Stay away from....

Fill in the blank -- it can be a tour, a hotel, a food item, a drink, a street, etc, etc. Also -- tell us why you don%26#39;t recommend this particular ';thing';.

Thanks!

Robin

Stay away from....

Missisippi river cruises. You can%26#39;t really see anything exciting and it is a big time investment. Just a daytime cruise (no food) is $19.50 and $29.50 with lunch for adults. A better way to see the river is to take the FREE Canal St. Ferry that goes back and forth between Algiers and the FQ.

Chain hotels- I don%26#39;t understand why people come all the way to NO to stay in a 1980%26#39;s era chain hotel. Find a place with some unique NO charm.

Restaurants that have ';barkers'; trying to show you menus from the street and try very hard to get you inside.

Bourbon Street- If you like a frat house atmosphere, spend a lot of time on Bourbon. Frenchmen St. is a much better place for jazz and more laid back people including more locals.

Stay away from....

Lamothe House - the only place that I have stayed in New Orleans that I didn%26#39;t like. Also stay away from Utopia on Bourbon...that place seems to have a lot of problems.

Vagrants that make a effort to cross a busy street just to tell you where you got your shoes.

The furry animals at Pat O%26#39;s Courtyard. Those aren%26#39;t kittens. (As much a it pains me to say it)

And for me, women with an Adam%26#39;s Apple and bars I can%26#39;t walk to the bathroom or bar without bumping into 20 people. I much prefer the quiet places away from Bourbon.

I also tell people to stay away from the tour groups that allow very large groups. Those have been not worth it to me.

Oh and the Court of Two Sisters buffet. Good atmosphere, mediocre food.

I agree with skipping the paddleboat tour as well. It%26#39;s ok but definitely don%26#39;t eat.

Everyone has differing opinions, obviously, so I hope Robin realizes that this thread may not be as useful as she hopes! I have a long list of ';blech'; places in New Orleans but I know others enjoy them quite well.

To be a trooper and to participate in this thread, though, I would say the Alpine is my ';must avoid'; place. Bad food, bad service and a ';barker'; enticing people to come in off the street. Others like it. I don%26#39;t.

Avoid: W Hotel, French Market Inn, Chateau Lemoyne; court of two sisters, bacco%26#39;s, Alpine, paddleboats on the river, restaurant barkers, panhandlers,Riverside restaurant, Lafitte%26#39;s(noise), and the reasons are obvious for service or quality.

My %26#39;hate%26#39; list:

the ';I%26#39;ll have to cite you for not smiling%26#39; scam

the gutter punks on Decatur

the endless junky t-shirt shops

the cockroaches (one ran ACROSS OUR TABLE at a place I had always really enjoyed). I know they are everywhere, I just don%26#39;t want to see them at my table.

the fact that a club advertises that an act will start at, say 9:00, but they don%26#39;t really start until around 11:00

the fact that Pat O%26#39;s won%26#39;t serve you a drink in the patio in a go-cup; you have to go through the ritual of returning it to the bar for your %26#39;deposit%26#39; back.

that there are calories and cholesterol in the food and beverages!!

Sorry guys, but I am starting to feel like there%26#39;s a long list of things to hate about NO. I am going to stop reading it. It%26#39;s too depressing. Maybe we could change it to things I really like about NO!!!!

barb

None of us would read this board if we didn%26#39;t love New Orleans!

I honestly think that anyone travelling anywhere needs to be aware of %26#39;the good, the bad, and the ugly%26#39; no matter your destination, and it helps people/newbies to avoid pitfalls (like the Natchez cruise).

No one wants to waste a precious minute of valuable vacation time dealing with problems; if they are aware of them beforehand, we have helped them enjoy their trip even more!

Touche...I was just starting to get depressed reading it....

Barb

I didn%26#39;t mean for this to be depressing - just a ';watch out'; list for newbies coming to New Orleans-- For example - I WAS planning on going on the Paddleboat tour AND having dinner -- but after reading someone%26#39;s suggestion to do the free boat cruise - I TRULY appreciate the suggestion - plus we can have dinner at a really nice or unique place then wasting money on something horrible.

Does that make sense?

Thanks for the comments -- if it doesn%26#39;t depress you, keep them coming -- I appreciate them all and even though 1 person might not like something - I still may be willing to give it a try. (agan -another example -- the guy I%26#39;m coming with doesn%26#39;t even want to try alligator and can%26#39;t stand oysters - but that doesn%26#39;t matter to me --I%26#39;m still going to eat them) :o)

Robin