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NOLA-holic Warning Signs

chapjim

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Quarter House's Spring Newsletter arrived today with a cute article about warning signs that you might be a NOLA-holic. Here they are:

Do you turn your nose up at donuts, holding out for beignets instead?​
Do you order a hero or submarine dressed?​
Do you frequently listen to Mardi Gras music?​
Do you start stories with," Last time we were in New Orleans . . . ."?​
Do you talk about what you'll have at dinner when you're eating lunch?​
Do you cringe at restaurant service, thinking that's not how Commander's would do it?​
Do you expect Gulf shrimp, and not those tiny frozen pink things?​
Do you think purple, green, and gold go together?​
Suggestion: Listen to Louis Armstrong's "Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans?" and feel better.
 

rickandcindy23

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My son thought Bourbon Street smelled like vomit, and he won't go back. Is it true? We have never been, but it turned me off completely when he said that.

But I do love beignets and I do love good shrimp, and I do think purple, green and gold go together. Maybe it's all because of Disneyland's French Quarter. :)
 

chapjim

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New Orleans is rife with funky odors! We've never spent a lot of time in the "entertainment" section of Bourbon Street but I'm not shocked that your son might have smelled what he smelled. I'm pretty sure Bourbon Street has been barfed on more than once.

I've always said that to enjoy New Orleans, one must have some level of tolerance for debauchery. You don't have to participate in it, just put up with it or ignore it. We were there one week when the Sugar Bowl crazies were in town. A father and his college-age daughter were staggering down Bourbon Street, holding each other up. Both were blind-running, knee-walking, commode-hugging drunk. Very sad. Mere drunkenness gets no reaction from the NOPD. They see it every night, some nights worse than others.
 

Ty1on

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Quarter House's Spring Newsletter arrived today with a cute article about warning signs that you might be a NOLA-holic. Here they are:

Do you turn your nose up at donuts, holding out for beignets instead?​
Do you order a hero or submarine dressed?​
Do you frequently listen to Mardi Gras music?​
Do you start stories with," Last time we were in New Orleans . . . ."?​
Do you talk about what you'll have at dinner when you're eating lunch?​
Do you cringe at restaurant service, thinking that's not how Commander's would do it?​
Do you expect Gulf shrimp, and not those tiny frozen pink things?​
Do you think purple, green, and gold go together?​
Suggestion: Listen to Louis Armstrong's "Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans?" and feel better.

Whenever you smell putrid odors, are you reminded of that great night you had on Bourbon St?
 

PigsDad

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My son thought Bourbon Street smelled like vomit, and he won't go back. Is it true? We have never been, but it turned me off completely when he said that.
Yes, it does. Plus, add in the stench of people smoking marijuana to properly describe the smells of Bourbon Street.

With that said, I would still recommend a trip to New Orleans. We walked down Bourbon Street once just to experience it, but we spent the rest of our time doing so many other things around the town that are much more interesting than that one street. And being a foodie, we had some fantastic meals and we didn't need to eat at expensive restaurants to find those great meals. Seeing the WWII museum, taking a riverboat cruise, a horse-drawn carriage ride and a self-paced walking tour of the Garden District were the highlights of our trip. You would have a great time even if you never visited Bourbon Street, IMO.

Kurt
 

geist1223

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I do not know if they have fixed it but the primary cause of the Bourbon Street smell for decades was caused by most of the Bars' Beer Taps draining directly into the street gutters. If you walk through Bourbon Street around 5am you can watch them clean the sidewalks and Street with fire hoses.

We enjoy NOLA. One of our favorite Restaurants Red Fish Grill is on Bourbon St. Try the BBQ Oysters. Order more than you think you might eat. For Desert have the Double Chocolate Bread Pudding. You have to Order it at the start. In fact Order the Bread Pudding at every Restaurant. They are all different. We have never had a bad Bread Pudding in NOLA.

We prefer the music on Frenchman Street.
 

chapjim

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Yes, it does. Plus, add in the stench of people smoking marijuana to properly describe the smells of Bourbon Street.

With that said, I would still recommend a trip to New Orleans. We walked down Bourbon Street once just to experience it, but we spent the rest of our time doing so many other things around the town that are much more interesting than that one street. And being a foodie, we had some fantastic meals and we didn't need to eat at expensive restaurants to find those great meals. Seeing the WWII museum, taking a riverboat cruise, a horse-drawn carriage ride and a self-paced walking tour of the Garden District were the highlights of our trip. You would have a great time even if you never visited Bourbon Street, IMO.

Kurt


That's my point as well. The worst of New Orleans, a few blocks of Bourbon Street, is easily avoided.
 

Rolltydr

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My son thought Bourbon Street smelled like vomit, and he won't go back. Is it true? We have never been, but it turned me off completely when he said that.

