My first trip ever to New Orleans next Thursday and Friday.

We are coming from SC for the LSU game and was looking for some pointers and things to do. I would like to ask a couple of questions and get some pointers.

1. We are staying a the Le Richelieu. It has good reviews but wanted to ask you guys what you thought of it? Is it within walking distance to everything?

2.We dont drink and I dont like fishy tasting things so I guess gumbo type dishes are out. I do like Muffaletas and Po Boys. We where just basicly going to walk the quarter at night eat and take in the scense since we dont drink. Can you advise of anything else.

3.We would like to take a tour and of course we want to see the damage of the flood.Is greyline the best option for the Katrine storm tour? We dont get off on others misery as we lost everything in Hugo 1989 but just wanted to see what we have heard so much about.

4.Finialy we would like to do a tour of the Super Dome. Do they offer tours like they do at other NFL and MLB stadiums?

Thanks in advance

4.

My first trip ever to New Orleans next Thursday and Friday.

I have stayed at LeRichelieu many times. It is a very nice hotel. Every room either has doors that open up to the walk-around balcony, or overlooks the pool. We have always been lucky enough to have access to the balcony, and that is always nice. My husband also doesn%26#39;t drink, but we still enjoy going to the bars to hear the music. Be sure to stop in at Pat O%26#39;Brien%26#39;s, even if you order non-alcohol drinks. However, you will probably find that even non-alcohol drinks will be expensive at most bars, because you are also paying for the atmosphere/music. I think that Grayline still offers a disaster tour, and so does Tours by Isabella. No, the Superdome is not open for tours. They stopped allowing tours after 9-11. My favorite place for muffalettas is Napoleon House - very reasonable prices and great atmosphere.

My first trip ever to New Orleans next Thursday and Friday.

There are plenty of gumbos that are not fishy tasting. Look for the non-seafood style. Try Mr. B%26#39;s Bistro for their EXCELLENT gumbo ya ya, which consists of andoullie sausage and chicken.

Try Central Grocery for a Muffuletta.

Others will certainly steer you to non-fishy Po-Boys, as my favorite is 1/2 shrimp, 1/2 oysta.

There are non seafood gumbos but there is nothing ';fishy'; tasting about New Orleans seafood. If it is ';fishy';, it is not fresh. If you prefer, get a chicken and sausage gumbo. For po-boys, get roast beef. Or try a Cuban Sandwich (pork and ham) The only place to get a muffeletta is Central Grocery on Decatur Street.

The Super Dome web site says that tours have been cancelled since 9/11.

In New Orleans even some of the seafood dishes and gumbos don%26#39;t have that fishy taste (I like gumbo but also dislike the ';fishy'; taste). It%26#39;s all about tasting good.

I%26#39;ve stayed at the Richelieu and it was nice with a touch of New Orleans flavor. From the Richelieu to the Dome is just over a mile with most of the most popular things to see between the 2. The area is very tight, almost everything is in walking distance.

Two of the best Muffaletta shops are just a couple of blocks away on Decatur, Frank%26#39;s and Central Grocery (two doors away from each other). It%26#39;s been up in the air which is best, I like Frank%26#39;s. I didn%26#39;t drink either until I started going to New Orleans. Some of the drinks are as tasty as the food.

The tours are there but I%26#39;m not familiar with them. I did my own tour after the Hurricane and saw more than I wanted to. The Greyline tour seems to be the most popular hurricane tour. I would suggest trying the Superdome on line for tour information.

If your are driving notice everything after you come across the state line. Most of what looks rundown, abandoned or falling apart is some of the damage still left from the Hurrucane. in most places the roads were under an average of 4 feet of water. Some water lines are still visible here and there.

ToursbyIsabelle for the disaster tour and Napoleon House for the mufflelatta or Frank%26#39;s over the Central Grocery. The restaurants have pretty good chicken or steak dishes also. Le Richelieu is very nice and just a short hop to the French Market and to the first stop for the RIverfront Streetcar that can take you Canal St. And as the other poster indicated that after 9/11 the superdome tours were stopped both for security reasons but also a lack of people wanting to take the tour.

ToursbyIsabelle for the disaster tour and Napoleon House for the mufflelatta or Frank%26#39;s over the Central Grocery. The restaurants have pretty good chicken or steak dishes also. Le Richelieu is very nice and just a short hop to the French Market and to the first stop for the RIverfront Streetcar that can take you Canal St. And as the other poster indicated that after 9/11 the superdome tours were stopped both for security reasons but also a lack of people wanting to take the tour.

Thanks for the help. I never thought about chicken gumbo :)

I tried seafood gumbo in Memphis and it was nasty but I had no idea about the chicken. I thought that was the main ingrediants of gumbo.

So I can get a seafood free Po Boy as well?

I like to listen to the cajun type music can that be found in the french Quarter or is stricly Jazz and Blues? Not that I dislike either but I like the high energy of the cajun music. I would prefer Blues over Jazz I think but Im no music expert. I actually listen to very little of any music as Im a political junky but I want to do something at night. I dont drink and I cant eat all night long :)

Thanks

Po Boys are basically a Sub...come in all varieties..Dressed means with tomato and lettuce...all varieties of music on Bourbon St and in the Marigny on Frenchman St..Go to Offbeat.com and check out the listings of the clubs..usually broken down by musical type..Zydeco/ Cajun can be found at The Tropical Isle Beach Club on the corner of Toulouse and Bourbon..also at Zydeco BBQ on Iberville and many other locations.

If you decide on Central Grocery for your muffaletta, you should still go to Napoleon House for a drink. The atmosphere is classic old New Orleans, and a genteel antidote to Bourbon Street. Check their website for hours, etc:

http://www.napoleonhouse.com/

The bar is least likely to be crowded between 3:00-5:00, or after dinner. It may be still too hot to sit in the courtyard, but in cooler weather that%26#39;s a wonderful thing to do.

Enjoy your visit!

Just reread your last post and see that you don%26#39;t drink. It%26#39;s still worth going to Napoleon House. (The bar has obliged me with non-alcoholic, fruit juice concoctions on many occasions.)