Elisa’s NOLA Tip Sheet
I often get requests for information about where to eat, what to do, and how best to enjoy my adopted city of New Orleans. I keep this "tip sheet" to help visitors make the most of their stay in the Crescent City. I try to keep things current, but let me know if you find a dead link or other outdated information. Enjoy!
“You can live in any city in America but New Orleans is the only city that lives in you.”
—Chris Rose
GENERAL ADVICE
Get a good night’s sleep before you go.
Pace yourself, especially when it’s hot. Stay hydrated.
Don’t rent a car unless you’re traveling outside the city (it’s expensive to park in the French Quarter, and you can walk/bike/streetcar/pedi-cab/Lyft/Uber wherever you need to go).
Walk Bourbon Street once if you’ve never been, then go see the real city—those obnoxious drunk people are (mostly) not New Orleanians.
New Orleans is a very friendly city. If you’re from the North, don’t be alarmed when strangers say, “good morning, how y’all doing?” when you pass them on the street. It's OK to respond and it's even OK to say hello first--otherwise you'll be marked as a tourist for sure.
Don’t be looking down at your smart phone while walking. The city’s “vintage” sidewalks and streets might trip you up. Plus, you might miss a unique sight.
Unless you’re going to a really fancy restaurant, you won’t need a suit, tie or pantyhose, especially in the summer.
Be careful and don’t walk by yourself at night in remote areas (use your “big city” common sense); try not to carry a purse while walking around at night and keep track of your wallet in downtown crowds.
If someone comes up to you on Bourbon Street (or anywhere else) and offers to bet you $20 he can guess where you got your shoes, politely decline and say, “I got my shoes on my feet and I’m standing on Bourbon Street.” [No lie: my Uncle Denny fell for this old scam and was out $20.]
THINGS TO DO
Check the official visitors guides for standard tourist information. The New Orleans Welcome Center, 529 St. Ann St. and the National Park Service sites at the Jean Lafitte National Park office at 419 Decatur St., 504-589-3882, and the New Orleans Jazz National Park, 916 N. Peters St., 877-520-0677 are good places to start.
French Market. 1008 N. Peters St. down by the river in the French Quarter. Best place to buy inexpensive New Orleans souvenirs, spices and cooking supplies.
Congo Square. This fabulous website crafted by educator, author, and historian Freddi Williams Evans perpetuates the history and legacy of Congo Square in New Orleans including its profound influence on the indigenous culture and devoted culture bearers of the city, the country, and the world.
Art Galleries. See Arts New Orleans. Tons of galleries in the Warehouse/Arts district (like LeMieux Galleries), on Royal Street in the French Quarter, and on Magazine Street Uptown. Also, on St. Claude Avenue in the Marigny/Bywater and other areas of the city.
Museums. Here are a few small museums that might be of interest:
Free People of Color Museum, 2336 Esplanade Avenue, one of the country’s few attractions dedicated exclusively to preserving the material culture of and telling the story of free people of color.
Backstreet Cultural Museum, 1531 St. Phillip St., in the famous Treme (pronounced “treh-may”) neighborhood.
New Orleans African-American Museum, 1417 Governor Nicholls, Treme.
House of Dance & Feathers, 1317 Tupelo St. 504-957-2678 in the Lower 9th Ward is great if you want to take a deep dive into the Black Masking Indians, Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs and other local cultural traditions.
Degas House, 2306 Esplanade Avenue, owned by my friend Dave, is the 19th century estate where French impressionist Edgar Degas briefly lived in the early 1870s.The renowned artist, whose mother was born in New Orleans, produced close to two dozen paintings and drawings here.
Historic New Orleans Collection, 533 Royal St. 504-523-4662 is a museum, research center, and publisher dedicated to preserving the history and culture of New Orleans and the Gulf South. They have rotating exhibits and sometimes live music in the courtyard.
