New Orleans recommendations

Omni Royal Orleans. It’s been a while since I was there, but the service was amazing. The snack mix at the bar was really good and we asked the waitress what brand it was and where they got it. She came back and said it was off the food service truck and was their house brand, but that she would have a bag sent up to my room.

Any benefit to staying downtown/Uptown/Garden District? Most hotels are in French Quarter.

Monteleone Hotel. Get a seat at the Carousel bar and have a Fleur de Lis.

I love the Windsor Court Hotel. Great beignets, made to order.

Also, Parkway for po-boys and Superior Seafood for good food and great people-watching.

I like staying in French Quarter - walk to the gay bars, famous restaurants, coffee shops. I like the garden district but it’s too residential. Better to stay in French Quarter and take trolley.

I've stayed at the French Market Inn, in the French quarter and was happy with my stay. Close to everything, reasonable price, nice place.

I ended up in an interior room, and didn't realize what that meant initially. In fact, I checked in, came back to my room later that first night, and never realized there were no windows in the room. It was exposed brick walls. I woke up the next morning, and had no idea what time it was before looking at my clock because it completely dark in the room. At first I thought it was still the middle of the night, but no it was around 10 or 11 in the morning. I actually kind of enjoyed that.

How safe is walking from CBD to French Quarter at night?

New Orleans is a friendly city, but there is an element that preys upon tourists, especially drunk ones. If a stranger tries to initiate a bet about anything, ignore them. Do not buy shots from people on Bourbon. Pace your alcohol, even if you think you know your limits. Violence does occur, but is usually an argument between parties that know each other and is about something illicit; if you see an argument beginning leave the area immediately. Be careful about hooking up with people.

Any of the grande dame hotels are nice. Omni Royal and the Montelone as mentioned, there's also the Roosevelt and the new Four Seasons. Hotels Uptown are going to be smaller with a lot less busyness to them. Research dining options and make reservations once you've decided on a place. In the French Quarter, I like Muriel's (fine dining but not as stuffy as Galatoire's), Cafe Amelie, and Sylvain. I haven't been to them since Covid started, but I imagine the quality is still there, even with the city's hospitality industy labor shortage.

Thank you for choosing not to stay in an AirB&B; the short-term rental market has exploded in the city, and as a result the rent for those of us living here have skyrocketed, not to mention that your "host" is probably a non-local that lives elsewhere, if not a full fledged company like Sonder. They are usually not on the safest blocks.

I passed out drunk in french quarter, was picked up and taken to house with "friendly" i think junkies. They were really nice and i was grateful, but the money in my boot was gone.

I booked Kimpton Fontenoc because I got a great rate thru my corporate affiliated website and I liked the location at the bottom of Poydras near the casino. I also liked Le Pavilion.

That’s very interesting to know R9, I actually can’t think of a city I’d less like to AirBNB in than New Orleans, with its surplus of centrally located hotels.

R7, I’ve never had any issues when I’ve stayed in the CBD and walked into the Quarter, but as in any city, be conscientious and only stay in well-lit, preferably high to moderately trafficked areas. New Orleans is a wonderful city, but the crime there is very real and not isolated to any one area.

OP, I’ve stayed near the Fontenot several times and that’s a good location, as you’re relatively centrally located between the Garden District and the French Quarter.

In addition to the other recommendations you’ve received, I’ll add Commander’s Palace for their jazz brunch, Brigsten’s for Creole food, Compere Lapin (very close to your hotel) for modern Caribbean, and either Dooky Chase or Willie Mae’s Scotch House for fried chicken. My favorite po boy is actually found at a corner shop at the end of the Quarter called Verti Mart, although I also like a place on Bourbon called New Orleans Po Boys. New Orleans has way too many incredible restaurants so I’ll stop here but you really can’t go wrong with a lot of the places there.

What kinds of things do you want to do while you’re in town? I’d be happy to recommend some places if you’re interested.

Is there a Y in New Orleans?

Thank you r12 I actually have no itinerary for this trip, I just had never been to NO and thought it would be nice to see the city with all the Christmas decorations up. I plan to walk around the French Quarter mostly and just discover stuff as I go along.

I would like to take some cookies and pastries back home, so if you have any recommendations…

Antoine's Restaurant. A muffuletta (sandwich) from Central Grocery. I really enjoyed taking a boat excursion down a bayou. So quiet!

New Orleanian DLer here. All these responses are excellent! These are all great options for going to the city. If you’re interested in coming around Christmas, Celebration in the Oaks in City Park is beautiful. My date and I are going there next Wednesday.

