Got an easy trip to the Big Easy coming. What do you know about it?

[Guest jackdm3]

Wife's office is sending her to a conference Sun. thru Wed. and paying for everything. I just have to pay for my food if room service doesn't supply enough. I'll be free to play Mon night, Tues night and all of Wed. What do you suggest during that limited time?

There's a WWII museum that I might have to see by myself and we're thinking of the State Museum, the Contemporary Arts museum, Audobon Zoo, N.O. Museum of Art, The Aquarium, but it's amazing how many things shut down after 5pm. So that leaves us with more spooky stuff than I want to get into: The Mortuary, The Ghost Tour among others because they go on when all else closes.

I'd also like to find some ranges!

She says we gotta eat at the Acme Oyster House and whatever else you suggest. Really want to see how the oily fish/shrimp prices fare.

[Garufa]

You gotta go to the Frech Quarter, have some Beignets and Chickory coffee at the Cafe Du Monde, then head up the street to the Central Grocery for a Muffuletta.

If you've never been there, those two are a must. Touristy yes, but for good reason.

Acme Oyster Bar is good...they have other things other than raw oysters. That's where I learned how to make cocktail sauce. You have to make it yourself there...they just give you the ingredients.

[saintsfanbrian]

Let's see. You obviously have to go by Cafe Du Monde for Bigneits and coffee. Just mind the powdered sugar it goes every where.

The Royal Blend (on Royal at Toulouse) is a great coffee shop as well.

Most of the haunts I used to go to closed after Katrina.

The aquarium is nice but not exactly cheap and don't go packing - while there aren't metal detectors it is posted. The insectarium is in a federal building with metal detectors, don't even try a knife there.

There was a place down Magazine street called Cafe Roma that had GREAT Italian food.

Bourbon is a pick pocket paradise.

If anyone wants to tell you where you got your boots keep walking.

Learn to combat walk as well. That's where you keep your head down and just walk.

Obviously Jackson Square is a place to go as well as the French Market.

If you want to see a pottery shop/gallery let me know. My cousin owns/runs one down there. It moved since the last time I was there so I can't give you exact directions.

Last time I went we ate at IHOP and Arby's so I am not sure of the other good places. If you want I can check with my family about other things to do but give me an idea of interests.

The WWII museum was really cool too. I highly recommend it.

Get a good shrimp or oyster po-boy for me.

Where are you staying?

[Guest Bronker]

What do I know...?

It's a freak show, and you should fit tight in...

[Guest jackdm3]

Y'all are doing my query a great service so far! Can't thank you enough.

[Guest jackdm3]

What do I know...?

It's a freak show, and you should fit tight in...

The only thing we have in common are the boots.

[MacGyver]

Make sure you go the end of the French Market and take a left on Barracks. There is a little place right around the corner called Louisiana pizza kitchen. It's been there forever, and is one of the few places I make it a point to visit every time I'm there. The only other must visit place in my book is either an early morning or late night visit to Cafe du Monde for beignets and cafe au lait. Two different experiences based on when you go. I would allot at least a couple of hours just to wander the streets of the French quarter from canal st. to barracks st. There are a couple of antiquities dealers who specialize in old weaponry. Cohen & Sons on Royal is definitely worth a stop in. I'll try and think of the other.

The French quarter south of bourbon is absolutely one of my favorite places to spend time. But, watch your step. If the floor caves in you'll go straight to hell.

[Guest Bronker]

The only thing we have in common are the boots.

Then knock 'em:D

[MacGyver]

Whisnant Gallery at 222 Chartres is the other. They've got a lot of medieval stuff. It's like a museum that you don't need a ticket for. I remember going there back in my college days; the owner was great about showing his collection. Definitely check it out.

[Guest jackdm3]

May have to get to that one since it's down the street from LA State Museum.

[MacGyver]

They're both within 3 blocks. Have fun.

Remember what I said about the floor caving in.

[Guest jackdm3]

Look at me.

<--------

[kb4ns]

There's a Confederate Museum on Camp Street if you're into the civil war era stuff. I really wanted to go last year when I was down there, but they were closed for remodeling. Should be back open now.

[Ebow1]

Never got around to seein' it but always wanted to go to the Napoleon House. It's a restaurant that was originally established as a safehouse for Napoleon after he was busted off of whichever island he was exiled to. Obviously the plan failed, but the building has since been used as a restaurant, and they sell alcohol, which is enough for me to sit around.

[Guest Glock23ForMe]

The only thing we have in common are the boots.

So, you just run around in boots?

[Guest jackdm3]

You can't really run in those boots. You just have to stand there and let it all hang out!

[Jasongar8]

There is a restaurant called Desire on Bourbon St that was awesome. The D-Day museum is a must. Also hit Pat O'Briens and have a hurricane.

[Farman]

"You gotta go to the Frech Quarter, have some Beignets and Chickory coffee at the Cafe Du Monde, then head up the street to the Central Grocery for a Muffuletta."

