Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with neworleans

Who gives great vows in NOLA?

mostlymartha — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 11:54:22 -0800

Who should marry us in New Orleans? I read this recent question, but our situation has a few differences. We're getting hitched in NOLA in April. We live in San Francisco, so we're doing most of the planning long distance, but will be in the city in January for face to face meeetings. First, my fiance and I are Christian (both raised Presbyterian), but we're not major church people. Ideally, we'd like a mild to moderate God presence in the ceremony. Judge KK Norman who was mentioned in the thread sounded great, but we're getting married in a hotel courtyard, and I don't know that judges do ceremonies not in their courtroom. We'll go ULC person if we have to, but it's not our preference as my fiance got ordained as a ULC minister when he was a young punk as a joke, so he has a hard time taking them at all seriously. As a final added complication, without meaning to we planned the ceremony for April 2, which is Good Friday. In retrospect, that was a little boneheaded, but we're too late in the process to change it now. This may make it tricky to get an actual minister.

Still, is there a justice of the peace, traveling judge, or minister you'd recommend?

In search of a NOLA floral rockstar

mostlymartha — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:02:09 -0800

Do you have any recommendations for an awesome (but not crazy expensive) florist in New Orleans? We're getting married there in April 2010 and planning the wedding from San Francisco, so it's hard to know where to start. This is the second installment of Beg Askme for Help with Our NOLA Wedding. The first was regarding the venue; we ended up choosing the Dauphine Orleans. Now I'm thinking about flowers. It's a small wedding (28 people) with a small wedding party. It's going to be held in a really pretty outdoor courtyard, so we won't need just heaps of flowers for decoration.

Our tastes in floral design (there's a phrase I never thought I'd write) are sort of contemporary and nontraditional. I want my bouquet to be orange, for example. Our budget is smallish but reasonable for the size of the affair. Any suggestions for a rockstar florist?

What's the best way to teach 8th graders about soil salinity?

bigspoon — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:23:20 -0800

What is the best way to demonstrate to 8th graders the issue of soil salinity as well as showing ways to prevent or reclaim salinized soil? I'm attempting to come up with a lesson plan for 8th graders that would educate them about soil salinity and ideally get them to come up with a creative plan to combat it at least on a small scale. I've read mostly about ways to desalinize using irrigation but if anyone knows about plants which can be used or any other methods that would be even better. The school is located in Lakeview, New Orleans so resources that deal with salinity in humid areas would be helpful. Lesson plan/ educational style resources would be best but really any information on the subject would be appreciated.

Acoustic music in New Orleans?

Rain Man — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:23:04 -0800

Suggestions for acoustic music venues in New Orleans? I'll be visiting NOLA in a couple of weeks and would appreciate some advice about likely spots to hear live music. My tastes run to acoustic Americana, a touch of twang okay, bluesy too, and I already have a basic notion of the more touristy Dixieland scene from previous visits (all of them pre-Katrina). As examples of my interests I would mention the Nawlins-based musicians Mary Gauthier and Anders Osborne (or at least his folkier side). Thanks!

Thanksgiving in New Orleans

batgrlHG — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 16:02:57 -0800

New Orleans Thanksgiving for out of towners? Restaurant recommendations needed! So we're checking out the information online and in guidebooks (and we've been to New Orleans several times before so we sorta know how to get around the place) to try and find a nice restaurant for us and the parental units. Something somewhat traditional - because the folks do like their turkey. We're looking to make reservations now so we're sure to get in - and find that there's not often any info on some restaurants' websites whether they're open Thanksgiving or not. (And I've seen a forum post with "it's hard to find any place that's open.") I'd be happy to call each of the choices - but I'd like to make sure I've narrowed down our options a bit, and get a little more info. We're staying in the French Quarter and would prefer to walk to dinner - but will be going to the Garden District, so we're not completely marking it off the List Of Potential Feeding Places.

So the rundown:
* Should have turkey as an option
* Not too formal (husband should get away without a tie)
* Husband says no turducken (I'd like some, personally!)
* Husband also not fond of drunken frat boys (those are his words, I think he's trying to say we're ok with an adult environment, but aren't looking to eat at the bar)

Anyone know any restaurants that stay open major holidays? I'll be pestering the NO natives from the MeFi meet up to see if they have suggestions - but then it occurred to me that a lot of other travelers might have ideas from their NO trips. Feel free to ignore price range at this point - I consider us to be window shopping before buying.