But I do love beignets and I do love good shrimp, and I do think purple, green and gold go together. Maybe it's all because of Disneyland's French Quarter. :)
We used to think the same thing many years ago. However, it is now one of our favorite destinations. Yes, Bourbon Street can smell like vomit. Lesson: Avoid Bourbon Street if drinking and debauchery are not appealing to you. We venture out during the day and early evening when it is usually pretty calm and retire to our rooms at night where it’s nice and quiet and no unseemly odors. We have learned that The French Quarter is more than just Bourbon Street and New Orleans is more than just the French Quarter. There are great restaurants everywhere. Great history. Great shops. Great walking neighborhoods. And even more great restaurants!

I would encourage you to give it a try since you’ve never been. Maybe start with just a short 3-4 day trip and plan what you want to do. I bet you’ll want to stay longer or plan for a longer stay next time.
 

DrQ

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That's why we like Galveston TX. No Bourbon Street, among other big city issues.
 

Rolltydr

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That's why we like Galveston TX. No Bourbon Street, among other big city issues.
To each his own. We went to Galveston once. Other than the beach, which is great, there wasn’t much else.
 

Family_travel

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I will also pile on to encourage a trip. They have the best shrimp and oysters.
We stay in the Garden District and go to the French Qtr during the day time.
 

silentg

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How is the Quarter House? I know they had a fire a few years ago. Also heard rodent problem. We went to New Orleans way back in the 80’s and stayed at a friend’s house. I’m sure it’s changed since then. Especially after Katrina.
 

chapjim

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How is the Quarter House? I know they had a fire a few years ago. Also heard rodent problem. We went to New Orleans way back in the 80’s and stayed at a friend’s house. I’m sure it’s changed since then. Especially after Katrina.

Quarter House is open. We're planning on being there the week after Thanksgiving. PM me for more info.

I don't think QH has a unique rodent problem. New Orleans is a big city with big city problems. We've visited well over a dozen times and I've never seen a rat but I'm sure they're around.
 

Armada

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For my wife and I, going to NOLA is all about the food and the music. Quarter Fest is now an annual trip for us. It started as a locals event, but now draws a lot of visitors. On the weekend of Quarter Fest, there will be 20-25 stages of live music going in and around the French Quarter. And it's all free! That is about the only time we visit Bourbon Street.
 

T-Dot-Traveller

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Quarter House is open. We're planning on being there the week after Thanksgiving. PM me for more info.......... We've visited well over a dozen times

and I've never seen a rat but I'm sure they're around.

skipped the TS presentations every time ?

********
- and thanks for starting this thread on NOLA
 

chapjim

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skipped the TS presentations every time ?

********
- and thanks for starting this thread on NOLA

I've never been asked to attend a presentation at Quarter House.

QH does (or did) have a sales person, a woman whom I visited several years ago to see what was available. It didn't go well but not for the usual reasons visits with sales persons don't go well. I wanted her to show me what was available; she wanted me to tell her what I wanted. QH has so many different types of units/locations/weeks and to describe one and get a match would have been really difficult. She was playing Hide The Ball. Plus her prices were much higher than what I paid on eBay for the four weeks I have.
 

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Depending on what time of the year is also a factor on how bad Bourbon street smells. Also how crowded the city is for a festival or holiday. One quick trip down Bourbon Street is required if your a first time visitor. Couple of great restaurants. Halloween is a super fun time to visit. Great temps and not as crowded. If you like Halloween we I do there are so many decorations. A few years ago 2019 we actually bought tickets to the Vampire Ball. The Tixs were cheap got them off Craigslist. I love to dress up and hubby even gets into it for New Orleans. Vampire Ball is more a young peoples gig we didn’t stay long but we seeing all the costumes got some great pictures and a nice T shirt.

We love the city. I don’t drink, but I love to walk around the quarter and the garden district. Love the street cars. We try to visit a least once a year. Since we have retired we can drive and stop along the way or go on to Florida when we are done in NOLA.
So many great places to eat that we always want to try new ones. The old favorites call us back time after time. Never fails after a few days my stomach problems flare up. Too much food and not the kind I usually eat. We enjoy staying in the Garden District at the Avenue Plaza. Especially the last 2 years when the La Belle was under renovation. Such a lovely area. Love Chartres Street in the quarter my favorite street, walk it all the way to the old mint and the French market. Such a historic city so much older than anything in the Midwest.
Fun fun fun.
 

TheHolleys87

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If you’ll be there during the first three weekends in October, consider Oktoberfest at Deutsches Haus: https://oktoberfestnola.com/. If not there at that time, it’s still a fun place to visit outside of the Quarter and the Garden District: https://deutscheshaus.org/. It’s just the other side of the cemetery from the Fairgrounds, meaning the big Jazz Fest concerts can be enjoyed at the Haus!
 
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