This article is a long time coming, I started off my blog with an overview of New Orleans, but I don’t think it really captured my voice. The city deserves a much deeper insight then I originally provided. In addition, I thought I would add an extra piece of information to this, given I went to New Orleans in the summer, August to be exact. We decided to pick the hottest time of the year. Summer, can be a somewhat more uncomfortable experience in New Orleans. Despite the searing heat, the city is one of the best in country in many regards; between the food, the alcohol, the atmosphere, and the culture I had a hell of a time.
Many people only know New Orleans as some party town you go to get passed out drunk 40 days before Easter. A place for people to throw up on Bourbon Street and watch some show too much skin for worthless beads (not like I am complaining – I gave that up for Lent..).
I am here to tell you there is a whole city to get wasted in, not just one street! There are a lot of layers to this city, and it is unique to most in the United States. New Orleans at times felt almost foreign, compared to the rest of the country. I think I said in my last post that it was like New York and Charleston had a baby…I stand by this. New Orleans is probably tied for my favorite city in the United States and even New Orleans in the summer couldn’t damper my good time.
The Great: The Food and Drink in New Orleans
The thing I miss most about the city is the unique cuisine and liberal alcohol laws. Landing in New Orleans at 8 am on a hot August morning (Obviously, New Orleans in the summer is always hot) we caught a cab to our hotel on Royal Street. Time to drop off our bags and grab some Bloody Mary’s.
It took me all of two seconds to find my drink, then we were off to eat. Being a tourist, I did what tourists do and went to Café Du Monde. Sometimes what is considered a tourist trap is anything but, these beignets were delicious. I made it my mission to try as many spots around the city to compare, all were great, but nothing topped Café Du Monde. It was a great start to a gluttonous trip. If you want to attempt your own beignets, you can buy the mix yourself by hitting the picture below. Good luck trying to duplicate it, tell me if you can.
In addition to the beignets, in the muggy heat of New Orleans; we hit the French Market, for alligator numerous times, in numerous forms. Oysters of course, we consumed by the dozen, shrimp, gumbo (all inferior to my wifes), fried chicken…I pride myself on eating multiple species and New Orleans gave me this spectacular opportunity. The food in New Orleans is a blissful/mouth-watering blend of of different cultures.
My Favorite Spots
For me there are some stand outs in terms of dining experiences.
1) Commanders Palace – Just order anything but get the bread pudding soufflé for dessert. It was so good I am pissed off thinking about it and its distance..
2) Verti Marte – The All That Jazz sandwich is one of those Food Network worthy sandwiches. It is Noah’s Arc in your mouth with shrimp, ham, and turkey (among other things)…a sloppy mess, but worth every bite. The place itself is just grocery store, but they happen to make an incredible sandwich. Some may think a 2 lb sandwich is too heavy for New Orleans in the Summer, I would say you’re wrong!
3) Mr. B’s Bistro– I have better service at places, but the gumbo was fantastic. It may have been the best of the trip. Now, I knew nothing about gumbo before going to New Orleans, but I know what my taste buds like. My wife, on the other hand, is a gumbo expert and it got her stamp of approval. If you can’t get into Mr. B’s, Antoine’s will do in a pinch.
4) French Market– I will mention this place again, it bears repeating, given I was there every morning. There are a ton of spots to choose from within the market, I continued to go to the place that advertised alligator sausage. Repeatedly I gobbled down alligator po boys, sausage, and egg sandwiches with…alligator. Figured it was about time someone really bite back at those bastards!
5) For oysters we tried both Royal House and Acme Oyster House, we liked both, but the Royal House was our favorite, it was hit multiple times.
6) Nicholas Girod House- Must mention this as well, I had a great muffuletta sandwich here, along with some exceptional boudin. Wash it down with a Pimms Cup and you’re all set. I may be one giant map from sounding like a tourist here, but in this instance, I don’t care.
The Great Things About New Orleans, Entertainment
We stayed in the French Quarter (insert tourist joke) on Royal St., one street away from the barbaric Bourbon Street. Our stay was at the Omni Hotel, in terms of location and quality I will say I really liked the hotel. Read the reviews below and surf the prices if you are planning a trip.
READ TRIPADVISOR REVIEWS FOR THE OMNI
Royal Street gives you the location in the French Quarter, with a lot more class than the other streets. Comparing it to Bourbon Street it is like comparing night and day. Royal Street is the girl at the bar who had two glasses of wine, Bourbon Street is the girl throwing up jelly shots in the corner.
