New Orleans Warnings Or Dangers Tips by grandmaR Top 5 Page for this destination

Don't Bring Your Car Driving Review

Basically you should avoid driving in downtown/French Quarter New Orleans. There is plenty of public transportation, and much of the city is walkable.

Parking is expensive - ranging from $3 to $10 for the first hour, and up to $6.50 for two hours in some places. Hotels will have valet parking and a per day charge of $10 to $20, especially in the French Quarter.

Around Mardi Gras time, you also have to know the parade times - as this sign shows (somewhat blurrily as the photo was taken from a moving streetcar), there is NO PARKING two hours before and two hours after a parade.

So you are better off to leave your car at home and fly in. We flew in and avoided the whole hassle by renting a car AFTER we visited New Orleans.

A brochure entitled "Park Smart" shows the location of city parking areas and lots from the Department of Streets and during Mardi Gras should also be available from major hotels.

NOPD tips: "Don't leave suitcases or packages in your car or van, if possible. Keep valuables out of sight. Be careful where you park. Don't park in areas that are dark or deserted. Your best bet: Spend the extra few bucks and park at a lot that has an attendant. "

Phone: 504-299-3700

J. J. Audubon Boat Trip

When we were in New Orleans, there was a boat called the J. J. Audubon which ran between the Aquarium of the Americas and the Zoo.

Unfortunately I think the boat to the zoo isn't running right now. It looks like they plan to have it back in operation in 2009

Phone: (504) 586-8777

Website: http://www.steamboatnatchez.com/

Creole Queen - Only Their Food on Allowed Board Avoiding Tourist Hazards Review

I bought tickets for the Creole Queen excursion to Chalmette to the battlefield of the Battle of New Orleans. The boat was supposed to leave at 2 and we had to be on board by 1:30.

Lunch was available on board for an additional $7@ and I thought it was too late in the day and too expensive for lunch.

What I did not realize was that they did not allow any food to be brought on board, and also I did not know that the morning City Tour would run over.

So I had to bolt my McDonalds hamburger down before I boarded. I ate it in the Plaza de Espana - the first picture was taken from the boat with Bob's sandwich from Cafe Maspero in the corner. It was taken through the railing which has a warning about keeping your feet off the rail (another picture of that in photo 2) Photo 4 has a picture of the plaque in the Plaza.

They did not try to keep us from taking photos (photo 3), but they did make us pose for a photo before we boarded. You don't have to buy it though.

The two boats the Creole Queen and the Cajun Queen are still operating in New Orleans, but at this time they only have a dinner cruise, and a harbor cruise. They aren't going to Chalmette

Website: http://www.neworleanspaddlewheels.com/about_creolequeen.html

No Parking Driving Review

NO Parking
____________
Ordinance 38-239
Prohibits
Parking
On Median
(neutral ground)
And
Adjacent to
Median
Curb
D.S.

Taking Pictures Through Glass

There are several places in New Orleans where the photographer has to deal with reflections off of glass. One is the Aquarium, where you can't use flash without getting hot spots in the picture, and the other is from inside the street cars..

In first Aquarium picture, I tried to avoid the reflections in the glass by shooting from over the top of the tank, and I still got reflections on top of the water. In the last one, I got my own reflection in the tank.

It was cold in December when we visited, so the streetcar windows were closed. Even in the summer, the windows would be closed to keep the air conditioning inside.

It extremely difficult to take photographs particularly through the windows of the St. Charles Ave. streetcar, which were scratched and foggy. Flash was of course impossible because it would reflect off the window. But even without a flash the scratches in the window caught the light and created a fog.

Even in the tour buses, where the windows are clean, on a sunny day, there are reflections on the windows from the inside of the bus.

I've destroyed most of my bad digital photos, but I didn't have that option with the film pictures.

