Bachelor Party in New Orleans.

We%26#39;re going to be staying right off of the French Quarter and I was wondering about the strip clubs and the massage parlors. I guess im trying to find out about the prices and the girls. Oh, and any type of info on the bars there will be appreciated.

Bachelor Party in New Orleans.

well...since I%26#39;m a girl, and not really a frequenter of the %26#39;gentleman%26#39;s clubs%26#39; i can%26#39;t really speak to them. I do know that %26#39;rick%26#39;s cabaret%26#39; is known to be very upscale and classy.

Barwise, I can offer alot of advice. I had my bachelorette (actually, I had TWO of them in New Orleans). If you%26#39;re going to be in on Thursday, there%26#39;s a pretty good 80%26#39;s party at One Eyed Jacks on Toulouse. Pat O%26#39;s gets pretty hopping, and you can make the groom to-be ride the mechanical bull at Bourbon Cowboy. d.b.a. has lots of great beers on tap, and some pretty good live music to boot.

basically, your group will have fun wandering up and down Bourbon and taking in the sights. I%26#39;m sure you%26#39;ll find fun along the way.

be safe!

kelly

Bachelor Party in New Orleans.

Thanks for the info, that mechanicle bull sounds like a good idea. We%26#39;ll try to be safe and hopefully we wont get arrested.

There are several clubs in the first 4 to 5 blocks of Bourbon St including Rick%26#39;s Cabaret in the 300 block, Larry Flynt has several Hustler Clubs including a Hustler Hollywood Store in the 100 Block of Bourbon on the same block as the mechanical bull ride which is located in the Bourbon Cowboy on the corner of Iberville and Bourbon. Also on Iberville across from the Acme Oyster House is the Penthouse Club. There is no lack of adult entertainment on upper Bourbon St.

Galloway, Barely Legal is the best strip club on Bourbon. One tip is to walk down Bourbon Street in the late afternoon when the clubs just open. Most likely they will have their managers in the streets then handing out free passes.

Well, here%26#39;s my two cents:

1.) Penthouse - I asked one of the locals to recommend an upscale bar, so that I can take my wife and another couple that came with us. Penthouse came up as the #1 choice. But it turned out to be WAY too upscale - a strip bar should have a bit of a divey feel to it, here we felt like we were in an opera house. Don%26#39;t get me wrong, courteous staff, beautiful women and lots of wanna-be-highroller guests. But it just didn%26#39;t FEEL fun. Oh, and it was PACKED.

2.) Larry Flynts ';Barely Legal'; Place where we had the most fun. A whole step below Penthouse, easy atmosphere and fun. The security guard was an actual NOPD officer IN UNIFORM, who also seemed to act as a maitre%26#39;d. Brought us drinks, lit people%26#39;s cigarettes and arranged lap dances for guests. My wife and friends were very impressed.

3.)Rick%26#39;s cabaret - more like Penthouse, very good. But it was so dark, you can barely see the girls. I know these places aren%26#39;t supposed to be lit like sports games, but I nearly fell asleep, it was so dark.

4.) Stay away from any strip bar that advertises things that others don%26#39;t - it%26#39;s just a scam to get you in the door and get you to buy a $12 watered down drink.

Can say anything about ';massage parlors'; as my wife crossed those out from our itenerary. Just ask the locals. Best place to get info from locals for us was Harrah%26#39;s casino - we sat down for a hand of poker and the information we got was well worth the money I lost.

Have fun, I think this is the best place for a bachelor party. Be safe.

Looks like the previous two cents worth was right on the mark from what I%26#39;ve heard. Try putting in bachelor party into the search engine here on trip advisor and you will get info and a website I can%26#39;t recall right now that provides %26#39;ladies%26#39; for bachelor parties.

Cafe Bamboo on Esplanade

Any of you locals/frequenters been? It%26#39;s a vegetarian restaurant (which, while I AM one, I know N.O. is notoriously not known for great veggie cuisine) and I%26#39;m dying to try it.

-kel

Cafe Bamboo on Esplanade

I have never been...but I have gotten VERY positive feedback from several of my vegetarian B%26amp;B guests who have been there. Hope that helps a little.

