New Orleans is a truly unique American city – a mixture of Southern, European, and Caribbean influences. While known the world around for Mardi Gras, its one-of-a-kind cuisine, and Bourbon Street, the town is more layered and complex than that. What follows is an easily digestible menu on what to wear, what to do, and where to go during a weekend in The Big Easy.
Style
- Lightweight layers and breathable fabrics – Yes, unless you want to be drenched in sweat before noon.
- Wearing your most expensive shoes – No. Uneven and potholed streets everywhere means you should bring loafers or lace-ups with rubber/flexible soles. Cole Haans or boat shoes are good to have.
- Cotton Sportcoats – Yes; it doesn’t cool off much at night either during the summer.
- Bowties – Yes – if you’re dressing up, you’ll fit right in.
- Oxford cloth/Button-down collars – Yes. It is the South after all.
- Designer/Extra Slim jeans – No. You’ll come across as a tourist – not to mention the uncomfortableness.
- Brightly Colored Chinos/Jackets – Yes, within moderation. Flamboyant dress is usually respected here more than most places.
- A waterproof jacket – Double yes. It rains a lot – and the saying “when it rains, it pours” is extremely applicable to the city. You’ll never know when a torrential downpour is about to occur, so if the sky looks suspicious, pack a trusted jacket just in case.
- A well-made umbrella – Yes, same as above. Don’t rely on just one method of staying dry.
- Wearing a hidden travel wallet because you’re worried about theft – No. Crime here isn’t as much of an issue as most people think. That being said, keep your wallet slim and within reach at all times – use your head.
The Big Easy means dressing like you’re at ease. So… take it easy.
Travel & Accommodations
- Booking flights ahead of time for major festivals/holidays – Yes. Like any place, New Orleans gets much more expensive to visit the closer you get to major events. However, if you plan ahead or visit during off-peak times, flights are usually very cheap.
- Getting to the airport early – No. Besides leaving after Mardi Grass/Jazzfest, it rarely takes more than an hour to go from checking bags to your gate.
- Cabs – Yes. Besides going from the airport to downtown ($33 flat rate by yourself), cab fares are exceedingly cheap compared to major U.S. cities. Like $10 to go across downtown; $15 – 20 to go across the city, if that.
- Bringing quarters to ride the streetcar uptown/downtown – Yes. It costs $1.25 each way to ride the streetcar down either beautiful St. Charles Avenue or famous Canal Street; both are recommended if you have the time – it’s great for sightseeing but not the most efficient form of transportation.
- Staying at a hotel on Bourbon Street – No. Avoid “historic” locales in the French Quarter since they’re usually noisy, expensive, and not as luxurious as advertised. In order of places to stay on the price/class scale in the city: The Roosevelt, Windsor Court, Loews, The W, The Renaissance.
- Paying with cash – Yes.
- Paying with major credit cards – Yes, but have a backup if you use Amex. Like most everywhere it’s the least accepted card, but a surprising amount of places in New Orleans don’t take Amex.
Don’t sleep on Bourbon street. Stay somewhere else. High End = The Roosevelt.
Food & Drink
- Dive bars – Yes, if you’re in to that sort of thing, but be prepared for gritty locals. Hangout with college kids uptown at F&M’s (get the cheese fries!), buy drinks dirt cheap at Ms. Mae’s (RIP, Ms. Mae), chill with the hipsters and old-school rockers at The Saint (beware the infamous photo booth), toss back shots with pirates at Lafitte’s (the oldest bar in the U.S.), or visit my personal favorite, Snake & Jake’s – open ’til 7 A.M (actual policy: if you get shot there and live, you get free drinks for life).
- Getting a Hurricane on Bourbon Street – No, unless you want the worst sugar-and-grain-alcohol induced hangover of your life.
- Ordering a Sazerac at The Sazerac – Yes. Technically home of the first mixed drink, sit at the walnut bar and drink in not only the cocktails but the old-school grandeur – Huey Long used to come down from his 12th floor suite in The Roosevelt to sit at the very same walnut bar.
- Happy hours – Yes. Go to The Columns for the young southern professional crowd, Lucy’s for the washed-up surfer vibe ( their chips & guac: par excellence ), The Bulldog (complimentary beer glasses on Wednesdays), or The Country Club (which has a pool … a nude pool. You were warned).
- “Classic” New Orleans restaurants – No. Well, I generally try to avoid such places, as I find they’re overrated, unless they’re called Commander’s Palace, Galatoire’s or Antoine’s.
- “New School” New Orleans restaurants – Hell Freakin’ Yes. My personal favorites are: Domenica (traditional Italian with a modern flair), Stella! (ultra-expensive but worth it if you want an exquisitely prepared meal), Herbsaint (Traditional French meets Cajun/Creole), La Petite Grocery (avant-garde cuisine meets traditional southern bistro), and Cochon (Reasonably priced boucherie bad-assness).
