New Orleans From a Local's Viewpoint
Same Character - Half the Price!
True, times are tough, but no need to stay home because our politicians can’t get their act together. Just need a little creative thinking from a local’s point of view. Here’s a fun list of freebies and my favorite restaurants downtown, uptown, off the beaten path, and down the streetcar line.
French Quarter/Downtown – Walk Jackson Square and admire the artwork or the Quarter’s European architecture. Sit at theWoldenberg Riverfront Park and watch the ships float down the Mississippi. Visit the Historic New Orleans Collection for historical exhibits, and vintage photography. Take a tour of St. Louis Cathedral or Arnauds Germaine Cazenave Wells Mardi Gras Museum. Window shop along Royal Street’s art galleries and listen to the street musicians. On Decatur Street Southern Candymakers offers free samples of homemade pralines. View the New Orleans skyline from the River via a roundtrip ferry ride. Watch looming atLouisiana Loom Works on Chartres and say hello to the owners and their feline mascots.
Some of my favorite haunts averaging $10-20 entrees. Café Beignet brings three locations serving beignets, breakfast, and sandwiches all day. With a great view of Jackson Square, Stanley’s offers premium burgers, sliders, omelettes and old fashioned soda fountain desserts. Popular among locals and tourists, the Gumbo Shop serves Creole cuisine in a historic 18th century building with garden patio. Everyone loves the large po-boys at Johnny’s Po-Boys and the Central Grocery world famous muffalettas. Rotollo’son Charters has great prices on pizza, calzones and pitchers of beer. Perfect for couples or families on a budget, Mona Lisa on the lower end of Royal Street serves from a huge Italian menu. Another great family restaurant with Mexican food is Felipe’s in the Quarter and Uptown with tasty chips and the super sized burrito.
Faubourg Marigny (across the French Quarter bordering Esplanade Avenue)
Frenchman Street hosts a dozen music clubs featuring rock, jazz, blues, reggae with no covers and decent drink prices. For late night munchies hit restaurants 13 Monaghan and La Peniche. Cake Café bakes incredible pastries along with a savory breakfast/lunch menu.
Uptown (Along the Streetcar line) – Romantics and bargain hunters will love the St. Charles street car line ($1.25 ride) past the palatial homes. Stop and sip a mint julep on the Columns Hotel porch. Hop off in front of Tulane University and have a picnic lunch at Audubon Park. Further down at St. Charles and Carrollton there’s world famous Camellia’s Grill, and nearby Cooter Brown’s Tavern & Oyster Bar keeps patrons entertained with wall-to-wall television and more than 40 beers on tap. Take the red street car down Canal Blvd. to City Park and the New Orleans Museum of Art (very reasonable) with awesome (free) sculpture garden. My all time favorite restaurant is Boucherie on Jeannette St. right off the Carrollton streetcar line featuring Chef Nathanial Zimet’s contemporary southern cuisine. A couple blocks over, Tru Burger on Oak St. is a traditional diner that grinds its own beef served on house-made buns with loads of toppings for burgers and hot dogs.
Uptown (Magazine Street) – Magazine Street is five blocks off of St. Charles for those who don’t mind a little walk from the streetcar line. Get your chocolate fix along with coffee and pastries at the Sucre Sweet Shop, Tracey’s (owners of Parasols moved there) is the best neighborhood restaurant/bar on Magazine Street. Tattooed servers add to the Bohemian décor of Juan’s Flying Burrito with pork ‘n’ slaw taco or my favorite the shrimp juaha roll. A popular watering hole, The Bulldog has over 50 beers on tap along with tasty pub-grub. Casamento’s is famous for their oyster loaf but check out their hours before you go. A classic neighborhood restaurant, Frankie and Johnny’s, serves vintage New Orleans seafood and Italian fare. Hungry for a little more swagger, Joey K’s has entries starting at $12. MV serves gourmet burgers but only open on Sundays serving from the popular Slim Goodies Diner with an awesome breakfast and New Orleans cuisine (cash only).
Freret Street is experiencing a foodie renaissance and Dat Dogs is top dog with Polish kielbasa, German bratwurst, Louisiana sausage and beef wieners served on steamed sourdough buns. If you prefer something lighter and different, Tartine Uptown on Perrier St. serves sumptuous pastries, quiche, tartine (open-face sandwich), salads and sandwiches with fresh baked bread.
This is just a sample of my favorites. The websites offer much more by location and price range. Use common sense when touring the city, daytime walking and biking is fine, at night calling a cab is your best bet for long distances. And take the time to observe the magnificent architecture with self-guided tour brochures at the Preservation Resource Center or on their website.
New Orleans list of fifty free activities:
http://www.neworleansonline.com/neworleans/attractions/fiftyfreethings.html
New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau, www.neworleanscvb.com
Tom Fitzmorris, New Orleans food writer website, www.nomenu.com
Preservation Resource Center, www.prcno.org
An award winning writer, photographer and social media specialist, Deb owns a Media Arts degree from Tulane University with published work on a local, regional and national level. She specializes in travel, lifestyle, culinary culture and historical architecture along with social media promotions for authors, publishers and small business owners. Deb enjoys a loyal following as a travel and food columnist with Louisiana Road Trips magazine and keeps busy with local publications. A frequent contributor to nationally distributed magazines Fine Books & Collection, Old House Journal and Louisiana Cookin’ Magazine, Deb served as Louisiana bureau chief for the regional blockbuster, Southern Breeze magazine. A New Orleans native now living in Mandeville, Louisiana, she is the co-founder of the Northshore Literary Society, member and former board member of the Louisiana Outdoor Writers Association.
Deborah Burst, freelance writer and photographer, lives and writes in the piney woods of Mandeville. After a 30-year stint in banking, she graduated from Tulane in 2003. Her work has appeared in regional, national, and international publications. A personal translator blessed with an emotional art form, Deb discovers the food, culture, and people along the backroads each month in Louisiana Road Trips.
RSS 2.0 Feed
