French Quarter Puts the FUN in FUNKY
Written: Jun 13 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Scrumptious food, funky bars, and an "anything goes" attitude
Cons: Funkiness and grunge factor might not be for everyone
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| mrkstvns's Full Review: French Quarter |
You could skip the aquarium, skip the casino, skip the gardens, skip the riverboats, skip the museums, skip the trolley, but the one thing you absolutely must not skip is the French Quarter.
The French Quarter is New Orleans. It's the embodiment of the spirit of the town. With its laid back, anything goes, perpetual Mardi Gras party atmosphere, coupled with funky old architecture, its totally unique in America. There is no other place in any other city or state that comes within a light year of being as cool and funky as New Orleans' French Quarter.
Streets with Character...
We spent the better part of 2 days just getting out in the streets and walking. That seems to me to be a pretty good way to get to know the neighborhood. Although there are plenty of run-down buildings in the french quarter, there are also some magnificent old structures with old wrought iron balconies, vine covered brick walls, and lovely interior gardens.
Each street in the French Quarter sort of has its own character. Some are dirtier and funkier than others, some more sedate -- well, at least as sedate as is possible in such a lively place.
Bourbon Street - the most famous street in New Orleans and the best perpetual party anywhere! (And I do mean perpetual -- there is no closing hour for bars here.) Anytime, day or night, you can hear music spilling out into the street as people walk around with tropical drinks served up from any of the walk-up bars along the street. There are strippers, transvestites, street musicians, and huge crowds of people just walking, drinking, laughing, and bopping to the music... Decadent? You bet! Dirty? Sure. Funky? Indubitably. Sleazy? Unquestionably. Fun? You betcha!
Royal Street - people still walk around with drinks in their hands, but they're a quieter, as they peruse the antique shops and pop into the cafes and coffee shops along the way. One of the nice surprises for us was finding the gallery of artist George Rodrigue, who is famous for his relentlessly staring "Blue Dog" paintings. Very cool!
Decatur Street - big, bustling street where you'll find the French Market and popular cafes like the Cafe du Monde with it's famous coffee and beignets. You can also pick up a horse-drawn carriage here for a nice narrated tour of the area.
Best Food in America!
I think Cajun/Creole cooking is the most distinctive, tastiest regional cuisine in America. I love the generously spiced food and the rich flavors of smoked sausage, ham, and bacon that pervade some of the most distinctive dishes. Boudin, crawdads, gumbo, jambalaya, blackened catfish...these are the kinds of dishes that smack of good eatin'!
New Orleans is justly famous for its wonderful restaurants, many of which are in the French Quarter. I only spent a few days in New Orleans, but I have to say that in that time, I never tasted a single dish I didn't like. I don't think I can say that about any other place I've visited. Here are a few of the places I ate that served up some tasty food:
Cafe Pontalban - fun, funky, loud place right next to the Cabildo. Informal and inexpensive. I had an outstanding blackened catfish topped with a cayenne crawdad sauce that was creamy, spicy, and rich. Served up with some jambalaya, it was some fine eating. While Pat O'brien's might be the most famous place in town for its hurricanes, the hurricane I got at Cafe Pontalban was one of the tastiest (and neither overwhelmingly skimpy, nor overbearing on the alcohol). Great stuff! Dinner for two with drinks ran us about $35.
Tujagues - we'd heard a lot about this well-known restaurant and wanted to try it out, but the place was packed on Saturday night and we couldn't get in. No problem though on Sunday night, when the place was half empty. The 6-course fixed-price dinner was simply awesome, and at $30, was really a pretty good value, especially considering the huge cut of prime rib they gave me! It's a good thing I was able to catch a cab right outside...I was too stuffed to walk!
Pere Antoinne - Quiet but busy little place on Royal Street, they served up some excellent shrimp creole and gumbo. Service was excellent and we loved the comfortable dining room with all the hanging plants. We were a little surprised thought that they didn't take credit cards (none).
Cafe du Monde - What's to say that every guidebook hasn't already told you? Funky, informal, open air cafe right at the edge of the French Market. Famous for their coffee and beignets. Great place to pop in for an early morning breakfast, though it sure gets crowded during the day.
Royal Cafe - Super nice balcony dining area with wrought iron tables, hanging plants, looking out over Royal Street. I had an outstanding etouffee and the place is renowned for its extensive wine list (thanks, but I'll just have a Lagniappe, please). Lunch for two with drinks ran us about $40.
I won't say these are the best places in New Orleans, since I'm sure the locals know of even better places, but these places did the trick for us. Awesomely great food everywhere we went!
Doing the Tourist Schtick...
Bars, shops, cafes, and old funky architecture are a big part of the draw of the French Quarter, although there are plenty of things to see in their own right.
The Cabildo is the site where the Lousiana Purchase was signed, now the Lousiana State Museum, including exhibits about the state's history. The museum also includes several other historical buildings nearby, including the old U.S. mint.
Preservation Hall is famous for its traditional jazz. It's hard to find though, in an only slightly marked building next door to Pat O'Brien's bar on St. Peter Street. Much smaller and funkier than I expected, but still very cool to just stop in at night and hear some great music.
Jax Brewery isn't really a brewery anymore, now housing trendy little shops and restaurants.
Haunted Tours are advertised all over the place, and I think I ran into about 20 of their tour groups each evening, although I chose not to splurge on it myself. They do narrated walking tours of the area, stopping at cemetaries, haunted houses, and places where voodoo witches or vampires were rumored to have passed through...
Horse drawn carriages line up in front of the park on Decatur Street. For $50 they'll take you on a narrated tour of the quarter. A little pricey for just a couple, unless the romance is budding and it's an investment, but if you've got 4 or more people, it's not too bad a deal just as a casual tour. Several of the carriages looked like they could handle about 6 passengers. If you go during the day, be sure to get a carriage with a roof or that hot sun will have you sweating off 20 pounds during the 30 minute tour...
I had a blast in New Orleans, and it was mostly due to that wonderfully casual, dirty, beat up, funky, noisy corner of New Orleans called the French Quarter. A true classic, and one of the most fascinatingly unique neighborhoods in America. If you don't have fun in the French Quarter, you dead!
Recommended:
Yes
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