July 15, 2015

This guide to New Orleans is based on only a few visits and now having lived in the city for less than six months.  There are many, many other fine things to do, places to eat, and places to hear live music and drink.  But these are my favorites.  So far.

Since I have family here, I can’t really make recommendations about lodging.  But I have very much enjoyed two stays at the Lions Inn B & B in the Marigny (2517 Chartres St., http://www.lionsinn.com/)

EXPLORE!

• Explore the French Quarter and the Faubourg Marigny (the neighborhood downriver next to the Quarter) by foot and/or bike. The Quarter was the original part of New Orleans, founded by the French in 1718.  The Marigny is a subdivided plantation dating to the very early 1800s.  Sign up for a walking tour of the Quarter.

• Tour historic homes and places in the Quarter. For example:

Hermann Grima and Gallier Homes (http://www.hgghh.org/)

Beauregard Keyes House (http://www.bkhouse.org/)

1850 House (http://www.neworleansonline.com/directory/location.php?locationID=1347)

Madame John’s Legacy (http://www.neworleansonline.com/directory/location.php?locationID=1268)

The Presbyterie (http://www.neworleansonline.com/directory/location.php?locationID=1280)

The Cabildo (http://louisianastatemuseum.org/museums/the-cabildo/)

Jackson Square: the original “town square”

St. Louis Cathedral

The Ursuline Convent (http://www.neworleansonline.com/directory/location.php?locationID=1278)

The Historic New Orleans Collection (http://www.thnoc.org/)

Royal Street, towards Canal, is full of antique places worth checking out

• Walk along the Esplanade, from the French Quarter, through the Faubourg Treme, to Bayou St. John (which flows to Lake Ponchartrain).

• Along Moss Street, on the banks of the Bayou St. John, you can tour the 18^th century Pitot House. (http://pitothouse.org/visit-pitot-house)

• Go to Sunday morning service at Augustine Church in Treme (an ancient black Catholic church at which slaves were welcomed; and they have a killer band – with horn section).

• Go to Congo Square, in Louis Armstrong Park, on Rampart Street on the edge of the Quarter. This is where American music – the roots of blues, jazz, r & b, and rock and roll – was born, when slaves were allowed to congregate there on Sundays in the first half of the 19^th century and dance and play the African music of their homeland.  The oaks around the square are so old they witnessed those gatherings.  For any music lover, this is holy land.

• Across from Louis Armstrong Park, visit the Voodoo Spirit Temple. (828 N. Rampart Street, http://www.voodoospiritualtemple.org/).  Real voodoo off the beaten tourist track.  Ask if you can visit the altar in the back room.

• Ride bikes out through the Marigny into the Bywater (the next neighborhood downriver from the Marigny) and ride along the Mississippi River in Crescent Park. (http://www.nola.gov/city/crescent-park/) Quiet with great views of the river and downtown New Orleans; maybe eat at Elizabeth’s or The Joint while you’re out there.

• Take the Charles streetcar uptown from Canal Street, along the mansions on St. Charles Avenue, the “American Sector” of town. Canal Street (known as the “neutral ground”) separated the American part from the old French creole part of town.  Go all the way to Tulane University on your right and Audubon Park on your left.  Maybe make your way back by way of Magazine Street.

• Explore Magazine Street, in Uptown; miles of interesting shopping, dining, and drinking opportunities.

• Explore City Park by bike (it was designed by the same person who designed Central Park and Golden Gate Park). Walking the trails in Couturie Forest gives a taste of the Louisiana wilderness, in the middle of an urban setting

• Take a swamp tour of the nearby cypress/tupelo swamps. I liked Cajun Encounters’ tour of the Honey Island Swamp.  (http://www.cajunencounters.com/)

• If you don’t take a formal swamp tour, go to the Barataria Preserve (about 45 minutes out of town) and walk through the swap on raised boardwalks. We saw two alligators up close.  (http://www.nps.gov/jela/barataria-preserve.htm)

• Go north, up the Mississippi River and tour a plantation along River Road, less than an hour away. I liked the Laura Plantation, a French Creole Plantation that gave plenty of emphasis to the slavery there, without whitewashing.  (http://www.lauraplantation.com/)  Also, the Whitney Plantation (just before you get to Laura) is devoted exclusively to being a museum of slavery.  It’s only opened fairly recently and I found the tour guide we had was pretty weak, but maybe it was just the bad luck of the draw.  (http://www.whitneyplantation.com/)

EAT!