Cafe Bamboo on Esplanade

definitely...I%26#39;ll surely be adding it to my line-up!

Bourbon BBQ faux chicken sounds intriguing... actually...the entire menu sounds good (to me) www.cafebamboo.com I%26#39;ll let everyone know as soon as i try it.

My wife who is a vegeterian(no fish either) loved it. There are many other oprions in the Quarter as well. We have never found it difficult for her to find a delicious meal. Most places will prepare meals without meat for her.

yeah...i%26#39;m definitely not complaining. For a city where there%26#39;s copious amounts of restaurants that don%26#39;t highlight vegetarian cuisine, i%26#39;ve never had a problem getting a good meal that fits into my needs.

However, the addition of Cafe Bamboo is exciting! Can%26#39;t wait to try it!

-kel

Many restaurants have vegetarian dishes on their menu and also will make up one on request. It will not be a problem.

cajunyank,

definitely agree with you. as i said in my p.p. even seemingly meat centric places-have always been accomodating for me (and my husband...and my sister in law...we%26#39;re a big veggie family, ha ha)

The reason I mentioned that New Orleans is not known for %26#39;vegetarians%26#39; is that many vegan/vegetarian message boards (happycow.net for instance) often list it as one of the least vegetarian ';friendly'; cities. I completely disagree (and my posts reflect that), you just can%26#39;t be afraid to ask. It reminds me of a line in %26#39;Kitchen Confidential%26#39; by Anthony Bourdain where he laments about vegetarians saying ';Fourteen dollars for a few slices of grilled eggplant and zucchini suits my food cost fine.'; ha ha.

one of my meals at Muriels was possibly my favorite, and they just simply removed the tasso and the chicken and voila! amazing vegetarian dish!

just the same it is neat to see a completely vegetarian restaurant in NoLA and I hope it does well

-kel

I am really not a clean freak here but this is another situation where I%26#39;m not sure of my comfort level regarding the kitchen. When it was Siam/Dragon%26#39;s Den, much of the food prep was outside in the courtyard. Anyone could walk right past it on the way to the bathroom. Yuck.

It%26#39;s ENTIRELY possible that this has changed since then, however, so it%26#39;s worth a shot. I hope someone can report back to me on this as I love vegetarian dishes, especially considering I%26#39;m a big carnivore. :-)

I have a friend who lives nearby the restaurant, so we just decided to give it a whirl. The food was pretty decent, but you could tell the kitchen was still in the process of working out its kinks. But overall, not bad!

The soups and the rice bowls were a big hit! They tasted very fresh, and I loved the sweet potato fries. The biggest disappointment was the ';meat'; products, such as Chik%26#39;N and seitan beef - it was rubbery and trying too hard to be like meat, when there is no reason to be. Great veggie dishes sell themselves on their own merit!

The restaurant still has that funky, intimate atmosphere, reminiscent of the times when we could order thai food and bring it upstairs to Dragon%26#39;s Den and eat on the floor cushions (no longer present). And for cleanliness, well - it is what it is...

I used to love the food at Siam. Then I saw the food prep area, complete with large cockroaches. It was outside, after all, so it wasn%26#39;t surprising. Then drinks at Dragon%26#39;s Den--more cockroaches. Again, summer in New Orleans so I wasn%26#39;t shocked. Still, when I did go back to Siam (and I did, a few times, since I loved the shrimp toast!) I made a point not to visit the kitchen area.

I%26#39;m sure Bamboo has fixed a lot of these issues and will try it soon.

good food w/no dress code

My husband and I are going Memorial Day weekend for his 50th birthday. He HATES getting dressed up to go to a restaurant, and will probably not wear anything other than shorts. I can make sure he has nice shorts and a nice polo shirt to wear. With that in mind - what%26#39;s a great restaurant to go to that won%26#39;t have a problem with shorts.

good food w/no dress code

Most restaurants in New Orleans are pretty lax when it comes to their dress code, and only a couple even require jackets (Galatoire%26#39;s for one). Commander%26#39;s Palace has an explicit ';no shorts'; policy, so that is out.

