Another trip report

My husband and I spent 9/26 to 9/30 in NOLA, and I cannot say enough about the warm people we met there. We stayed at the Wyndham Canal Place as hubby had a conference there. They are under renovation, and are becoming a Westin when all is done. Although we had to put up with some hammering during the day and upheaval in the lobby, the view we had from our room more than compensated for it! Booking a riverview room was well worth the few extra dollars.

To pass the time until my husband was free, I did the following: took the Canal Street trolley (streetcar) up Canal, and over Carrollton, leaving me directly in front of NOMA (New Orleans Museum of Art). They have a nice, varied collection, and there weren%26#39;t the crowds that make many museums frustrating to navigate.

I spent an hour or so on Saturday AM at the Crescent City Farmer%26#39;s Market - a short stroll from my hotel. Such an interesting selection of goodies - homemade pastries, tamales, file (as in file gumbo), plus a three piece combo playing music at 8:30 AM! Only in NOLA...

Took the steamboat Natchez afternoon tour. Easy to purchase tickets behind Jackson Brewery just a few minutes before boarding. The boat ride was a pleasant way to spend a few hours, and to learn more of NOLA%26#39;s history from the live guide.

Spent lots of time in the shops, especially on Royal St., and those lining Jackson Square. As another poster said, I also got the impression that the shopkeepers were most grateful for the return of the tourist dollar. So I can happily report I did my share for their economy :)

Food - Although we began the trip eating at places like Cafe Maspero and Orleans Cafe where we ate our fill of gumbo, oysters, and red beans and rice, we decided to try some of the ';better'; places for dinners. We dined at Arnaud%26#39;s, Bayona, and Bourbon House. Of the three, we liked Arnaud%26#39;s best, with Bayona a close second. Arnaud%26#39;s food was divine, the service excellent, and the ambience low-key. Bayona%26#39;s atmosphere was superior, and although Bourbon House was good, the diningroom was a bit frenetic. Great for people watching, though.

We just wish we had more time there. I would have liked to tour the Garden district, eaten a muffaletta (I didn%26#39;t get a chance!) So much food, so little time. Did make it to Cafe Du Monde, though. I think there%26#39;s a law that you can%26#39;t leave NOLA without having coffee and beignets there.

Well, sorry this was so long. Hope it helps someone - and if anyone has a question for me, feel free...

Oh, and if you don%26#39;t get a chance to have oysters at Acme on Iberville, there%26#39;s one at the airport!

Another trip report

Great trip report...I do have a few questions...

We are thinking of taking a trip to New Orleans around the 1st week of November. We picked up a AAA tour book and started reading....we found that a lot of places are still closed or have limited hours. Is this true? And is there enough to do for a whole week?

Another trip report

I didn%26#39;t notice any curtailment of services, but then I basically stayed in the Quarter the whole time. I am SURE you can find plenty to do to fill your time. I did use the 2007 Frommer%26#39;s guidebook, which is subtitled: ';A Full Post-Katrina Update';. It described which places sustained damage, which are being renovated because of the storm, etc. I highly recommend it. Have fun!

More restaurants are open now than there were pre-Katrina. Some merchants did not reopen in the RIverwalk and other areas but as a tourist you would hardly even notice.

The only difference I noticed, in ther Quarter, as last as this past May, is that some of the live music clubs on Bourbon and Frenchman may close on week day evenings, say Mon-Tues-Wed. Also some restaurants and shops may close up earlier in the evening than they used to, like 9 pm instead of eleven!

Thanks for your replies....we booked our trip and looking forward to being in NO the first week of December !!

Great trip report. No need to apologize for the length. If anything it was too short. ;-) Bayona has been on my list of places I need to visit so it was good to see another good review. Thanks for posting.