There is a range of resturant selections in the French Quarter, on Burbon St, and just off Burbon St. Be sure to take walk or drive on residential streets in the French Quarter to see antebellum houses. Most are 2 and 3 story houses on smallish lots. The architecture is beautiful. Strike up conversations with the locals. Maybe they will tell you about local customs, for example, 1) a Civil War statute of a Confederate hero mounted on a horse - the horse's rear end point north; and 2) burial practices. There is big bruial problem in New Orleans becasue of the high water table. And oh, the Battle of New Orleans lead by Andrew Jackson was totally unnecessary. That battle was fought after the war had been declared over and the treaty signed. Trouble was, slow communications. The treaty was negotiated in Europe and it took some time (by sailing ship) for the word to reach the front. And while you are there, find out exactly was is "Mock Turtle Soup", that is, find out the meat ingredient of true mock turtle soup. It is a dish that was concocted by the chefs while New Orleans was under seige and food supplies were short. Watch out for the coffee. Many business establishments have 2 coffee pots: One is regular coffee and the other one contains chicory, a bitter brew.

If you attempt to eat raw oysters from a street oyster bar, look for the little black dot on the meat immediately after the bar operator opens the shell. The presence of the dot indicates that the oyster was alive before opening and insures freshness. That dot fades soon after opening, or upon death of the critter. Eating a stale raw oyster is inviting food poisoning. The standard sauce for raw oysters is 50% ketchup and 50% mustard. I learned this stuff from my host while on a business trip to a shipyard in New Orleans about 20 yrs ago. I couldn't bring myself to down a plate of oysters, but I watched my host slam down 6 oysters. Don't be surprised to see policemen mounted on horses on Bourbon Street for crown control.

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Hi, We were there two years ago in midMarch, as part of our sweep through the Southeast to show kids the highlights (not really SE but I wanted to include it). I had been to NO twice before and loved it. I have to say I was disappointed this time. First, to me, The French Quarter literally reeked of alcohol just walking down the street. Rather than quirky or charming or dishabille, it just felt seedy to me. I was looking forward to shopping, but it was wall to wall t-shirts and shotglasses and beer steins, IYKWIM. It also felt a little dicey at night in spots. I much preferred the Garden District for walking around and it had some cute shopping areas. As far as tours, I have done swamp tours three times now. The one we went on this time was the highest rated on TA. It was about an hour away. I didn't care for it at all, and neither did my family. The water is not terribly pretty. A lot of rusty industrial vistas mixed in. They feed the alligators marshmallows to lure them, which just seems wrong. They also show you wild pigs (or boar? IDR) living in the swamp. They come very close to the boat and again they throw marshmallows at them. They are very ugly animals and I don't think they are unique to the area. Not much in the way of birds and only a little spanish moss here and there (maybe it's too early). Much preferred the plantation tours. The homes and grounds are lovely (though when we were there not much was in bloom yet). We had some great guides. We also liked a bike tour we took through the ninth ward. They have a truly excellent WWII museum, but TBH the boys did that while we shopped. If you say NO, people will say Cafe Du monde, so you pretty much have to go. Maybe my tastes have changed but all of us thought it was pretty much a greasy doughnut. But it doesn't matter because it only takes a few minutes and you kind of have to! We enjoyed the restaurants, esp Langlois, and La Petite Grocery. The old standards, IMHO have not kept their menus up to date and are awfully heavy and rich. Be sure to try some alligator! Our favorite part of our stay was actually the charming B and B we took over (it only had three rooms). Wonderful architecture and decor, But you are all set in that department. It's always fun to share a new city with a friend; I'm sure you will have a great time!