For great casual dinner, check out Coop%26#39;s Place, Napoleon House, Acme Oyster House and the Gumbo Shop.

For a nicer dinner restaurant, try Red Fish Grill, Palace Cafe, Eat Restaurant, Bourbon House, and Jacques-Imo%26#39;s.

All of these are located in the French Quarter, with the exception of Jacques-Imo%26#39;s which is located Uptown at the Riverbend.

good food w/no dress code

Louisiana Bistro accepts very casual dress. I often wear shorts and polo shirt when I dine there. Located on Dauphine St near the corner of Conti and one block to Bourbon St.

Went to Muriel%26#39;s off Jackson Square one night and the first question my friend and I asked the hostess was, ';Is there a dress code?'; as we were both in fairly casual clothing (hoodies, jeans, t-shirt, sneakers). There was an enthusiastic, ';All are welcome'; from the hostess and we had a great 3-course meal for $29 each + tip and drinks. It%26#39;s not a ';casual'; atmosphere either, but we weren%26#39;t made to feel out of place or like slobs at all.

I agree with the recommendation for Muriel%26#39;s, which is very elegant but casual dress is fine.

Muriel%26#39;s is excellent. I recall that they have a fixed price 3 course dinner...I began with the crawfish goat cheese crepes, then the pecan crusted puppy drum and ended with the delicious bread pudding with rum sauce. Located at the corner of St Ann and Chartres Sts at Jackson Square...BTW they have a web cam which overlooks Jackson Sq.

another vote for muriels! excellent food, and not a bit of mind about a dress code. I%26#39;ve eaten there several times, once with a friend who has a penchant for tube tops (doesn%26#39;t everyone have one of THOSE friends? ha ha) and we were not treated differently at all. I also love the bar area there and have eaten there as well.

-kel

One of our favorites is the Royal House, (corner of Royal and St. Louis.They have awesome Gumbo, Corn and Crab Bisque. Specials are typically wonderful.

New Orleans is such an informal town, don%26#39;t worry about the dress codes. The best way to choose a restaurant is to walk around, look at the posted menues and look inside to see if the atmosphere suits you. Have a great trip.

Place d'arms or Hotel St. Marie

Okay, So I%26#39;ve reserved both hotels and can%26#39;t decide. I know they are owned by the same company but the reviews seem to be better for the St. Marie. Although it seems like alot of people here love the Place d%26#39;arms.

Any help will be much appreciated!!!

thanks!

Place d'arms or Hotel St. Marie

It depends on what restaurants and what you plan to do as our choice for location is the Place D%26#39;armes for closeness to Muriel%26#39;s, Jackson Square, cafe dumonde,irene%26#39;s, stella, french market,coops, funky pirate, fritzels, maison bourbon, preservation hall, yo mama%26#39;s etc etc.

Place d'arms or Hotel St. Marie

I don%26#39;t see a significant difference between the two hotels, and the Place d%26#39;Armes location is excellent, so I would go with that hotel.

I%26#39;ve stayed at both and they are both above average. I would choose the Place d%26#39;Armes simply for the location.

Depends how much you want to be involved with Bourbon and what restaraunts you prefer. Both are beautiful and fairly alike. I prefer the Place because it puts me at Jackson Square and close to the shops and eating places we prefer. It is quieter at night. If it matters to you, going into the St Marie in the evening wil require you to cross Bourbon. May not be a big deal for some, but we found it loud and irritating. The Place also has a larger courtyard.

I have not stayed at Place d%26#39;arms, I can say the St.Marie rooms were bigger than we expected for the quarter, always clean, no in room safe, always helpful staff, we enjoyed the noise, hustle and bustle of being within in a stones throw of Bourbon St. :) Enjoy your stay whatever you choose.

What is the parking situation for both of these hotels?

Both offer parking as well as 24-hour valet, but charges apply. There are few places that offer free parking nowadays in the Quarter. Sometimes you can get deals with these hotels that include parking, though.

both are great boutique style hotels with great locations. If you want to be really close to Bourbon st, I would go with the St Marie. It%26#39;s literally steps to Bourbon-which makes it real easy for a late night stumble back to the hotel. If you%26#39;d like to have a little distance from the craziness of Bourbon, then go with the Place. It is an amazing central location, which is great throughout the day. Either way, both are great choices. Enjoy!!!

i also vote the Place D%26#39;Armes since I love the location in Jackson Square-still close to all the action on Bourbon, but just a liiiiiiiittttlllle bit more sedate.

have a blast!