I highly recommend the Whitney Plantation. The tour books and sites will have plenty of info on the other plantation tours. I really have no use for them, as most of them gloss over the shameful history of slavery in Louisiana and focus on the beautiful architecture and stories of the masters, told by women in reproduction hoop skirts. The Whitney was built from the perspective of the enslaved people who lived on the plantation. It’s a powerful, moving, and educational way to spend part of your time here. It’s about an hour ride out there, and you should buy tickets for a specific tour time in advance on their website. You can stop for some good local seafood while you’re out there, maybe at B&C Seafood, and contemplate the impact of America’s original sin (well, that and the Native American genocide) on contemporary society. If you're venturing out that way, you might want to also check out the 1811 Slave Revolt Trail.
Other museums to check out: New Orleans Museum of Art, Ogden Museum of Southern Art, Contemporary Art Center, National WWII Museum, and the Louisiana Children’s Museum and the Southern Food & Beverage Museum are all well worth visiting.
Swamp Tours are fun and informative if you want to get out into the bayou.
Learn to cook—at the New Orleans Cooking School.
Shopping on Magazine Street. Six miles of shops, restaurants, antiques, boutiques and more. Royal Street in the French Quarter is great for antiques and jewelry.
Tours—A few you may not see on the tourist sites:
Our Sacred Stories Tours with seventh generation New Orleanian Denise Augustine, 504-452-9237
Download the New Orleans Slave Trade app for a self-guided tour of important markers in the city.
Check out Know NOLA Tours for more of a focus on the diverse cultures and neighborhoods that make New Orleans unique.
There are all kinds of other walking tours through the French Quarter and Garden District, tours of New Orleans’ famous above-ground cemeteries, and “ghost” tours (which may or may not include “alternative facts”). Any tourist website or guidebook can provide more information or check out the New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau site. You might also be interested in the New Orleans Culinary History Tour or Drink & Learn, the cocktail tour.
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (a.k.a. Jazz Fest). The best time you’ll ever have if you’re into music, food, and fun. Jazz Fest (which is about all kinds of music, not just jazz) is always the last weekend in April and the first weekend in May. Book flights and lodging the winter before. I haven’t missed a Jazz Fest since 1994. Highly recommended, unless you get nervous in crowds or don't like being out in the heat. Here's a helpful blog, and another one here.
There are multiple festivals all year round, so come any time.
Of course, there’s Mardi Gras. Unless you’re under 25, we advise experiencing Mardi Gras in the neighborhoods of New Orleans, rather than on Bourbon Street. There are lots of parades in the weeks leading up to Fat Tuesday, so check the schedule. The WDSU Parade Tracker app is a great way to stay informed.
If you really want to soak up some authentic local culture and brass band music, see if you can find a Second Line on a Sunday afternoon. Routes and details are usually posted at WWOZ’s “Takin it to the Streets” site.
There is no shortage of unique local celebrations here. Saint Joseph’s Day on March 19, is a fascinating holiday in the Sicilian tradition, featuring hundreds of Saint Joseph’s Altars around the area. On Super Sunday, the Black Masking Indians come out to display their finery (google for dates). Here’s a link to a great short documentary my friend Emma Reid put together to give you some background. It’s like nothing you’ve ever seen.
Want to go for a walk or a bike ride? Try Crescent Park along the river, or the Lafitte Greenway.
LODGING
One of my favorite hotels in the French Quarter is the Hotel Monteleone, 214 Rue Royale, 504-523-3341 or 800-535-9595.
In the Garden District, the Ponchartrain Hotel, 2031 St. Charles Ave, 800-708-6652 is a slice of local history. Tennessee Williams wrote “A Streetcar Named Desire” while staying there. The Hot Tin Roof bar has a cool view of the city.
The Hotel Peter and Paul is a charming, unique hotel in the heart of our Marigny neighborhood.
If you want to splurge, stay at the Waldorf’s Roosevelt Hotel, or just stop by for a cocktail at the Fountain Lounge or the Sazerac Bar.
