New Orleans

[E R K]

We decided to go to NOLA when I found cheap airfares on Delta and had a companion pass that I was trying to sell but decided to use instead.

Our flight left JFK AT 8:10am and we were very lucky since it was pouring after we left and I heard other flights after us were very delayed.
We landed and got our car rental (more on why we rented, later) and went to St. Joseph’s Plantation. It was once a sugarcane plantation. This plantation is now the backdrop of some movies like 12 Years a Slave, Queen Sugar, and Mudbound. It was a quick tour, about an hour which was perfect.
We then checked into our hotel, Hyatt Regency New Orleans.  I am a lowly discoverist but  I asked if it’s possible  if we can get breakfast as all we will eat is cereal and milk. She spoke with manager and upgraded us to an executive suite that comes with lounge access. We walked through the very well decorated hotel (which smells great- turns out they have a scent flushed through the lobby vents) and came into our room. There is a sitting area with a partial wall that leads to bedroom. All in all it’s fine but I was hoping for more (bigger). Hotel does not seem Shabbos friendly. (We left Thursday).

Regarding parking – we arrived on Sunday and everyone at the hotel kept telling us that you have to park in a lot. As everyone on DDF has mentioned before, the lots are very expensive. On the Regency website it says there may be cheaper parking in nearby lots so I figured we will scour around. We stopped across the hotel and a very kind lady told us street parking is free on Sundays till 8am Monday. But employees at the hotel told us otherwise. We took our chances and even if we tried to put money in the meter, it said parking is free.  This lady also told us that around the block, there is a lot (Champions Square Garage 1500 Girod Street) that charges $5 (cash only) if you’re in before 9am and out by 6pm. That was a great find as we would move our car in the am (we started our days early cuz it gets sooo hot) from street parking  to the lot and as we went out for dinner, we would be out by 6pm. Parking is free on the streets from 7pm till 8am. The hotel was about a 15 minute drive to kosher food in Metairie.

After settling in the hotel, we went to Casablanca for dinner.  The food is solid. Service was excellent. We got
Chicken Meshwi- 2 skewers of marinated chicken and bell peppers and onions grilled and charbroiled
Mixed Grill Tel Aviv- 2 skewers of marinated lamb and chicken with bell peppers and onions grilled and charbroiled.
Dessert- Chocolate Mousse Cake
Two layers of moist chocolate cake with a rich chocolate mousse
The dessert was very good - not too heavy.
Both meals came with a salad and pita.

[E R K]

Day2- went to Waffles On Maple. There are 2 locations. The one Uptown is Cholov Yisroel. Metairie is Cholov Stam. It was very good. We got a Sunny in Holland and the Sampler which consisted of artichoke and spinach waffle, the Heart Attack, Strawberry Shortcake and Uptown Girl and we shared grits which I did not care for but my husband liked.
We also ordered food for lunch.

We found an online clue gathering adventure. Ihttps://www.groupon.com/deals/viator-deal_option=d7eb3077-9bc5-47e3-9094-948cf6f835f1  It was sort of like an Amazing Race in the French Quarter. Using your phone you complete a series of tasks to get a clue to the next place. It was fun but in the summer - very hot.  Bring lots of drinks and stay in the shade as much as possible. Afterwards, we went walking up Royal Street to the different shops. We Ubered back to the hotel where we unwinded and went to the pool for a bit.
After showering, we had dinner at Kosher Cajun. We had Jambalya which was very good but was more rice then chicken and sausage. It came with garlic bread. We also had grilled chicken and substituted a knish for French fries. Nice size and good. Both meals came with a salad. We also took corned beef sandwiches for the next day lunch. BTW there is CY milk in the freezer of their store.
Afterwards, we went to Harrah’s Casino to gamble. They offer free 24 hour self parking if you get a Players Card and gamble for 1/2 hour. (Though it may come out cheaper paying $10/3 hours then losing!) 

[E R K]

Day 3- we woke up and moved the car by 8am to the $5 lot. We ate breakfast in the Regency Club. We asked to see the packages of the bagels and it had OU and there was Philadelphia cream cheese and Kosher butter and jelly. In addition, there was cereal,  milk, fruit and coffee.
We decided to go to Mardi Gras World. There is a free shuttle that picks you up from various locations so our concierge told us where to go and they called and the air conditioned shuttle came. After a few stops we came to the warehouse where most of the floats from Mardi Gras are made. There are some costumes the guests can try on and take pictures and then there is a 14 minute movie that tells the history of Mardi Gras and then there was a tour. The whole thing was about 1 - 1 1/2 hours. The place is amazing! The detail and craftsmanship of the floats is spectacular . Definitely a must see after going to WWII Museum (see below).

After, we decided to see the Garden District. We took the St. Charles Streetcar which is the oldest streetcar and is therefore not air conditioned! We walked to Magazine Street and found a table and chairs in the shade so decided to have our corned beef sandwiches. We walked for a few
minutes and decided to just go back to hotel to rest and swim.