You will be missing out if you don't hit these two spots. Also hit one of the cemetery tours. It was really interesting.

[Garufa]

.

[Guest jackdm3]

What the Hell do you mean, "."?

[Garufa]

What the Hell do you mean, "."?

I was kicking into smartass mode supporting Farman's recommendation realizing that he quoted me directly without giving credit by using the quote feature, but it is of no consequence.

I would like to add, the Mississippi sits several feet ABOVE the French Quarter right behind the Cafe Du Monde. There a little park there. If you get one of those sammiches, take it there to eat and reflect.

[Guest jackdm3]

For me, it might be too hot for reflection. Despite the well-known climate of NOLA.

[Guest Bluemax]

If you have a chance try Willie Mae's Scotch House, Hands down best fried chicken as well as sides that I ever ate. Nothing fancy just good food

[Guest jackdm3]

The rental. Speedy and most all the whistles with only 2,400 miles on it. Supernice until about 100 miles, then the neckache set in from their poorly designed headrests. Made the trip in 4:45, bitches!

Some of the pics are fuzzy from my cheap $130 cam. Sorry 'bout dat. (WHO DAT?)

Zee room, monsieur.

It had a "safe."

Attached to the particleboard with the smallest screws. I think not.

Outdoor view. Never changed in 4 days.

First meal at Acme Oyster House. Kathy's "incredible" soft-shell crab sammy.

My shrimp sucked. The only good thing about the meal was the puppies. In the top three I've ever tasted!

If you missbehave, you go ...

... to Church!

Dinner in the hotel restaurant was better than getting cold roomservice. An enormous Caesar salad. This is the bottom half. Ate it all.

Simple maple-glazed salmon on a mixture of squash and potatoes. The best part.

Kathy had basically sweet and sour gator. Tough stuff. She ate 2 and quit.

Chocolate beignets. Good.

You've never had the weakest water pressure in your life than in the Marriott's Renaisance Arts Hotel. The first pic is actually only about 1/3 of the real volume. A real gusher.

What cascades all over your supple body amounts to taking a shower from an old-fashioned back-and-forth lawn sprinkler. Takes you three times as long to gitter done. Really, you could hardly feel it.

Breakfast Monday morning in the room arrived late and cold. No pic for that crap. But Tuesday was decent in the hotel restaurant. BACON!

Guess who was making a movie? Triple H, MF'er! Yeah, he IS every bit as big as he appears. He's making something called, "Inside Out."

One of the famous Brennan's where Kathy had her first raw oyster. She was going to order 6 but looked none too enthused about it, so the waiter brought her one just to sample. Once in the mouth, she froze. Didn't know what to do because the waiter was staring at her. Chewed 3 or times, swallowed and quickly ate crackers and her Guiness. Ordered soup instead. Said it tasted like day-old spoo ... uh ... ji ... nevermind.

I went with the safe dish. A "Hangar Steak" with sesamed-asparagus and eggplant.

The pie was just about perfect. Lots of pecans like we like them. Perfect texture. Best I've had in years.

NO LOITERING!!! Probably works just right for the S&M crowd at Mardis Gras.

Saw no skeeters until we got to the river. That's where they all reside. Or at least huddled up to this dude.

He was doing a remote when Zero addressed our fair nation. Talking with the "President of Parish" which is simply the Mayor, I hear.

Wednesday was playday whether or not we were over our sudden illness that we got as soon as we got to town.

Priority for me was the National WWII Museum. Supposedly, while there are others, it's the considered to be "it." Tom Hanks visits often. Don't know about Spielberg. The author of "Band of Brothers" is a local and has given LOTS to make the museum better and on-going. I choked almost as soon as I got in the lobby. I knew what I was going to see. But didn't expect to see lots of vets-as-volunteers walking around talking to anybody that would listen. Then Kathy started to tear up, which is odd because this place is not her sort of thing. If you're not affected when you enter these doors, you've totally immersed yourself in WWII-lore and it's old hat, or you just aren't paying attention. If you can go, go soon before the vets have died out. They're better than rockstars and celebrities. BUT you'll have to dedicate 4 hours minimum to do the self-guided tour. To see, hear and read every bit of info would take all day.

I only took one photo. All those little lines you see are little army men. Each shelf on the right or left display had 100-150 men to represent probably 1,000 or so men. I didn't get the particulars, but it illustrates how many men we had in the middle and how much we were outmanned by Japanese and SS forces. We're that little block in the middle.

How do women use a whole roll of TP in just 3.5 days?!?!

The famous du Monde beignets are required eats.

There's a 30-pic limit on threads, so the last 4 are \/ \/ \/ \/.

Edited June 22, 2010 by jackdm3

[Guest jackdm3]

And now for some creepy cool! Bet a small few of you didn't know that they use tombs to anchor the coffins down so that when the area floods they don't pop out of the ground like in the movie "Polterqeist." And on the way out, I had to get some pics of a cemetary. They're everywhere and you'd need an elevated position to take it all in. Hundreds of square miles, probably.