New Orleans

[Adam]

Say if I was planning to go to New Orleans for a bit on a road trip, what would be a reasonable time to stay there to see enough at a fairly slow (ie tourist pace) but not leave too early that I feel I wasted the time it took to swing by that way but not enough to do it justice. I'll be coming from Orlando and probably make one stop at about 5 hours (9 hours drive according to google maps) - around that forest or panama city beach or something...

That is a confusing question: OK - what would be minimum time you'd spend there as a city break if you was driving in?

I'm travelling alone so no-one else to think about.

[trailerprincess]

I spent about 4 days there I think and that felt about right (as part of the longer trip I was on).

It was weird though, I went with a friend. We both wanted to go to Boston and New York but she threw in the idea of New Orleans. I really didn't think I would like it but I was SOO surprised. Great city. This was pre-Katrina so can't say what it is like now but I really really enjoyed it. We walked around loads, great churches and squares, went for beignets, went on an alligator boat trip, did the steam boat thing, went to the Anne Rice plantation thing. And the weather was amazing (for October)

[Adam]

This is for next month. I'm bringing my plans forward about 5 months I hope. I'm thinking 3 nights there should do me. Been reading reviews and there seems to be some really seedy hotels about so I think this'll be one of my more expensive stays.

The thing is I want to be up in NYC, Boston, Washington (DC), Balitmore etc to. So I'm thinking of jumping on a amtrak and just going north for a day after New Orleans and then see where the wind takes me. :)

[YoungRemy]

you should look into the AutoTrain from Orlando to DC. you can ride the train in comfort while your car saves miles on the back of the train/

I don't know about your N.O. plan, how would all that work, splitting between driving and taking an amtrak? if left to my own vices, I would spend two solid nights in N.O.

I've done the drive from Orlando to NOLA, it's a good 9 to 10 hours with stops...

[trailerprincess]

This is for next month. I'm bringing my plans forward about 5 months I hope. I'm thinking 3 nights there should do me. Been reading reviews and there seems to be some really seedy hotels about so I think this'll be one of my more expensive stays.

The thing is I want to be up in NYC, Boston, Washington (DC), Balitmore etc to. So I'm thinking of jumping on a amtrak and just going north for a day after New Orleans and then see where the wind takes me. :)

We stayed in a hostel and it was fine. I shall see if I can find the name of it when I got home, but yeah, I think seedy can be the word. We got a cab from town back to the hostel and the driver was drunk. We suspected it about 5mins in, and then empty bottle rolling around the floor...

[Adam]

Well the thing is - I know someone in Orlando who I really want to see. I'm gonna land there and spend about 5 nights there. Then head to New Orleans and stop off once on the way there.

Then I plan to head back to Orlando for a couple of nights with about 2 over night stops on the way back cus I need to drop off the car in orlando and wouldn't mind seeing my friend again.

Then head north from Orlando on Amtrak. I noticed it goes to Montreal also, so I may head there and slowly go south all the back to Orlando and then fly back to this island hoping that I've missed it enough to actually get on with my life.

I know some might be thinking; why the fuck head back to Orlando all the time? Well partly because of my friend and partly because although I can drop off the car in another city and get a different flight back home from a different city, the supplements I have to pay are just too high and make no sense for an extra say nine hours driving and 15 hours on a train over a 4 week period (like another £1000 over all - or nearly double). Plus; I have a place to get back to for a certain time which should hopefully make my plans a little less scary being in a country I don't know with no companion.

Also, I'm gonna be on here so if anyone want to meet for a beer or something then you can let me know cus I'll no doubt be spamming this place of where I am. Plus face-space and twatter I'll be on.

[YoungRemy]

seriously, AutoTrain will take you to all those places and solve your problem of what to do with your car. it's run by Amtrak. it goes from DC to Orlando as its main route, every day.

all that train riding back and forth and back and forth is gonna get pricey.

and going from Orlando to New Orleans to orlando to Montreal to Orlando etc..., that's going to be a lot of train fare and rental car fees.

sorry if i am not helping or following your plan, it just seems like you are trying to pack WAY too much into your vacation if you want to do all that. that's covering about 1/3rd of the continent.

[Adam]

Yeah, I am aware there is far too much to do. Its been the whole problem with this from the start even though I am there for 4 weeks (maybe more).

You can get rail passes for 15, 30 and 45 days which is what I plan to do. Ie, the 2nd half of my trip I won't have a car apart from random hire days. This cuts down on rental fees and a Amtrak pass for 15 days is $389 and can take up to 8 segments. So if I am clever and use one segment to go as far north as possible - I can't use it for Canada apparently but I'll check out cheapest way in from where ever I end up (like flight or train). And then the last segments to go south on and if I go over I'll just pay the one off train fair.

