New Orleans?

[Bwana]

Heading that way next week, so are looking for places that we NEED to take in while we are there? Food is high on the list of things to try along with any other cool ideas you folks might have, so let the ideas commence.

FYI - we already have a plantation tour and a kayak swamp tour booked.

[Chicken Dinner]

I'm making my first trip in October. So, definitely know what you find out.

[Thumper]

Ok, Eddie missed his chance of a lifetime when I steered him towards The Wilke's House in Savannah. I warned him there would be a looooong line, but I guess his womenfolk didn't want that much adventure plus it was a bit warm for standing outside! ;)

If you're going someplace we've been, trust me, Lynn and I can tell you where to eat! That's our thing. We don't do ball games, museums, theme parks or any type of touristy b/s ... we go to eat. Whenever we travel, we have our list made out ahead of time with every meal scheduled in advance, BUT ... if you don't have a sense of adventure or hate standing in line, maybe you should try Dennys! We have a rule, if there's no line, chances are, it's not worth eating there. To some, a line is an inconvenience ... to us, it's part of the adventure and we enjoy making new, like-minded friends while waiting. ;)

Here are a few of our New Orleans favorites.

You HAVE to go to Willie Mae's (Scotch House) for her fried chicken, rice & beans and cornbread. No ifs, ands or buts, just do it. You can thank me later. Oh, and remember that sense of adventure, you may get a bit nervous when you first see the neighborhood, but hey ... you're in New Orleans! Google it, you won't find anything negative. Here's the sign that may greet you when you arrive. Short and to the point! ;)

5509

I told you there'd be a line. Here's a pic taken from across the street as well as one with Lynn holding my spot.

5510

5511

Ok, get that out of the way and if you like oysters (Lynn loves 'em), you HAVE to put Acme Oyster Restaurant on the list. Again, there will be a line.

http://www.exploreneworleans.info/img/large/acme-oyster-restaurant.jpg

I let Lynn have her oysters ... MY treat is BBQ. Ya' gots ta' hit "The Joint"! If there's a line, there are at least a few chairs along the wall to sit in. (the dog in front adds a bit of class) Once in the door, you can choose inside or outside seating.

http://www.noladefender.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/lightbox/jointoutside.JPG

http://s3-media4.fl.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/uTcGLjX_MHxp4pYcei0FgA/348s.jpg

Ok, you CAN NOT leave N.O. without grabbing a Beignet in the French Quarter at Cafe Du Monde! I'm tellin' ya' ... it's a "must do". Of course, you ain't never seen a line until you've seen the line at Cafe Du Monde ... it's there for a reason. It's that good.

http://media.nola.com/2010_gulf_oil_spill/photo/cafe-du-monde-linejpg-9703487075cba322.jpg

[Chicken Dinner]

That's just the kind of list I'm looking for!

[BarryBobPosthole]

And if you need some culturin', stop by Preservation Hall and listen to a little jazz in a very historic place.

Bring your own brown bag and your own brown liquor.

Its at the corner of Bourbon and st Peters Streets.
BKB

[No-till Boss]

If you only do one thing, make time and go to the open market . It's truly a experience . I love NOLA, one of my favorite places ever to visit .

[Thumper]

That's just the kind of list I'm looking for!

Oh, that's the tip of the iceberg. I have a zillion of 'em if you want more. :D

We love VISITING N.O. .... wouldn't wanna live there.

[Bwana]

Keep them coming Thumper.

[Captain]

Love going to NO. We were they last year for a week and bourbon st. was damn NASTY. It's a once or twice sorta thing now. When I lived/worked there in the late 70's it was fun as hell. Now it just smells like human piss. (And lots of it) and the lower half of Bourbon St is now all gay and not a family friendly place AT ALL.... Be sure to walk down to Cafe Du Monde and have some Beignets one morning. And you should find a good guide and go out on a big Bull Redfish trip while you are there. That is some GREAT red fishing.

[Thumper]

What kind of transportation will you have? We always buy a Jazzy Pass 'cause I hate driving across town just to find out parking is impossible to find ... or will cost as much as your monthly mortgage for a few hours parking. We normally get the 3-day pass for $9 and can ride the buses or street cars (unlimited times) anywhere we go. We usually stop at a local Walgreens to pick one up, but you can get 'em almost anyplace. We stay at the Hyatt and there are bus stops as well as street car stops right in front of the hotel. To get to Willie Mae's, we had to walk a couple of blocks from the bus stop if I remember correctly, but parking there isn't a major hassle if you're driving.

http://norta.com/RTA/media/RTA-PDF-Files/Fares_and_Passes/Vendor-Locations-4-8-13.pdf

http://www.norta.com/Fares-Passes/Jazzy-Pass.aspx

[Thumper]

Be sure to walk down to Cafe Du Monde and have some Beignets one morning.

