[Freeda]

We are heading to New Orleans on Sunday for a few days for Doug's b-day. Our last trip in 2009 we were so enjoying the jazz clubs that we didn't do much else. What a great city.

Any tips for restaurants, clubs for music, sightseeing, etc?

[l2ridehd]

For its sleek interior, good location and service, and creative menu, Metro Bistro (200 Magazine) is a surprising treat. You will love the Oyster Rockefeller Crepe: a rich, fluffy oyster-spinach-cheese filling, Herbsaint cream sauce, and three perfect fried oysters.

Steamboat harbor cruise Cruising from Canal St pier

Dinner
Orleans Grapevine Wine Bar & Bistro
720 Orleans Ave. (bet. Bourbon & Royal Sts.) New Orleans, LA 70116
Phone: 504-523-1930

Walking Bourbon Street, enjoy the jazz and sights, people watch.

Day 2

Breakfast Café O’latte, Diagonally across Jackson square from the Cabildo is Café du Monde, open 24 hours a day, well known for the café au lait with chicory and beignets served there continuously since the 19th century.
Visit the Cathedral in Jackson Square

Ferry to Algiers for Walk around and Lunch

Taxi or walk to Algiers Point Ferry Terminal or Canal Streetcar line to Convention Center Boulevard. Not so much because Algiers is so great, but because it's a free ride across the Mississippi. Wind in your face, visions of Tom and Huck, all that. But once on the other side, you can visit Blaine Kern's Mardi Gras World (shuttles meet each ferry). The neighborhood itself is worth strolling, as it's a more or less undisturbed turn-of-the-20th-century suburb. And the ride back across on the ferry will give you a wonderful view of the New Orleans skyline

Lunch in Algiers

Option 1, Sortez Cafe Option 2, Rainey’s
141 Delaronde St. Option 2 Rainey's Restaurant
New Orleans, LA 70118 [Map It] 901 Vallette St., New Orleans, LA 70114
(504) 227-2989 Soul Food, Cajun/Creole/Louisiana
(504) 368-1564

For a frivolous, expensive afternoon snack, have high tea at Westin Canal
Place Hotel (100 Iberville). Near canal st ferry

It's not like you can visit voodoo -- it's a religion, not a place -- but you can tour the musty and a bit touristy New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum, which has some informative exhibits and a staff that should be able to give you a tour if you ask nicely. Combine a visit here with one to the Voodoo Spiritual Temple run by Priestess Miriam. A charismatic figure used to delivering talks on her religion to outsiders, she gladly shows people around her place of worship. But it is just that, so please be respectful
828 N. Rampart Street New Orleans, LA 70116 (504) 522-9627

Dinner
Bayona
430 Dauphine St
New Orleans, LA 70112
(504) 525-4455

Excellent

[chuckinca]

Riverboat ride to the Battle of New Orleans site

World War II Museum

New Orleans Zoo

French Market

Cafe du Monde for Beignets

Ride the St Charles Avenue Streetcar

Drive Thru Daquiri and Hurricane stores

Plantation Tour near the river

.

[Freeda]

Wow, thanks for the great suggestions! We had no idea about alot of these, so really appreciate your sharing!

[jackz]

Acme Oyster House, French Quarter location for outstanding fresh oysters on the half shell and great poboy sandwiches.

http://www.acmeoyster.com/

[Freeda]

Thanks, Jack! We have decided to stay another day, with all of these things to do!

[Hawkmom3]

We just got back from New Orleans Mon. Great restaurant--Dragos in the Hilton by the Riverwalk!

[quirky3]

Try the Court of Two Sisters restaurant for a romantic dinner

[salpal]

Court of two sisters is great. For a cheap and different sightseeing option, take one of the street cars (if they are back running) out to the end of the line and back....toward Tulane is a good one. We enjoyed looking at the various architecture of the older homes.

[lovsthosebigdogs]

