I am going to New Orleans!

Oh. OK, your daughter can probably handle seeing some "sexy" t-shirts and sad strippers.

Can I be a nerd & recommend the D-Day Museum? Really terrific museum, even if you're not much of a WW2 buff.

Also Museum of Confederacy had a great array of civil war artifacts, worth a peek if youre into that kinda thing.

new orleans pharmacy museum! right next to napoleon house, cheap, weird.

oh and hey be cautious wandering around bywater and the marigny, armed robberies are through the roof. i've lived in new orleans a long time and shit is for real right now. eg the chick i hired to watch my dogs while i was on vacation the other week got grabbed, thrown into a car and driven to an atm. a block from my house (on the marigny/bywater border basically). at 9pm. there were 4 unrelated armed robberies within a 4 block radius that same night. not trying to rain on yr vacation but sometimes b&b owners forget to mention this stuff.

Yikes! Thanks, we'll be super careful. Pharmacy museum is on the short list, btw.

I'm a big fan of Dick and Jenny's on Tchoupitoulas. Their fried green tomatoes appetizer is out of this world. If you're gonna do tourist charbroiled oysters I'd take Drago's over Acme. Sylvain on chartres near jackson square has great cocktails if you're into that. It feels sort of too cool for school to me, but my SF gf feels quite at home there.

Also, it's a hideous tourist bar, but Pirate's Alley right by Jackson Square always gives me the eeriest feeling at night and is the only place I've ever been where I might actually concede that a place's history could leave it with some kind of supernatural aura. It almost feels like the ground is shifting or something.

WmC I just saw on another thread that you're in NOLA now. I hope you find the miniature horses.

Also I hope you will post many pictures! Would like you to make this thread your journal of this trip, but I know that's asking a lot.

Going to Jazzfest first weekend, first time in New Orleans since 2006.

Best food value for the dollar: lunch at K-Paul's
Overrated: breakfast at Brennan's
Sheer heart attack: chargrilled oysters at Drago's

Thanks. Heading down Thursday and flying home Monday.

So neither Broadview nor Slim Goodie's are open late?

meant to post this on here earlier. it's my wonderful friend jennifer's site. all things NOLA food. restaurants and recipes abound. browse for ideas!

http://www.foodorleans.com/

I see Jazzfest scheduled Pancho Sanchez/Terence Blanchard and The Texas Tornados at the same time. I'd opt for the latter since they're not in a tent.

It's a tough call though. Also at that time reggae band Steel Pulse, Buckwheat Zydeco, Bon Iver, Beach Boys and Real Untouchables Brass Band (don't know this last group).

Jazzfest friends of mine coined the disease name FOMS: Fear Of Missing Something. Generally at any point in the day there are 2-3 (or more) great options. I've become kind of a (self-described) expert at balancing acts I can't miss, acts have seen before but would gladly see again, stuff new to me I've only read about... I often see half of one show and half of another, but figuring out which to start with vs. end with is another trick.

Rule #1: don't leave a show you're enjoying to see something else.

Rule #2: don't over-schedule (hard one for me.) Leave yourself open to the serendipitous moment.

Rule #3: stop in to the gospel tent, jazz tent and Economy Hall often, even if you have no idea who's playing.

only been there once, but I could have easily spent the whole weekend following Rule 3

Okay, jazzfest stream on youtube is cool. Sound is a little glitchy, and Marcia Ball's voice is pretty ragged today, but this is better than work. Nice that they have two stage channel choices.

Will check that out later.
I moved around a fair amount for weekend 1 this year, although I decided to stay put and just see Dr. John and Springsteen at the end of Sunday afternoon.

In non-fest stuff--

Ate at Dooky Chase's one night and it was better than some yelpers and others have said. Had that "Jewish C______" at Slim Goodies one morning. My meal at Meauxbar was fairly good, but gf's was just ok.

I thought the food at Dooky's was pretty good when I was there, maybe not excellent, but the atmosphere and vibe of the place was super nice.

I put my youtube comment here rather than Jordan's brass band thread because at the moment the viewing choice is between Marcia Ball and Bruce Hornsby. They're focusing on the big stages, because I assume they're using the jumbotron feeds for this, so no brass bands or Indians.

we went to willie mae's one morning, couple blocks away from dooky chase. good fried chicken but i probably didn't need to eat so much of it for breakfast.

Ha. Saw Willie Mae's, and thought I need to stop here next time.

I wonder which brass band I heard/(saw through the fencing) practicing early evening last Thursday in Armstrong Park as we were on our way to Meauxbar?

Yeah, Willie Mae's is another place where the chicken wasn't quite the ZOMG best in the world that foodies started obsessing about, but the vibe was great.

I think my alltime A+ food plus ambience was Eddie's on Law Street, long gone.

broadview is still first in my heart

Jordan, have you been to L'il Dizzy's? Eddie's son Wayne runs it, but I haven't been.

lil dizzy's is the best! benny jones took us there for the first time after we played a funeral w/treme bb a number of years back.

Cool, it's on my bucket list.

Voice of the Wetlands Allstars: mostly too jambandy for me, and too much noodly blues harp, but Big Chief Monk is out there now, and Johnny Vidacovich is just killin' it.

Going back to NOLA in September with my wife. During our visit last year we heard live music at Vaughan's, Howlin' Wolf, d.b.a., Spotted Cat and Preservation Hall — and of course on Royal Street and the corner of Canal and Bourbon. We also checked out the Carousel Bar, Sazerac Bar, Cochon, Mother’s, Lafitte’s, Central Grocery, Napoleon House and some other spots, touristy and otherwise.
Places we didn’t get to visit that we’d like to check out this time around: Tipitina’s, Maple Leaf Bar, Bullet's, Mimi’s in the Marigny, Snug Harbor. Where else?
And does anyone know the current status of K-Doe's Mother in Law Lounge? I keep reading conflicting reports.

i'm going soon too - recommendations of places to stay?