Duh! Never thought of that. ;)

[Thumper]

The last trip to N.O. cost us the price of food only ... well, almost. We took Megabus and REALLY enjoyed it.

We got tickets for $1 each way (you have to plan ahead, the fare rises as tickets are sold) so our transportation from Orlando to N.O. and back was a total of $4.00! Not bad for a 1300 mile round trip! We left Orlando early one evening, had free wi-fi and charging stations at every seat and really enjoyed the trip. Heck, we slept all night and arrived in N.O. at 7:00 am the next morning all rested up and ready to go. The bus trip was only something like an hour longer than it would have been driving, BUT we slept instead of driving. We hit a few truck stops along the way where we could disembark (sumpin' like 15 min. breaks), stretch our legs and buy munchies or whatever. We also brought a small cooler with us with Cokes and a coupl'a sammiches, as well as a bag of munchies like chips, cookies, etc. We just made a picnic out of the trip.

We got off the bus in N.O. and walked across the street to a Walgreens to buy our Jazzy Pass, then caught the bus to the hotel right on the corner of the Walgreens parking lot! After that, we used our Jazzy Pass to go anywhere we wanted if too far to walk. So, with Megabus and our Jazzy Pass, we spent a total of $22 on transportation for the two of us. That wouldn't even buy 1/2 tank of gas plus we didn't have to drive or pay any parking fees. It may not be for everybody, but we enjoyed it and plan on doing it again. Ok, that's $22 so far ... we stayed at the Hyatt (gratis) and had free internet. Still at $22 for expenses. I didn't keep track of what we spent for food, but you can see from the list above, we weren't paying for "white tablecloth" dining!

Ebay paid for the weekend so it was a pretty cheap get-away! ;)

http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/2749a23d639f01b70c4a09703b7763c72c2ded09/c=332-0-4925-3453&r=x404&c=534x401/local/-/media/WTSP/WTSP/2014/04/30//1398888520000-megabuscom-in-Tampa.jpg

[LJ3]

The last trip to N.O. cost us the price of food only ...

So.... $1,567,996.00? We've seen you eat!

[Thumper]

$1,567,996.00?? Naaa, actually, it was more like an even $1,568,000.00. Lynn ate too. ;)

[Chicken Dinner]

I'm staying at the Hyatt Regency NO for a conference. So, all it will cost me is airfare for the Mrs and her half of the incidentals. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll have the time to get into any redfish unless it's on a dinner plate.

[Thumper]

Dang! That's where we stay when we go! As I said above, you have the bus lines as well as the street car lines right there at the hotel. Grab a Jazzy Pass and start exploring!

You can walk to the National WWII Museum if you're into exercise. ;)

[Captain]

Duh! Never thought of that. ;) Ah, shut up. I was at work and didn't have time to read your dissertation. :D

[BarryBobPosthole]

'Disembark'.

Is that like exfoliating?

BKB

[No-till Boss]

I'm staying at the Hyatt Regency NO for a conference. So, all it will cost me is airfare for the Mrs and her half of the incidentals. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll have the time to get into any redfish unless it's on a dinner plate.

Don't be afraid to eat where you're staying either, the food is amazing there.

[No-till Boss]

Also, take a rickshaw instead of walking, they're all over and it's usually donation only.

[Trav]

I would add stoping in the Sazerac Bar at the Roosevelt Hotel and having a Sazerac or a Gin Fizz they been making them there since 1938.

[Bwana]

The Hyatt Regency sounds like a popular place as that is where we are staying also.

[Bwana]

Cappy, tell me about this redfishing, I don't know what they are.

[Thumper]

They're fish .... and they're kinda red. ;)

[Chicken Dinner]

Don't let Cappy tell you he can't cook either. Because he whipped up some grilled redfish that were awesome when we were down there last fall.

[Thumper]

Don't let Cappy tell you he can't cook either. Because he whipped up some grilled redfish that were awesome when we were down there last fall.

Without pictures ... it never happened! ;)