Touring NOLA: Horror, Jazz and Choking on Powdered Sugar
Five minutes into the French Quarter, you can already feel its vibrancy. A marching band going down the street, bucket drummers, little boys tap-dancing with what I later discovered are squashed cans beneath their feet.
Although crowded and prone to the odd drunk party-goer, it is definitely New Orleans’ most sought-after tourist location. The city has managed to preserve the buildings and general architecture the way the Europeans originally constructed them — colorful and with many balconies and shutters. Walking down any street, you might also see plant pots hanging from railings or bicycles chained to street lights — we even saw policemen on bicycles. I had the feeling that I was in France or somewhere similar.
In looking for a hotel to stay at, my family and I considered a combination of relative comfort and convenience. It was imperative to me that we found a hotel in the French Quarter. Many of the “touristy” locations are located there, so staying in a hotel there would mean you can walk to a lot of exciting destinations. We even found out that many French Quarter residents do not own cars.
If you are looking for more luxurious options there are the Royal Sonesta (which has the famous Desire Oyster Bar exiting right into the street, and the Jazz Playhouse), Hotel Monteleone, and Four Points by Sheraton (I am not sure about others, but I actually saw that this has hotel rooms with balconies overlooking Bourbon street). There are also inns and smaller hotels going for about $80 per night, such as the French Market Inn.
To give you an idea of the convenience of staying in the French Quarter, from the Royal Sonesta, it is roughly a seven-minute walk to Jackson Square; five minutes to Bottom of the Cup, a reputable psychic shop; and eight minutes to world-famous Café Du Monde.
We arrived at our hotel in the evening. This late time was of no consequence because there are a host of activities that take place at night. A couple of hours after our arrival we went for a Haunted Ghost, Voodoo, and Vampire Tour (priced at $14 per person). We got to see some of NOLA’s famous “haunted” sites such as the once owned by Nicholas Cage, Madame LaLaurie mansion, one of the buildings where The Originals series was filmed and the Mississippi River Bar (MRB), said to be haunted by Marie Laveau- American Horror Story fans should be familiar with this name.
The only issue I had with the tour company was that the advertisement of the tour made it sound like we would be allowed to actually go into the buildings we walked to, with things jumping out at us and whatnot. Save for the MRB, we stood outside. This was not bad, the tour still allowed us to get a feel of the neighborhood, but it might have been disappointing for tourists who were expecting something different.
Our only full day in NOLA started bright and early. We began with a tour of the French Quarter. Tempting as it might be to explore the city unguided, tour guides possess a wealth of knowledge about the people and the culture, and going on tours is also a nice way to support other working individuals.
You can take advantage of Free Tours by Foot, a company that allows you to take a tour of the French Quarter (as well as tours of other places) for whatever price you can afford, including for free!
Around 10 am, we arrived at the Jackson Square statue and met our tour guide, Andrew. He proceeded to give us some background on the buildings overlooking Jackson Square. We also visited a Creole townhouse where we saw allegedly haunted slave quarters, the oldest licensed pharmacy in the US, Preservation Hall, and (the highlight of the tour for me) stumbled upon Doreen Ketchens, the famous street performer, and her band. She performs most days of the week in the French Quarter so if you’re lucky you might get the opportunity to have your ears blessed. I cannot adequately put into words the angelic-ness of her voice and the technique of her clarinet but suffice it to say the music ran through my body, from top to bottom.
If you have very little kids, the long walks might be a little difficult as they might get restless and fuss. Also, remember to carry some money in cash!
After the tour, we decided to get snacks and hydrate before heading over to Gray Line for our Plantation and Swamp Tour. I had received multiple beignet recommendations and being five minutes away, we decided to eat at Café Du Monde. Though crowded and fairly dark, the beignets and the jazz that will likely be playing outside make up for it. Priced at $2.14 per plate for three beignets, the food is absolutely delicious. A tip for eating them: Do not inhale while chewing! I learned this the hard way. It might also be nice to take photos in front of the green and white canopy or further down, at the “NOLA 300” sign.
It was important to me to see other parts of New Orleans/Louisiana besides the French Quarter; The swamp and plantation tours served this purpose. As a package deal, it is on the pricier end at about $40 per child and $90 per adult. However, when you consider the fact that you are getting extensive tours of two locations by experienced tour guides, as well as more NOLA information to and fro on the well-conditioned tour bus, it might seem more reasonable. We boarded by the ticket office on Canal Street (where you can also board one of the streetcars) and saw the more “ordinary” parts of Louisiana on the way to Destrehan Plantation.
The plantation is situated on large, well-groomed grounds, showcasing a 200-year-old tree. There is a cabin styled gift shop where you can buy arguably overpriced bits and bobs and the tour guides are aged women in 19th-century costumes. The restorers of the plantation managed to preserve a lot of the original furniture and floorboards. We saw an original bathtub sent to the plantation owners by Napoleon, and quite a number of famous celebrities (Beyoncé) and films (12 Years a Slave) have featured parts of this plantation.
One critique I have of the tour is that we were not given nearly enough information about the history of slaves there, only the more positive, seemingly well-edited stories.
I feel that the slaves should be talked about just as much as, if not more than, the wealthy people that benefited from their labor.
The swamp tour that followed was very impressive, especially if you are interested in wildlife. You might also get the chance to hold a baby alligator!
We had one prime opportunity to eat at one of the French Quarter’s numerous restaurants and I wanted it to be memorable. Our tour guide had told us one of the best streets for food is Chartres Street and so, after the swamp tour, we found ourselves at Napoleon House. With a 4.5 star rating, the restaurant is situated in a centuries-old building and is one of the places “where the locals go”. The menu features many New Orleans favorites such as Gumbo ($8.50) and Jambalaya ($6.95). I loved the general ambiance: aesthetically decaying walls with the signatures of past visitors, paintings, and if you opted to sit outside, you would eat beneath string lights and next to a fountain. The lighting is really low though (my dad had to use a torch to see the menu).
If you are African, particularly West African, Jambalaya might not be the most exciting food option for you. It is very similar to our Jollof rice, probably because it was invented by a West African slave. Some other restaurants recommended to us were Doris Metropolitan, Sylvain, and the oldest restaurant in New Orleans: Antoine’s.
After dinner, we finally got an opportunity to walk down the infamous Bourbon Street. Our tour guide had said if visiting Bourbon for the first time, go at night, and he was right. Bourbon Street lights up at nighttime. There were multiple jazz bands playing, one was even kind enough to allow my sister and I play their gong. I also saw a DJ in the middle of the street, bars, and people looking down from their hotel rooms. On our way down the street, I counted about two strip clubs and one sex toy shop, which caused my dad to proclaim, “This place is rotten!”, but if you can shield your child’s eyes from the occasional private part, Bourbon Street isn’t too bad at night.
I don’t feel it is possible for me to talk about this trip without mentioning the French Quarter’s homeless population. Almost everywhere we went there was someone sleeping on the street with a dog in tow. I’m not sure what is up with NOLA’s housing programs, but the government has to do something to make it more affordable and provide more of its residents with stable jobs.
Of course, it is not possible to see an entire city in such a limited time. Some other activities I would have loved to do were walk down Magazine Street, visit a few more museums such as the Museum of the Free People of Color, take a streetcar, and do one of the self-led jazz tours. In its totality, my trip to NOLA was the highlight of my summer. It is truly one of the most welcoming environments for everyone and if you have some free time in your schedule, I would really recommend visiting.
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