If you want great music and art, excellent food and unbelievable scenery, New Orleans is it. It has a vibe, unlike any other city in the US.
For more about the music scene in NOLA and band videos, go to Southern Blues Road Trip.
New Orleans, aka The Big Easy or NOLA, is a major US port city with a population of about 350,000. The city was established by French colonists and influenced by their European culture. It is well known for its distinct French and Spanish Creole architecture, as well as its cross-cultural and multilingual heritage.
New Orleans is famous for its cuisine, music (particularly as the birthplace of jazz), and its annual celebrations and festivals, most notably Mardi Gras, which dates back to French colonial times. The city is often referred to as the “most unique” in the United States and I would agree with that. The French Quarter and Garden Districts were the most appealing for us (not that we ventured elsewhere, but these are known as the two key attractive areas for tourists).
I have never seen a city like this. The atmosphere is exceptional. People walk around with drinks in their hand, enjoying the music and hot, hot, humid weather. Everyone is friendly. Neither Jimmy nor I are interested in going during Mardi Gras, but at any other time there is also plenty to do and see. November to May is peak season, so expect escalated costs.
And there are street musicians everywhere. To play here you have to be good even on the street.
Tips:
- It is very hot and humid in the summer and fall, so bring very light cotton or silk clothing – jeans are too hot.
- Parking in the French Quarter is difficult, so park elsewhere. The most interesting attractions are in the French Quarter so you may want to consider staying here.
- Another reason to stay close to where you will spend most of your time is that because of the humidity, you will want to go inside for a rest and a change of clothes a few times a day.
Did I mention it is hot and humid? But you can always cool off with a cold beer on the steps of the Supreme Court! Yes, you can drink on the streets as long as it is not in a glass bottle. The people behind me were on an alcohol tour – literally! The guide said: “Now you can pull out your Sangria so we can drink on the steps of the Supreme Court.” She then described the ingredients and history of the drink. I assume bourbon was also part of the tour.
Attractions:
- French Quarter Royal Street for art galleries, unique boutiques and cafes
- Louis Armstrong Park
- Cemetery Number 1
- Garden District
- Steamboat cruise
- Frenchmen St. for authentic blues
- Preservation Hall for authentic jazz
- House of Blues and other live music venues in the French Quarter
- Fine dining
Royal Street is the main area for art galleries, nice cafes and unique stores, while Bourbon Street is a frat house party with cheap food and drink plus tacky souvenir stores. Two different worlds and only a block apart.
The Frank Relle Photography gallery really blew us both away. What magical images! The Bayou at dusk with someone camping out! We walked past the gallery as people were spilling out onto the street with drinks in their hand, so we decided to take a look. They immediately invited us in and offered us drinks and snacks. We met the photographer, Frank, and chatted with the patrons. Great people, so open and friendly. I love this type of photography. When you see the actual prints, they are even more stunning.
We walked around the French Quarter quite a bit. It was exciting to just walk the streets, feel the vibe and run into characters like this one. I had to pay for the pose, but I only had a dollar bill so she wasn’t happy with that and only allowed one shutter click.
We walked around the residential district in the French Quarter and headed to the northern perimeter up to Louis Armstrong Park. It is walking distance – about half an hour. The colorful houses are very small and all boarded up to keep the humidity out. We didn’t see many people in this area, not sure if they were on vacation, or at work, but the streets were very quiet.
Louis Armstrong Park, on the edge of the French Quarter, is dedicated to Jazz and Blues. Louis Armstrong (1901 – 1971), was an American trumpeter, composer, singer (and occasional actor) who was one of the most influential figures in jazz. If you like jazz and good music, you know who he is.
Next to the park is St. Louis Cemetery No 1. The city’s oldest cemetery (1789) is a maze of tombs and crumbling bricks and it’s widely believed that voodoo queen Marie Laveau’s remains are there. I regret we didn’t go in because it something that I always wanted to see and photograph, but the set tour times didn’t work for us. Instead we took the bus to Canal and Charles Streets to catch the St. Charles streetcar for a tour of the Garden District. Buses and streetcars are $1.25, or you can buy a day pass for $3.00. The St. Charles streetcar is the oldest, continuously operating streetcar in the world.
You can take it to the end for the full tour or get off around Tulane University and walk around the beautiful neighbourhood and Audubon Park. The Garden District was originally developed between 1832 and 1900 and is one of the best-preserved collections of historic mansions in the Southern US. The homes are unique with various architectural styles: including Greek Revival, Colonial and Victorian. Some can be a bit creepy, but have a commanding presence. They remind me of a setting in an Agatha Christie novel, or a vampire movie. Speaking of which… Anne Rice had a home here.
This video is taken in the French Quarter, the Garden District and on the main city street, Canal St. The first piece of music is by the Irvin Mayfield Band, and the subsequent piece is by a band that was playing in the French Quarter – unfortunately I didn’t catch their name.
