jgmpuma

The terminal is only about a block away from your hotel as the crow flies, but the convention center is in the way, and you have to go around it.

If the weather is OK, and you aren't hauling a lot of luggage, it isn't a bad walk. When you leave the hotel, turn left and walk along Convention Center Boulevard to Julia Street. Turn right on Julia and follow the walkway/street across the RR tracks. Turn right. The Julia Street terminal (NCL & RC) is right there. The Erato Street terminal (Carnival) is about two blocks further, and you will have to dodge some traffic and ignore "no pedestrians" signs. Maybe give it a dry run.

A cab to the terminal is $7 per person.

Unless she actually tries to play video poker, the 19 year old should have no problems getting into Coop's.

Look for a hotel in the Warehouse District. They are close to the cruise terminal and within easy walking distance to the French Quarter, and usually less expensive than the Quarter.

Here are some of our favorites. Most are ethnic, but with a distinctive New Orleans spin. All are inexpensive, and have been around long enough to have stood the test of time.

Bennachin, 1212 Royal Street. African. Lunch specials under $10. One is Jamaican Chicken, a great local version of jerk chicken, but not too spicy.

Country Flame, 620 Iberville. It calls itself Mexican, but is more Cuban.

El Gato Negro, 81 French Market Place. Sort of Mexican. Great margaritas.

Johnny's, 511 St. Louis, Some of the best poor-boys in the French Quarter.

Mena's Palace, 200 Chartres. Typical New Orleans cuisine.

Salt N' Pepper, 201 North Peters. Indian/Pakistani. Lots of goat and vegetarian dishes.

Vacherie, 827 Toulouse. Excellent sandwiches and lunch specials.

Well said, Reggiefan.

My wife and I spend just about every Saturday in the French Quarter, and have done that for years. We meet tourists all the time who are surprised that locals are there too.

The FQ is a neighborhood, and has always been a neighborhood, and one that welcomes visitors and invites them to share the enjoyment that we experience each time we visit. Both of my wife's sisters and their families live there. We bring chairs from Tujague's out to the sidewalk and socialize among ourselves and with the Tujague's regulars. You won't see that on Bourbon Street.

I appreciate a good set as much as the next guy, but find the flashing on Bourbon Street offensive. No one would do that at home, and we wish you wouldn't do that here. There used to be good music clubs and restaurants on Bourbon but those are gone, with a few notable exceptions. The music is now on Frenchmen Street, and that's where the music lovers (like us) go. The street musicians on Royal Street are some of the best, and there are new ones all the time. There are plenty of good, inexpensive restaurants if you know where to look.

It isn't Disneyworld. There is a good bit of litter (better now than it used to be) and the aroma of stale beer and mule poop, but that's part of the atmosphere. You get used to it.

As Reggiefan points out, the crime problem is mostly in neighborhoods far away. That doesn't make the crime any less disturbing, but it rarely affects visitors. Pickpockets are mostly on Bourbon Street working the crowds watching the flashers. Smart phone grabbers have become a problem, but they are usually caught thanks to GPS. There are street hustlers (betcha I can tell you where you got them shoes) but thay are just an annoyance.

So enjoy your visit.

Churches are architectural gems that most tourists overlook.

Two of the best are downtown:

http://www.jesuitchurch.net

http://www.oldstpatricks.org

I agree with the above comments.

Because of it's size, Decatur is the only street in the FQ that this bus can travel on.

The National Park Service offers free walking tours of the French Quarter, and you can download self-guided tours from a number of sources.

Thanks. It was fun to write.

A Conquest Review In Verse

Greetings, friends, and fellow cruisers, DOD drinkers, chair hog abusers.

Complainers, drunks and steak house diners, Carnival cheerleaders, trolls and whiners.

Early savers, compulsive planners, kids who haven’t learned their manners

Balcony snobs, inside roomers, flamers, blamers, gloom and doomers.

Cigar afficionados (stogie smokers), hairy-chesters, karaokers.

Show attenders, belly floppers, sushi eaters, champagne poppers.

Liquor smugglers, countdown clockers, Carnival cheerleaders, NCL knockers

Early savers, vow renewers, honeymooners, cruise reviewers.

And those who like my wife and me, just dream of days upon the sea

The director of this little cruise will be Calliope, the poet’s muse.

Guide me, Cal, in this endeavor, for many times I’ve wished I’d never

Tried to write a review in verse. (Poetic ambition can be a curse)

And many times I’ve sworn to quit, cursed and said the hell with it

But onward and upward: Excelsior! Maybe I can rhyme just one line more,

And share with cruisers, far and near, on this the worldwide blogosphere

Our happy times, the sounds and sights, of seven days and seven nights

Of bliss.