My family has a tradition of using the Monteleone as a wedding reception venue— gorgeous ballrooms. New Orleans can be scary, sketchy and dangerous, but there’s much more beauty than all the bad publicity. If going on the French Quarter, do not involve with any hucksters that say ‘I bet I can tell you where you got those shoes!’ Just say that they’re on your feet and walk away vicariously. It’s a 50+ year old scam done by local NOLA junkies. Have a safe trip and enjoy the beauty and cuisine of New Orleans.

I found a nice walking tour of the French Quarter by a hottie in a tight shirt.

Here’s a list of Christmas events.

OP, since you’re interested in Christmas activities, definitely do the Celebration in the Oaks like R16 suggests. The last time I was in New Orleans was actually December of 2019, and that was one of the things I most enjoyed. I’d also recommend looking into doing a Reveillon dinner; it’s a quintessential New Orleans Christmas tradition that I haven’t personally been able to participate in but is at the top of my list next time I’m in town during the holidays. Depending on when you’re there, I’d also try to find a parade to watch (with COVID I’m not sure if this will be as easy as in the past, but check the local community event list that WWOZ publishes on their website). A lot of the French Quarter hotels also decorate their lobbies for Christmas, so if you walk around you should be able to see plenty of decorations that way. Lastly, I’d definitely make my way to the Garden District and look at the beautiful mansions, many of which should be decorated for the holidays. If you don’t care about seeing the lights and just want to see the GD, a great way to do this is to take the St. Charles street car line up to Audubon Park, get off and wander, and then make your way back down again.

There’s honestly much too much too see and do in a weekend, so I’d try to prioritize the things that you most highly enjoy and/or are just so New Orleanian you should aim to cross it off your bucket list. For a first-timer, I’d say those activities include a coffee and beignet at Cafe du Monde, followed by crossing the street to Jackson Square and the St. Louis Cathedral, wandering the streets of the Quarter and looking at the beautiful and colorful Creole architecture (FYI Bourbon and Decatur streets are mostly tourist hell traps filled with tacky t-shirt shops and morbidly obese vacationing Alabamans and can easily be missed), taking in some live jazz (Preservation Hall, Palm Court Jazz Cafe or any of the venues on Frenchmen street are standouts), walking through Louis Armstrong park and reading about Congo Square, visiting a cemetery (I’d recommend St. Louis #1 for your first time), and having at least one fully authentic Creole meal accompanied by delicious cocktails.

This is merely scratching the surface and a gross generalization of all New Orleans has to offer, but I hope this helps a bit. It’s my favorite city on earth and I do hope that you have an amazing time in such a unique and special place. I’ll also say that some of the best experiences I’ve had the many times I’ve visited have come in the spontaneous wandering I’ve done around the city, so if you can build in time to walk around with no distinct plans or time limits, you might just stumble across something wonderful.

OP, I forgot to mention that Free Tours by Foot is a great company that does several excellent ones! If you are interested in seeing St. Louis #1 cemetery, which requires being part of a tour group for entry, I’d recommend the one they do.

If it has reopened, you must go to drag brunch at The Country Club. It’s fun, but even more importantly, the food is wonderful. It’s not too far from the Quarter, in the Marigny.

follow — BABY DOLL MASKING CULTURE! New Orleans ... for real!

Twenty years ago, with the baby doll tradition all but defunct, Andrews and Kimble donned satin dresses and restarted the Gold Digger Baby Dolls, single-handedly prompting a citywide renaissance of the century-old custom, which is now kept alive by more than 20 groups.

R21, the Country Club should be open but drag brunch often requires reservations made around 6 months plus. OP, if you can get in on such short notice, it’s a ton of fun.

Speaking of gay bars, other fun ones I’d recommend are Good Friends, Napoleon’s Itch, and the Golden Lantern (all in the Quarter).

OP, if you do end up going to City Park (keep in mind it is at least twice the size of NYC's Central Park), I prefer the ambiance of the Cafe du Monde up there than the one in the Quarter. Get your stuff to go-- then check out the Besthoff Sculpture Garden right next to it. Personally I prefer the beignets at Morning Call, which just reopened right outside the park. For other art the Ogden Museum of Southern Art has a very interesting collection, and if you are "of means" the Arthur Roger Gallery always has something phenomenal to collect.

Overrated shithole. New Orleans is basically New York just with less people.

R26 does have a slight point: if you are racist like them and scared of non-white people, New Orleans will be terrifying for you.

R27 - You just have to know which areas to go to and which to avoid. Also which businesses to frequent.

Breakfast recommendations or just go to Cafe Du Monde?

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OP how was your stay at the Kimpton? I'm curious as a local (and also because I'm applying for a job there).