Do's and Don't's by LT Jennifer Thomas

DO

Café du Monde for café au lait and beignets, located in downtown New Orleans on Decatur Street open 24 hours a day.

Port of Call, by far the best hamburger and baked potato ever, located behind the French market on Esplanade Ave. It’s very small, so during a convention there will be a line, but you can order a Huma Huma or a Monsoon cocktail while you wait.

Audubon Zoo and Aquarium. I worked at the zoo as a teenager so I am a bit biased. It is very nice and you can get a package that includes entrance to the zoo and aquarium in addition to a ride on the riverboat.

Drago’s Seafood Restaurants. Two locations, one in Fat City (located in Metairie) and one inside the Hilton Hotel. They have the best charbroiled oysters. If you don’t like oysters, they have tons of other seafood dishes.

Redfish Grill, Dickie Brennan’s Steak House, Mr B’s Bistro and Brennans’s: all great places to eat, you can’t go wrong.

Emeril has three restaurants, Emeril’s, Delmonico’s and NOLA. I hear they are very good.

Tommy’s has great food and is located across from Emeril’s on Tchopitoulas Street in the warehouse district.

Harrah’s Casino, located downtown New Orleans, has a club/lounge inside and a really good buffet. Sometimes there are concerts, but you have to check the schedule.

House of Blues on Decatur Street has good concerts. It’s a club scene, if that’s what you are into. The food is ok, but I would recommend eating somewhere else before going.

Southern Candy Makers has two locations in the French quarter, they have by far the best New Orleans Pralines and homemade candies.

Popeye’s Fried Chicken. I know they are located in other cities, but it was started in New Orleans by the late Al Copeland and the food tastes way better than any other Popeye’s.

Al Copeland Cheesecake Bistro, located on St Charles Ave. The food is really good with a great happy hour. My favorite is the BBQ shrimp pasta.

Jacques-Imo Café, located on Oak Street off of Carrollton Ave, great food. If you are in the area and if the schedule has not changed, a few blocks over at the Maple Leaf Bar on Maple Ave, Rebirth Brass Band performs on Monday Night.

Preservation Hall located in the French Quarter for great jazz music.

Cochon and August are two great restaurants worth trying, executive chef John Besh, yummy.

Galatoire’s, Antoine’s, K-Pauls Louisiana Kitchen and Tujague’s, all located in the Quarter, historic restaurants with amazing food.

W.I.N.O (Wine Institute of New Orleans) located in Downtown NO on Tchoupitoulas Street. If you love wine this place is for you. Purchase a wine card and you can sample hundreds of wine in 2, 4 and 6 oz samplings. They have a nice menu with cheeses and sandwiches.

The Royal Sonesta Hotel in the French quarter has live jazz seven nights a week; check the website for the schedule.

Snug Harbor located on Frenchman Street has jazz music seven nights a week, check the schedule.

French Market, like a flea market, lots of vendors, tons of items to choose from, open seven days a week.

If cocktails are your thing you have to have a hand grenade at Tropical Isle, bourbon milk punch, Sazerac, a New Orleans daiquiri and a Hurricane at Pat O'Brien’s.

Royal Street has very nice boutiques and shops.

Its crawfish season, so if you can get your hands on some of those, definitely try it.

Po Boys are a must if you never had one. A lot of the places I used to go to closed after Katrina, but I think Verdi Mart on Royal Street is still open. You can usually find a good Po Boy in most places.

Transportation to and from the airport, best bet Airport Shuttle (blue and yellow vans) as a cab can get kind of pricey (I worked there in college). You should be able to purchase a round trip ticket at the airport and call before your flight, at least 24 hours in advance to schedule return pickup.

If you are interested in working out and your hotel does not have a gym, Downtown Fitness Center is located inside the Canal Place Mall on Canal Street across from Harrah’s (I worked there in college). They have daily and weekly passes.

DON’T

Don't travel alone or venture too far into the French quarter. If you are on Bourbon Street and you go past St Ann St, you are heading toward Rampart Street and it's not the best neighborhood.

Be very aware of your surroundings.

If possible lock valuables in your room safe and travel with as little cash/credit cards as possible.

The list I gave is primarily of things to do in uptown and downtown New Orleans. If you have a vehicle and want to venture to other parts of the city, that’s fine just be smart about it. If staying downtown near the convention center most of this stuff is in walking distance or a short cab ride away.

Not too many don’ts, just very practical stuff for a busy city. Overall the people are great, very friendly and you will have great time.