I can't use the pass on Autotrains. And I know trains are a bit 'why the fuck use them in America when domestic flights are so much better and often cheaper' - well the american train lines have something nostalgic about it all. Its partly how america was built and I'm very flexible in what I do, so... yeah.

[NoFenders]

4 or 5 days is long enough in NewOrleans. If you can, try and fit in a meal at Delmonico. It's not cheap, but the experience is worth it imo. Just amazing food, and after that, head to Maple Leaf for some live music. It's not on BourbonSt or even in the French Qtr, but it's a great place to be. The Red Room was a blast as well (not sure if it's still there).

I've spent too much time down there. The food and music is amazing. You're gonna love it. Hopefully it wont be too hot when you're there.

Also, instead of a hotel or hostel, you may want to look into a B&B. They're very nice down there, and the people you'll meet will be well worth the experience.

If you like oysters, you'll be in heaven.

Have a blast, and don't don,t get too drunk. There's quite a few people there looking for drunk tourists.

[Adam]

I really dislike sea food and I'm vegetarian (so wouldn't eat sea food anyway) so I'm gonna be a right royal pain in the ass down there.

I've always said though, if I was in a place where I had to eat meat to survive then I will. I can see myself lapsing into meat even though I can't stand the site or smell of it... We'll see.

:) I am really fucking excited tbh. Just looking at flights with different companies right now.

[NoFenders]

Hustler Club!

Monkey Bar!

[Laver1969]

I grew up in New Orleans and you can pretty much see everything in a good long 3-day weekend.

The French Quarter looks amazing post-Katrina. They've pumped a lot of $$$ into attracting tourist and keeping it clean.

Some things to do and see would include:

Beignets at Cafe Du Monde
Hurricanes at Pat O's - go to the piano bar
Karaoke at Cat's Meow
Riverboat tour on the Natchez
Streetcar ride down St. Charles Ave.
Go to Mother's restaurant and have a muffaletta
Gumbo Shop restaurant (you can't really go wrong in the food dept)
Jackson Square and French Market
Find the Dungeon (opens at midnight)
Voodoo shops
Cemetery tour

If you wanna leave New Orleans proper you can do a swamp tour or plantation tour in a half day adventure.

It's very hot and sticky during the summer.

[ET]

Damn, those are all great ideas. You absolutely have to eat a Beignet and try a hurricane if you don't do anything else. Also, Cat's Meow is good for lulz at certain times.

It. Will. Be. Humid.

Like, swamp ass humid. Shorts.

[Loppfessor]

I would also make sure you catch the outdoor sculpture garden at the art museum I go there every time I’m in N.O.

[Echewta]

Make sure to have a moffett sandwich with a barqs rootbeer.

[Adam]

I don't even know what rootbeer is. Or what a moffett is. I should look up these terms before I leave. Take a English-American dictionary with me

[Echewta]

Better bring a French one to since you are entering into Cajun country.

Definitly suck the insides out of a crawfish head while you are there.

[YoungRemy]

I don't even know what rootbeer is. Or what a moffett is. I should look up these terms before I leave. Take a English-American dictionary with me


i think the proper term is muffaletta...

[ET]

Muffuletta. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muffuletta) Although you can kind of say it like moffett-letta. Depends on who you talk to since they way things are spelled and the way things are pronounced down here are different. And it depends how many teeth they have. I think the person Echewta talked to had, at most, seven.

[Echewta]

That discribes most of my stepfamily down there, yes.

[Adam]

bumping this thread because I am here now and want to say thanks again to the suggestions people made. Only just arrived and I leave early on Saturday :-)

I was in Panama City Beach yesterday, that is a pretty cool place. I've gotta say that americans are so friendly to (y)

[paul jones]

bumping this thread because I am here now and want to say thanks again to the suggestions people made. Only just arrived and I leave early on Saturday :-)

I was in Panama City Beach yesterday, that is a pretty cool place. I've gotta say that americans are so friendly to (y)

fuckin hell you're there! and you're blogging it too.good work.

Don't get a gun and shoot some motherfuckers like I said in the other thread.You might go to one of those scary prisons they have documentaries on TV about and you'll have to get interviewed by Louis Theroux and have him say 'Howyoo-do-ing'

[ET]

You just missed the cooler weather. On the other hand, now you can bitch about how humid it is over here. Beignets at Cafe Du Monde (and milk!) NOW.