There was a fear that Katrina had destroyed the soul of New Orleans, but that turned out to be not true. You will not be wasting your time visiting NOLA.The historic parts of the city (French Quarter, Garden District, etc.) did not flood and the wind damage was repaired long ago. Most of the metro area now looks like Katrina never happened. The worst-flooded neighborhoods are still recovering and a few (like the Lower 9th Ward) probably won t. There are Katrina tours (ex. from Greyline) that will take you to still-recovering areas if you would like to see them. Not knowing your interests, below is a fairly long list of things to do in New Orleans:Mardi Gras and the Jazz Festival are world famous events, but New Orleans hosts many festivals and celebrations throughout the year: www.nola.com/festivalsThere are many tours offered and examples are: www.graylineneworleans.comwww.hauntedhistorytours.comhttp://www.saveourcemeteries.org/tours/i��The Saint Charles Streetcar is the oldest continuously operating street railway in the world and is a tourist attraction in its own right. It is part of the public transit system, as are the Canal Street and Riverfront streetcar lines: www.norta.comThere is always music, but the bands change: Go to www.bestofneworleans.com and click on Music then Listings or to www.offbeat.com and click on Listings, then Music. Note that music clubs often advertise No Cover , meaning there is no charge for entering. However, clubs with No Cover often require that customers buy a beverage each for every set of music (which can be every 20 minutes) so KNOW THE PRICE before you sit down. Clubs do that because some people will sit in the club all evening drinking nothing (clubs only make money from the drinks they sell - not from the music). It is also a good idea to pay for each round of drinks (in clubs on Bourbon Street) as it is delivered so there can t be any confusion at the end of the evening.An incomplete guide to bars clubs: http://www.10best.com/New_Orleans,LA/Nig��www.neworleanscheapdrinks.comAbout certain alcoholic beverages: Realize that some famous drinks are VERY potent compared with regular cocktails that have only 1 to 1 ? ounces of alcohol. For example, a Hurricane is basically 3 or 4 ounces of rum in something like red Kool-Aid, and a Hand Grenade has at least 4 ? ounces of Everclear + rum + vodka mixed with melon liquor. They don��t necessarily taste like an alcoholic beverage and it is easy to over-indulge.Wander around the French Quarter, enjoy the architecture, watch the street entertainers (do tip), and visit some of the historic buildings that have been turned into museums (go to www.frenchquarter.com and click on Historic Attractions).Assuming the weather is good, you can collect a sandwich lunch and eat in the riverfront park (watch the shipping) or in Jackson Square (a very nice park). The Riverwalk shopping center has an air-conditioned food court with dining overlooking the river (www.riverwalkmarketplace.com). The Canal Place shopping center is in the French Quarter and has a cinema and higher-end shopping (Saks 5th Avenue, Brooks Brothers, etc.). Magazine Street is a miles-long shopping district: www.magazinestreet.comLouisiana is the only US state that offers tax-free shopping for international visitors, but not all merchants participate in the program: http://www.louisianataxfree.com/ Purchases of art may be tax-exempt: http://www.crt.state.la.us/culturaldistr��The lobby for the Westin Canal Place Hotel is on the 11th floor and overlooks the French Quarter. It is a great place for an afternoon drink/snack:(www.westin.com).Cafe du Monde is in the French Quarter and you shouldn t miss having cafe au lait beignets (www.cafedumonde.com). Another great coffee shop is the Croissant d Or (at 617 Ursulines Street), which is open from 7:00am to 2:00pm and has food in addition to pastry. The Palm Court restaurant is very nice, has moderate prices, and offers traditional live jazz starting at 8:00pm: 1204 Decatur Street, tel 504-525-0200 (reservations are important and they are not open every day). The Palm Court is closed from about mid-July 25th to sometime in August each year: http://www.palmcourtjazzcafe.com/Maximo s Italian Grill has great food and atmosphere: 