There are countless restaurants in New Orleans.  Many are closed on Sunday or Monday.  This list does not include many of the pricey old classics, which are great for history and ambience but may not be at the top of their game food-wise.

French Quarter

Café du Monde (at the foot of Jackson Square): serving incredible hot fresh beignets (French donuts) and chicory coffee with steamed milk, 24/7 since before the Civil War.

Killer Po Boys (811 Conti St, http://www.killerpoboys.com/) a pop up inside the Erin Rose bar, just off Bourbon Street; the pork belly po boy is delicious.

Central Grocery (923 Decatur St), birthplace of the delicious mufaletta sandwich; get one and grab a beer next door and eat your awesome sandwich out on the levy along the Mississippi.

Bennachin (1212 Royal St, http://www.bennachinrestaurant.com/) tasty, inexpensive West African food.

Bayonna (430 Dauphine St, http://www.bayona.com/) wonderful, upscale place in a 200 year old cottage; make reservations.

Croissant D’Or Patisserie (617 Ursulines Avenue, http://www.croissantdornola.com/) good coffee and French pastries in a pretty setting near the Ursulines Convent.

Coop’s Place (1109 Decatur St) good Cajun/creole food; open late; bit of a dive and the sometimes surly service is part of its charm.

Buffa’s (1001 Esplanade Ave) a bar and restaurant open 24/7, good burgers and sandwiches; the shrimp and grits are reportedly excellent.

Verti Mart (1201 Royal St) 24 hour kitchen/Cajun-creole deli and quik-e -mart grocery

The Marigny

Yuki (525 Frenchmen St. amongst the clubs, www.facebook.com/yukiizakaya) serves good cheap ramen bowls when you’re hungry while prowling Frenchmen St.

Adolpho’s (611 Frenchmen St.,www.facebook.com/pages/Adolfos-Restaurant/122414214436780) old school seafood and Italian place on Frenchmen Street, above The Apple Barrel; cash only and no reservations

Paladar 511 (511 Marigny St, http://www.paladar511.com/) delicious small plates and pizzas; the Yellow Fin Tuna Conserva small plate is great, and not very small.

The Franklin (2600 Dauphine St, http://www.thefranklinnola.com/#thefranklinnola) somewhat upscale and delicious.

Cake Café (2440 Chartres St, http://www.nolacakes.com/) funky coffee house with great homemade baked goods.

Siberia (2227 St Claude Ave) a punk rock club with a great Eastern European pop up restaurant in the back; everything is delicious and cheap; try the Omni Reuben (a killer Reuben with red beets on it); can be loud if the punk rockers are flailing away, but there is a back room.  TIP: go before the bands start playing.

St. Roch Market (http://www.strochmarket.com/vendors/) (2381 St Claude Ave.) a recently restored historic building housing a collection of great food vendors – kind of like the Ferry Building in SF but smaller.  Delicious food in a lovely setting.

Red’s Chinese (3048 St Claude Ave, http://www.redschinese.com/) inventive Chinese food, from the people who brought you Mission Chinese Food in San Francisco.

The Bywater (next neighborhood downriver, past the Marigny)

Elizabeth’s (601 Gallier St. http://www.elizabethsrestaurantnola.com/contact_us.html) incredible Cajun/creole breakfasts/Sunday brunch; don’t miss the praline bacon; and the Bloody Marys are awesome.

Maurepas Foods (3200 Burgundy St, http://maurepasfoods.com/); great small plates and inventive cocktails, Sunday brunch is very good.

Booty’s Street Food (800 Louisa Street, http://bootysnola.com/) small plates from around the world, nice bar.

Pizza Delicious (617 Piety St, http://pizzadelicious.com/) great pizza and salads in a funky neighborhood joint.

The Joint (701 Mazant St, http://alwayssmokin.com/) one of the best BBQ restaurants in New Orleans; funky and down home.