For dinner, we went back to Casablanca. We had
Tanzia Fassi- cubes of lamb slowly bakes in a clay pot with onions, prunes, saffron and Moroccan spices - excellent
Chicken Marrakech- boneless chicken breast marinated with herbs and spices then grilled and charbroiled.
Dessert- cheesecake (parve, of course!)
I got the Limonnana drink as I read in a different TR that it was good and it was (it has a lot of mint but it balances the lemon. Delicious.

We were tired (the heat kinda knocks you out!) but we pushed ourselves to go to Frenchman’s Street for the music. But first we had to park car in the street. There was nothing near our usual spot (Superdome and Smoothie King Center are right next door to hotel. I think there was a concert). We drove around and found something 1 block away.

We ubered to Frenchman Street and were planning on going to Snug Harbor as many people recommended but there was great music coming from so many clubs. We just walked the block and settled on one.

[E R K]

Day 4- got up early to move car. After breakfast in the club we Ubered to the WW2 Museum. Glad we came early because you can easily spend hours here.  We bought the Membership which was $50 for 2 which came out cheaper then buying regular admission ($28pp - $2 with coupon). We first saw a 4D movie (Beyond all Boundaries) that came highly recommended (additional $7 charge)  narrated by Tom Hanks that gives an overview. Be prepared to spend hours here. I’m not a huge museum fan but the way they built the exhibits is amazing. And it’s not just looking at artifacts but it’s interactive which mostly held my attention. Most of my knowledge of the war comes from the Holocaust perspective. So to have the visuals to understand what was going on in the rest of the world puts things in perspective.
After doing the main buildings (1,2,3) we ate lunch which we brought from Casablanca. (Shawarma on baguettes). And quickly did buildings 4 and 5.
We Ubered back to the hotel and were too tired to swim so we just relaxed and fell asleep.
For dinner, we went back to Kosher Cajun. We had to try the kosher version of shrimp Poboy so we had that as an appetizer. It’s basically fried fish with a shrimp cocktail sauce. It was very good. We both ordered soups (chicken matzah ball - hearty and very good, and split pea- thick and ok) and both had hamburgers which were prepared perfectly. Instead of fries, 1 order subbed in potato knish.
We thought about going to Preservation Hall for more music but we were talking to the owner of Kosher Cajun for so long  that we were too tired to go out. So we found street parking and called it a night.

[E R K]

Day 5- this is the chill day. DH got up and  moved car and came back to relax. Ate breakfast in lounge and Ubered to French Market area to walk around a bit. Then it started to pour- thunder and lightening and of course we left raincoats at hotel. Since it was a steady rain we decided to go back to hotel and wait it out and then swim for one last time.
We went for lunch at Waffles on Maple and shared a Talia’s Trio Pizza (pizza with mozzarella, cheddar, Muenster) it was very tasty but I felt the crust could have been more done.
Then we were off to Kosher Cajun to pick up corned beef sandwiches for the plane.

[E R K]

Overall thoughts - I’m glad we stayed in HR because the parking cost me $20 total. We still Ubered during the day but a car is a necessity to get to food. And NOLA is a great place to visit if you don’t want to schlep food. The attractions kept us busy during the day and there is a nightlife.
Cons- the summer heat can be oppressive but the shade was much cooler and all buildings are super air conditioned!. Touring in the am and relaxing in the afternoon worked for us. There are a lot of homeless people around.
We did not do any swamp tours because we had already done an airboat tour in Miami and didn’t do any riverboat cruises as we also did that in the past.

[mochjas]

Pictures please! Nice report. I'm happy I didn't buy your companion pass

[E R K]

Too lazy to post pics - sorry. Go and see for yourself - it's great for a short getaway.  I don't think there's a big market for companion passes so glad I was able to use.

[helpyouamdme]

Too lazy to post pics - sorry. Go and see for yourself - it's great for a short getaway.  I don't think there's a big market for companion passes so glad I was able to use.

Too lazy to buy companion passes

[zow]

Thanks for great TR.  I took my daughter last year to visit Tulane and enjoyed Kosher Cajun and the waffle place.   

Random question: if the bagels are hechshered and you have a high degree of confidence that the toaster has only been used for bagels, do you use the toaster? I’m sure it is a AYLOR question and depends on how certain you are about the sole use. I’m just curious about what you and others do.

Thanks!

[ludmila]

Nice report, thanks.

[E R K]

Thanks for great TR.  I took my daughter last year to visit Tulane and enjoyed Kosher Cajun and the waffle place.   

Random question: if the bagels are hechshered and you have a high degree of confidence that the toaster has only been used for bagels, do you use the toaster? I’m sure it is a AYLOR question and depends on how certain you are about the sole use. I’m just curious about what you and others do.

Thanks!

Your Welcome.
Did not use.

Nice report, thanks.

Your Welcome