New Orleans Night Life?

I was in NO for a few days 15+ years ago and I went to very, very old bar. It was a hole in the wall and very darkly lit. I think it was ';the oldest bar in NO?'; Can someone tell me the name of it, if it is still around?

And now on to more questions...

We just decided a couple of days ago to go to NO so we don%26#39;t have much time to plan or research so please forgive me if these questions have been answered recently.

1) What are the best places for happy hour in the French Quarter, Garden District and Convention District and a little about each one would be nice!

2) What is the local ';rag'; that will show live music happenings in the city?

3) I am sure this has been asked but where are the best places to hear live Cajun Zydeco, Jazz or Blues? We prefer local hang outs over tourist traps so we don%26#39;t mind taking public transportation for a place outside the French Quarter.

We are in our 40%26#39;s and love to party a bit but we are not into the club scene or the drunken frat/sorority (no offense intended) bars so a list of places to avoid would be appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

New Orleans Night Life?

You are probably thinking of Lafitte%26#39;s Blacksmith Shop on Bourbon. It is still around but much louder than it used to be.

Here is one link for music:

http://www.nola.com/music/

The nola.com website is useful in a number of areas - just click on the ';visitor'; tab and you can get lots of information.

How long will you be here? If it%26#39;s not very long, you may be spreading yourself a little thin by trying to go to happy hours in the FQ, garden district, and the CBD. But if you truly plan to go to all three areas, there are good places. Of course pretty much every place in the FQ area has happy hour all day long - most places offer three for one drink specials.

I%26#39;ve been hammered for saying this before, but let me please advise against public transportation. Anyone who reads the letters to the editor here cannot disagree with my conclusion that the bus system is completely unreliable, if not kind of gross. New Orleans is not like other cities that have clean, reliable and safe public transportation. Take a cab instead.

You don%26#39;t have to go far to get good music - Frenchmen Street is just outside the FQ and has tons of cool bars playing live music all right next to each other - d.b.a, the spotted cat, etc. etc. I think that is just what you are looking for. You could also head uptown to Tipitina%26#39;s (that would require a cab) if someone is playing there that you are interested in. They have a website.

To avoid the drunken frat crowd, avoid the Cat%26#39;s Meow and a bar called - no joke - ';The Frat House'; - I think it%26#39;s still there?

New Orleans Night Life?

Thanks for that wealth of info, supreme!

Wow! 3 for 1 drinks?! One could get mighty toasted in a short time! Does NO have happy hours similar to what we have here in Portland, OR and other places out west? Most of the good restaurants (and bad, for that matter!) have a great discounted food menu such as all appetizers for $1.95 or something like that.

I will check out the site you mentioned for music.

I think you are right about the bar I asked about. Is it no longer a cool little spot for an intimate beer?

Cheers and thanks again!

I forgot to mention that we will only be in town for 3 nights. I don%26#39;t need to go to ALL the happy hours in each location, those are just the only locations I will consider due to our short time in NO. Someone on another thread pointed out that the Garden District in not near the FQ so we will concentrate on the other two areas.

Uhm .... You don%26#39;t want the frat scene, but do want the 3-for-1 happy hour drinks and 1.95 appetizers.

no comment.

Young curmugeon, I can see why you chose that screen name. ;-)

Not at any time did I express interest in attending a 3 for 1 drink happy hour. I really don%26#39;t mind paying more to make sure my drinks are fresh and cold rather than watered down or flat!

I am, however, interested in doing some happy hour sampling to get a good feel for where I want to actually dine.

We have decided to extend our trip by a day so we will have 4 nights in NO and 3 1/2 days!

Oops! That would be ';curmudgeon.';

PDXWindJammer,

If you are staying at a place with a nice balcony, courtyard, or front porch, then happy hour is best right at home ;-) Or...you could go to that oldest bar and have one hurricane. Just one.

Supreme Court%26#39;s advice for live music is something you should take to heart. Frenchman Street is the place to go for live music. You won%26#39;t be sorry. The atmosphere is very festive but without the frat party feel...perfect for 40-something. Or 30 or 20-something.

For Zydeco, I recommend Rock %26#39;n Bowl on a Thursday night. Then head to the Bywater to Vaughn%26#39;s to hear Kermit Ruffins for brass.

Have fun!

Try here 鈥estofneworleans.com/gyrobase/MusicEvents online, and look for Gambit Weekly (same info in newsmag form) when in New Orleans. I agree with Rock %26#39;n Bowl for zydeco. Snug Harbor or the Spotted Cat on Frenchmen for Jazz. Good Hurricanes at Lafitte%26#39;s Blacksmith Shoppe. I prefer them to Pat O%26#39;Brien%26#39;s.

I%26#39;ve also had a great time just walking down Bourbon St. and stopping whenever I especially enjoyed the music.

I%26#39;ve never been there, but from everything I%26#39;ve seen and read The Cat%26#39;s Meow karaoke bar seems a little too college crowd for me.

I%26#39;ve used NORTA (bus system) and have found it much more reliable than the bus system where I live. Even if you don%26#39;t use the buses, you gotta try a streetcar ride.