-k

We visited in March with a 90+ year old gentleman. We stayed at the Place and asked for a room to be reached by elevator due to this. The Place was an easier walk to the Square and Cafe du Monde for him. Also central to alot of good eats. Also parking on site for a daily fee.

Was great as far as location. Even have a couple leather chairs and small library are facing St. Ann (where cont breakfast is served) for him to sit and people watch and read if tired. The courtyard also was nice if he needed to sit a spell.

He was happy with locale for his first visit to Nola

The staff were very kind to him and even offered him a ride to Pat O%26#39;s one night as it was shift change for them.

1 day in N.O. recommendations

I will be in N.O. for 1 day in August.. What would everyone recommend if they only had 1 day? I will be staying on Magazine st. thanks

1 day in N.O. recommendations

Have you ever been to New Orleans before? For most visitors, if you only had one day, I would spend it in the French Quarter. Lots of great restaurants, cafes and bars as well as attractions!

August will be pretty hot, so definitely stay hydrated and seek air-conditioning when you can.

Frommer%26#39;s has a good one-day itinerary: frommers.com/destinations/鈥?020020766.html

1 day in N.O. recommendations

thanks for quick reply.. First time in NO. I was stationed in Shreveport for 2 years but never made it down to NO.. I will definitely checkout the Frommers link..

Only 1 day. Hmmmmm Walk a lot in the French Quarter. Stroll down Bourbon, take in Jackson Square, The French market, walk down the moonwalk to Canal and take the free ferry to Algiers.

I would take the street car from magazine st into the quarter (maybe getting on the St.Charles line over to Camellia Grill along the way for Pecan Pie/waffles), and then walk along Royal to check out the shops (if only as an excuse to duck into air conditioning once in a while-August will be STEAMY!), up Decatur for the French Market and Beignets and Iced Cafe Au Lait, over to the moonwalk to see the Mighty Mississippi, up Bourbon to see what that%26#39;s all about (and maybe stopping to try a Hurricane at Lafittes Blacksmith shop-the oldest bar in America). Dinner someplace with great local cuisine (Coops, Gumbo Shop or Muriels for casual dining; Stella!, Antoines, Bayona for something more upscale) and then maybe finally joining up with a French Quarter haunted walking tour-my favorite is with %26#39;Bloody Mary%26#39;-for a dose of history and some spooky tales.

You can even do dinner AFTER the tour if need be.

have fun!

-kelly

lips

non chain restaurants..

Are there any good non-chain restaurants worth checking out? We are always looking for something new.

non chain restaurants..

What type of food do you like?

non chain restaurants..

Pretty much anything, as long as they have vegetarian options for me..

Olive Street Bistro is nice for Italian, as is Monjunis. Herby K%26#39;s has nice po-boys. I don%26#39;t know if Superior Grill is a chain, there is one in Baton Rouge too, but that and Cafe Laredo serve good mexican food. Bistro 6301 has excellent steaks.

Advice needed for visit with elderely

This will be my first trip to New Orleans. I%26#39;m visiting in late June for 3 nights with my parents and my father is just recovering from bypass surgery. They both can walk fine but I need help planning a laid back and ';easy'; first timer itinerary for us. I know it will be hot and humid so we will take it slow and we don%26#39;t mind using cabs when necessary. We will be staying at Harrah%26#39;s since parents like to gamble and we have a free room. I%26#39;m thinking lot%26#39;s of things like a carriage tour, boat ride, streetcar rides etc. to limit the walking. Any suggestions for an itinerary would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Advice needed for visit with elderely

I%26#39;d suggest also a swamp tour as they provide hotel pickup and dropoff and we prefer the Honey Island Swamp tour. www.toursbyisabelle.com also have comfortable vans with large windows and air conditioning for tours of the city/Katrina etc.

