Going to Mardi Gras - advice?

[RangerWickett]

I'm going with my girlfriend to New Orleans next Friday, and will be leaving next Monday. We'll miss Fat Tuesday because I need to get back for work, but I figure we'll still get to enjoy enough parties. We're driving, should arrive Friday evening, and will be staying in a motel about 10 miles from the French Quarter.

I'd like advice and suggestions, both on how to safeguard ourselves amid the chaos, and how to enjoy it. Considering that it's Mardi Gras, I figure there will be less of an opportunity to enjoy 'normal' tourist-y things because of the crowds, but we'll have some time, so what should be on the top of our list? What restaurants have the best "quality to waiting-for-effing-ever-to-eat" ratio? How does the New Orleans mass transit system work, or should we just get use taxis?

Thanks in advance.

 

[BroccoliRage]

Bring a lifejacket.

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

(All based on first- or second-hand experiences)

* Take shoes you'll be willing to drop in the garbage when you get home. Puke, beer, and assorted grunge just doesn't come out, sometimes.

* Find out now if either of you are allergic to crawfish. Passing out in the bathroom and waking up in the ambulance with an EMT asking 'Are these your panties?' is not conducive to a fun weekend. Especially if they aren't your panties.

* If you are the type to get belligerent when you drink, make sure someone has bail money. And when the cops tell you to do something, do it.

* It's probably too late to get into the best restaurants, but New Orleans is the best food city in the country. Check out the local paper online for restaurants that might be just off the beaten path.

* Take taxis. It can get expensive, but driving is out and the mass transit system is hit or miss. The streetcars are fun but crowded and may not get you where you want to go, but they are an alternative. I've not been post-Katrina, though, so I don't know what the situation is like now. If you don't mind walking a lot, though, you can taxi close and hoof it (and that may be your only choice sometimes).

 

[LightPhoenix]

Nothing more than the normal tourist stuff. Don't carry too much money around, be mindful of your wallet and purse, and don't get too trashed.

Oh, and have fun!

 

[IcyCool]

I haven't been to New Orleans since the disaster, so my advice might be a bit out of date. So without further ado, here it is:

Avoid Burbon Street. Or limit your exposure to it.

That's pretty much it.

 

[babomb]

Do not mess with the NOPD. I cannot stress this enough. They are working overtime, dealing with a lot of drunks, and aren't generally predisposed to take crap from people, even under normal circumstances. If they tell you to do something, do it. You don't want to spend the night in central lockup.

It won't be as bad as on Mardi Gras day, but the French Quarter will be crowded as heck. Personally, I think the best part of Mardi Gras is uptown (outside of the French Quarter). There's less crowd, less beer, puke, etc. for you to step in/have spilled on you; it's even (mostly) family-friendly.

All of the restaurants in the city will be crowded. If go outside of New Orleans proper, to Kenner or Metairie, you might be able to get in without waiting too long. You can buy pizza and sometimes other food along parade routes. Churches near parades often sell food. Also, Emeril's is overrated and not worth the cost. Cafe du Monde will also be crowded with tourists, but if you want to try it without waiting for ages, here's a tip: go to the Cafe du Monde in Esplanade Mall or Lakeside Mall, or maybe the one on Veteran's Blvd. (i.e., out of New Orleans proper).

Put your wallet in your front pocket, and your girlfriend should be mindful of her purse or leave it in the hotel.

The taxis will be expensive. The streetcars will be crowded. The buses, less so. For routes, see http://www.norta.com

 

[Tewligan]

Avoid Burbon Street. Or limit your exposure to it.
Whaaaat?! Bourbon Street IS Mardi Gras! It's jam-packed, filthy, hectic, jostling, crowded, boozy, noisy as hell, and boobariffic. Go to Bourbon Street. Love Bourbon Street. Expose yourself on Bourbon Street.

(Of course, I DID go when I was almost 15 years younger than I am now, so I don't know if I'd have the tolerance for it today. Still, I remember it being crazy fun!)

 

[werk]

My only advice is to start desensitizing yourself to the smell of vomit and urine now.

But I haven't been since the hurricane, a lot may have changed.