(Is this
the Petey? ZUH!)
I apologize for this being long...
Okay, bear with me using Street names, pull up Google maps!!!
I went to N.O. in November, flew there, so didn't have a car to get around with. We stayed in the "French Quarter" which is the touristy section with the most action. The hotel I stayed at was the Chateau Hotel (
http://www.chateauhotel.com/ ) which was relatively nice but expensive with a VERY small room, and we crammed in 3 people. It was located on Chartres street which is right by Jackson Square (the hub-bub of the French Quarter). Jackson Square has a lot of street artists/performers, cute shops, a cool church, etc (though I don't know how accessible it is by car since it is all cobblestone). Definitely eat at *legendary* Cafe Du Monde (which is on the corner of St. Ann and Decatur on the bottom corner of Jackson Square). This is a very touristy "must do" place, and they only have beignets and cafe au lait (donuts and coffee); it is 24 hours too.
If you keep walking across Jackson Square along Decatur St. that is where most of the touristy gift shops are. Decatur is the street that runs along the Mississippi River.
Johnny's Po Boy Restaurant (slogan: 'even my failures are edible' )(on 511 Louis St) has really good and really cheap "Muffalettas" and "Po-Boys" sandwiches. I love eating cheap local food! 9-4 everyday.
Also, there is a good local tavern, called Coop's Place, that has good food--dinners like around $10-12-- at 1109 Decatur between Ursuline and Gov Nicholls St. (it is the only "Tavern" on the block)
Crescent City Brewery has a good beer sampler thing and the dinner is kinda pricey (15-20 is pricey for me) but i had a coupon that was buy one entree get one half off, i think it was in the back of the Triple A book.
You may see a guy named Windex Pete around. I saw him 3x in 5 days. He rides a bike and has one good eye and is incredibly friendly. Talk to him! He tells great stories.
Bourbon street: It is what it is, but I don't know if you are 21? Petey from the future?? Anyway, it is a bunch of slobs basically but just for shits and giggles check it out on a Fri/Sat night just to experience it.
We took one of those bus tours of the city and it was ALRIGHT. It was great because we wouldn't have gotten to see the rest of the city otherwise, but it also sucked because it was like 6 hours and the driver/tour guide was insane. He was getting really stressed out about traffic and announcing it to the tour group whenever someone cut him off. But--cool places we went on that hellish bus tour:: definitely check out one of the city cemetaries. All the graveyards are above ground (or else it would flood and bodies would float up) so they're like these little creepy villages of mausoleums. They have haunted graveyard tours too. And also, voodoo tours.
Another wonderful sight outside of the quarter is City Park, which is this awesome big park and they probably have a lot going on in the summer. There are also Katrina "damage" tours but that is depressing...
Royal Street, (between Ursuline and St Peter) has a lot of cool art galleries to check out. And, outside of the French Quarter, Magazine Street is the "artier/hipper" section of town.
I don't know if you gamble, but there is a Harrah's on Canal (in the central business district, just outside of the French Quarter). It is boring and grim like all casinos. There is also a pretty good/cheap bbq place on 635 canal: Papa Joes. Notice I'm obsessed with cheap food? I disdain paying $13 for a crappy chain restaurant sandwich.
Umm walking back on Decatur, there is the Mississippi on your right. There is a free ferry that takes you across the river and back but it is pretty boring and there is nothing across the river so you are kind of stuck there until another ferry comes. It is the shanty town across the river...
There is a supposedly good aquarium (I didn't go in) located at Canal Street right on the river (
http://www.auduboninstitute.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Directions_Aquarium).
There is the French market Flea market right at the fork of Decatur and North Peters and i think the farmers market that is adjacent may be open by now too.
On Decatur, on the river side, I believe between Conti and Toulouse Streets, there is a restaurant that serves fried pickles and crawfish pastries which were pretty pretty good. They have sign outside for the fried pickles, that is what drew me in.
Also, Preservation Hall is a must, even if you don't love jazz music (
http://www.preservationhall.com/home.php )
http://www.neworleansonline.com/neworleans/ this website should cover everything else!
Oh, and keep in mind the tipping culture is different there then here. Have singles at the ready.
Also, if you go in summer it will be pretty hot/muggy. Bring light clothing and if you can afford it stay somewhere with a pool/ac.
Hope that helps!!! : )
