please help with NOLA!!

[girlsjustwannacruise]

I have never been to New Orleans!! I am going to be staying at a hotel in Metairie, LA which is about 15 min or so from downtown (or so i am told).

 

I want to see the famous french quarter, but also want to go to the famous Cafe Dumonde.. I just cant figure out what part of town it is in. I will have 4 kids with me, 2 are teens and 2 are 12 yrs. PLEASE SUGGEST A ROUTE FOR ME to take if you can.

 

1. Where do I park?

2. Which streetcar to take?

 

Please help!

Thanks.

[nchikk]

There is a Cafe du Monde in Metairie. I don't know if this will satisfy your craving for their begniets, but my guess is that it would be much less crowded. Parking would also be much more of a non-issue. This location is on Veteran's Pkwy, a block west of Clearview.

[candfandm]

I cannot help with the streetcar and I have only driven into NO. But the original Cafe Du Monde is in the French Quarter right across from Jackson Square. Here are directions if driving: Take 10 East and right fork to stay on I-10 E, follow signs for Interstate 10 E/New Orleans Business District - Keep right at the fork to stay on I-10 E, follow signs for Slidell - Take exit 235A for Orleans Ave Vieux Carre. - Merge onto Basin St and make an immediate u turn and then an immediate right onto Toulouse St. You are in the French Quarter. Go all the way down and you will hit Decatur St. Café DuMonde is left on Decatur a couple of blocks down but turn right instead and there is a paid parking lot about a block down on left next to old Jax Brewery (now a shopping center). There may be a parking lot down the other way past Cafe Du Monde but I am not sure as I have always parked at the other.

[Becci]

Definitely park by JAX. It's expensive but always been safe for me in my travels. Don't try to drive in the quarter. All the streets are narrow and crowded.

 

Do have the original Cafe Du Monde! The lines are sometimes long but move amazingly fast. Totally worth it. If you keep walking along Decatur past cafe du monde you will come to the French Market. Directly a crossed from cafe du monde is Jackson Square and all the art vendors around it. Behind Jackson Square is the cathedral and as long as there isn't a service going on you can go in and look around. It's beautiful. Also if you want a sneak peek at the ship climb the stairs next to cafe du monde and you will see the river walk and the ship docked. The quarter is one of my fav places ever but it can be treacherous with uneven sidewalks, dirty puddles, and street urchins. Bourbon street is famous but may not be suitable for the younger kids ( lots of nudity).

 

Have a good time!

[hattack]

When are you coming

[GradUT]

We were just in New Orleans a couple of weeks ago. The lines for Cafe du Monde in the French Quarter were ridiculous! Will you and your 4 kids want to waste valuable time standing in line? The beignets aren't good enough for me to wait over an hour in line just to sit at a tiny table in a very crowded space. If you absolutely have to go to Cafe du Monde, I would try the one in Metaire or get takeaway from the one in the French Quarter (which also involves waiting in a line). Or do what I decided to do--buy a box of their beignet mix at one of the many stores in the FQ that sell it and make them at home. They taste just as good at home as they do in the restuarant plus you don't have the crowd or the wait!

[denrusk]

We visited Cafe du Monde twice last year. We drove in around 8 am the morning of our cruise. There are plenty of parking lots close by and very easy to get to and find. If you are going in the morning you will be safe to walk around the area and it will be all "cleaned" up from the night before. As far as the beignets, they are very good. Could you have a better breakfast somewhere else, sure, but the history of that place and the area is what makes it great. We had the same concerns as you the first time we went, glad we did it and will always do it the morning of our cruise!

 

 

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[Jiminy1955]

We visited Cafe du Monde twice last year. We drove in around 8 am the morning of our cruise. There are plenty of parking lots close by and very easy to get to and find. If you are going in the morning you will be safe to walk around the area and it will be all "cleaned" up from the night before. As far as the beignets, they are very good. Could you have a better breakfast somewhere else, sure, but the history of that place and the area is what makes it great. We had the same concerns as you the first time we went, glad we did it and will always do it the morning of our cruise!

 

 

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That is why I want to go to the original. Not just because of their famous beignets which I've heard are divine! We'll be there next month!!