NOLA, French Quarter

Published 2021

Our arrival in New Orleans was an interesting one. The UBER driver we had did not take the main route to get to our hotel that our driver took when we headed to the airport. We were instead taken down back alleyways through the city and we were not impressed. This wasn't at all the New Orleans I had envisioned.

We found the Astor Hotel which was conveniently located on Bourbon and Canal Street. Convenient and super busy and loud we also found out. The hotel was beautiful and was a nice place to stay.

Once we were settled in we decided to explore and headed down to Canal Street. The first stop was Willie's Chicken Shack. From there we headed down Bourbon Street.

After venturing down Bourbon Street at night I recommend not taking the walk until after dark; this also did not impress us during the daytime as it looked rundown and boarded up. We then walked along other streets were we found buildings that more closely resembled what we expected to see in the French Quarter.

We walked to the edge of town and back down towards the water. We were a little unsure of some of the areas we were walking in and were relieved to be heading back towards the main part of town. It was strange not being able to see the water beyond the concrete walls to block out the hurricanes. After a ways walking along the concrete barrier we reached a elevator in the middle of nowhere...so we took it up to a metal bridge that led to an open area where you could see the water. From there we walked back to the hotel and got ready to find somewhere to eat.

While on our trip to Orlando, Florida the month prior we were watching the Food Network and a restaurant called "Reds Chinese" was featured. So of course we had to go check it out. The restaurant itself was hard to find, and you wouldn't know it was there if you were not looking for it. Upon entering what looked like the open tuck under garage of a house we knew we had found it. We were lead to the outdoor seating in the back. We ordered the two dishes they mentioned on the TV program including the cheeseburger fried rice and it was phenomenal! The unique style of the restaurant and the good food made this dining experience a successful one.

The first day started off a little weird for us so we decided to start the next morning by heading down to the French Market accompanied with beignets from Cafe Du Monde. They were deliciously messy. We each enjoyed our tasty breakfast treat before heading over to find some treasures at the French Market.

We took our time exploring each of the vendors and finding plenty of souvenirs to carry back. By this time we were getting hungry and found a place nearby called Coops that had been recommended. The atmosphere was what we were looking for in the French quarter. It had that old small bar/restaurant feel. The food was spicier than we are used to but the flavor was wonderful.

The next morning we decided on The Ruby Slipper for breakfast. This was also recommended to us by people we knew and it was a very popular place. There was a decent wait for a table but nobody seemed to mind. We checked out the casino just down the road and walked around the block for awhile before returning to get a mimosa to enjoy while we waiting a short while longer. The food was good. I opted for a very southern breakfast that included grits. It was all very good.

Before heading back to the hotel we explored some more of the historical sites right in that area including Jackson Square.

We made our way back to the hotel and got ready to head out onto Bourbon Street for the local nightlife and found a restaurant that had really good food but I cannot remember what the name of it was other than there was a line out the door and it was on Bourbon Street lol.

We ended up at a dueling piano bar that we stayed at for the remainder of the evening and we had a blast! At the end of the night, as we made our way back down Bourbon Street to the hotel, the streets were lined with trash from all the people partaking in the fun and there was music coming out of every door and window along the street. There was no doubt this was a party street.

I have to note there are sirens and loud noises at all times of the day and night when you are on the main streets in the French Quarter. The one day there was a man with a megaphone just outside our windows down in the main street. And police sirens all night long. I slept fine but if you are a light sleeper you would not fare well being right downtown.

The next day we had tickets to tour one of the cemeteries. The most famous one was closed due to covid I guess but we were happy we were able to visit one of them anyways. They are right in the middle of town next to the main roads which is not what I had expected. The history of them was very interesting and I recommend taking a tour if you are there.

We took the bus rail to get back to the French Quarter after our tour. When we got back we went across the street and had more beignets, this time we sampled what Cafe Beignet had to offer. Their powdered sugar covered delights were very good, but after having them from both places I preferred those from Cafe Du Monde. If you want more variety other than beignets and plain coffee thought this would be the stop as they had more choices for beverages and other foods.

Since it was our last day and it was hot out we didn't do much more for the day. We did venture out again for dinner and found a great little place called Killer Poboys. They had excellent choices and the food was really really good.

Only regret about this trip is I did not have things planned out like I usually do. This is fine and all but I now know that really isn't something I want to do for anywhere I visit in the future. I would have wanted to ride one of the ferries which you need to have a reservations for ahead of time. I would also want to have plans to venture outside of the French Quarter to the bayou areas and also to see the WWII museum. I am glad I got see see what New Orleans is like and would be better prepared if I ever go back.