And so upon the Sabbath Day we packed the car and made our way to the port of embarkation,

To leave behind the daily grind for our nautical vacation.

Farewell dogs, goodbye cat, hello sun-screen and tropical hat.

I have clean undies for a week. Sure hope those Rumrunners don’t leak

Or my stuff will smell just like Knob Creek.

Get a move on, wifey dear, boarding time is drawing near

Time to leave. The ship is waiting. No more of your procrastinating

We are packed and we are ready, for our date with Funship Freddy

Checking in was not that hard. Here’s our docs. There’s your S&S card.

You are almost set to go, but wait! Let that guy take a photo.

Bon voyage! You’re in for a thrill! (But don’t forget to pay your bill.)

A Guy’s burger on the lido deck? Make it two, what the heck.

We’re on vacation, mon ami. So maybe I’ll just order three.

And after the painless muster drill we made a pass by the Mongolian grill,

to sample their delights.

Right on time at half-past one they said our room was ready.

We climbed up to the Verandah deck and met our steward, Freddy.

We gave him a bill with a picture of President Jackson.

He treated us like royalty, to our total satisfaction.

And then just after five, we commenced our trip, upon the muddy waters of the mighty Missisip.

The wife has a drink with a pink umbrella. A beer for me. Just a regular fella.

Our fellow cruisers were the usual lot. Some were slender, most were not.

A few of them were double-wides: the water in the hot tub went over the sides.

Some were quiet, most were talkers, some were young and some used walkers.

Some wore thongs, with lots of cheek. Sorry, lady, but that physique

Just doesn’t cut it and the vote is no on your chubby husbands little Speedo.

Take it inside, thanks a bunch. Rather not see that while eating lunch.

We started with two days at sea, my sons, my daughter, the wife and me.

The skies were blue, the seas were green, as smooth as we have ever seen.

No need for barf bags on this cruise, and we can forget the Dramamine.

Our waiter’s name was Geeno. He was a Filipino.

His assistant’s name was Janni. She was a Pakistani.

They brought us fish, they brought us meat, and othe tasty things to eat.

We of course could not say no, to that garlicky, buttery escargot.

But being a bit of a contrarian, I ordered Indian vegetarian on four nights out of seven

for those who love Indian food it was a slice of heaven.

And bring us, please, for goodness sake, more warm chocolate melting cake.

On morning one the wife slept late but I was up with the chickens

When I tried to awake her she gave me the dickens

So off I go to the breakfast buffet, to bring her breakfast to start the new day.

Some scrambled “eggs”, a slice of ham, some fruits and biscuits with strawberry jam.

A reminder from the policers of bacon that my full allotment I had taken.

Bingo? Asks the wife at ten, and off she goes, she knows she will win.

I’ll stay here and take a nap. She thinks that I am a hopeless sap

So did the wife come back a winner?

Good thing we don’t pay for dinner.

On morning two we slept in late, since we figured what the heck

We won’t get chairs now on the lido deck.

The hogs have been out since six a.m.

Theres a book, theres a towel, listen to the others howl!

But we are happy upon the sea as the sun shines down on wifey and me.

We drank a cold beer before it was noon,

We danced on the deck by the light of the moon.

Thursday night was formal night: we dressed up to the nines.

Enjoyed a lobster tail (or three) and sampled some fine wines

We finished with a cup of steaming cappuccino,

Said goodbye to Geeno and Yanni and went to the casino.

You think you know where this is going, don’t you fellow cruisers?

That we would throw away our bucks and leave pathetic losers.

But luck was with us on this evening so fine.

Wifey won twelve bucks and I won nine.

“No problem, mon!” is what they say in the city of Montego Bay.

We love this place, but our personal fave is the gorgeous beach at Doctor’s Cave.

We took a dip, the wife and me, in the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea.

A Pina Colada for wifey dear, and bring me please a Red Stripe beer.

And before we leave to board the boat, let’s share a plate of curried goat.

At Grand Cayman we snorkeled at Eden Roc. Those big fish were a bit of a shock.

But the locals said to have no fears. They have not eaten a tourist in years.

We saw parrot fish, green and blue, an octopus and a starfish too.

A barracuda lurked nearby, giving us the evil eye (or so it seemed to me.)

And so we thought that it was time to get out of the sea.

A little shopping at the pier, just to satisfy wifey dear.

At Diamonds International we did not bite. We did not purchase Tanzanite.

