2013 - http://www.mardigrasneworleans.com/schedule.html ) as they start January 19th, but people will most likely be celebrating in the quarter anyway (since Jan. 6th is the beginning of the Mardi Gras season).
It's a little late right now and I took a nightquil for this cold I'm trying to get over, so I'll have to think of what else you HAVE to do and update on here tomorrow.
Origin: DustBunny777
3DS: 2836-0103-2102
- this is happening sunday. other than @ladydustbunny 's fine gastronomic suggestion, can anyone else give ideas on how to fill up my spare couple of days?
- there is a second line happening, but it's a ways from my hotel (in the french quarter) and apparently the not-so-nice area is in between. what are my odds of safely catching a glimpse of this? what's the best way to do it?
- a more general question for those used to travelling in the states, and without wanting to start a debate: what's good tipping etiquette? i want to get the most out of the hotel's concierge, for example, and coming from a country where tipping is rare and unexpected i'm not in the habit of slipping money into a handshake, or however it works
cheers again.
For tipping advice. I always do 20 percent pretax, unless the service is bad, but if that's a bit much for you 15 percent is reasonable. Really though, tip what you can afford, and be kind of reasonable.
For the bar, a buck a drink, unless they are doing some wierd ass special request drink then 2 a drink is reasonable.
For hotels, I only tip the person who does any physical lifting for me, or doing something really outside the bounds of their job, but mostly for lifting and moving bags for me, generally 2 bucks a bag. You can hand them the money however you feal like, but the handshake makes it feal more covert and by definition and more awesome. I'll also give someone two bucks if they go fetch me a cab as well.
For safety sake, take cabs everywhere at night.
It's within walking distance of the aquarium, if I remember correctly. Also go to the aquarium. And the D-Day museum
i'm confident in being able to get across town from my hotel, i'm just a bit worried about finding one quickly to get home, especially since i won't have an active phone. what are cabs like in the city around venues outside of bourbon street? i noticed some interesting gigs at places like howlin' wolfs and the maple leaf bar, which are all over
Get a disposable phone at the airport or at a convenience store.
Crime is not that bad. Mostly you need to be smart, particularly if you are alone. Watch out for scams, don't buy drugs and don't wander around drunk late at night. Put your wallet in your front pocket.
Tour the St. Louis Cemetery during the day, preferably in the morning.
The restaurants I can recommend are Mother's and Domilises for Po Boy's (seafood or roast beef sandwiches on french bread)
The Camellia Grill is a great breakfast place up on Carrollton near the river bend. You can take the St. Charles Trolley there one morning and see a bit more of the city.
Hit at least one of the classic New Orleans establishments in the quarter (Mr. B's, Galatoire's, Brennans).
You won't have any problem finding places to drink.
Do all of that. Ghost tours can be a little cheesy, but they're fun-cheesy with the right guide, and they'll show you around the french quarter a fair bit.
If you like bread pudding, give Muriel's a visit. You will not be disappointed.
Edit:
Oh, and if you're eating in the french quarter: do some research (like reading this thread!) or brace yourself for forgettable, shitty food priced as if it were not. There are some gems in there, but at least 50% of those restaurants seem to be culinary garbage aimed at snagging drunk tourists who wouldn't come back anyway.