trip to New Orleans

[ghostrider]

me & Mrs. Ghostrider are heading to New Orleans for a few days vacation and will be staying in the French Quarter.

Having never been anywhere in the State of Lousiana, I'm interesting in pointers:

# where to go, or not
# what to see, or not
# what public transportation to use, or not
# whether they have goofy knife laws like San Antonio, or not
(ie. can I carry folding knives in addition to my pistol and instead of, in places
where I can't carry the pistol)
# any new info on the 'grey area' of carrying in restaurants that serve alcohol
(the last I read there still appeared to be contradictory info in the statutes)
# any city tours to go on, or avoid?
# how best not to look like a tourist :-)


thanks a bunch

~ghostrider~

[Geaux Tigers]

There are three rules to enjoying Nawlins. 1. Eat. 2. Drink. 3. Be Merry.

[glockstero]

In my humble opinion I would change vacation plans.
New Orleans and especially the French Quarter is a filthy, urine soaked, example of the worst of what Louisiana has to offer. You will be harassed by transvestites to watch cross dressing shows, hounded by drug dealers to buy drugs, and will generally feel dirty when you get back to your hotel room. New Orleans is best seen through the rear view mirror of your car on the way out of town.

[Jim Beaux]

In my humble opinion I would change vacation plans.
New Orleans and especially the French Quarter is a filthy, urine soaked, example of the worst of what Louisiana has to offer. You will be harassed by transvestites to watch cross dressing shows, hounded by drug dealers to buy drugs, and will generally feel dirty when you get back to your hotel room. New Orleans is best seen through the rear view mirror of your car on the way out of town.

NOLA is many things to different people. Glocks opinion has validity & if you/wife are easily offended take his advice and dont go.

If you dont have problems with "questionable goings on" and have a sense of humor & let things roll off your back, in my opinion it is worth going to once.

There is a lot of history, old homes, museums, churches, Jackson Square, Congo Square, music, food, etc. The last time I went I was disappointed because they had turned some of the quarter into the sterile "disney" type venues. Be careful and dont go past the barricades because literally 1 block away & you are in one bad neighborhood. I havent been since way before Katrina so you are probably going to be trailblazing.

The cops are ok,helpful & nearby. As almost everything in the Quarter is a bar and you will be walking I suggest you dont carry. I was comfortable in the quarter & felt safe.

The panhandlers, grifters, cons are plentiful and the waiters will try and shake you down a little, but be cool, laugh em off, and be somewhat assertive and you shouldnt have problems. The tranny clubs do put on a show and they are a little on the risque side. (my goofy bro got up on stage and danced/ pantomimed the song "Who Do You Think You Are?"with them, afterwards they told him to leave his wife and stay with them cuz he was a natural!)

Many times I have gone to NOLA and never hit the quarter. NOLA has a lot to offer & I suggest you check out the rest of the town while there.

Again be advised I havent been in many years and the place has definitely changed since Katrina and remember, it is a big city and bad things do happen. If you go have fun and be safe.


http://www.handgunlaw.us/states/louisiana.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[talltex]

In my humble opinion I would change vacation plans.
New Orleans and especially the French Quarter is a filthy, urine soaked, example of the worst of what Louisiana has to offer. You will be harassed by transvestites to watch cross dressing shows, hounded by drug dealers to buy drugs, and will generally feel dirty when you get back to your hotel room. New Orleans is best seen through the rear view mirror of your car on the way out of town.

NOLA is many things to different people. Glocks opinion has validity & if you/wife are easily offended take his advice and dont go.

If you dont have problems with "questionable goings on" and have a sense of humor & let things roll off your back, in my opinion it is worth going to once.

There is a lot of history, old homes, museums, churches, Jackson Square, Congo Square, music, food, etc. The last time I went I was disappointed because they had turned some of the quarter into the sterile "disney" type venues. Be careful and dont go past the barricades because literally 1 block away & you are in one bad neighborhood. I havent been since way before Katrina so you are probably going to be trailblazing.

The cops are ok,helpful & nearby. As almost everything in the Quarter is a bar and you will be walking I suggest you dont carry. I was comfortable in the quarter & felt safe.

The panhandlers, grifters, cons are plentiful and the waiters will try and shake you down a little, but be cool, laugh em off, and be somewhat assertive and you shouldnt have problems. The tranny clubs do put on a show and they are a little on the risque side. (my goofy bro got up on stage and danced/ pantomimed the song "Who Do You Think You Are?"with them, afterwards they told him to leave his wife and stay with them cuz he was a natural!)