If you don’t feel like walking around you can always take a Mississippi river boat cruise. The Natchez is a well-known steamboat, and apparently the only steamboat in New Orleans. It is at the foot of the French Quarter. If you walk along Decatur Street in either direction along the Mississippi River, you will find several nice cafes.
Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouses is a well-established jazz venue. Mayfield, a Grammy and Billboard Award-winning artist with 25 albums to his credit, is accredited with bringing Jazz back to the French Quarter.
You can find blues at The House of Blues and other venues in the French Quarter, but for less mainstream blues go to Frenchman Street just outside of the French Quarter. For great Jazz, Preservation Hall (live music since 1961) is a well-known venue for great jazz. They do not serve alcohol, but you can bring your own. Go early because they have line ups and limited seating. With the heat and humidity, it can get strenuous standing for the length of a show.
Where to Stay?
We stayed at the Omni Royal on St. Louis St. It’s a nice hotel, reasonably priced (about $150 USD per night) and good service. Free wi-fi, but no breakfast. I found the prices very good in September, but they do go up in peak season which is February to May. If you plan on going to restaurants and bars in the French Quarter, it is a good idea to stay nearby.
Other Options:
- Royal Sonesta
- Hotel Monteleone
- Ritz Carlton
- Roosevelt Waldorf Astoria
- Prytania Oaks Hotel in the Garden District
- The Greenhouse Inn in the Garden District
Where to Eat?
All good restaurants are very busy and require reservations. Book ahead if you can.
Cafe Amelie opened in 2005 and is well known for fine dining. It is also known for having one of the most beautiful courtyards in the French Quarter, where patrons can dine. It is located in the historic 150-year-old Princess of Monaco Courtyard and Carriage House on Royal Street. The food was fantastic! Great quality, great service and a really nice ambience. For me, the seating is almost as important as the food, and the table we had in the garden was perfect.
Sylvain, opened in 2010, is located in a two-hundred-year-old carriage house at 625 Chartres Street. The food, WOW! It is a work of art. I had the best scallops ever at this restaurant. This is a dish that is seemingly easy to prepare, but surprisingly not every chef nails it with scallops. The scallops here, were grilled and seasoned to perfection and the side was a perfect fit for the scallops. This dish truly stood out for me, like the Buffalo Mozzarella in Austin. Cafe Amelie and Sylvain were the best two restaurants we tried in New Orleans. They are on a different level than the others.
Mr. B’s Bistro is considered the original New Orleans gourmet bistro. It is famous for its Creole cuisine with a focus on fresh regional products, and is located in the heart of the French Quarter at the landmark intersection of Royal and Iberville. The service is formal with professional waiters in uniform. It is extremely busy. The food was very good, but not quite on the same level as the above two restaurants. This venue attracts a lot of tourists. I do recall having the largest soft-shell crab I have ever seen (as big as a full-sized dinner plate)! And very large profiteroles! Everything was tasty and the service was great.
Chef Paul Prudhomme’s K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen is a legendary local restaurant serving upscale Cajun and Creole dishes. When it first opened in 1979, they had long lines daily – people wanted to experience quality food, which was rare everywhere in the 1970’s. It is a casual restaurant, and not very expensive at lunch. For lunch I had a shrimp Po Boy (first time ever!) and Jimmy had something I don’t recall. We both enjoyed our meals and think it’s a good place for a casual lunch. We did not try the dinner menu which is much more expensive and leans more toward fine dining.
The shrimp or oyster Po Boy sandwich is very popular in New Orleans and can be found everywhere. Basically, it’s a sandwich with fried breaded shrimp or oysters. It is very tasty!
For breakfast we went to Cafe Beignet, not far from the hotel. Good coffee and you can get eggs, sandwiches, croissants, sweets or beignets. This was the first time either of us had ever heard of a beignet. This is how the cafe’s website describes them: “These golden squares, usually dusted with powdered confectioner’s sugar, can best be described as a cross between a French pastry and an American doughnut. In New Orleans, beignets are enjoyed at a breakfast, for dessert, or any time for a special treat.”
As we were leaving the city, we drove past the Superdome (now known as the Mercedes-Benz Superdome). I could not get the images out of my mind of the thousands of people stranded there, in the heat and extreme humidity during Hurricane Katrina. I can’t imagine the torment the people of New Orleans experienced at that time.
Lost in thought, I took the wrong turn at the junction and ended up going East on the I-10 instead of West. That took us past a section of the city that was flooded and we could still see the after-effects such as vacant overgrown lots and abandoned boarded-up buildings. That disaster was unimaginable, but people are rebuilding and New Orleans is getting back on its feet. Tourism dollars will help.
So go visit New Orleans! It is probably the most unique city in the USA. I hope to go back a few more times.
For more photos go to Wonderland Photography.
