This past January saw me returning to a city that seems to be a big part of life during the last three years: New Orleans. The first time I went was based on a random decision - my spouse and I decided to just go as a way to get the hell out of the DC area while COVID was starting to let up a little bit - and we both found that we really enjoyed what we found. Despite the bad reputation the city gets (which seems to veer into racist territory often...), its a place worth checking out at least once in every American's lifetime. Since we've been there now three times in over 3 years, I think I've got enough of a grasp on the city to offer some (possibly helpful) notes and trivia if you're planning a trip there anytime soon.
Everything below is strictly opinion based on fuzzy memories, should be taken with a grain of well-seasoned salt, and understood to be just notes to keep in mind. I'm also including Wikipedia articles and other external websites as additional resources so you can dig further if you're interested.
Jackson Square at night [January 2024] (pic by me)
The City Itself
Despite hearing them as common complaints, I didn't find the main areas of New Orleans to be any dirtier or crime-ridden as most of the cities or small towns I've been to in my travels. While I don't doubt that there's problems, I feel they're specific to the locals and can be avoided as long as you're both street-savvy and keep a clear head. (This should be simple advice for traveling or living anywhere, really...) Mind your own shit and no one will bother you. The only NOLA-specific tip to mind, though, is to remember to not fall for the shoes on Bourbon St. scam.
That said, Canal Street is both unavoidable and really infuriating - it's the New Orleans version of Times Square. It's the vein that connects both halves of the city together and where most of the main hotels and hostels are located, so you'll most likely end up there from Day One and you should ready to deal with it the moment you get downtown.
Try to avoid Bourbon Street if you can - Royal and Chartres Streets are your better bet on getting around the French Quarter. If you want good bars and music, Frenchmen Street in Marigny is still crowded but also still very much less obnoxious. (Frenchmen also has a cool night market with all sorts of fun things, so highly recommended.)
Thinking about Bourbon Street - avoid walking near it or along Iberville St. in the mornings. Your nostrils will thank you.
It's pretty easy to get stuck in the same general area if you're in the city for the first time but making the effort to get out away from the French Quarter/CBD/Warehouse District corridor is well worth it. My recommendation is making use of the streetcars to go out to City Park (which is 1½ times larger than Central Park in New York City) in the Mid-City neighborhood or ride it leisurely through the Garden District on the St. Charles Ave. line. Also, riding the RTA is still cheap - tickets for a single ride are $1.25 even in 2024.
Some Bits about Local Culture
Mardi Gras & the Carnival season: They really do take Carnival seriously in NOLA, as "Mardi Gras" is both a specific day and a whole season. Technically, I still haven't been during Mardi Gras proper but festivities start right on January 6th and basically run throughout until Ash Wednesday, regardless of where it falls during the year. If you're willing to deal with cold nights, I'd recommend checking out one of the more DIY krewe parades that happen on Fridays and Saturdays -
Marie Laveau: The city's got a large number of shops and small museums focused on Voodoo (distinctly Louisiana Voodoo and not Haitian Voudou, by the way), some of which seem almost mocking the tradition than honoring it. In this mix, there's one figure who looms the largest: Marie Laveau. Outside of NOLA, she's mostly famous as being "The Witch Queen of New Orleans" but people in the city often view her more as having been a community leader at a time when both slavery and racism towards Creoles of color were commonplace. Her story is a fascinating one and highly recommended to understand her place in the local culture.
Black Masking Indians: Often referred to as "Mardi Gras Indians," that's not an accurate name for the tradition and seems to provoke eyerolls from those who participate. A number of the attractions in the city showcase donated Black Masking Indian costumes (the Presbytère had a huge collection the first time I went) and are really beautiful and intricate. They also have an impact on the local music, which was brought to the wider American market in 1976 through the sole album from The Wild Tchoupitoulas (which was especially notable for bring The Neville Brothers together as a group):
The rougarou: Cajun werewolves are a popular subject with the ghost-walk tour guides and can lead to some funny tales during those tours. More fun is that the ubiquitous "blue dog" found thoroughout the city (painted by the late local artist George Rodrigue) is actually supposed to be a rogarou itself.
Plaza Tower vs. a palm tree, taken from Camp St. [January 2024] (pic by me)
The Food (My God, the Food!)
Beignets: Every travel guide wants to direct you to Café du Monde off of Decatur but it's honestly a tourist trap. Sure, go get the pictures of standing in line if you want to do that. If you want a better beignet & café au lait experience, though, there are several Café Beignet locations throughout and offer far better of both. Morning Call over by the cemeteries in Mid-City is also a good place to try beignets too.
Po' boys: Sandwiches are pretty ubiquitous in this town but there's some places that are more famous for them then other's. Mother's is the classic but I found their po' boys to be alright but not fantastic. Personally, I'd recommend grabbing something from either Johnny's (which gets long-ass lines) or NOLA Poboys near Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop. Just be mindful that po' boys also get ridiculously messy, especially if you get one with debris...
Brunch: There's really one winner in this department and by this point its no longer a well-kept secret - Ruby Slipper. Whether you go the one on Decatur or on Magazine, you're going to get a great breakfast if you go at the right time. And that time? 8:30 in the morning. Any later than that and the wait gets longer and the service a little sloppier. So make sure to get there early and well-situated before the crowds show up. Also, get the bennies as either the Peacemaker or the Trifecta (if you eat meat) - the fried chicken and pork benedicts are flat-out fucking amazing.
