New Orleans - Bourbon to Jazz
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
The absolute advantage of New Orleans is that you actually can walk on the street with a beer in your hand without getting arrested like in other USA cities. This improves the overall spirit of the people enjoying their day. Therefore naturally I really enjoyed my stay in the city on the Missippi.
First place to go is the French Quarter where you actually can not believe you are in the States as the houses are older than the people living in them and the streets smaller than 2 lanes. In the evening you will discover without a map very soon the Bourbon Street as a lot of live music will roar out of pups and the people are walking in the street with beers and Hurricanes in their hands. Cars are not allowed after dark in the Bourbon Street and there are clubs with nude women dancing on tables. But what seems wild and untaimed is really very harmless and not as morally offending as it sounds. It is like St. Pauli for the whole family...
Besides the Bourbon Street there is also lots of real culture to see with hundreds of small art galleries and most important music wherever you go.
The best tip I have is the annual Jazz and Heritage Festival taking place in May. It runs over two weekends on a racing track in the heart of the city and on one weekend alone attracted close to 500.000 music lovers this year. It is not only Jazz but also a lot of Blues, local Music styles and a little down to earth Rock music to hear and view.
If you really want to feel like a tourist amongst other tourists you have to take one of the river cruises on a steam boat. Even though that is quiet nice from the pure act of entertainment, you really are caught in a 'tourist trap'. You get served a 'buffet-like one plate' dinner for usd 22,- and a Jazz band is playing hits like 'When the saints go marching in' which no self respecting street musician in New Orleans is willing to play anymore unless you give them an extra usd 10,-. The people attending the river cruises are coming in bus loads and with no fear in their eyes they claim seats by leaving their gloves and hats on them. Wearing hats and gloves alone is already scary and therefore beware.
All in all you should take you time for New Orleans and stay a week at the minimum. Food by the way is excellent and healthy and if you stay out of tourist restaurants also payable, in the city that claims to have invented the Cocktail.
First place to go is the French Quarter where you actually can not believe you are in the States as the houses are older than the people living in them and the streets smaller than 2 lanes. In the evening you will discover without a map very soon the Bourbon Street as a lot of live music will roar out of pups and the people are walking in the street with beers and Hurricanes in their hands. Cars are not allowed after dark in the Bourbon Street and there are clubs with nude women dancing on tables. But what seems wild and untaimed is really very harmless and not as morally offending as it sounds. It is like St. Pauli for the whole family...
Besides the Bourbon Street there is also lots of real culture to see with hundreds of small art galleries and most important music wherever you go.
The best tip I have is the annual Jazz and Heritage Festival taking place in May. It runs over two weekends on a racing track in the heart of the city and on one weekend alone attracted close to 500.000 music lovers this year. It is not only Jazz but also a lot of Blues, local Music styles and a little down to earth Rock music to hear and view.
If you really want to feel like a tourist amongst other tourists you have to take one of the river cruises on a steam boat. Even though that is quiet nice from the pure act of entertainment, you really are caught in a 'tourist trap'. You get served a 'buffet-like one plate' dinner for usd 22,- and a Jazz band is playing hits like 'When the saints go marching in' which no self respecting street musician in New Orleans is willing to play anymore unless you give them an extra usd 10,-. The people attending the river cruises are coming in bus loads and with no fear in their eyes they claim seats by leaving their gloves and hats on them. Wearing hats and gloves alone is already scary and therefore beware.
All in all you should take you time for New Orleans and stay a week at the minimum. Food by the way is excellent and healthy and if you stay out of tourist restaurants also payable, in the city that claims to have invented the Cocktail.