Bacchanal Fine Wine & Spirits (600 Poland Ave, http://www.bacchanalwine.com/#about-marquee) great small plates, a beautiful outdoor seating area with live music often; buy your bottle of wine in the store in front and drink it with your dinner in the back.

The Treme (just above the French Quarter, across Rampart St.)

Lil Dizzy’s (1500 Esplanade Ave, http://www.lildizzyscafe.com/) great creole food by local restaurant family; breakfast, Sunday brunch (great buffet) and early dinners only; the Trout Baquet (speckled sea trout with crab in a delicious sauce is outstanding).

Manchu Food Store (1413 N Claiborne Ave) it may be a liquor store in the hood, but the chicken wings are straight from heaven; TIP: don’t linger to eat them under the freeway overpass, but move on to a safer locale.

Dooky Chase’s Restaurant (2301 Orleans Ave, http://www.dookychaserestaurant.com/) classic creole home cooking since 1941, only open for lunch Tue-Fri and for early dinner on Friday.

Willie Mae’s Scotch House (2401 St Ann St, www.facebook.com/WillieMaesScotchHouse) neighborhood family place for down home cooking, perhaps the best fried chicken in America, won the James Beard Award; only open for lunch and there will be a line to get in; they also have a new location in Uptown at the corner of St. Charles Ave. and Cherokee St.

Café Treme (1501 St Philip St) nice little coffee house tucked away behind Louis Armstrong Park.

Mid-City (between Treme and City Park)

Parkway Bakery and Tavern (538 Hagan Avenue, just off the Bayou St. John, http://www.parkwaypoorboys.com/) reputed birthplace of the po boy sandwich (which they handed out to the poor boys on strike against the transit system in the early 1900s); the fried shrimp po boy is outstanding, as is the hot corned beef; Mon and Wed get the fried oyster po boy.

Liuzza’s by the Track (1518 N. Lopez, between the Esplanade and the race track, http://liuzzasnola.com/) a friendly little neighborhood joint; only open till 7 p.m.; the BBQ shrimp po boy is beyond description, the gumbo and turtle soup are wonderful, and the red beans and rice with an andouille sausage (Mondays only) is very good.

1000 Figs (3141 Ponce De Leon St., http://www.1000figs.com/) owned by two 20-somethings who started not long ago with a food truck selling falafels, their brick and mortar place serves delicious Mediterranean food in a great setting at reasonable prices; consider getting take out and eating in the lovely little park across the Esplanade.

Mopho (514 City Park Ave., http://mophonola.com/) in a strip mall near City Park, they offer a creative fusion of Vietnamese meets Louisiana; do not forget to order the chicken wings appetizer.

Norma’s Sweets Bakery (2925 Bienville St.) a great, cheap breakfast and lunch spot in the back of a Central American grocery store.  Get your Cubano sandwich on!

Fair Grinds Coffee House (3133 Ponce De Leon St., http://fairgrinds.com/) a funky, neighborhood coffee house near the racetrack off Esplanade; recently opened a second location in the Marigny at 2221 St Claude Ave.

Central Business District (downtown)/Warehouse District

Luke (333 St Charles Ave., http://www.lukeneworleans.com/) beautiful 75 cent raw oysters and half-off beers during happy hour – a dozen on the half shell and a good beer for $13!

Domenica (123 Baronne St., http://domenicarestaurant.com/) half-off delicious pizzas during happy hour.

Peche Seafood Grill (800 Magazine St., http://www.pecherestaurant.com/) top-notch Louisiana seafood at its best.

Cochon/Cochon Butcher (930 Tchoupitoulas St., http://www.cochonrestaurant.com/ http://www.cochonbutcher.com/) incredible Southern/Cajun fare; Cochon is the main restaurant and around the corner is Cochon Butcher, where you can not only get some of the best sandwiches anywhere – made with house-cured meats – but you can bring home only-in-Louisiana treasures like house made tasso, andouille sausage, venison sausage, boudin, etc., etc., etc.

Herbsaint (701 St Charles Ave., http://www.herbsaint.com/) French and Italian-inspired, yet distinctive Southern fare in a lovely setting.

