I'm going to New Orleans!
 

...and I've never been! My friend and are are going next week to celebrate her birthday. We're staying in the French quarter at the Hotel Royal or the Villa Convento (we have reservations at both, but we can't decide which one looks nicer and more interesting). We plan to eat, drink, listen to lots of music, and shop a little. What would you recommend for a first-timer?

Go to oyster bar, and have them little buggers witha good crisp Chardonay.

Pat O'Briens a must!

Ride a Paddle wheeler on the Mississipi.


Ride the Trolley West and go by Tulane and Old neat houses.

Like History, East, to the deciding battle of 1812. Cemetary and Museum.


Have a great time!:D

It's called a "Streetcar" in these parts, Tom.

Seriously, though, a streetcar ride on both the St. Charles Ave. and Canal St. lines is an absolute must if you're coming down here for the first time.

Also, you'll want cafe' au lait and beignets at Cafe' du Monde. There's nothing quite like it.

I can recommend lots more, but that would take up more space than GC has right now.

Hollie. (a NOLA native)

ragtimerose, stand corrected, but hell, is still fun!!!!

Been a long time since was there!

A Ton to see and do!!!!!

Is Pat O, Still there? If so go out on the patio area if weather is good!

Of course Pat O's is still here!

Check out the interior of St. Louis Cathedral, get a meal at any bar (the food is really good), drink on Marigny (Bourbon is really expensive).

Shopping wise, I like to browse around the Quarter area-they have some really neat shops hidden away. Take the streetcar ride and eat at Camillia Grill on St. Charles-food is really cheap! Kareoke at Black Cat is always fun, but the place is really crowded. Audobon Zoo and the aquarium are always fun for a day trip. So are the St. Louis Cemeteries (but only go with a tour guide because they can be really dangerous. #1 is where Marie Laveau is buried.) And even though it's really touristy, stop by the Riverwalk. There's a great pavillion in the food court with a nice view of the river.

And listen to street musicians, of course. :)

Are you keeping your visit limited to Garden District and the French Quarter?

One of the many good sea-food places:
Mike Anderson's (on Bourbon)

For a good po-boy:
Mother's (on Poydras near Harrah's)

For drinks:
360 (on top of World Trade Center across from Harrah's), revolving restaurant/bar

Gotta go with what my fellow GCers have listed:
Take the St. Charles line west through the Garden District.
What I did:
take the streetcar to Loyola/Audubon in the early afternoon (early/mid morning if visiting zoo & aquarium), spend some time walking around the Loyola and Tulane campuses and around Audubon park, then take the streetcar west to the end of the line and back Canal St as the sun is setting and the lights come on in/around the houses you have already seen in the daylight.


If you don't like lots of pepper in your Bloody Mary, don't forget to mention when ordering.

I believe that's the plan. We'll be driving in, so we will have a car, but I think we just planned to keep it parked for four days and see everything on foot.

You can see most everythign you want to by foot. Do Harrah's (the casino) and ask someone how to get to Jack Dempsy's for dinner (its off of Poland Avenue) for the best local fried everything. It gets busy tho.

Have fun and also remember to have a hand grenade from Tropical Isle.

Remember: If you see a bar offering a 3 for 1 drink special, youii dont actually get 3 beers or whatever, you just get a HUGE one for the price of one. Youd get a 36oz beer for the price of a 12 oz, not three 12oz.

Also, think about this. Burbon is fun, but after a day or so of it, you might wanna get away from the tourists, so head uptown and party with the locals. A great place is the Collumns Inn on St. Charles.

I can't even remember the names of the bars I went to in uptwn, but one had a big fat cat sitting on the couch with me.

I only was on Bourbon Street briefly when I went, and ended up having more fun at other bars around the city (although Pat O's was great).

Unfortunately, because it was during Mardi Gras, I don't remember a whole lot of the places we went. One of our buddies is from the area, so he basically brought us around to all the good places.

It was a great time.

Nobody has mentioned snoballs. I denno if they have them this time of the year, but they are a must if you go to NO. And theres like this outdoor covered market in the quarter I cant remember what its called but its great.