French Quarter, New Orleans

Favorite thing: If you send out as many postcards as I do (friends, family, & an international postcard exchange - www.postcrossing.com), you will need to find postcards as cheaply as possible. When you are shopping in the French Quarter, most of the souvenir shops and drug stores will sell the standard size postcards for ~ $.35 cents, but if you walk into more than just a few shops, you can find them priced 4/$1.00. The larger postcards are readily available for 3/$2, but if you keep looking, you can find them as cheap as $.50 each.

CVS pharmacy at 800 Canal Street has a large selection of standard size postcards for $.19 each!

If you are only sending out one or two, it might not matter to you, but if you send out 15-20 per trip as I do, it can make a real difference! Happy Postcrossing!

Favorite thing: This text is from a forum question reply:

Safety: If you stay in the French Quarter and financial districts you should be fine. It is typically recommended NOT to visit the cemeteries outside the Quarter without a large group or tour. I Have visited the cemetery that is just outside the Quarter during the day with a small group without incident, though there were many other tourists milling about. Just be sharp eyed and aware of your surroundings when on the outskirts.

Duration of stay: I typically stay for 3-4 nights, as the French Quarter can be exhausting, yet I always wish I had one more night :)

There are tons of tours. The plantation tour is nice. I recommend AGAINST the ghost or haunted tours of the French Quarter. BOOOORING.

The French Quarter is the safest place. I usually stay at the Bourbon Orleans and have always had a great time.

Food: Even the bad restaurants are pretty good in new Orleans. I try to avoid dining in the restaurants on Bourbon. Check out the streets that run perpendicular to it and down towards the waterfront for many a hidden gem. Some great cheap eats are Poppy's diner and The Gumbo Shop. Two of my favorite bars there are The BlackSmith on Bourbon and Mollys at the Market.

Music: I'm not an expert, but on Bourbon, many music clubs advertise no cover, but expect you order a round of drinks every hour or during every set that the band plays. Often you can just hang out and listen outside, and there are many talented buskers.

Shopping: Royal Street, which runs parallel to Bourbon, is full of nice antique shops and art galleries. Also there is much shopping near the waterfront, including the famous French Market. Also look out for some cool voodoo shops.

Have fun!

-DonPaul

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Favorite thing: After sightseeing near Jackson Square, we were intent on finding a short cut back to our hotel on Poydras Avenue. Spying a small alley, we began walking up its length and immediately noticed a plaque affixed on the front of a pale yellow building.

The plaque read: "Faulkner House*, here in 1925 William Faulkner, Nobel Laureate, wrote his first novel, Soldier's Pay. The building was erected in 1840 by the widow of Jean Baptist LaBranche, on a site formerly occupied by part of the yard and buildings of the French Colonial prison"

Currently, a shop named Faulkner House Books is located here--how appropriate to have a book store located within a famed author's former home! The shop carries fine literature and rare editions, including books by/about William Faulkner and specializing in authors, Tennessee Williams and Walker Perry.

*624 Pirate's Alley

For more on this see: www.faulknerhousebooks.net or 1-504-524-2940

Favorite thing: Joan of Arc's nickname in France is the "Maid of Orleans", so it is appropriate that there is a dedication to her in Nouvelle Orleans. What better place in New Orleans, than the French Quarter to celebrate this woman of history. In 1958, the people of France gave this statue as a gift to New Orleans, and although it took a couple years to erect the statue, it was put up in the 1966. It was moved from its original location to the French Quarter more recently in 1972, where it now resides in Place du France, on Rue Decatur, near Cafe du Monde.

There is a nice little walking area around the statue as well as the flags of the US, Louisiana, Orleans, and France. If Cafe du Monde gets too crowded, this is a great spot to eat your beignets.

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Favorite thing: This is one of those places where you can enjoy yourself simply wandering about and taking it all in. You don't HAVE to be going anywhere. Just look around, and something interesting will certainly turn up. Browse in the quaint shops, have a drink, or just watch people go by. The French Quarter is endlessly fascinating.

Fondest memory: From what I've been told, the French Quarter, which stands on slightly higher ground than most of the city, suffered rather limited damage from Katrina. I hope that most of the places shown here are still the way I remember them. They constitute a vital part of America's heritage and culture.

Favorite thing: Most things tourists would have done before the storm are available now and the city needs the tourists dollars. Keep in mind though that many restaurants and businesses are not open on Mondays and Tuesdays because of the slow business.

Favorite thing: I love the signs that shops and restaurants have hanging overhead along the streets. Sometimes they are easy to miss and others jump out at you. Some are old and decaying...some are works of art... and some are just kitschy. I have pictures from many establishments in the French Quarter!

Favorite thing: As you're walking the streets on the Esplanade side of the Quarter you should take any opportunity that presents itself to peek into the lovely courtyards that exist behind mostly closed doors. The serene setting you'll find here is what makes it possible for people to live in the French Quarter and stay sane.

Favorite thing: No visit to New Orleans is complete without a visit to the French Quarter. This part of the city has it all: wonderful architecture, lacy ironwork, great shops, jazz clubs, and, of course, Bourbon Street. This is really an unique place that you'll find nowhere else in the US.

Fondest memory: Walk the cobblestone streets to savor the unique atmosphere.

Favorite thing: Freeloving atmoshere, great beers on every corner in the French Quarter.

Fondest memory: Going down there on the decadance festival and making fun of all the homos and lezis. Also had some good times with Tulane girls during Mardi Gras, the only time they let there east coast reserved selfs out to play. No sex or nothing, they were just fun.