Of course, all the usual chain hotels are here. The Marriott has a bunch, including two particularly nice Renaissance hotels, the Pere Marquette (across Canal St. from the French Quarter) and the Renaissance Arts (in the Warehouse District). They also have a nice standard Marriott across the street from the Convention Center.
There are many boutique hotels as well (just be prepared for quirky and sometimes haunted). We recommend the Valentino Hotels.
There are lots of Bed & Breakfasts. A few we recommend: Auld Sweet Olive (Marigny), and Degas House (Mid-City). [You can also do Air BnB but be aware that the regulations are changing to restrict them as they have had some horrific consequences for our neighborhoods. If you do book an Air BnB or VRBO, please remember you're likely in a residential neighborhood and act accordingly.]
FOOD
I probably ought to add a “dive bar” section of this tip sheet. For now, here’s a link to a good list of neighborhood bars, some fancy, some not.
Check out NOLA Eater, Where NOLA Eats, or New Orleans Menu for the latest hot spots. Here’s a good article on where to get many of the city’s iconic foods.
Check out our friend Poppy Tooker’s Louisiana Eats podcast and books. Here are a few of our favorite places:
Fine Dining
Brigtsen’s,723 Dante St., 504-861-7610. Probably our favorite restaurant in the city. James Beard Award-winning Chef Frank Brigtsen is always in the kitchen, and his family works the front of house. Uptown
Dooky Chase, 2301 Orleans Avenue, the city’s premier restaurant for Creole cuisine, and a civil rights landmark. Treme
Clancy’s, 6100 Annunciation St., 504-895-1111 Uptown
Saffron, 4128 Magazine St., 504-323-3636 Uptown Phenomenal family-owned Indian cuisine, with a stellar cocktail and wine list.
Boucherie, 1506 S. Carrollton Ave. (Carrollton), 504-862-5514 Uptown
Pêche. 800 Magazine St., 504-522-1744. Central Business District
Gianna. 700 Magazine St., 504-399-0816. Central Business District
Herbsaint. 701 Saint Charles Ave., 504-524-4114. Central Business District
Muriel’s Jackson Square. 801 Chartres St., 504-568-1885. French Quarter
Bywater American Bistro, 2900 Chartres St., 504-598-5700 James Beard Award-winning Chef Nina Compton’s latest fabulous eatery. Bywater
Bayona, 430 Dauphine Street, 504-525-4455, James Beard Award-winning Chef Susan Spicer’s romantic gem. French Quarter
Palace Café. 605 Canal Street, 504-523-1661. Reliably great food and service. A Brennan family restaurant. Fun atmosphere. Don’t miss the white chocolate bread pudding. French Quarter
Neighborhood Favorites
Li’l Dizzy’s, 1500 Esplanade Avenue Treme
Pascal's Manale, 1838 Napoleon Ave., 504-895-4877. Oysters and Italian food in a fun atmosphere. Great place for a group. For a real treat, sit at the oyster bar up front before your meal, and listen to the wisdom of Uptown T. Mid-City
Mandina’s, 3800 Canal St., 504-482-9179. A Creole-Italian neighborhood restaurant. Be prepared to wait. Mid-City
Frankie & Johnny’s, 321 Arabella St., 504-899-9146. Great place for boiled crawfish in season. Uptown
Cafe Reconcile, 1631 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd., 504-568-1157. The non-profit's mission is to lift undereducated, under-skilled youth into careers in the hospitality industry. Central City
Café Degas, 3127 Esplanade Ave., 504-945-5635 Mid-City
Elizabeth’s, 601 Gallier St., 504.944.9272. Great weekend brunch. Bywater
Ruby Slipper, Great for breakfast/brunch but get in line on Yelp Waitlist because there’s usually a wait. Locations all over the city
Satsuma, 3218 Dauphine St. 504-304-5962. You can actually get a delicious and healthy meal at Satsuma’s. It’s also a coffee shop. Bywater
Paladar 511, 511 Marigny St. 504-509-6782 Marigny
Elysian, at the Hotel Peter & Paul, 2317 Burgundy St., 504-356-6769 Limited menu but great food, and fancy cocktails. Marigny
Irene’s, 529 Bienville St., French Quarter. Elegant setting, piano bar, great food and service. A New Orleans classic.
