New Orleans Bound

[bmattock]

October 8 - 14, Ann-Marie and I will be in New Orleans. We're driving down, meeeting some friends who are flying in. We're planning to stay at the Hotel St. Pierre, 911 Burgundy Street, in the French Quarter (http://www.hotelstpierre.com).

I went to www.tripadvisor.com and I see lots of reviews - they seem clustered at the ends of the spectrum. People seem to think it is either the worst flea-bag ever, with stepping over bodies and having chalk outlines in their rooms, or it's a great hotel with friendly employees and lots of character. About the only thing everyone seems to agree on is that there is very little parking available, and you may have to park in a nearby private lot which is expensive and scary.

I'm not in charge of the hotel accomodations, so I think we're stuck with that, but I'd appreciate any information anyone could share with me about:

* What are the 'must sees' in the French Quarter?

* Great seafood everywhere, I presume, but anything *really* special? I hate seafood, but my wife and our friends love it, so I'll suffer through it and try to find a cheeseburger.

* Photo opportunities?

* B/W or color? Slide or color print? Lens - wide or normal?

* Things to watch out for?

I'll add that we're five in our group, and mostly past the age of drunken revelry as a form of entertainment, so wandering around Bourbon street with a go cup and a string of beads is probably not something we're looking for.

Any advice appreciated!

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks
"I'm so old, I went to a British University. Harvard."


PS - We're on a tight budget. The hotel is stretching us just by itself, but we said we'd go a year ago before we realized we'd be nearly broke. So cheap entertainment/food is good.

 

[titrisol]

I just came back from there.
The french quarter provides plenty of opportunities, besides the normal tourist spots such as St Louis Cathedral, and such.
I was surprised by the new looks of the Warehouse disctrict. The DDay museum is awesome and there's plenty of cool things around there.
Cemeteries are also something you may want to consider and the St.Joseph's church close to the superdome.

October 8 - 14, Ann-Marie and I will be in New Orleans. We're driving down, meeeting some friends who are flying in. We're planning to stay at the Hotel St. Pierre, 911 Burgundy Street, in the French Quarter (http://www.hotelstpierre.com).

I went to www.tripadvisor.com and I see lots of reviews - they seem clustered at the ends of the spectrum. People seem to think it is either the worst flea-bag ever, with stepping over bodies and having chalk outlines in their rooms, or it's a great hotel with friendly employees and lots of character. About the only thing everyone seems to agree on is that there is very little parking available, and you may have to park in a nearby private lot which is expensive and scary.

I'm not in charge of the hotel accomodations, so I think we're stuck with that, but I'd appreciate any information anyone could share with me about:

* What are the 'must sees' in the French Quarter?

* Great seafood everywhere, I presume, but anything *really* special? I hate seafood, but my wife and our friends love it, so I'll suffer through it and try to find a cheeseburger.

* Photo opportunities?

* B/W or color? Slide or color print? Lens - wide or normal?

* Things to watch out for?

I'll add that we're five in our group, and mostly past the age of drunken revelry as a form of entertainment, so wandering around Bourbon street with a go cup and a string of beads is probably not something we're looking for.

Any advice appreciated!

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks
"I'm so old, I went to a British University. Harvard."


PS - We're on a tight budget. The hotel is stretching us just by itself, but we said we'd go a year ago before we realized we'd be nearly broke. So cheap entertainment/food is good.

 

[Richard Black]

😀 Bill,
My wife and I hope to do the same in the spring. She was there two years ago and fell in love with the old town. She knows my obsession with photography and recommended a trip with wide angles generally for the narrow streets and the inability to get back far enough. I recommend both color and b&w, maybe some 3200 if you are going out at night. On second thought a 90mm lens would be nice for some detail photos of churches, headstones, weird people from a safe distance, just kidding on that one, or flowers on porches and balconies. My wife tells me I need to take at least 10 rolls, knowing how I shoot. Give you any help?
Have a fun time!

 

[bmattock]

That's a big help, thanks guys!

 

[chmeyer]

French Quarter envy

French Quarter envy

Bill,
Have a great time!
* What are the 'must sees' in the French Quarter?
-Jackson Square performers, musicians, street folk etc.
-Cafe Du Monde great cheap breakfast or snack on a budget.
-The open market is fantastic with many photo opps.
-There's an art gallery, used to be around Royal Street I think, that usually has prints from the likes of Cartier-Bresson.
Hopefully one of our N'awlins shooters can provide the name and precise location.

* Things to watch out for?
-The five dollar hustle. If someone bets you $5 they know, "where you got your shoes," tell them you've got them on your feet on Bourbon Street!
-At night, especially if you are shooting, stay around Bourbon St., Canal St. area.
If the street ahead of you is dark, you may want to rethink your path.

Lessez Les Bon Temps Rouler
Chris

 

[pshinkaw]

Natalia is a member here and lives in New Orleans. Natalia! You out there?

-Paul

 

[captainslack]

I'm not in charge of the hotel accomodations, so I think we're stuck with that, but I'd appreciate any information anyone could share with me about:

* What are the 'must sees' in the French Quarter?

Everything!!!! 😀 I know, that doesn't help much.

They place is just so full of character it's hard to narrow it down. We picked up a map while we were there that showed us all the places to go and also rated all the restaurants by site. If I can find a copy of it in one of the bookstores around here, I'll pick up for ya.

* Photo opportunities?

Everything everywhere! Bring lots of film.

* B/W or color? Slide or color print? Lens - wide or normal?