No Cartier, no Fendi, no Patek Phillipe. I love the wife but I’m way too cheap

To buy you those expensive baubles, cheapness being among my foibles.

Bienvenido a Cozumel! They sure have lots of stuff to sell.

No, gratias, senor, I do not wish to see your store.

You say you have the lowest price, and that your merchandise is nice

In Mexico there is no finah, but that label says “Made In China,”

And, senor, I do not know where I would go, wearing that three foot wide sombrero.

But bring me please, my good fella, a bottle of your finest vanilla.

Then off we went to the eastern side, where the seas are wild and the beach is wide.

Our rental car was not that new. It shook, it shimmied, did the boogaloo,

But got us where we wanted to be, on Coconuts, o’er the Caribbean sea.

We ordered salsa and tortilla chips, avocado and other spicy dips

Coconut shrimp, sauteed fish, and more goodies for my senorita.

And we maybe just to be polite we could have a marguretta.

One last day upon the sea for wifey, sons, daughter and me.

More grilled burgers and a bucket of beer. Disembarkation is drawing near.

Tomorrow we shall surely be back home with our dogs and orange cat.

Not that anything’s wrong with that. Life is good in New Orleans,

But Monday morning surely means

Work, dirty laundry, and worst of all, one choice for dinner. That is all.

No appetizers and no soups to choose. We are no longer on a cruise.

And so, Conquest, we bid you adieu. We hope to be back in a year or two.

But if good fate should us befall and wifey wins the Powerball,

Our very first call will surely be, to our friendly PVP.

That's accurate, but it takes you to the Canival terminal and not NCL.

That would make it an easy walk.

There is a walkway along Julia Street from Convention Center Blvd. to the railroad tracks. The whale mural will be on your eft and the convention center on your right. Cross the tracks and you will be on the roadway leading to the terminal.

You will have to dodge some traffic, since pedestrians are not supposed to use this roadway, but it is just a short walk to the terminal building.

Rouse's is the closest, if you are walking.

There is a place called Vieux Carre Wine & Spirits at 422 Chartres that has a more upscale selection, and is on the way to Rouse's.

Very nice place, great location near French Quarter and short ride to cruise terminal.

Congratulations on doing your homework before your visit. New Orleans is a wonderfully interesting city. Too many people wander down Bourbon Street, eat at a tourist trap restaurant and think they have seen New Orleans.

I have lived here for almost forty years, and I'm still learning and seeing new things.

The Sgt. seems to be AWOL.

That area isn't much to look at, but should be fine for your purposes. Oakwood is close, but you will have to dodge a good bit of traffic to get there.

No flooding problems are expected in New Orleans. The Bonnet Carre Spillway upriver has already been opened, and the Morganza Spillway near Baton Rouge is scheduled to open later this week or next.

What you will notice is the speed of the ships going downriver to the Gulf. Because of the currents, that trip will be quicker than usual.

People I know who have taken the Grayline your have been very impressed with it. You would see a lot if you did a self-guided tour, but would not learn how the levee system was designed to work and why it failed. My neighborhood, Lakeview, is part of the tour. Driving though it, you would not realize that you are ten feet below sea level. The only abvious signes of the flooding are all of the empty lots where homes once stood.

Other areas, like the lower 9th ward and Gentilly are recovering much more slowly. There are entire blocks which are still empty.

Safety isn't a big issue. There is just an awful lot of territory to cover, and it wouldn't be practical to let people get off the bus and wander around.

It's good to hear that people are still interested in seeing what happened to New Orleans. Most tourists come through the city and never see the neighborhoods devasted by the floods, but they are all around you.

There is an alternate route, but it's a little hairy. Instead of walking through the Riverwalk, there is a roadway just across the railroad tracks that also leads to the terminal, but you have to dodge traffic.

It's an easy walk, but you have to know the route, because the Convention Center is in the way.

Go to Convention Center Boulevard and take a right to Julia Street. Cross Julia Street to the Riverwalk and take the escalator. Just across the Riverwalk and a little to the right you will see double doors that open to an outdoor walkway. Follow this to the end and take the stairs down. You will be right at the terminal.

We were scheduled for our third Enchanted Isle cruise about three weeks after Commodore filed for bankruptcy. It was a sad sight seeing her tied up and deteriorating in Violet.

Twice, we were in a cabin with a brass pole in the middle of it. Not sure what that was for, but was an interesting piece of decor.

We often went to The Riverwalk to watch her sail. The ship was so small that we were on eye level with the pool deck, and could hear the band playing and see people dancing as she sailed away.