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Originally Posted by Oregano
Yeah I hadn't planned on getting a car. Mainly just taxi's unless there was some kind of shuttle like the double duece in vegas or something. Are most of these restaurants the kind of place locals would eat at or are they more touristy? Is there anything in New Orleans that you would recommend a friend from out of town go and do or see? Obv New Orleans is probably got so much cool stuff unlike where I live where there is probably to much stuff to do in so little time. Thx Geaux UL
I wouldn't worry about the local vs. tourist distinction w/ restaurants in and around the French Quarter. Many of the prominent restaurants are local favorites but are also world famous. Naturally they attract plenty of tourists as well. I'm not a foody, so I'm not going to parse between the dozens of excellent restaurants available, but I'll give you a handful just off the top of my head: Commander's (already mentioned, but often regarded as the top spot in NO; critics sometimes claim it's overrated, but that's usually just relative to its lofty reputation), Arnaud's, Antoine's, Galatoire's, G.W. Finn, Drago's (probably the seafood restaurant mentioned earlier, on the river, across the street from Harrah's), Cochon (already mentioned), Mothers... I really could go on for a long, long, time. And this is just in the immediate vicinity. I recommend you google the lagniappe dining guide for spring 2011. It's got brief descriptions of many of the top restaurants in NO, organized by categories (Delis & Cafes, French, Italian, Modern New Orleans, etc.) so you can select what you think sounds best to you from among an excellent selection.
Two things I recommend: First, Cafe du Monde for breakfast or a late night snack. It's so quintessentially New Orleans that it's probably a cliche, but I still always recommend it to visitors. Right across from Jackson Square on the edge of the French Quarter and adjacent to the River Walk it's the perfect location to start a day of exploring the Quarter (or to end one).
Second, Frenchman Street over Bourbon. Some locals knock Bourbon as a tourist trap; I'm not among them. Bourbon is great if you're young and all you want is to get drunk and party hard all night. There's certainly something to be said for that, and I recommend all first time visitors experience it at least once. However, once you've got that out of your system, I think Frenchman is far more enjoyable. A similar party atmosphere w/o the tourist feel. Slightly less shady w/o the strip clubs and pure degeneracy of Bourbon. More live music and fewer slightly too loud DJ's. I always recommend Frenchman to visitors.
Finally w/ respect to safety: Like any big city, NO can be dangerous if you don't know your way around. With that said, using general common sense will keep you safe barring some unavoidable tragedy. Explore the Quarter during the day. At night stick generally to Canal, Bourbon, Decatur and other tourist spots, or direct lines between them. I have lived in NO all my life and have never felt any fear or danger going out in the downtown/French Quarter area.