Er, but no gold plated turduckens.

Why are we planning New Year's Eve this early?

unexpected — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:27:53 -0800

My friends and I trying to plan New Year's Eve. Help us figure out if New Orleans or Miami would be better... Hey everyone,

Even though it's August, my friends want to plan New Year's Eve. We've narrowed it down to two choices: Miami or New Orleans, and we're having trouble deciding.

If you have any experience with either of these two cities (especially around New Year's) I'd appreciate your input.

New Orleans:

Pros:

1) We'd stay on Bourbon St. All the action is centrally located here.

2) Sugar Bowl is going on. It would have lots and lots of people

3) We feel like drinks/entertainment would be cheaper here.

Cons:

1) NO seems to be a lot more "dirty" - especially Post-Katrina

2) There doesn't seem to be much to do besides drinking.

3) Potentially colder

Miami (South Beach)

Pros:

1) BEACH! (Though weather seems to be hit or miss)

2) More glamorous

3) Seems to have more non-drinking activities

4) Potentially warmer

Cons: (Basically the NO Pros)

1) We're a pack of 7 guys. I feel like we'd have an easier time getting into places in NO than Miami

2) Miami nightlife is going to be more expensive

3) Everything is more spread out in Miami - a lot of time in cabs traveling to and fro, no central location like vegas.

So HiveMind, I turn to you. If anyone has experience with either of this two cities (especially on NYE), I'd appreciate the input.

Let me know if you want more info about us, and our tastes.

New Orleans jog / walk trails & a hair saloon

dog food sugar — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 16:51:37 -0800

New Orleans: looking for a hair saloon, places to jog, places to walk. We'll be there for about 4 days and I need a cut and some color. Please let me know if you have a recommendation.

Also I love to walk. I've walked all over the Quarter, much of the Garden District, all along the trolley lines. Do you know of places that are nice for a stroll? By myself or with someone?

And I'm on a health kick. Would love a place I could jog. Where are the trails?

Thanks so much for any and all recommendations. I love your city.

Looking Not to Melt in New Orleans in August

extraheavymarcellus — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 19:33:05 -0800

My erstwhile traveling companion and I are going to visit The Big Easy in the dead of August, specifically the 13th - 18th. What would be some activities we could do during the daylight hours to keep cool and out of the sun and are there still any Goth nights or the like to entertain us after dark? We are pale, Gothy types who have been to NOLA a few times but never this time of year.

New Orleans wedding officiants for the not-so-religiously-inclined?

Mayor West — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 08:41:09 -0800

New Orleans wedding officiants for the not-so-religiously-inclined? My fiancée and I are getting married in April of next year. Yay! We've got most of the planning done, but since we're planning from afar (the wedding is in New Orleans, and we're in Boston), there are some parts that we can't do very well. Notably, we're scratching our heads on finding an officiant that we'd both be happy with.

Our requirements are pretty simple, and I'd love to hear any recommendations that y'all might have for anyone in the greater NOLA area. We're going to be down there for a few days in two weeks, and can briefly interview any candidates then.

Our criteria:

This will be an outdoor, Saturday-afternoon wedding in Jackson Square.

She's a lapsed Catholic, and I'm an atheist who is willing to put up with some degree of spirituality in a wedding to make some interested parties happy. Any mentions of Jesus will make me unhappy, and a complete paucity of religious sentiment will probably upset these interested parties, and generally make her unhappy

My first inclination is to split the difference and find a Unitarian
officiant, but this is by no means requisite

We've talked about writing our own vows, but that's not firm yet. Ideally, I'd love to find someone who has done some really beautiful ceremonies before, and who would be willing to talk with us to figure out what themes we'd like to have in our ceremony.

Does anyone here have any recommendations for us? Thanks in advance!

Boulevards in New Orleans

little_c — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:45:28 -0800

What is the local term for those grassy areas that run down the middle of boulevards in New Orleans? I know there is a term used in New Orleans for the trees and grass in the middle of boulevards, but can't recall it. Any ideas?

Where to eat?