- An Oyster Po-Boy from Domilise’s – Only if you’re OK with being in a food coma for the rest of the day. The real deal though.
- The Piano Bar at Pat O’s – No, unless you like waiting in line for an hour in a cramped hallway to get into a room where you have to bribe the musician to play off-key covers of 30-year-old songs. A standby ‘nawlins institution, just not sure if it’s worth the hassle.
- Beignets and coffee at 3 A.M. at Café du Monde – Yes. If it’s your first time in New Orleans, brave the crowd and say you did it.
The Fried Oyster Po-Boy. What, no side of Beignets?
Sights & Sounds
- Taking a stroll in Jackson Square – Yes, just so you can say you did it. Picturesque New Orleans scenery, perfect for a photo opportunity. Get your palm read by the gypsies stationed around the cathedral.
- Going for a run in Audubon Park – Yes, if you can withstand the oppressive humidity during the summer months. Great for sweating more than you knew you were capable of. Otherwise one of the most beautiful parks in the country.
- Using the streetcar as a means of traveling places quickly – No. Slow, unreliable, and very limited in where it can take you. but worth doing it once if you have the luxury of time.
- Visiting the official World War II museum – Yes. Best museum I’ve ever been to and newly renovated. Stop by John Besh’s American Sector afterwards for lunch or get ice cream and soda pop at the vintage food cart located inside the museum.
- Gambling on horse races at the Fairgrounds/Harrah’s – No, especially if you have a gambling problem.
- Going to a Saints game in the Superdome – Yes, if it’s football season! You’d be surprised how easily and cheaply you can get scalped tickets by walking around outside the doors on game day. Went to the season opener vs. the ‘Skins last year for $40. The Saints have one of the craziest and devoted fan bases in professional sports. The nosebleeds are actually some of the best seats in the house.
- Taking a swamp tour – No. Not my cup of tea personally, but some people, especially those looking a family-oriented activity, might find them interesting.
- Hanging out a jazz club on Frenchman Street – Yes. Where the locals go for live music in the city. Like Bourbon Street, except less offensive, more intimate, and more authentic (so really nothing like Bourbon). Snug Harbor, The Blue Nile, and La Maison are all popular jazz clubs where you can hear great music for free most any night.
All’s quiet in the French Quarter. For now.
Aaron Lesher is currently pursuing his Master’s at Tulane University. When not studying for corporate tax exams or working on Bourbon Street, Aaron enjoys sharing his interests in fitness, food, style and music through his blog, which you can read here.
Are you familiar with a city that should get it’s own yes/no guide here on Dappered? Tell us who you are and why you think you’ve got the right perspective to write one, here.
Is this part of an ongoing series? If not, I suggest that it should be. Nice post.
How about Oklahoma City, OK next
Excellent post! Couldn’t agree more (yes I live here)
I have lived in NOLA for my whole life and you really mentioned some great places here. Most tourists would never find half of them, so I’d highly recommend this article to any Dappered members that may be interested in a trip! As someone that works in the uptown area, +1 on the Domilise’s recommendation. I would also recommend DBA on Frenchmen Street for the best combination of beer selection and live Jazz. Lastly, if it’s an extended stay, I would attempt to visit Katie’s Restaurant in mid-city for some great food in a casual setting (only a couple blocks from the Canal St. Streetcar). Great post, Aaron!
DBA’s is my favorite bar in NOLA.. hands down!
May I kindly also reccomend The Napoleon House
http://www.napoleonhouse.com/
The America Sector is great for lunch and if you like girls in vintage attire. The hostess is usually “dolled up”.
Got to have breakfast at Stanley’s stanleyrestaurant.com ,and I always stop by the International House for a drink–awesome, comfortable bar with skilled mixologists ihhotel.com
If your going to stay in the quarter I really like the royal sonesta. But I dont visit during mardi gras. Nice old hotel has a pool good service.
Great article- wish I would have known about these places when I was there a few years ago! My vote for the next city is Richmond, VA if this is an ongoing series. A lot of history and interesting places to dine and see.
This is awesome. I’m going to NOLA with my girlfriend for about a week in August. I’ll definitely be hitting up some of these places. Keep the bar/restaurant suggestions coming! Any style tips particularly honed in on that time of year?
Having received my Bachelors degree from Tulane (and working in the city for four years after), I have to say that this article is spot on. Happy hour at The Columns hotel is a perfect match to the style promoted by this website/community. Just one gripe – when mentioning the late night options like cafe du mode and (shudder) snake & jakes, no mention of Camelia Grill?
I’m in Louisiana and been to NO more than my share of times, this is right on the money. BTW… get the Nectar Soda at the WWII museum, it is something special.
And, go to the Arneaud’s French 75 bar, a block off of Bourbon St, it is very laid back (if you are tired of seeing 22 year olds chug beer and puking in the street)
One addition: Coop’s Place, Chicken Tchoupitoulas!