Phone: 504.827.7802

Website: http://www.regionaltransit.org/contact/

Hiding Places Cemeteries Review

Our city tour took us to St. Louis Cemetery #3. I didn't know it at the time, but the cemetery that people usually visit is St. Louis Cemetery #1 which has a high rate of crime associated with it. There are plenty of places to hide due to the monuments being above ground, and then the miscreants can jump out and mug or rob people. Perhaps that is one reason that we went to #3.

I did not have any idea that I should stay with the group to be safe, and the guide did not warn us to do so. But I didn't see anyone there other than our group. So maybe there was no problem, and maybe I was just lucky.

Cold and Windy Weather Hazards Review

Most of the time when you visit New Orleans, especially in the summer you will want to dress for the heat and humidity, bring sunscreeen and an umbrella. It is hot, humid and rainy there.

We, however, were here just before Christmas and it was COLD, and the wind was bitter. I had looked at the weather forecast before I came, and did not think it was going to get that cold, so we weren't prepared for it.

Just remember - it will still be humid and that will make it a biting cold. Instead of going indoors to get to the A/C, you will be going indoors to get warm.

And if you go on a swamp tour, most of the animals (the cold blooded ones like the crocodiles and turtles anyway) will be burrowed down into the mud to keep warm - you won't see them outside freezing their tushes off.

Dress for Weather

I know that when you get onto a boat, the wind will be greater and it will be colder than it is in the city. So if you take this boat tour, be sure to bring at least one more layer than you need for roaming around in the French Quarter.

Drinking Get Arrested Review

New Orleans is apparently a hard drinking town. I was somewhat amused to see this sign on the back of the ladies room door at the Radison/Park Plaza hotel.

The NOPD says: "New Orleans is a 24 hour city with an open container law. The drinking age is 21. The police are tolerant of drinking in public in the French Quarter as long as you do not have an open can or glass container. Bars and restaurants will give you a plastic "go cup" when you leave their establishment. Obnoxious intoxicated behavior and urinating in public are not tolerated and you can expect to be arrested immediately.

"While we want you to have a good time in New Orleans, you must remember that we have residents whose peace must not be disturbed. You can drink in public but you cannot become intoxicated, damage property, injure anyone, or sleep on the property of others. "

I had no idea that anyplace other that St. Mary's County MD offered Go Cups. I don't know what Go Cups in New Orleans are, but in St. Mary's, they are plastic cups with ice, and you get a minature at the drive-in window of the local bar. I suspect that New Orleans go-cups have a cover to them, to avoid the open container prohibition.

Website: http://www.nopdonline.com/tips.htm

Looking Like a Tourist Avoiding Tourist Hazards Review

People advise you not to look like a tourist. I think they mean don't wear flashy jewelry, have a bulging wallet in your back pocket, or carry a big expensive camera and don't go around reading a map. But that's crazy. There's no way I would ever be mistaken for a local, and if I don't carry a camera, I won't have any photos for VT. And I do carry and look at a map in order to know where I am and where I'm going.

But I don't wear any jewelry except a plain gold wedding ring and a Timex watch, and I don't even carry a wallet when I go out. I put a couple of dollars in a calculator, and a credit card in my camera case (or sometimes in my bra) and leave all my precious ID (drivers license etc) back in my hotel. My husband has a tiny wallet with a bunch of rubber bands on it.

NOPD tip: "Use credit cards instead of cash whenever possible. Carry the fewest items possible to reduce your burden and thief's targets. Keep your wallet or purse under your direct control at all times. When using bathrooms, don't put valuables on the floor. When at restaurants or other public places don't hang your purse on the back of a chair. Particularly when traveling out of town, keep a major credit card and a picture ID separate from your wallet or purse. If you should lose your wallet or purse you will not be stranded..Avoid wearing valuable, loose fitting jewelry..If you need information or become lost do not talk to anyone on the street... Report suspicious behavior to the police immediately."

I think though that the best hint to avoid crime is to ask what areas to stay out of and stay out of them (you might need the map for this), trust your instincts, and don't go to New Orleans during Mardi Gras. If you avoid getting falling down drunk, you will not have nearly as much trouble avoiding crime.

Website: http://www.nopdonline.com/tips.htm