Anonymous — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 15:13:43 -0800

What are the best soul food/creole restaurants in New Orleans? I'm not looking for fancy restaurants, but rather places where anyone can afford to eat and the food can't be beat. (asking anonymously for surprise reasons)

Swoim...swoirm...swoirmm....

umbú — Mon, 25 May 2009 19:57:33 -0800

I have swarming formosan termites in between my kitchen window and the screen. I duct-taped the most obvious openings for them, and turned out the lights. What else should I do before the exterminator arrives tomorrow? I think I've caught it fairly early--this particular swarm, at least--since only 15-20 or so have gotten in the house so far. Luckily, we're renting.

What Church is this?

jefficator — Thu, 21 May 2009 14:07:06 -0800

What church is this in New Orleans? What church is this in New Orleans, sadly close to the interstate? http://maps.google.com/maps?t=h&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=29.943501,-90.077498&spn=0,359.999136&z=20&layer=c&cbll=29.943395,-90.077575&panoid=c788TK2zg2Tf1_TQy4BkAA&cbp=12,11.66,,0,-13.73

Good places to relax, eat, and drink in New Orleans?

little_c — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 09:07:58 -0800

Recommend places to eat, drink, relax, and generally take life slow while on vacation in New Orleans, please! Next week a friend and I will be spending a couple days in New Orleans. We're coming from Chicago, where it is currently 39 degrees Fahrenheit and threats of snow hang over our heads. This isn't a tourist-y type vacation; I just want to spend my time in a constant state of mild inebriation, sitting outside soaking up the sun, drinking and eating good things.

Can you recommend sidewalk or patio cafes where one can sit back and take it easy? Or any other good restaurant/bar with a similar vibe? We're staying in the Garden District, but don't need to stay in that neighborhood necessarily. Also, any recommendations for interesting thrift/antique mall type shops? We are already excited for the abundance of free music at French Quarter Fest.

Thanks in advance!

BSG in NO?

palindromic — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 06:10:29 -0800

I'm staying with a friend who has no cable in New Orleans. This Friday is the last episode of my beloved Battlestar Galactica. Is there anywhere in this city that would show the episode? Bars, coffee shops, gaming stores - I am not fussy, just nerdy.

Cheap neighborhoods in New Orleans?

palindromic — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 14:05:29 -0800

What are some fun neighborhoods to live in on the cheap in New Orleans? I'm moving from Detroit to New Orleans this summer and I'll be attending Tulane (School of Public Health - I hear the university is split in two campuses, and I don't know where it sits in relation to the rest of the city). I want to find a place to live that will be affordable to a poor grad student, one who hates to drive.

I'll be heading down in a week or so to scope out the city. Any tips on places to check out ahead of time would be most appreciated.

And feel free to drop any random wisdom that you think would help a stranger find her way in a strange land.

Gifts to represent ten cities for an anniversary.

librarianamy — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 08:22:57 -0800

Help me distill these ten cities/regions into a giftable essence: Boston, Maui, San Francisco, New Orleans, NYC/Hoboken, Ann Arbor, Toronto, Outer Banks NC, Central PA (Dutch Country), Columbus OH. This year marks our tenth wedding anniversary, and I would like to give my husband something that represents the ten cities/regions that mean the most to our relationship (other than where we make our home).

If you were to give one gift representing one of those regions, what would it be? If you are from one of those areas, what is it that you crave the most when you "think of home"? I'm looking for something meaningful as a gift, not just a symbol of the area (so for New Orleans, I'd lean more towards a good gumbo cookbook than I would some plastic Mardi Gras beads).

I have some ideas, but in some cases we spent only a memorable week there, no more, so I might be missing something really stellar and neat that shouldn't be missed, gift-wise. We lean more to locally owned companies than large well known chains, indie book and music stores more than sports teams, museums more than beaches, and are big foodies. We live in Pittsburgh, so items must be able to be purchased online and shipped within a 2 month period. I'd really like these to be symbols of ten great years with an amazing man, so I don't want to be shortsighted on ideas. I look forward to your suggestions! Thanks!

Plan my roadtrip.

lockestockbarrel — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 16:40:17 -0800

PlanMyRoadtrip Filter: Driving from St. Louis, MO to Brownsville, TX in 3 days. What should we do along the way? My wife and I are driving from St. Louis, MO to Brownsville, TX, leaving on Monday, March 9th. The only constraint is that we have to arrive in Brownsville three days later. However we divide up the distance between the three days is fine.