Keep in mind house tours would include steps or tours of the plantations have long walks from the parking lots to the house and stairs.

Advice needed for visit with elderely

Ride the St. Charles Streetcar to the end, then return to Washington and have lunch at Commander%26#39;s Palace. If they want to see a cemetery, go right across the street from Commander%26#39;s. They won%26#39;t have to walk far at all, and it is small.

Also take the streetcar to City Park for a ride through a different neighborhood and a view of the park. There is a sculpture garden, benches all around and a great Art Museum. Be sure to read the signs at the top of the car so that you get on the correct one...or ask the driver.

Thanks for the suggestions. This is a good start.

You didn%26#39;t mention your father%26#39;s age or whether he%26#39;s a veteran, but the National D-Day Museum may be of interest to him (and you).

http://www.ddaymuseum.org/

My mom and step dad came for my wedding, and the things they enjoyed were

1) D D museum-Step dad loved it, and mom liked it. It was very cool inside, and plenty to see.

2) They loved the beignets at Cafe Du Monde and being able to enjoy havind dinner at the RedFish Grill with us.

3)We walked up Bourbon and had hurricanes at Pat O%26#39; Briens courtyard in the evening. They had a blast and mom loved it.

The thing was, they did alot more than my family thought they%26#39;d be able to do...at the time they were 81 and 76...this was last June. My mom passed away this April, and one of the last pictures I have of her smiling was walking up Bourbon Street after catching some beads someone had tossed from a Balcony.

I hope you and your parents have a blast! It sounds like you have a great time planned!

Thanks for all the good suggestions.

Have a great trip. Our two favorite places to visit every year are New Orleans and Cape May. Both are like stepping back in time.

HI Mrobert!

to echo the p.p%26#39;s a nice cold iced tea (or whatever you choose) and a ride on the streetcar is a great way to get around without having to walk too much.

As far as a carriage tour is concerned, my favorite tour guide, Bloody Mary%26#39;s husband is now doing carriage rides, you can reach her through www.bloodymarystours.com to set one up. He%26#39;ll give you a little bit of background on the haunted history of new orleans.

I also really enjoyed the WW2 Museum, and benefitted from calling ahead to find out when the guied tour started. Our docent for the tour was a veteran himself and he led us through the European side of the museum with expertise and charisma. There were several older gentleman (who we found out along the way were also veterans) who used both walkers and wheelchairs and got along fine. There are plenty of places to stop and rest along the way.

For evenings, there is plenty of entertainment that you don%26#39;t need to be standing/walking too much for. %26#39;Big Al Carson%26#39; who preforms at the %26#39;Funky Pirate%26#39; is a family favorite of mine. He%26#39;s both talented and entertaining with his flirtatious banter

have a great time!

-kel

Took my 89 year old mother to NOLA in December. One of our favorite things was Mardi Gras World. Take the free ferry across the river (%26amp; the

landing is literally across the street from Harrah%26#39;s) %26amp; a shuttle picks you up %26amp; takes you to the place.

http://www.mardigrasworld.com/

Any of the 3 streetcar lines from start to finish give an interesting tour - each a bit different. by the 3 day visitor pass to make decent use of the transit system. Again a stop is literally right outside Harrah%26#39;s. The Riverfront line is the shortest %26amp; ends on Esplanade for a short walk to tons of great food (although that can be said anywhere in NOLA!) The drivers of both the buses %26amp; streetcars are VERY encouraging %26amp; patient with seniors %26amp; handicap.

http://www.norta.com/

Other than a cab from the airport to Harrah%26#39;s the streetcars %26amp; buses will comfortably get you where you need to go. Avoid during the height of rush hour and you%26#39;ll have no problems getting around.

We stayed about a block from where you will be staying (http://hotel-deleauvive.com/index.php) so I know the area well.

The D-Day Musuem is well worth touring, and I%26#39;d allow much longer than the site suggests. I think we spent close to 4 hours listening to all the audio %26amp; watching all the short videos.

Also enjoyed the zoo %26amp; aquarium, but it may be a bit too hot for the zoo for you guys:

http://www.auduboninstitute.org/index.html