Besides the location, what I loved about Royal Street were the hidden surprises… Art galleries with Picassos for sale, fantastic oyster restaurants, amazing antique stores…The entire city shares this feel, there are a ton of small museums and galleries to explore in every nook we discovered. New Orleans is walkable for the most part. Just a reminder, I am coming at this as a tourist, there are plenty of neighborhoods you don’t want to be strolling through at night …
Having said this, from the seedy (I like seedy) to the sophisticated, New Orleans has it all. If you want a strip club or 5, bars, or a casino you can have it. On the flip side the museums are great as well, whether you go to the New Orleans Museum of Art, WW2 museum or just go to one of the high-end bars (Carousel Bar was my favorite) you will not be disappointed.
The things I liked the most include:
- The already mentioned New Orleans Museum of Art was one of the better museums outside of New York. The sculpture garden is a nice addition.
- The Voodoo Museum, strange, quick, but fun the entrance fee is small…it will give you some reprieve of the heat experienced in New Orleans in the Summer.
- Louisiana State Museum– Another great place to duck out of the heat, this talks about the extensive history of the city. There is of course a Katrina exhibit, but the history of the town is a lot greater than one terrible storm. I personally loved learning about all the different countries who controlled the area.
The Questionable in New Orleans: Some of the People
Ok we had most of my bad experiences on Bourbon Street, but we had a mix of nice and nasty when we visited this city. Maybe it is just New Orleans in the summer, but a couple of folks were down right rude. I get it, there are a lot of idiots on Bourbon Street, but we weren’t one of them. One bartender acted as if I stole his first born, he spoke to us with such contempt. Even with the place being empty, if he wasn’t ignoring us, he was giving us a condescending attitude. I wasn’t even drunk, so I know I was not being obnoxious. (I was trying to get drunk, but that is irrelevant!)
Many times, I felt the people were either nice or conversely, wouldn’t spit on me if I was on fire. Maybe this trip was an anomaly, but this how I felt. An interesting note, after a certain point, my wife start throwing into conversation with servers that her family was local .. crazy how service would get noticeably better…
The Bad About New Orleans: Bourbon Street
One great thing about New Orleans in the summer is walking through 90-degree weather and having the pleasant smells of vomit wafting through the air. Every good city has one spot that attracts all the mindless tourists. New York has Times Square and New Orleans has Bourbon Street.
People are just ridiculous here, passed out drunk, buying bad pizza and getting into fights. I think I walked it twice at night, (more times during the day) to me there is no good reason spend any significant time there. Plus, I have heard that many of the bars let pickpockets wander free. There are much classier places to drink throughout the city. If want the experience of Bourbon street, grab some beads, drink a gallon of $5 vodka and find a porta potty to hang out in. Ok, it might not be exactly the same, buuut, you won’t lose your wallet or end up with HPV…
Some Tips for New Orleans in the Summer
I only experienced New Orleans in the summer for a couple of days, some might think I couldn’t offer good tips. I look at it in the opposite way, any local must have ice cubes in their veins to be able to take that kind of heat repeatedly. For someone that is from the north it is a whole different ball game. Still I was able to take the heat, by following a few simple steps
First, I always had a drink in my hand! Probably the worst advice from medical perspective, but a cool hurricane really helped with that mugginess. Plus, when you are walking around with a buzz, heat doesn’t seem so bad. Of course, drink plenty of water (even though it gets in the way).
Secondly, bring extra clothes, you will need them. Packing for New Orleans in the summer is a complex experience. Any day you are there you will need double the clothes of a normal trip. This is because what you put on originally will be soaked with sweat by noon. On the hottest days, you can probably go through three undershirts or more, depending on the hairiness of your back. It is a two shower a day city…
Third, while on the subject of clothes you should be in the right gear. Of course, you should avoid cargo shorts and fanny packs, but that is just for your own self-respect. Light linens and cotton are your friends. Hats and umbrellas are also your friends to keep the sun from punishing you. If you are drinking all day make sure you put on a strong sun screen. Six hurricanes can make you forget that the sun is melting your skin…
Lastly, plan accordingly, we aren’t in 1745, the air conditioner has been invented, use it. Go visit your museums at noon and plan on a nice nap to sleep off your morning drinks by 2; this way you are plenty rested to drink and eat the night away. If any locals read this and can offer additional advice I would love to hear it. Even as an (ex) New Yorker, I don’t think New Orleans in the summer should deter you from going.
Conclusion
I am going to accept the fact that I am looking at this city through tourist’s eyes. I am sure that there is a whole different part of the city that I may not have seen (but of course want to!..wife might not let me…). This site is written for other people looking to travel, so I am not going to discount my experience…
In the short time I stayed, I will say I loved the city and the culture. The food, the atmosphere, and the energy are totally unique to this area. It is my favorite city in the south and an argument can be made it is the best in the country (I still give a slight nod to NYC). I look forward to returning and adding to this post…
Editors Notes
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