Po-boy shops
Domilese’s, 5240 Annunciation St., 504-899-9126 Uptown
Parkway Bakery & Tavern, 538 Hagan Ave., 504-482-3047 Mid-City
Frady’s One Stop, 3231 Dauphine St, 504-949-9688 Bywater
Snowball stand
There are lots, but we recommend Hansen’s Sno-Bliz, 4801 Tchoupitoulas St. 504-891-9788. “There are no short-cuts to quality.” Best snowballs (not to be confused with snow cones or shave ice) in the city. Open seasonally. Uptown
MUSIC
For live music listings, check out the Live Wire on WWOZ, Offbeat magazine or Gambit weekly websites.
Clubs on Frenchman Street, lots of great music, just outside the French Quarter, 4 blocks from our house Marigny
Back Room at Buffa’s, 1001 Esplanade Ave., 504-949-0038; our neighborhood place, a block from our house. Marigny
Preservation Hall, 726 St. Peter St. French Quarter
Chickie Wah Wah, 2828 Canal St. Mid-City
Tipitina’s, 501 Napoleon Ave., 504-891-6477 Uptown
Maple Leaf, 8316 Oak St., 504-866-5323 or 866-9359 Uptown
Broadside, 600 N. Broad Ave., 504-218-1008, Mid-City
Local Music Stores: Louisiana Music Factory, 421 Frenchman St. 504-586-1094 Marigny and Euclid Records, 3301 Chartres St. Bywater
Community Radio: WWOZ When you get home and miss New Orleans, you can stream it.
Music Blogs: My Spilt Milk, a great resource for serious music fans.
BOOKS
A few good books to read to better understand the political, cultural, and natural history of New Orleans:
Fiction
· Nine Lives, by Dan Baum
· City of Refuge, by Tom Piazza
· Salvage the Bones, by Jesmyn Ward
· Confederacy of Dunces, by John Kennedy Toole
· We Cast a Shadow, by Maurice Carlos Ruffin
· The Floating World, by C. Morgan Babst
· The Italian Prisoner, by Elisa Speranza
Non-fiction
· Why New Orleans Matters, by Tom Piazza
· The Yellow House, by Sarah Broom
· How the Word is Passed, by Clint Smith
· City of a Million Dreams, by Jason Berry
· Louisiana Eats!, by Poppy Tooker
· Unfathomable City, by Rebecca Solnit, et al.
· Witness to History, by Sybil Morial
· Congo Square: African Roots in New Orleans, by Freddi Williams Evans
· The Kingdom of Zydeco, by Michael Tisserand
· Jazz, Religion, the Second Line & Black New Orleans, by Richard Brent Turner
· The Baby Dolls: Breaking the Race & Gender Barriers of the New Orleans Mardi Gras Tradition, by Kim Marie Vaz
· Black Life in Old New Orleans, and We as Freemen, by Keith Weldon Medley
· New Orleans: Life and Death in the Big Easy, by Cheryl Gerber
· Blues People, by Leroi Jones
· Groove Interrupted, by Keith Spera
· Feet on the Street, by Roy Blount, Jr.
· Gumbo YaYa, by Lyle Saxon
· Up from the Cradle of Jazz, by Jason Berry
· Words Whispered in Water, by Sandy Rosenthal
· Rising Tide, by John Barry
· The World that Made New Orleans, by Ned Sublette
· Control of Nature, by John McPhee
· Bayou Farewell, by Mike Tidwell
· One Dead in Attic, by Chris Rose
· The Great Deluge, by Doug Brinkley
· Katrina: A History, by Andy Horowitz
· Creole Italian, by Justin Nystrom
We are so lucky to have great independent bookstores in New Orleans. Uptown: Octavia*, Garden District Books*, and Blue Cypress*. Downtown (Marigny): Baldwin & Company, Frenchmen Art & Books. (French Quarter) Faulkner House, (7th Ward), Community Book Center. St. Bernard Parish (Chalmette): Two Fish Books*. *These stores stock signed copies of The Italian Prisoner.
