Heading down to New Orleans for a few days Friday. Never been there. I plan on drinking a ridiculous number of sazeracs and eating beignets and jumbo all day long. But, figuring some of y'all have some advice for places to go. Will do at least 1 or 2 upscale meals and a lot of po'boys and fried dough. Planning on Preservation Hall, cemetery and cocktail tours, 25 cent martini lunches. Any advice on where to go or what to be ion the hunt for? Good nightlife? Music venues? I know they have a Euclid Records the guys from the original St. Louis branch opened, but any other record stores to look for? Give me the scoop.

tanner lived/lived there, but he hasn't posted here in years, to the best of my recollection

mike lives about an hour from there, and he does still post here from time to time

Pleeeeeease pleasepleaseplease walk into some place and ask them for some jumbo.

and pronounce beignets like "big-knees"

Restaurants I've been to that I liked:

Cochon
Cochon Butcher
Peche
Jacque Imo's
Borgne
Luke
NOLA
Restaurant R'evolution
Mr. B's Bistro
Bacchanal
Lolas
Acme Oyster Bar

Music Venues:

Tipitina's
Howlin' Wolf
House of Blues
Maple Leaf
Rock N' Bowl
One Eyed Jacks
Little Gem Saloon
Vaughan's
D.B.A.
Blue Nile
Maison
Spotted Cat

Check their websites for bands playing...if you don't find a specific show you want to see then cab it to Frenchman Street which has a good cluster of clubs/bars that are fun and open and you'll usually find some good live music at one of them.

I bought a few good things at Euclid earlier in the month when I was there. Louisiana Music Factory is a big store with good instore concerts and a large selection of local music but they have a pretty limited used vinyl selection. I drove by a divey little store - Domino Sound -- which looked great from the outside but didn't have time to stop or return. I remember seeing a really old Irma Thomas album in the window and they are supposed to have a very good reggae selection. You can buy vinyl at Preservation Hall too. I snagged a couple of albums they found in their archives from the 60's when I was there. I would have liked to have found time to do more digging but it was a short and busy trip.

Have fun. It's a great city.

Damn, sounds like i need more than 5 days for all that. Especially if I eat too much Big Knees and Jumbo and need a nap.

Thanks for the suggestions. Girl I'm going with has a friend down there and I may have to be super nice and let them have girls day out... In other words, I should be able to free up most of a day to wander around record stores for several hours.

Sounds pretty awesome, actually. I'd kill to be able to stroll around NO for a whole day, alone.

If you've never been, then you have to go to Bourbon St. It's a rite of passage. 99% of it is absolute trash but there is a certain charm in the hedonism of it all. The most touristy of which is Pat O'Briens but I've always enjoyed their back courtyard which is really nice on a pretty day. Go to Café Du Monde, do the whole beignets thing, etc.

For my money the best places in the Quarter to eat are Galatoires , Brennan's, Restaurant August, but those are super high end (I think you even need a jacket at Galatoires). Acme Oyster is a staple also just to destroy some oysters and drink cheap beer. Long lines that move quick. Always a line outside.

Go to the Napoleon House for a Pimm's Cup. Hit the Carousel Bar at the Hotel Monteleone.

The best plan for the Quarter is ALWAYS to just get a "big ass" beer on the street and wander around.

Another recommendation I'd make would be to go to Uptown. Completely different vibe and way more local. You can take a roadie on the St Charles streetcar from the Quarter to the Carrolton St neighborhood. Get off at Oak St. A fine evening would be:

1) Go to Oak St Wine Bar or Ale. They are attached to each other. One is a wine joint, the other a craft beer spot.
2) Get dinner at Jacque-Imo's (as mentioned by Billy)
3) After dinner, go to The Maple Leaf - legit NOLA local bands playing every night

All of those are very close and walkable. Then cab it home or take the streetcar again. Pretty sure it runs all night.

Have fun!

There is a time I would have wholeheartedly agreed about this but that time has past. 99% is a low estimate of the absolute trash. Its mostly bad restaurants, terrible bars hawking bad sugar laden drinks, gross strip clubs, and touristy shops selling trashy tshirts and beads and the worst smell imaginable. I feel the same way about it that I feel about the touristy sections of Hollywood Boulevard -- do a quick "check the box" visit if you want but don't spend more than 20 minutes doing so. It seems like they've made some effort in the last couple of years to clean it up a bit. It feels safer -- no pickpockets, more police on horses, etc but it's lost some of the hedonistic charm while maintaining all of the trashiness in the process. I don't think I witnessed anyone earning their beads the last couple of years for example.

Jacque Imo's is great but be prepared for a long wait if you go. They are very popular and don't take reservations. We had a two hour wait on a Friday night for a table this year. It was jazzfest weekend so it might not be that long on a normal weekend but keep that in mind.

I'm sure I'll pass through Bourbon Street on my way somewhere, that will likely be enough.

And a streetcar ride sounds fun.

Did you find time to do any record shopping and if so any stores you recommend?

Oh, he in jail.

Nope, made it back alive. Cochon was delicious, both the restaurant and the butcher shop as was Sylvain's (best brunch with milk punch which I know love) and La Petite Grocery (Four of us basically ordered one of every small plate on the menu and nothing was bad, the short rib was fantastic). Antoine's was nice for some old school flavor at one brunch. I drank my weight in whiskey in several fancy hotel bars but avoided Bourbon Street outside strolling past on my way elsewhere, spent time on Decatur and Frenchman streets seeing some good funk bands, did Preservation Hall, found Kermit Ruffin's bar in the Treme, went through Uptown, Garden District. Saw a fun DJ spin at Hi Ho Lounge, where the decorations consisted of paintings of asses covering one wall. The bus that drives around town playing bounce music and girls get out and shake it every few block we dubbed the Booty Bus and was fantastic. Got a ride to the outskirts of town for some boiled crawfish and gumbo. Ate too many beignets at Cafe Du Monde, or just the right amount, not sure. And yeah, get there late enough and it's not so crowded. The Cemetery tour was really interesting. Was able to stop in Memphis on the way to tour Sun, Stax on the way back, eat some BBQ.

All in all a really good trip that I expect to make again someday. Thanks for all the suggestions and advice. Nothing mention that I got around to was bad at all. Great city and way more things to do than time.

OH... and Domino Sound was a good shop, small selection but quality, picked up some reggae singles there and a copy of Yusef Lateef's Eastern Sounds. They're cash only. Euclid has a fun section of local 45s, picked up some old blues and R&B singles there, but lots priced out of my range for stuff I don't know too well. Pretty good sized, not much different than the one here in St. Louis outside the singles, which is a compliment. And Louisiana Music Factory has a fair amount of small runn local stuff, picked up a couple unknown gospel albums and a few more singles there, but outside the local stuff nothing to write home about, really. Decent amount of new reissues but fairly small and random used section. Those are the only ones I got to, but they're all worth a stop for sure. Grabbed a Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers 78 at a thrift shop as well for good measure.

Gonna make up a mix tape with all the singles.