Uptown

Commander’s Palace (1403 Washington Ave., http://www.commanderspalace.com/) one of the ancient New Orleans classics, Commander’s Palace, in the beautiful Garden District, is not to be missed; make reservations and meet the dress code; save some money by going for lunch or their wonderful Sunday brunch, complete with wandering traditional jazz trio; the turtle soup is wonderful; explore the cemetery across the street (during daylight hours).

Upperline Restaurant (1413 Upperline St., http://www.upperline.com/) a lovely restaurant on a quiet tree-lined street, serving New Orleans delicacies in a cozy space full of art; reputed birthplace of fried green tomatoes with shrimp remoulade.

Magasin (4201 Magazine St., http://www.magasincafe.com/) well-prepared, reasonably priced Vietnamese cuisine on Magazine St.; BYOB.

Shaya (4213 Magazine St., http://www.shayarestaurant.com/#about) modern Israeli cuisine, I hear it’s excellent.

Baru Bistro and Tapas (3700 Magazine St., http://www.barutapas.com/) coastal Colombian and Caribbean small and large plates.

French Truck Coffee (1200 Magazine St., http://www.frenchtruckcoffee.com/) delicious small-batch brewed coffee.

LISTEN, DANCE & DRINK!

The first several touristy blocks of Bourbon Street are lined with bars and clubs.  It’s worth one evening’s walk down in my opinion, if only to experience the horror of the Ugly Drunken American up close and way too personal.  It quiets down as you head towards Frenchmen Street and the Marigny.

The best way to know what’s going on musically any night of the week, is to go to the “livewire” section of the great local radio station WWOZ’s website.  Best radio station in the U.S. – 90.7 on your FM dial!  www.google.com/#safe=off&q=wwoz+livewire

French Quarter

Maison Bourbon (641 Bourbon St., http://www.maisonbourbon.com/) a traditional jazz oasis right in the frenzy that is otherwise Bourbon Street.

Bombay Club (830 Conti St., http://www.bombayclubneworleans.com/) a comfy, retro martini bar with great jazz, tucked away in a quiet spot just a block off Bourbon.

Preservation Hall (726 St Peter St., http://www.preservationhall.com/) the one and only.

One Eyed Jacks (615 Toulouse St., http://www.oneeyedjacks.net/) a hipster hangout with interesting acts.

Laffite’s Blacksmith Shop (941 Bourbon Street, http://www.lafittesblacksmithshop.com/Homepage.html) on the quiet end of Bourbon St.; worth a visit if only because it’s reputed to be the oldest structure used as a bar in the United States, dating back to the 1720s; also reputed to have been used as the New Orleans base of the pirate Jean Laffite (who helped Andrew Jackson beat the British in the Battle of New Orleans in the War of 1812).

House of Blues (225 Decatur St., http://www.houseofblues.com/neworleans/) a chain, but still one of the premier venues in town for all kinds of music.

Carousel Bar in the Hotel Monteleone (214 Royal St., http://hotelmonteleone.com/entertainment/carousel-bar) sit at the elegant revolving bar while you sip your Sazerac cocktail (the official cocktail of New Orleans and reputedly the first mixed drink in the world); Tennessee Williams used to drink here during his many years living in the Quarter.

Frenchmen Street

All of Frenchmen Street, between Esplanade and Royal, is stuffed full with excellent bars and terrific live music places.  Explore it and you’ll surely find something you like any night of the week, into the wee hours.  My favorites are:

d.b.a. (618 Frenchmen St., http://www.dbaneworleans.com/)

The Maison (508 Frenchmen St., http://www.maisonfrenchmen.com/)

The Apple Barrel (609 Frenchmen St., www.facebook.com/pages/Apple-Barrel-Bar/117468114938296)

The Spotted Cat Music Club (623 Frenchmen St., http://www.spottedcatmusicclub.com/)

Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro (626 Frenchmen St., http://www.snugjazz.com/)

The Marigny

Mimi’s in the Marigny (2601 Royal St., http://mimismarigny.com/) a great neighborhood bar, with a pool table downstairs and live music upstairs; good small plates too.

Hi-Ho Lounge (2239 St Claude, http://hiholounge.net/) wide range of acts, from burlesque to bluegrass to everything else; Great dance DJ on Saturday nights; different pop up restaurants depending on the night of the week.