I just did NO for a week. The hurricanes on Bourbon had so much sugar in them I had to brush with sensodyne for a week. But I got smoked!
What about grilled oysters at Acme Oyster House?
This was a great post. Haven’t been there, but I’d like to. Seems like a great primer. Thanks.
Great post highlighting some of my favorites. I grew up right outside of New Orleans, and live Uptown right now.
My addition to the list:
Delachaise – One of my favorite casual wine bars located right on St. Charles Ave about two blocks from The Columns Hotel (mentioned in the post). A glass of wine and their grilled cheese sandwich can turn anyone’s day around.
DBA is amazing.
And a good place to have a cigar, too.
We spent Christmas in NOLA a couple of years ago, and had the benefit of a work associate who lives there to point out many of these same places. I’d add to the “Yes” list a walk through the Garden District after lunch at Commanders Palace (make a reservation, especially on weekends) and dinner at Emeril’s. Yes, the latter sounds touristy, but one of the best meals we had in the city.
Congrats, as a former NOLA resident (and Snake & Jakes regular), I want to say that you really nailed it.
Pack your linen.
Woops, I meant October. From what I’ve seen, that is more mid-70s to lower 80s, so not too bad?
Want to chip in with Dante’s uptown and the creole creamery – both great. Nothing I’d take off your list, and the commenters have made plenty of great additions.
This guide is really fantastic. If you are coming to town you should know that you can walk around with your booze. Countless great places to get drinks for not too much. If you are coming to town and want to do some shopping, hit up Rubenstein’s off Canal to find higher end things and while you’re there, visit Meyer’s Hat Shop around the corner. It’s one of the oldest hat shops in the country.
Yeah, I’ll probably still be wearing linen but at that temp people will probably be wearing jeans and what not.
Best advice I read before going: only wear shoes you are ready to throw out.
We mainly kept it on Bourbon Street (I know, I know…at least now) and all 12 of us threw out our shoes after days in that stank.
Also, we missed out on the amazing food until it was time to go to the airport. Will always regret that.
I’m a native and I’m wearing skinny jeans right now. Oh well.
this is awesome. joe, i would take a shot at boston if you’re looking for any submissions.
Is it that bad? As mentioned above, I’m going in October and starting to think about what to pack. Nearly all of my shoes (13 out of 18 pairs) are Allen Edmonds, that I love
The non-AE shoes are a pair of leather boots, custom black captoes (neither of those are suitable), J&M white suede bucks and a few pairs of chucks. I was thinking about the bucks and newly acquired AE Neumoks in blue (from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale). Is that a bad idea? Maybe I’ll pick up a pair of the boat shoes that are on sale and maybe the 1901 longwings? At $60/pop I wouldn’t be heart broken if they get jacked up…
I’m not as expert as some of these other guys, but here’s my take on it. If you do Bourbon street like I did (which you’ll have to do at least once, it being your first time) your shoes will be demolished. There are plenty of things to look at other than your feet (hint, they involve beads) and everyone is wasted anyway, so don’t put some good kicks on the line.
White Suede bucks would be on a Kamikaze mission, never to return. And they’d be like, “You’re wearing me in October?” (I don’t have anything against that, though) I also personally wouldn’t wear any AEs, but that’s just me.
If you go to some of the money restaurants, that’s a good place to wear those shoes.
Summing up, if you are going on a restaurant tour you can wear what looks good. If you are going for the popular let’s-drink-our-faces-off, maybe downgrade the footwear a little. Footwear was the second thing he mentioned, I mainly wrote this to give it the emphasis I think it deserved in my very brief travel there.
Thanks for the input. I’m going to go ahead and return the Neumoks (don’t really NEED them, just like the style and it’s a great price) and today I purchased the 1901 Wingman Longwing Derby in blue leather (serves similar function style-wise) and the 1901 Coronado Driving shoe in brown leather. Both of those combined are about $50 less than the Neumoks by themselves and gives me a slip-on for the convenience when going through the airports and something to wear during the day and then I can switch to the derby in the evening. Plus if either gets thrashed I won’t be upset. Stoked for this trip!
If you go to Frenchman and don’t check out The Spotted Cat Music Club you walk have missed an amazing experience. Across the street from the Blue Nile, and much better music. Thursday nights, New Orleans Moonshiners, can’t be beat. Unless you head to Los bon temps Roule’ on the same night and catch The Soul Rebels. Entertainment at its best!
I dunno about the airport. Last time I flew out of NOLA, I was stuck in the longest security line I’ve ever seen in an airport. It was in June.
brennans for a long lazy breakfast was pretty cool and i dont care if its touristy, dragos char broiled oysters were amazing and unique
Awesome info! I’m planning a trip to New Orleans in a few weeks, and this article will definitely help.