1117 Decatur Street in the French Quarter, (504) 586-8883. www.maximosgrill.comAll of the famous restaurants (Antoine s, Arnaud s, Brennan s, Commander s Palace, etc.) reopened after Katrina. The Pelican Club (on Exchange Alley in the FQ) is not as well known but is the same type experience. Reservations are a good idea, and probably essential on weekends. Tujaques Restaurant (823 Decatur Street) is very traditional and has moderate prices: www.tujaguesrestaurant.comCafe Degas is a very French restaurant near City Park at 3127 Esplanade - which is not within walking distance of downtown (5 to 10 minutes by taxi). They are closed on Mondays Tuesdays (504-945-5635). www.cafedegas.comThe Napoleon House restaurant is at 500 Chartres Street in the FQ, and has a menu of great local dishes: www.napoleonhouse.comMore restaurant suggestions: http://www.10best.com/New_Orleans,LA/Res��Preservation Hall has traditional live Jazz, and doesn��t serve alcohol so all ages are welcome: www.preservationhall.comNew Orleans has ballet, opera, a symphony orchestra, and theatre: www.nobadance.comwww.neworleansopera.orgwww.lpomusic.comwww.lepetittheatre.comThere is a free ferry across the Mississippi at the foot of Canal Street. It is a short trip but like a harbor cruise w/o a guide: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/canal_stree��The Aquarium, Audubon Zoo, and the new Insectarium are world-class attractions (www.auduboninstitute.org) and you should see them if you can. The Zoo is several miles from downtown. You can drive to the Zoo (which has free parking) or take public transit from the French Quarter.The Louisiana State Museum is in the French Quarter: http://lsm.crt.state.la.us/ New Orleans is also home to a number of other museums, such as the National World War II Museum (http://www.nationalww2museum.org/) and the New Orleans Museum of Art (www.noma.org). Both can be reached by public transit: The WWII museum is in the central business district but a long walk from the French Quarter. NOMA is not within walking distance of downtown but has free parking. Go to www.neworleansmuseums.com for info on more museums.Harrah��s Casino is in the Central Business District: www.harrahs.com (age 21 required for entry)New Orleans City Park has a variety of attractions + free parking. (www.neworleanscitypark.com).Check www.frenchquarter.com and http://www.nola.com/visitor/ for ideas about other things to do.I hope you have a great time, wherever you go!
New Orleans is definitely still the place you re imagining. I went for my spring break last year- we have friends who live outside the French Quarter. If it s jazz clubs you like, you ll be in business. Nothing could kill the swingin New Orleans vibe! I enjoyed myself intensely, and yeah, there is still a bunch of rebuilding, but it sounds like you re more interested in the city stuff, or nightlife, even. So there s not really any rebuilding going on there that I saw. It s still a big party. You won t be hanging out in loads of wreckage if you re right in the middle of the action for the better portion of your trip. Hope you go, and hope it s FUN!
New Orleans is recovering quite well. I visited several times before Katrina and was back earlier this year. The French Quarter did not flood and so is in great shape. New Orleans never disappoints. My favorite spots are Snug Harbor (a jazz club), and MidCity Lanes (a bowling alley/live music venue). There are TONS of great restaurants but my favorites are: NOLA (expensive--it s one of Emeril Lagasse s restaurants) and the Acme Oyster House (cheap). You should try everybody s bread pudding but my favorite is at Mr. B s Bistro. If you want to shop (and an excuse to ride the streetcar) go out to Magazine Street. It s more upscale but there are bargains to be had. Can you tell I love this city?Have fun!
I m a local. I currently reside a little further inland than before Katrina. We rode out the storm. Don t let any post Katrina thoughts be a concern. Katrina is now part of the soul of the city. It makes a visit even more dramatic when you see what happened and how things are now. New Orleans is a MUST SEE.
I ve been there 5 times post-Katrina. Downtown New Orleans and the French Quarter are very much up and running. I say GO!