I've only been once, so I'm not a good person to ask. Last year we actually won a raffle for a four-day stay at a Marriott in the Business District. Awesome place with a courtyard pool and an amazing buffet breakfast that had everything — alligator and andouille included. This year we're using my mother-in-law's time share at the Quarter House, on Chartres Street.

http://www.nola.com/food/index.ssf/2012/07/hubigs_pie_are_more_than_a_des.html

Hubig's pies bakery burns down

http://www.nola.com/traffic/index.ssf/2012/07/5-alarm_fire_breaks_out_at_hub.html

Kermit Ruffins gets OK to re-open Mother-in-Law Lounge. Nice.
http://www.offbeat.com/2012/08/16/ruffins-wins-mother-in-law-loungesoon-reopens/
Didn't he recently open a new joint in the Treme? He's staying busy. Taking my second trip to NOLA next month and I hope to see him this time. Last year we took a cab to Vaughan's only to be told that Kermit was out of town. We stayed and had a ball anyway.

http://www.empmuseum.org/programs-plus-education/programs/pop-conference/2013/emp-pop-conference-2013-new-orleans.aspx

Register now, free for all April 18 through 21st

American Routes radio show anniversary concert that weekend plus a big brass band gig I may attend

Plus gf and I need to make it to various food/restaurant places listed above in the limited time we have

Flying in Thursday

I like going buckwild and causing random ruckus as much as anyone but I've always found that the titty-flashing thing to be useless unless you know the chick and you got a good chance of hitting it that very night....the same reason I don't go to strip clubs....what's the point.....whenever you see pics or video footage of mardi gras flashing theres always those ugly old guys in the background smiling and laffing like they're loving it....stop lying son, youre going to go home and wank about it, that's all....if you've got time left, best spend your time on real macking...it'll last longer.....DUDE, YOURE GETTING A DELL

― Ramosi, Sunday, February 3, 2002 12:00 PM (11 years ago)

RIP

getting on a train to here in two hours with 0 plans once I'm there. willing to be guided on music recommendations as this thread has done since time immemorial (Offbeat listings isn't loading for me btw)

Hostel has a whiteboard with the day's suggested gigs up, Hot 8 at Howlin' Wolf tonight, DONE

Gonna splurge and finally go to the Ponderosa Stomp Music fest at Rock n Bowl Friday the 2nd and Saturday the 3rd, plus some panel discussions before then starting during the day Thursday and Friday. Air B n B lodging...

Hmmm, where to eat...

where you staying/how far are you willing to travel?

will you have a car?

Right now, not planning on having a car (but may change my mind--Need to get from airport to lodging and back; and to Stomp events too). Staying near the intersection of Carrollton and Claiborne avenue from Wednesday night arrival at 5:30 pm at the airport to Sunday at 6pm. The Ponderosa Stomp conference (and record sale ) during the day Thursday and Friday is at the AC Hotel by Marriott at 221 Carondelet St. The Stomp DJ party Thursday night is at DBA, and Ponderosa Stomp is from 6:30 pm to 3:25 AM Friday and Saturday nights

you can take the claiborne bus (#16) from carrollton and claiborne down to the CBD where the conference is. you could also take the streetcar but the bus is way, way, way faster--i took it to work every day for many years.

as i'm sure you know it's an easy walk from carrollton/claiborne to rock n bowl.

airport cabs are like $35 bucks each way, which is annoying. there's the E-2 JET bus (ie jefferson parish, not the new orleans RTA) which runs right by tulane and carrollton (a little bit further up from rock n bowl). i can't vouch for its reliability these days though. also probably kind of a drag with luggage.

if you plan to have downtime and are adventurous i would recommend a car as most of the ~really good~ restaurants are a drag to get to via public transportation. this includes the great vietnamese restaurants like tan dinh, dong phuong and pho ga quang minh; the stone cold classic new orleans/sicilian joint mosca's, in avondale; superior po boy shops like koz's, in lakeview; and lakeview/bucktown seafood places like r&o and blue crab. (don't underestimate vietnamese food in new orleans.)

of course there are many many many amazing places to eat very close to where you are staying, though the outstanding choices around there are less new orleans-specific.

clearly i miss new orleans very much.

Thanks. I do have great Vietnamese food near me in the DC area, though I guess hybrid New Orleans Vietnamese would be cool.

Good advice re bus over the streetcar

Is Koz's in Lakeview really that much better than Broadview, Quarter Grocery, Parkview or Gene's? Or is it just unique for that barbequed ham po-boy?

I mean Parkway

i think so but it is possible that the differences are only apparent to those who have eaten many thousands of po boys. a lot of it comes down to the bread, of which there is a correct choice (gendusa's) and incorrect (anything else, especially the dreaded leidenheimers). also the shrimp sandwich at koz's is easily the best in the city imo.

gene's is good but largely entertaining for the atmosphere. i think the food is better at hank's, a few blocks down st claude, and the vibe there is a truly new orleanian blend of hilarious and threatening.

i personally don't care for parkway at all but i know i am in the minority. in the midcityish area i recommend avery's po boys on tulane ave in the hourly motel district. mostly people from the nearby courthouse/OPP/bail bondsmen and construction workers from the giant hospital site.

in the fq i think the best choice is either johnny's (touristy af but great sandwiches) or verti marte (a little pricey and they use seeded leidenheimer's but good nonetheless). i will also rep quartermaster.