Forest of the Plains

Oh my gosh! That’s great! I lived in New Orleans up until last year. I love that city. I would recommend doing the usually touristy things - Bourbon St, Jackson Square, Boardwalk, etc… just to get it over with. Then take the streetcar - don’t say trolley because the people get ticked off by that - from Canal St. down St.Charles, all the way down St.Charles until you get to the Riverbend area, also known as the Carrolton area. Get off there and eat until you can’t.

There’s the Camillia Grill, La Madeline, CC’s Coffee, Louisiana Pizza Kitchen, etc….

If you will walk that beautiful oak-lined street down some more you will see Maple St. Take a right and walk down for 5 blocks and you will see more great places to eat. My favorite is Figaro’s. They have great Italian cuisine. And a few blocks further is the local favorite PJ’s coffee.

Backtrack from Maple St back to Carrollton Ave. and make a right to continue. You will pass beautiful homes. I am very homesick as I tell you this because my family has walked this walk a million times because we lived in this area. Along this walk you should see Rue de la Course, a fine coffee shop. Go a little further down and you will see Lebanon Cafe’. It’s a GREAT place to get fantastic Middle Eastern food cheap.

Further along, you will see Cohn St. Make a left onto it. Now look for 8222 Cohn St - it is two blocks away from the streetcar line. That was my home that before I sold it in 2003. Say “hi” to Doris for me because she bought the house from me. She is a friendly black lady. And if you see the two soap-stone planters still out on the front yard, know that they were put there by me. I did all the landscaping for the whole yard. The red metal roof, we replaced because the slate there before was crumbling. The yard in the back is placial - I did the landscaping and my kids grew up there.

Have fun in New Orleans, and be careful. Don’t let any crazy fool stop you to ask questions because you will only be scammed. Stay on the main streets and don’t off the beaten path. And don’t buy real-estate there now because prices have gone further through the roof since I sold my home.

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terah Reply:
May 6th, 2005 at 8:04 am

Thanks for the great advice! We’re going the end of May. I’ll tell you all about it once we’re back.

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Mark A. Hershberger Reply:
May 16th, 2005 at 10:39 am

Hrm… While my dear wife’s recommendations are good, they are more focused on the Riverbend, almost-outside-of-new-orleans, area rather than the New Orleans everyone thinks they want to see.

RedHat is hosting a conference there and they have several good recommendations. As someone who lived in the city for 10-12 years, I can certify that these are a more fair reflection of the New Orleans people think they want to see.

Without contradicting Alexis’ advice to stick to main streets, I’d also suggest checking out Uglesich’s if they’re still open. This little dive is a well-known secret to jaded travelers. I’ve heard that they’re closing for good. If you can manage to get there before they close, you’ll have a real treat.

Also, you could check out Mardi Gras World. The place is across the river from the French Quarter. You can get there on foot by taking the ferry that is right next to the Aquarium. Mardi Gras World is run by Blaine Kern — maker of many MG floats — so they give you a brief history of MG and you get to see some of the better floats.

Or skip the MG World and just take a ride on the ferry to say you’ve crossed the muddy, muddy Mississippi (I used to take the ferry ever day when we lived across from the French Quarter. I biked down St. Charles Ave. to Tulane University.)

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