Because we have three days to take the trip, we'd like to do some sightseeing along the way. As we've never driven through this area of the US, we'd like to see places, do things, and eat things that are representative of the region. We'll likely be through this area again, so it's not a farewell tour or anything like that. We're in our mid-20s and adventurous -- we'd like to see sights, eat local food, take photographs, walk around places, etc., but we'll have a car full of stuff so take that into account.

The default GoogleMaps route takes us through OK (a seemingly boring route) but we hit Dallas and Austin. I was thinking we could drive directly south through Memphis to New Orleans, then cut west along the gulf through Houston. It's less important for us to see Austin on this trip as we'll probably visit there later; it's less likely we'll visit New Orleans from Brownsville.

As far as the driving, we just have to arrive three days after we depart. So we could drive one day to New Orleans, stay one day, then drive the rest the second day. Or we could drive to Memphis, then drive to New Orleans, then drive the rest. Or we could drive to New Orleans, drive to Houston, then drive the rest. Or we could drive to Dallas, stay the next day, then drive the rest. You get the idea. Driving 11 or 12 hours in a day is not a big deal for us.

So:
1. How should we design our route?
2. We have to sleep twice on the trip. Where?
3. Where should we eat?
4. What should we go see/do/experience?

Thanks, MeFi!

Travel package recommendations to NoLa

iamabot — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 22:01:42 -0800

Does anyone have any experience with book it . com ? More specifically their travel packages to New Orleans? So Mrs. Iamabot is looking to fly in to New Orleans from the bay area April 5th to 8th, we've looked around a bit and the best deals seem to be from the site mentioned above so far, but we're hesitant to use an unknown name at this point. We've checked out the BBB rating (A+) and looked around for anecdotal evidence which has been mixed, but the hive mind may have some opinions as well.

Any recommendations for tour companies, swamp tours (airboats), city tours, etc ? Hotel recommendations and anecdotal do THIS, but never do THAT, or go here and make sure you see this, eat that, and experience this are also welcome.

Hive mind, help my wife have a great trip!

Funky N'Awlins tips?

CitizenD — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 14:34:56 -0800

FreakyNewOrleansfilter: I'll be going to NOLA in March for four days. My travelling companion and I have never actually travelled together before (we usually spend all our time in his room, wink wink nudge nudge). I've gotten lots of tips/advice about lodging/activities/restaurants &etc. from previous AskMe threads, but here's the deal: I want to knock my companion's socks off with some kind of truly off-the-beaten-path, even-the-locals-don't-know-about-THIS thing. We are freaky people. I mean that in a good way. :)

We mostly just "plan" to take it easy, wander around, discover things on our own, etc. We're both into alternative spirituality, dead things, history and such -- so I'm sure we'll find lots of interesting things dealing with the cemetaries, voodou, and the like.

We're polyamorous and into some aspects of BDSM. We're not scenesters, but it would be nice to know about any shops/clubs we should not miss.

Since this is our first trip together, I'm hoping I can "spring" something fabulous on my honey while we're there. Any tips, suggestions, advice or the like from you, hive mind? Thanks in advance!!

Heading to NO for a Bachelor Party, what should we do?

JakeTimberlake — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 07:04:35 -0800

Give me your unique bachelor party ideas for New Orleans in late April Hey guys!

So... all of my friends are getting married these days and I'm always the one in charge of the Bachelor Party planning. This time, we decided on New Orleans. We're going to fly in on a Thursday in April and stay through Sunday evening. I don't know much about New Orleans other than the fact we want to stay near Bourbon Street and that I love Crawfish. We want to do some golfing, some drinking, and maybe even some fishing. We'd also like to do any kind of activity that is unique to the New Orleans area. Can you make any recommendations?

Also, there will be about 10-12 dudes (some married, some single), and we'd love to rent a hotel suite/town house for our stay. Does anyone recommend any reasonably priced accommodations out near Bourbon street?

laissez les bon temps roulez

fingers_of_fire — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 20:43:19 -0800

New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Fest logistics questions for a first timer: I'm finally gonna do it, after years of talking about it: I'm gonna go to Jazz Fest. I'm looking for any recommendations in terms of how to make the trip more enjoyable: where to stay? (both in terms of neighborhood and specific accomodations). First weekend or second? (Looks to me like the first weekend has cooler national acts, the second has cooler New Orleans based acts). Rent a car or no? How soon do I need to buy tickets? Any other random tidbits of information that you wish you had known in order to laissez les bon temps roulez?