We often spend up to a month or more in NOLA and for us, you can't get a bad meal at Mr. B's at 201 Royal Street. If they are serving their Lobster Mac and Cheese it's fantastic, but they are known for their Bar B Q Shrimp which is more butter than anythng else (put the diet aside in NOLA, you won't need it with all the walking). Jacque-Imo's uptown at 8324 Oak Street
is also a fun and fantastic place and they put a fried oyster on your salad if you like that (we do). For po boys you can't beat Parkway Bakery where the shrimp are enormous and plentiful and if you tell owner Jay Nix that it's your first time he'll give you a taste of everything and talk your ear off about the place (very fun and tasty). You can take a taxi to these places if you're staying in the Quarter and it's worth it. If you're at a hotel and want a trip out of the Quarter ask about a trip to the Instagator farm. You can hold a real gator and I know they hatch in Sept but maybe they are still hatching baby gators now and you could hold an egg when it hatches. Very educational and a great way to spend a couple of hours.
Don't forget the French Market for shopping and while you are there Louisiana Pizza Kitchen has great pizza's but if you are really starved they aren't huge (more of a personal size) (95 French Market Place). We always stop in at Louisiana Bistro to see Chef Mars and his "Feed Me" option of 3, 4, or 5 courses. I can never finish the 3 but my husband can. Chef comes out and asks you what you like and don't like which is perfect for me, a fussy eater with allergies. Then he goes in the kitchen and plans your perfect meal with fresh, delicious local ingredients. It's a small place with excellent service and reasonable prices for what you get. For each course Chef Mars comes out and tells you what he prepared and something about the dish. It's like dinner and a show at the same time. A unique dining experience that is delicious and fun. He has a great sense of humor also and is very creative.
Hope you have a great time. We adore NOLA and if we had an extra milliion to spend, we'd buy a little place in the Quarter. Lucky for us, we have a friend who rents us his house on St. Peter.

[gongoozler]

Commander's Palace is the best restaurant in the U.S. at least go there for lunch . . . City Park Museum . . . Visit Audobon Park . . . Walk through Tulane University . . . Visit San Francisco Plantation . . . Crayfish and beer at Cresent City Brew House . . . Mother's Restaurant for the Pecan Pie . . . do the Super Dome, cemetery, and Madi Gras tours . . . Cafe du Monde for Beignets (in the French Quarter not the one in the mall) . . . Take the street car all the way out to St. Charles and do the turn-around. Pascal's Manale Restaurant on Napoleon Avenue for BBQ shrimp, they invented it 100 years ago!

[Freeda]

Thanks for all the replies and info. We are in Biloxi and get to New Orleans tomorrow; really looking forward to it. You all are terrific.

And yes, so far we're up.

[Freeda]

I wanted to thank everyone who provided ideas for New Orleans; we didn't get everything done, but kept all of your suggestions in our file for our next trip in a few months. I just wanted to give some feedback, since you were so nice to respond. It's wonderful that on here we have people from so many different areas and travels to share info with us.

New Orleans (this was our second time there) was a great trip. We decided to go back to see Jeff Dunham (I think that's his name - he's another great ventriloquist, besides Terry Fator) who's going to be performing in New Orleans in early 2012 (we would go back, anyway, but he will be a fun addition). We have really fallen in love with that city; it is, to me, almost like a mini version of NYC (but, within driving distance from here), which I also love; and both of us like that 'both historic and modern real city' fix once in a while; plus we love the waterfront area. We did go to some of the restaurants that were recommended on here, and have the others still on our list for when we return; we must do them all! We did the ferry ride that was recommended; awesome!

We took a 2 1/2 hour narrated bus tour of NO and saw the ninth ward (Katrina area) - very moving - plus alot of the beautiful both historic and new areas City Park, St. Charles street, above-ground cemetery, Cafe du Monde, etc; it is a truly fascinating city, with something for everyone.

We did the French Market, jazz clubs on both Bourbon Street and Frenchmen St, the Waterfront galleria area, voodoo museum and spiritual temple (very interesting, including the huge python - safely in a cage). Loved every minute.

Plus, we spent time in Biloxi MS (this was a beautiful, clean area, with beautiful casino hotels there - Beau Rivage is the most gorgeous of them, but Imperial Palace is also beautiful), Destin, and Panama City; also great areas, so altogether if you break it up this is a superb several day road trip.

In Panama City we saw a fantastic show at the Gulf World Marine Park, the Todd Allen show, (www.toddallen.com - his last name is something like Herendeen, so that may also be a website of his - toddallenherendeen.com - something like that). He and his band do fab impersonations of Elvis, Buddy Holly, Orbison, June Carter, and other rock and country stars; plus one of my favorite performers ever - Johnny Cash. His 'Johnny Cash' - especially 'Ring of Fire' - will make you nearly swoon (if you're a girl)! (Looks like going to N.O. got me using those good old southern terms). The long black coat, drawn shoulders, his 'battling' with the guitar, the Johnny Cash voice etc etc - the best 'Johnny Cash' impersonation I've ever seen, and I've seen a number of them (being a Johnny Cash fan; did I mention that? And, yes, my Doug knows that I think Johnny Cash was super!) His group plays all over the country, and has even been here to TV at Savannah. It is about 6 hours to Panama City from here and worth it just to see that show; hopefully they'll be back in TV sooner than later.

As always, it is also great to be back at home in T.V. I can't stay away long; get too homesick.