Get a Shoe Shine and other New Orleans, LA General Tips

Favorite Thing: The tourist guides all tell you to avoid the shoe shine people. And yeah, I guess that some of them could be trying to pick your pocket or something, but that can happen in a shopping mall for cripe's sake. So for about $5 you can have your tired, old shoes looking brand-spanking new. These guys do a GOOD job. They really earn the money they make. Everyone wins. I mean how often does that happen?


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Favorite Thing: The swamp tours are kind of touristy and can run a bit on the expensive side, but if you're never been to the swamp or seen a bayou they really are unique and worth seeing. Usually you will take a bus from the French Quarter (the driver will talk the whole time, asking annoying trivia questions) which will drop you off at a bayou where there will a boat waiting. The boat takes you out into the bayou where you will see amazing trees covered with moss, alligators, beautiful birds, shrimp boats, and local people not just fishing but swimming in the water with the alligators!

Fondest Memory: Schedules and prices are available at all hotels as well as at the kiosks by the river front in the French Quarter. Some hotels may even be able to sign you up for a swamp tour via their concierge service.

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Favorite Thing: La Plaza de España was given as a gift by the government of Spain to the city of New Orleans as a gesture of goodwill and as a reminder of their common heritage. It is easy to forget that New Orleans was in fact part of Spain for 40 years because it's heritage is overtly French.

La Plaza is a nice place to sit and rest after walking around. It has a beautiful fountain which is surrounded by several tiled crests of Spanish origin. It is also right on the river, which makes it nice, too.

La Plaza is also commonly seen in many movies and television shows that are filmed in New Orleans because it is such a nice spot.

Located between Riverwalk Mall and the Aqarium on the riverfront.


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Favorite Thing: When people first come to New Orleans they often ask what the large concrete wall is that runs along the riverfront. This wall is a levy, which is there in the event of a major hurricane to prevent the Mississippi from overflowing its banks and destroying the city which lies below sea level. As far as I know the levy has never been used so no one knows how it will work in the event of a dissaster. Let's hope that we never have to find out!


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