Help me get the most out of my Southern US road trip.

willnot — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 10:57:22 -0800

I have a follow-up to this Southern US road trip question. My route is firmed up, and I'd like recommendations for anything to see or skip between hotel stops. I'm going to be covering a ton of ground and moving pretty fast. I'm sure that isn't the best way to see the Southern United States, but it is what it is given my time. This will all be happening in early February.

I fly into New Orleans on a Saturday, and will have a night and part of a morning there. I will be returning the following weekend, so I don't need to see everything on this partial day.

Sunday - I've already booked a 1 PM swamp tour to the North East of New Orleans in Slidell. After than I was planning to stop at Bay St. Louis, MS based on aka burlap's recommendation from my previous question. I like arty towns, so that sounded right up my alley. From there, it's on to Pensacola, FL, which is where I'm sleeping Sunday night. Is there anything between Bay St. Louis and Pensacola that I should be sure to see? Or anything in Pensacola that I should be sure to do?

Monday - this is a MONSTER driving day. I need to get to Jacksonville, FL. I was thinking about stopping in Tallahassee for lunch and maybe taking a hike in Apalachicola National Forrest to stretch my legs. Any other recommendations?

Tuesday - I'll be traveling to/staying in Savannah, GA on Tuesday. I was thinking about driving north passed Savannah to check out Hilton Head and then dropping back down to the hotel. Does that make sense? I'm very excited about seeing Savannah. It looks really interesting. Is there anything I should be sure not to miss?

Wednesday - I'll be traveling to/staying in Atlanta, GA. What should I not miss between Savannah and Atlanta? What should I do in Atlanta. I have a friend who mentioned a tour of Coke. Worth it? Or would something else be better?

Thursday - I'll be traveling to/staying in Birmingham, AL. Again, based on the recommendation from the previous thread, I think I'll be spending a lot of time in the Talladega National Forrest. Is there anything in particular I should be sure to see/do?

Friday - I'll be driving back down to New Orleans. Anything between Birmingham and New Orleans that I shouldn't miss?

Saturday/Sunday/Monday - I'm on a company sponsored weekend in New Orleans. Much of my time will be spoken for, but I may have time for one or two major outings. What shouldn't be missed?

Thanks

Where to get hitched in NOLA?

mostlymartha — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 14:11:30 -0800

Where should we get married in New Orleans? Next fall (October or November) the boy and I want to get married in New Orleans. It's just about our favorite city in the world, and since we want fun rather than formal, seems ideal. We're planning sort of a low key destination wedding-type deal.

We're foodies, so the bit that's most important to us is the dinner afterward (we're thinking a private dining thing at Restaurant August). We don't really want a traditional reception with a band and cake and whatnot, that just isn't our thing.

So the question is, what kind of venue for the ceremony itself. We'll be in NOLA in January to do some reconnaissance, and we'd love suggestions for places to check out. Here are our requirements:

-Holds 25-35 people.
-Indoors or outdoors is fine, but it needs to be pretty enough that it won't require piles of expensive flowers (we'd rather spend the money on food). We like the idea of interesting courtyards or spaces in historical houses.
-This is important: won't require us to do some kind of package with a catered reception there afterward. We'd be cool doing a little champagne toast thing, but we'd mostly be in a hurry to get to the dinner portion of the evening.
-Won't cost a huge pile of cash.

Can you help me plan a roadtrip from New Orleans through the US South

willnot — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 08:41:34 -0800

Work is sending me to New Orleans in February. I've never been to the US South, and I'd like to extend my trip with a little road trip to get a sense of what makes the South unique and wonderful and especially photogenic. Can you help with suggestions? I'll be in New Orleans Feb. 14, 15 and 16. I was thinking about renting a car for a week or so and driving around the South.

I have friends who live in Cincinnati, OH, so a route that took me past there would be nice but not 100% required.

I'm flying into and almost certainly out of New Orleans, so a route that was circular is probably best.

I'm mostly interested in Photography, so places that lend themselves to that would be best.

Any suggestions at all are very welcome.