R Bar (1431 Royal St., www.facebook.com/rbar.nola) Dim, chandelier-hung neighborhood hangout with pool, a jukebox, Friday crawfish boils & an upstairs inn

The Bywater

Bud Rip’s (900 Piety St., www.facebook.com/pages/Bud-Rips/216014581771908) classic neighborhood dive bar

Treme

Ooh Poo Pah Doo Bar (1931 Orleans Ave., http://oppdbar.wix.com/oppd) a very friendly, small neighborhood bar with great live music.

Sidney’s Saloon (1200 St Bernard Ave, http://www.sidneyssaloon.com/) recent new owners in a nice space with live music; King James & the Special Men hold forth every Monday night and they bring the red beans and rice!

Mid-City

Chickie Wah Wah (2828 Canal St., http://www.chickiewahwah.com/) one of the best small clubs in town, with excellent live music and great pop up BBQ.

Finn McCool’s Irish Pub (3701 Banks St., http://finnmccools.com/) a nice Irish neighborhood pub.

Twelve Mile Limit (500 S Telemachus St., www.facebook.com/twelve.mile.limit) a friendly neighborhood bar with good food pop ups.

Bayou Beer Garden (326 N Jefferson Davis Pkwy., http://www.bayoubeergarden.com/) a sprawling, yet cozy, place with many draft and bottled beers; huge, inviting outdoor patios out back; a great place to get a big burger and watch some sports.

Central Business District/Warehouse District

Sazerac Bar at the Roosevelt Hotel (130 Roosevelt Way, http://therooseveltneworleans.com/dining/the-sazerac-bar.html)

Little Gem Saloon (445 S. Rampart St., http://www.littlegemsaloon.com/)  Creole fare in a 1903 tavern with live performances by local jazz artists.

Uptown

Barrel Proof (1201 Magazine St., http://www.barrelproofnola.com/) a hip whiskey bar with a good beer selection too.

Courtyard Brewery (1020 Erato St., http://www.courtyardbrewing.com/) an excellent nano-brewery (too tiny to qualify as a micro-brewery) that makes excellent beers and has other great ones on tap.

The Rum House (3128 Magazine St., http://www.therumhouse.com/) a raucous college crowd, but tasty rum drinks in a “Caribbean taqueria.”

Freret Street Publiq House (4528 Freret St., http://www.publiqhouse.com/) a hip, brick-walled warehouse with live music.

Ms. Mae’s The Club (4336 Magazine St., http://msmaeswallofshame.blogspot.com/) ancient dive bar with cheap drinks; open 24/7; just a couple of blocks up from Tipitina’s.

Le Bon Temps Roulé (4801 Magazine St., www.facebook.com/pages/Le-Bon-Temps-Roule/177980392260637) popular neighborhood bar with local music by the likes of the Soul Rebels, plus late-night grub; I had free oysters on the half shell one early evening.

Nola Brewing and Tap Room (3001 Tchoupitoulas St., http://www.nolabrewing.com/) excellent craft brewery with a big new tap room; good BBQ pop up.

Tipitina’s (501 Napoleon Ave., http://www.tipitinas.com/) more holy ground for music lovers; one of the premier live music venues in New Orleans; Professor Longhair held court hear weekly for many years.

Maple Leaf Bar (8316 Oak St., http://www.mapleleafbar.com/) at the far end of town on cool Oak Street, the Maple Leaf is another of the most venerable music spots; don’t miss the Rebirth Brass Band every Tuesday night or the Joe Krown Trio (Joe Krown on Hammond B3, Walter “Wolfman” Washington on sax and vocals, and Russell Batiste on drums) on Sundays; crawfish/shrimp boil in season free with the price of admission on Sundays!

READ!

If you’d like to read up on New Orleans before visiting, I recommend:

Unfathomable City: A New Orleans Atlas, edited by Rebecca Solnit and Rebecca Snedeker

The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans, by Lawrence N. Powell (the first 100 years of New Orleans’ history)

Creole: The History And Legacy Of Louisiana’s Free People of Color, edited by Sybil Kein

Erik and I have been great friends and fishing buddies since we were in our early teens. Year before last we bought fishing kayaks.  The last time we fished the mouth of the Petaluma River, where it flows into San Pablo Bay, was about three weeks ago.  Neither of us had anything even resembling the slightest hint of a tiny nibble all day long.  The tides had been huge, sending brown, muddy water rushing up and back from the bay.  The rains up to that point had been negligible.  We hoped last week’s heavy storms might have done the trick to wake up the sturgeon and send them and striped bass up river.