Yes. 😉 Again, not every helpful, huh?

Definitely bring a wide along. There's lots of cool architecture, especially if you take a walking tour of the Garden District (which I recommend). Bring some B&W if you go to one of the cemetaries (which I also recommend).

 

[oftheherd]

Natalia is a member here and lives in New Orleans. Natalia! You out there?

-Paul

You know, I have been meaning to start a thread to see if anybody knew anything about her. She seems to have just dropped off the board. Hope all is well with her. Anybody know?

 

[JoeFriday]

she showed up a month back and said that she is concentrating on shooting pictures rather than hanging out online.. good for her

Bill, you should sign up for one of the many 'ghost tours'.. but don't hang out in the cemetary unless there are a lot of people around.. I hear it's a favorite hangout for undesirables

 

[ray_g]

Instead of burgers, you should try the muffelata (sp?) sandwich at Central Grocery Company on Decatur Street.

Coffee and beniets at Cafe Du Monde for breakfast.

Jackson Square on the weekends is full of activity, with fortune tellers and sidewalk artists. Great color photo ops. Dusk photos are also great with the old street lamps lit up. Don't forget to check out the smaller alley ways in the French Quarter, but be careful. I think I may have a few photos in my gallery (in the travel folder).

On Royal, parallel to Bourbon St, be careful taking photos of a singing duo - a man and his grandfather usually dressed in coveralls. If you even raise your camera to your eye, he will stop singing and YELL at you to drop money in his can for you photo. A real boon to the local tourist industry, I'm sure.

Have a great time.

 

[Byuphoto]

OK, since I live here I will chime in . If I had a choice I would stay across the Causeway, in Conington, and take one of the many shuttles. If not you will still want to see the longest bridge, The lake ponchatrain causeway. Go to Chalmette and see where andy Jackson fought the battle of New Orleans and visit the old fort. Drive down to the docks at venice, go to the aquarium of the Americas.Take a ferry boat tour of the river and ride a carriage through the French Quarter at night. Let me know and I will meet you and act as tour guide. I would have at least two cameras with B&W and some good color. be prepared for quck shots and if you are there on a weekend and the NFL Saints are playing it gets more crowded than Mardi Gras. BTW see the Mardi Gras museum. Lots of photo ops there.

 

[Byuphoto]

PS Po'Boy sandwiches are cheap, filling and oh so good

 

[Byuphoto]

and definately drink some Community Dark roast coffee

 

[Tarzak]

As a dedicated espresso drinker, I found no good coffee in New Orleans. I'm sure if you know where to go it's available but i did not know.

Crescent City Brewhouse 527 Decatur St has great food, moderately priced and some good beer. Dessert is very yummy but share with a friend.

Deanie's Seafood 841 Iberville St was pretty good for a HUGE lunch. The highlight was surprisingly the red potatoes they served instead of bread (before your ordered food arrives).

Most places have a menu displayed outside so it's not too hard...

Avoid Bourbon Street like the plague. Just for tourists. That is perhaps a touch harsh, certainly worth a walk down but the bars are much better in the side streets.

A waiter told me to head to the east end of the Quarter, Esplanade Ave I think, is where the locals go for a good night.

Definitely go on a Swamp Tour.

If the sun is out colour film is the go.

I had a newly purchased 24mm lens that I had lots of fun with. Telephoto would have been handy in the swamp.

On pages 2 and 3 of my gallery are some shots of New Orleans and a swamp.

Have fun.

 

[wlewisiii]

I went to a convention there ~10 years ago and there are only two things I'd say are must sees - the aquarium is a delight and the Old Absinthe House. An older (only about 200 years) tavern that just oozed character when I was there. I see they have a web site http://www.oldabsinthehouse.com/ and unfortunatly it looks like it may have been cleaned up. Then it was a real rat hole dive that was a pleasure to take a shot and a beer in 😀 Just wish I'd been shooting the Speed Graphic in those days <LOL>

William

 

[bmattock]

Folks, I can't tell you how great your responses have been! I'll be going through all your messages in more detail, but I wanted to take a quick moment and say thanks. By the way, it looks now like we're not in the Hotel St. Pierre, but rather in the Iberville Suites. I'm not in charge of that part of the trip, I'll just be going where I'm told!

Also, I love good coffee - and I *do* like Community Coffee, I have a hat from there and I used to order their coffee & chicory online all the time, despite never having been there. It's not the 'best' coffee I have ever had, but it was pretty good.

Thanks again - feel free to chime in with new ideas - this is really helping me!

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

 

[ray_g]

When my wife and I were there last year, we were walking down Royal checking out some old bookstores when there was a sudden downpour. We rushed inside a coffee house and had some coffee while waiting for the rain to stop. Didn't know till this thread that Community coffee was so famous! No wonder...

BTW, there's a great photo gallery in the French Quarter. The name escapes me at the moment. Nice B/W collection, and great books.

 

[David Doler]

The place is wild. Just hang on to your goodies and hold your nose on Bourbon St.

 

[captainslack]

Also, I love good coffee - and I *do* like Community Coffee, I have a hat from there and I used to order their coffee & chicory online all the time, despite never having been there. It's not the 'best' coffee I have ever had, but it was pretty good.

You're going to love the Cafe Du Monde, then!!! There coffee & beignets are wonderful! If I lived in the Big Easy I'd be there every morning for breakfast. Probably weigh 400lbs, but at least I'd be happy! 😀

 

[titrisol]

There used to be a small cafe called cafe Beignet next to the Monteleone Hotel.... I liked that one too.