What is the Cheapest Way to Ride the Streetcars

[sea_u_onboard]

Is there a day pass you can get for the streetcars? Which line would you suggest - St. Charles Avenue, Canal Street or Both?

[zydecocruiser]

One size fits all:

http://www.regionaltransit.org/passes/visitour.php

 

There are 3 streetcar lines including Riverfront.

[sea_u_onboard]

I did do a little research after I posted and found a great map. It looks like we should be able to pick up a pass at our hotel. We are staying at the HI there on Convention Center. It states to get a WHERE magazine to find all the attractions.

 

What routes would you suggest to get the most BANG for our buck?

[steamboats]

Cheryl,

 

If your hotel hasn´t the passes available you get them from the driver on the street car.

 

steamboats

[Kathyh1313]

I did do a little research after I posted and found a great map. It looks like we should be able to pick up a pass at our hotel. We are staying at the HI there on Convention Center. It states to get a WHERE magazine to find all the attractions.

 

What routes would you suggest to get the most BANG for our buck?

 

 

The St Charles Street Streetcar is the longest route and passes through very picturesque areas. The Garden District, past Tulane U, past Audobon Park (this is where the fabulous zoo is located) with the pass you can get on and off, so that's nice if you want to see any of these areas.The last part of St Charles line takes you on a 90 degree curve (called Riverbend) At this stop is the Camellia Grille (great breakfasts, burgers, pecan pie) The street car in now on Carrollton St. You can ride it all the way to the end, then you have to get off while the driver (conductor?) flips the seat backs to the other side so the seats now face the opposite way. The streetcars do not turn around.

 

Canal St is a very busy, very wide city street. Very much like a downtown main street in a major city.

 

Riverside, follows the river. This is good to get you from areas like the head of Canal St the World Trade Center and the Riverwalk down to the French Market. It can save you a lot of steps.

 

With the pass you can transfer between lines. If you don't buy the pass and choose to pay in cash, an additional 25 cents and a polite request will get you a paper transfer from the driver.

 

My husband and I rode all 3 lines, took St Charles from beginning to end and back, then transferred to Canal and rode to World Trade Center, we went to the top for a drink and scenic river views, very cool. We then got on the Riverside and down to the French Market.

 

It took about 1 1/2 to 2 hours to do this, if I remember correctly. It was our plan for afternoon sightseeing and it was great!

 

Have fun, Kathy

[zydecocruiser]

The St Charles line is the biggest combo bang, the other two are more for transportation only. You get diminishing returns for sightseeing after the riverbend (where St Charles Ave ends and Carrollton Ave begins).

 

On the Canal Street one - the newest of the three - you can get to restaurants like Mandina's. At Carrollton and Canal (same Carrollton as above, but the other end), there is a decent sized grocery store (Roberts), or if you take the Carrollton spur, you can get to some huge mega-grocery stores.

[sea_u_onboard]

From what I'm reading about the system it appears that with the day pass you can ride the RTA and JeT - but not SBURT. It would seem to me that the pass would be better - even if we only do St Charles and Canal - because if we wanted to get on and off wouldn't we have to pay the $1.25 each time?? Maybe I'm reading something wrong.

[zydecocruiser]

Unless you are only going to ride one round trip, they are worth it. Even if you rode only twice, it's a push. Plus you don't have to fool with exact fare.

 

I would doubt that they work on any JP stuff and what would you want to see in St Benard?

[sea_u_onboard]

I'm going to run this past my SIL. I think it could be pretty cool. We could just pop off whenever we want and get back on whenever we want. It would be worth it just to not have to deal with the change. I'm thinking St. Charles and Canal mainly. Doubt that we will do anything else.

[zydecocruiser]

Hard to beat the price.

http://www.inetours.com/New_Orleans/St_Charles_Streetcar.html

http://www.neworleansonline.com/tours-attractions/tours/streetcars.html

 

 

No streetcars run along Magazine Street, but it is full of character, characters and assorted hobgoblins. A shopoholic might be interested:

http://www.magazinestreet.com/

[sea_u_onboard]

Thanks Z - I'll have to print this out and take it with me.