Finer dining: Not really one for white-linen establishments, I don't have too many recommendations but if you want something personal to recommend, I have two places. First is Muriel's Jackson Square, which is famous for its ghost-séance room. The food is excellent there and is also one of the only places I've ever had a properly cooked pork chop. The second is Curio, which gives huge servings for the Creole dishes on offer. Just whatever you do, though, don't go to Creole House - it's basically an Olive Garden version of Creole cuisine...
Cooking classes: There's several cooking schools in the city but the one I'd recommend is the Mardi Gras School of Cooking. My spouse and I had a wonderful time with the roux-making class where we learned some new cooking techniques and had a fantastic meal, all made better by the fact we were lucky enough to be the only two in the whole class due to well-timed cancellations from the other classmates. Keep in mind that this might not be the case for you and a unique experience on my part.
Thoughts on Attractions
The French Quarter, overall: As mentioned before, avoid Bourbon St. if you can. Otherwise, it's easy to walk all over the place in the neighborhood and is probably best thought as not far removed from the New Orleans Square area in Disneyland except you can eat, drink, and buy your way throughout it. Just expect crowds and shenanigans, mind your own business and your surroundings, and then you'll be fine and have a great time.
The museums in the French Quarter: There's a whole bunch of museums throughout NOLA and I'd recommend consulting travel books to determine which ones you want to see (Lonely Planet and DK Eyewitness are good options). When I've been there, there were four I've been to specifically. The most interesting was the compact Pharmacy Museum, which covers all sorts of medical devices from the 18th and 19th centuries. It feels like a Mom & Pop operation but is well worth the price. The other three I went to are a little more of a mixed bag and run by the Louisiana State Museums. The New Orleans Jazz Museum was good yet quick and it's also the home of the New Orleans branch of the U.S. Mint. The bigger Presbytère and Cabildo museums are filled with local history exhibits but were a bit dry and cumbersome, even for someone like me who loves reading about history.
The parks: As mentioned before, City Park is massive and probably worth a whole day to dedicate to it. Just be mindful of that the geese can be aggressive as anywhere else. Nearby is also the Bayou St. John neighborhood, which is a lovely walk around the waterways. On the other side the city at the end of St. Charles Ave. streetcar line is the other major park, Audubon Park (home to the zoo). Also a pretty park, I haven't had much of a chance to explore and hope to do some more on my 4th trip in the future.
Audubon Aquarium: If you need to entertain children, sure, knock yourself out. Lots of fish and other animals. Even after the 2023 renovation, though, it's still a smaller aquarium than others I've been to and definitely not worth the $30-35 per ticket we paid to get through it in less than two hours.
The art museums: Like the history museums, there's a good deal of art museums as well. The big one is the New Orleans Museum of Art located at City Park, which is a large building but has a small collection on display. It's a good museum but I was honestly expecting more to what I saw (recommended, though, for the installation piece America (2013) by Will Ryman). The sculpture garden attached to the museum is massive. Over at the Warehouse District are two museums across from one another: the Contemporary Arts Center (the CAC) and the Ogden Museum of Southern Art. The CAC is a striking building inside and usually dedicated to one exhibit at a time but we found there's were some problems with ADA-compliance. The Ogden is deceptive in size and content since it appears small but actually takes some time to get through and has a lot of good artwork on display.
WWII Museum: This is a huge draw but I have mixed feelings about it. Positive is that it's huge and takes a good 3 hours to get through it, giving you a chance to see all sorts of planes and machinery from WWII in hangers. Negatives are that it's both overwhelming (a lot of walking and looking at military stuff) and underwhelming (it's very much focused on American heroism - especially in the European Theater - and doesn't offer anything more nuanced). It's Band of Brothers: The Experience (complete with a 4D show narrated by Tom Hanks!). If that's your thing, you'll fucking love it. If you want a more balanced understanding of the war, you might as well just read some books.
The cemeteries & ghost tours: Most of the cemeteries are run by the local Archdiocese and can only be accessed through officially sanctioned tours. If you get a chance to do a tour, make sure to a) research your options really well and b) aim for a night tour. When done right, it's an experience you won't forgot but if done wrong, you might be bored and regretful of dropping about $30-40 bucks per person. Same goes for the ghost tours, which run the risk of being both bar adverts and showcases for the hammiest actors you'll ever meet.
Saint Peter St. at night, next to Jackson Square [January 2024] (pic by me)
The Music (My God, the Music!)
As the birthplace of jazz and a good chunk of rock n' roll (through New Orleans R&B), there's a lot already written about the music and this city. I'll add some quick notes:
If you see a brass band playing on the streets, stop and listen to them. It's a great way to take a beat and just enjoy being in the city.
Zydeco is from the area but I haven't had much luck in finding it. There are apparently some places to hear it, though, and can probably be found through OffBeat.
If you want an audio primer on local music, the below playlist based on the box set Doctors, Professors, Kings & Queens is a great place to start:
Getting Out through MSY
MSY is usually how you'll see the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport referenced - it's the FAA code given due to it's location on the old Morris Stock Yards.
Security to the terminals is all in one location and not divided per terminal like many other airports.
There's an advantage to that, though, as you can go anywhere throughout the airport to get food or use amenities. It's also a smaller airport, so getting from one terminal to another should only take about 10 minutes if you're able to hoof it.
As for food, I'd recommend either sticking to the fast food options or Leah's Kitchen (which has good sandwiches). Just don't go to the MoPho at MSY, since the service was horrible and the pho was the saddest bowl of noodles I've ever had...
Note during the Mardi Gras season, lots of people will be coming soon and amenities (especially the restrooms) are spotty during the best of times.
New Orleans skyline from the riverfront [January 2024] (pic by me)
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