After I stopped to get some live ghost shrimp and a couple of live mudsuckers for bait, we met at 8:30 at the boat launch under the Highway 37 overpass.  It was low tide, so we could fish all of the incoming tide and some of the outgoing.  We had our kayaks in the water in ten minutes.  While a lot of rain had fallen, the water was a deep green.

    

We headed east three tenths of a mile, to just off the upstream side of the railroad trestle across the river, then dropped anchor.  The anchors held against the strong tide, pointing us upstream.  We cast out, hooks baited with ghost shrimp and held to the bottom with a sliding six ounce weight.  Fortunately, the red and Dungeness crab had not yet appeared this far up the bay, so our bait remained unmolested and alluringly available.  We leaned our rods on the PVC pipe rod-holders Erik had designed, so they would hold still while we waited for the gentle pulls of sturgeon or the quick hits of stripers.

Before long we were both getting hits from small striped bass, as schools moved up river.  I hooked and landed a striper, 16 inches and too small to keep.  But things were already looking much better than our last attempt.

Throughout the morning we heard splashes behind us, around the railroad trestle, but thought they were probably waves slapping against the pilings as the tide rushed through.  When the small striper bites diminished and the tide got close to high, I decided to head to the other side of the railroad trestle.  Bass often like to hide out under the trestle, facing into the current, lying in wait for food to swim by.  My plan was to move slowly along that side of the trestle, drifting a live mudsucker along the bottom on my light action rod, in hopes a striper would dart out and grab it as it passed by.

But as soon as I rounded the corner of the railroad trestle, I realized the splashing we’d been hearing was actually striped bass violently striking bait right on the surface.  There were swirls and tail slaps large and small all around me.  I quickly removed my weight and started casting the mudsucker to the swirls.  I thought a lure might be better, and while I paused to think which one to use – with my mudsucker swimming around on the surface two feet from my kayak – a striper helped himself to it with a fast, strong tug, managing to avoid the hook.

Quickly, I put on a 4-inch white fluke swimbait attached to a very large hook, with no weight.  Maneuvering my kayak so the current wouldn’t push it under the railroad trestle, I started sight casting to the swirls, letting it sink only slightly, then twitching it back just under the surface.  On the second cast, a nice striper hit it hard and started pulling out line, darting this way and that, and sharply bending my light rod.  Pulling it into my kayak, it was about 22 inches long and later weighed in at 4 ½ pounds.  A keeper, I gave it a quick knock on the head so it wouldn’t spike me with the long, sharp spines on its dorsal fins.  I do, eventually, learn from my mistakes.  No time for putting it on a stringer because the feeding frenzy on the surface was continuing, but could stop any minute; I kept casting to the swirls and maneuvering my kayak against the slowing tide.  I wished I’d brought my fly rod, knowing the stripers would have hammered big bright streamers.

I had many strikes and lost a couple before I caught another 16 incher, then landed a 20 inch keeper.  I thought I could pin this one against the side of my kayak with my leg, so I didn’t take the time to dispatch it, and kept on casting.  A few minutes later, the fish executed a beautiful leap straight up and out of the kayak and back into the river as I watched helplessly.  I had to admire his survival instinct and laugh.  Already having a fish big enough for dinner made it easier to be magnanimous.

As soon as the tide started running in the opposite direction, the surface feeding came to a screeching halt.  I moved around to the other side of the railroad trestle, hoping the bass had just taken their show on the road so they could again face into the current.  It was quiet at first, but soon the surface feeding resumed.  I lost a couple in the fast moving current of the very large outgoing tide, and had trouble with snags on the trestle and in keeping myself from being pushed into the pilings.

After a while Erik gave the signal it was time to head back.  In twenty minutes we were back ashore, stowing our kayaks and gear, in high spirits after a fine day on the river.  With more rain – expected this week – sturgeon as big as 10 feet long should start moving up and down the river with the tides.  Erik and I will be there to greet them.