The Historic New Orleans Collection is a treasured resource. Their physical locations at 520 and 533 Royal Street are worth a long visit, and they house many archival resources on line as well. Here’s a great blog post to get a quick primer on NOLA history: The New Orleans History Starter Pack.
We highly recommend HBO’s series Tremé (pronounced “treh-may”) as a binge watch to soak up accurate and poignant portrayals of the people, music, food and culture of post-Katrina New Orleans. It might make more sense to you after your visit.
A recommended film to learn more about the fight to remove Confederate monuments to white supremacy in New Orleans: The Neutral Ground.
Floodlines is a great podcast series to learn more about what really happened during Hurricane Katrina and the broken levees that flooded the city.
Miscellaneous
Pronunciations. Many things are not pronounced the way you'd think. A lot of street names are anglicized, e.g. Carondelet is "Ka-ron-da-lette," Milan is "My-lin," Calliope is "Ka-lee-ope."
Directions. There is no "north-south-east-west" here. You're on the "lake side" or "river side" of the street (or the Neutral Ground, i.e. median side of a Mardi Gras float). Upriver or downriver. Look at a map and you'll see why the West Bank is not really "west."
Parking. If you are renting a car or driving, you may want to download the ParkMobile app and link your credit card to an account, which will cover almost all street parking. Most surface lots use Premium Parking, which you can also download.
Pralines (pronounced “prah-leens”). Local pecan confection. Eat them right away—they don’t travel very well.
Andouille (pronounced “an-doo-ee”) Sausage. A Cajun spiced and smoked sausage.
Beignet (pronounced “ben-ñay”) Fried dough served with powdered sugar on top. Don't wear black pants to Cafe du Monde.
Boudin (pronounced “boo-dan”). A ground Cajun sausage made with spices, one main meat ingredient and always mixed with rice.
Creole vs. Cajun. Two different, important groups of people in Louisiana. Learn more here. "Creole" are generally urban people, descended from African/Caribbean/French/Spanish heritage. Cajuns are generally more rural people, descended from the French Acadians colonists who got kicked out of Canada and re-settled in Louisiana. There's also a difference between Cajun and Zydeco music, more-or-less along Black/white lines. Here's a good article on the roots of Zydeco music.
File. (pronounced “fee-lay”) Dried, finely ground leaves of the sassafras tree. Used as a thickener in gumbo.
Po-boy. A sandwich, kind of like a sub, grinder, or hero but way better. You may be asked if you want it “dressed”, which means with lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise.
Muffuletta. (pronounced “muff-uh-LOT-uh." The proprietors of Central Grocery pronounce it "moo-foo-LET-ta”) A Sicilian meat, cheese, and olive spread sandwich on a giant sesame seed bun.
Tchoupitoulas is pronounced “chop-ih-toolas” (basically, the first “T” is silent). It’s the street where Tipitina’s is, at the corner of Napoleon.
Esplanade is pronounced to rhyme with “lemonade” (not like the Esplanade in Boston)
It’s a streetcar, not a trolley.
Lagniapppe (pronounced “lan-yap”). It means “a little something extra.”
New Orleans (pronounced “New Orlins” or sometimes “New Or-lee-ins” but not “N’awlins”). Try not to sound like a tourist. Or like this.
Clap on the two and four.
Laissez les Bon Temps Rouler!
(Let the Good Times Roll!)
Since you made it this far into the tip sheet, here's a treat for you. On our best days, this is what it's like to live in New Orleans.