the_grip on 29/1/2008 at 02:47
Quote Posted by Rug Burn Junky
Come on, I'm a lifelong New Yorker, the only city that makes its own gravy in the rain. I think I can stomach whatever muck NO throws at me.
Touché... i have been in NYC in the heat of summer when it smells like the underside of an amusement park, but i swear NOLA will impress you in this category (although i am one that ranks Boston up there as well... not too long ago i waited with a line of people in the middle of a park while a homeless guy blocked a sidewalk by pissing across it).
Quote Posted by Rug Burn Junky
Afraid I may have no choice but to wander off Bourbon Street, my hotel is on Poydras, a couple of blocks away. Seems like a decent area though.
i'm sure you'll be fine, too... just be careful. If you hear about parties that are a few blocks off of Bourbon Street, then you probably want to avoid them unless you know the folks inviting you.
All in all though, you'll have a blast. There is nothing quite like Mardis Gras (well, maybe Carnival in Brazil, but i've never had the pleasure of experiencing that one). Man, thinking about New Orleans makes me wish i was headed that way, too. Be sure to take pics!
the_grip on 29/1/2008 at 05:24
p.s. forgot to mention the music... jazz and/or blues, at clubs or by street bands, it is beyond comparison. You have not seen this stuff until you see a guy play bass with an old fashioned washtub, a broom handle, and a thick piece of twine, accompanied by a banjo player.
p.p.s. there are guys all over the place that will try to get you to bet them on little scams, i.e.:
Question: "I bet you $50 I can tell you where you got your shoes."
Response: "Where?"
Answer: "You got your shoes on your two feet on Bourbon Street."
Note - if you take these folks up on these tricks, they will expect to be paid.
Just a couple more tips :)
Tocky on 31/1/2008 at 04:52
Ah NO where the streets are paved with gold... en urine. If you are around The Cats Meow Monday give me a shout out through the Drum and Dick broadcast (a radio show not strange oral). That's the closest I'm going to get to Mardi Gras this year.
grip is right about the scammers most of the year but there should be enough tourists just now that you wont be mobbed at least. On a slow day you might have to beat them off. Most will go away easy but there was this one who sat at my table while the wife and I were eating at some tent place on Market. Right buddy, you want to give us a free nights stay at this hotel you have greasy crumpled brochers for and all we have to do is load up in your rusty white windowless Dodge van. Tell me more. I really did want to see how far he would take it but after the fifth kick in the shin I acceded to wifey wishes and told him to get lost. I felt guilty about not getting his tag number at least but the cops give fuck all about anything except thier own brand of tourist looting anyway. What was I going to do? Wait till he got us out to gator swamp and make a bullet hole Hindu out of him?
grips is also right about the street musicians. I saw an old black guy play coffee cans better than any drummer I've seen since. And down near the Mayors manse is a street where you can get an excellent portrait done in little over an hour. Dozens of artists to choose from. Some tour guide types near the river that discussed the levy breaking ten years before it happened. A mule drawn carriage with a charming old driver. The place would be romantic if there weren't so many people who need stuffing under a log somewhere.
Tell me you didn't give some prison bait a fifty grip.
the_grip on 31/1/2008 at 14:51
Quote Posted by Tocky
Tell me you didn't give some prison bait a fifty grip.
Hell no... fortunately i was forewarned (and with a group of about eight guys). It could be a rumor, but i hear that these scammers work in groups and will take your $50 (or whatever it is) if you don't willingly give it up.
Most of these flock to where the tourists are (like down by the river in the square), and, as you said, they are annoying as fuck.
Still, it is worth going down there to see the music, shops, etc.
PigLick on 31/1/2008 at 15:31
ok so this might not be totally related to the topic, but I was playing golf at one of Perths most exclusive country clubs "The Vines" on wednesday. ANyway so me and my sister, my dad and my brother in law were playing, taking our time, as we do. There was this party of tourists behind us, I think maybe they thought we were taking a little too long on each hole. So there was this par 3, nasty little number, with right and left greenside bunkers, we were having a little bit of trouble with it. These guys rolled up to us in their fancy motorised karts, and this guy goes "hey you guys ever played golf before" in a very sarcastic tone, I went up to him and said right in his face "No, we havent, got any pointers?"
hahaha, anyway thats it sorry for wasting yourtime.
Aja on 1/2/2008 at 06:13
did he offer you any pointers?
PigLick on 1/2/2008 at 14:01
no I just recently shaved my head, plus I had a golf club in my hand, he fucked off real quick.
Tocky on 2/2/2008 at 06:53
Well that's good because you don't use pointers in golf. Those are for planning war and bird hunting. Man you guys really were fucking up.
pavlovscat on 2/2/2008 at 22:31
I was born in New Orleans and lived there for the first 36 years of my life. Most of the advice here is accurate. On the food, if you want the best burger anywhere go to Port of Call on Esplande at the edge of the Quarter. If you make it to PoC, have a Monsoon or a Huma Huma...32 oz. of alcoholic pleasure. The Court of Two Sisters has an excellent brunch.
Cats Meow is a blast, and don't miss the Dungeon.
On cops...definitely don't touch the horses. Also, if a cop tells you to do (or not do) something, listen. Cops are very jumpy during Mardi Gras for good reason. They do not hesitate to arrest "problem" people. Be nice to them & they will leave you alone.
If you like your car, do not park it on the streets. Put it in your hotel's lot & leave it there. If you park it on the street, you'll be lucky if it doesn't get stolen, hit-n-ran, paint scratched or puked on.
The where you got them shoes thing has been around forever. If someone asks you that, the best reply is to tell them you're a local.
If you have the time, a tour through the Garden District is a pleasant way to spend a day. Also, the Audubon Zoo has made enormous strides in restoration after Katrina.
Have a great time!
Rug Burn Junky on 3/2/2008 at 00:48
One day in New Orleans down, and I've already hit Pat O'Brien's for Hurricanes, had beignets at Cafe du Monde, and po'boys at Mother's.
:thumb:
Stories and pics from my 1400 mile drive and the Big Easy to follow soon.