Many times I have gone to NOLA and never hit the quarter. NOLA has a lot to offer & I suggest you check out the rest of the town while there.

Again be advised I havent been in many years and the place has definitely changed since Katrina and remember, it is a big city and bad things do happen. If you go have fun and be safe.


http://www.handgunlaw.us/states/louisiana.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

To each his own...great food, lots of fun...no one is going to try and force you to go into one of the strip clubs or gay bars "against your will"...lol....relax and enjoy the laid back ambience and the live and let live attitude. You will see some characters you won't see at home...that's part of the culture...if someone is soo uptight they can't stand to see anything but just what THEY consider "proper", why leave your home at all. Be sure to take the St Charles streetcar over to the Garden District and spend a couple of hours just walking around and looking at all the fantastic old homes. Some friends were there for Mardis Gras last year and said everything was back to normal in the quarter. As Jim said...stay in the main traveled areas and don't go wandering off the beaten paths and you shouldn't have any problems. HAVE FUN!

[steveincowtown]

me & Mrs. Ghostrider are heading to New Orleans for a few days vacation and will be staying in the French Quarter.

Having never been anywhere in the State of Lousiana, I'm interesting in pointers:

# where to go, or not
# what to see, or not
# what public transportation to use, or not
# whether they have goofy knife laws like San Antonio, or not
(ie. can I carry folding knives in addition to my pistol and instead of, in places
where I can't carry the pistol)
# any new info on the 'grey area' of carrying in restaurants that serve alcohol
(the last I read there still appeared to be contradictory info in the statutes)
# any city tours to go on, or avoid?
# how best not to look like a tourist :-)


thanks a bunch

~ghostrider~

Where to go: Graveyard Tours (tours, not by your self), Harrah's Casino, Walk The Waterfront, Stop at Cafe Du Monde, Take Streetcar to the Garden District, Walk Bourbon Street (but stay in the French Quarter Proper), Rock and Boll (live concerts and bowling), Rehab Bar in the FQ(has some neat local art, and drinks, also is the first bar in the French Quarter owned by a black person).

Public Transportation: Any public transit within the confines of the tourist area is fine. We took the Pedicabs one night because we were drunk as...I mean really tired.

Carry Laws: The laws are confusing and the local police have proven time and again they don't know them. I carried when I wasn't drinking. IANAL, YMMV, etc...

City Tours: Depends on what you are into. The graveyard tours are neat, some of the "haunted" tours are OK...

How Not to Look Like A Tourist: If you are in the French Quarter and you don't work there....you are a tourist. If you are in the Garden District and you don't live there....you are a tourist.

We walked around with our 75 pound dog and no one ever approached us for some reason. The one night we were out without her I just ignored those who did approach use. There are a ton of scams in NOLA, the oldest probably being when you are approached a told "I bet you $20 I know where you got those shoes." Some tourist will of course find this impossible to believe and say "Ok." The person will then say "On Your Feet", and then they may become persistent about their $20 in winnings.

We drove our RV through the 9th ward (heavily armed) and saw the destruction that still exist, and how it is intermingled with a lot of hope.

If you have a car and have time drive to Gulfport, MS. Gorgeous beaches, friendly people, and more casinos.

Good Luck!

[SewTexas]

if you like zoos and such....go to the aquarium! it's wonderful!!! now, it has been a while since we've been there, but I think we've been to it since Katrina...We absolutely love zoos and aquariums and this one is one of the top 10 for us.

[hpcatx]

I've recently moved back to New Orleans. It's an incredible city with a huge diversity of activities in which to partake. Some of the above descriptions of the Quarter, while true, are limited to a few blocks. Meanwhile, the rest of the Quarter is full of historical, cultural, and musical attractions -- for both day and night.

Checkout the WWII D-Day Museum, Cabildo, French Market, and the New Orleans aquarium when downtown during the day. At night hit Preservation Hall or the like for some traditional jazz, the House of Blues, or a place like Snug Harbor. Make sure to also try and reach the Garden District and Uptown; some of the best eateries are also located there. The red streetcars are for tourists and will take you up and down the river front... the green ones will take you from the Quarter and downtown into the rest of the city, where you can do the NOMA (Museum of Art), cemetery tours, etc.

In general, I've even told that the NOPD (especially those in the Quarter) don't care for CHLs. Most common story is that they demand you show a receipt or proof of ownership for your weapon, which of course has no legal basis. It's ashame, but as long as you're legally in the right, you should be just fine. I haven't had a LEO encounter since my return to the city, except for a FFL transfer from a great guy who's retired from the force.

Feel free to PM me if you need more info. Have a great trip!