Guest post by espencer
Stayed downtown at the Hilton for the first couple of nights for work, was nice to be able to walk everywhere. They had a shuttle from the airport, but it’s about a 25 minute drive to get downtown if you’re getting a taxi or taking a bus (closer to an hour). Then we got an Airbnb right on the bus line about 10-15 minutes away to downtown. The Jazz and Heritage Festival was going on, over 40 stages all over, vendors and performers. Pretty neat, but I would avoid that time if you’re not a fan of crowds.
Things to do
Bourbon Street – weren’t fans. Too many drunk tourists, smells bad, left after about 15 minutes.
Frenchman’s Street – what we felt Bourbon Street should have been like. Lot of bars, jazzy feel to it. Local art exhibitions on Wednesdays.
Streetcars – get a day pass, great views of the river and you can get to a lot of places on them.
Magazine Street – 15 min drive outside of downtown, still lots of good restaurants and bars, less chaos.
French Quarter – pretty compact, all walkable.
Lafayette Square – nice little park but nothing special.
Jackson’s Square – must-see. Beautiful area to walk around, and the St. Louis Cathedral is fantastic inside and out.
Ghost Tour – went through history of the city and classic houses, also pointed out where famous people live, etc. Not too much on “ghosts,” which was fine because the historical points were more interesting.
Places to eat
Meals from the Heart – open air counter, fantastic food. Gluten-free crab cake tacos were so good.
Green Goddess – good lunch, back-alley seating. Really healthy, fresh food.
Café du Monde – have to go here for some beignets (fried fritter/donut-like), does not disappoint.
Carmo – Vegan friendly, south of Lafayette Square. Unique food, best food of the trip. Pulled pork on plantains was amazing.
Traveled in April 2017
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