New Orleans in 2 Days

Whilst my husband was in New Orleans for a work conference, i set about exploring the town and seeing the sights.

Getting Around New Orleans
To explore New Orleans is pretty easy to do by foot, as most of the french quarter, river district and downtown are all within walking distance. If you want to venture further out into the different suburbs like the Garden District you can catch the trolleys, which are $1.25 one way or $3 for a day pass. You do need correct change for the tickets, as the conductors can only give you ride credit as change.

Things to see
My first neighborhood to check out was the French Quarter, which has a few interesting places to visit. My first stop was The French Market. It is an open air marketplace, selling an assortment of things from food, spices to souvenirs and clothing. You can also stop here to have a snack or meals as there are a dining vendors here. After walking through the market, my next stop was to walk down Dumaine Street, which is home to many voodoo shops and museums. I stopped into Voodoo Authentica store to have a look inside, so many different voodoo dolls on display was interesting to see. Afterwards I made my way to Jackson square which overlooks St. Louis Cathedral. Surrounding the square are many small local artists selling there products and in the evening there are many psychics setup doing readings. Across from Jackson Square is the Washington Artillery Park which where you can have a lovely view of the Mississippi River and walk along it towards the Riverfront Outlet Shopping Mall. The Outlet Mall is inside and air-conditioned so can be a nice place to walk around if you are feeling the humidity. There is also a nice food court inside as well if you need to refuel.

Places To Eat in the French Quarter
Willies Chicken Shack: Great place if you enjoy fried chicken. You can either dine or take out. I recommend the chicken tenders, they are fantastic and large.
Pat O’briens: Lovely bar and restaurant, with 3 different bars to choose from. I recommend trying the Hurricane cocktail, be wary it is very alcoholic, also try the jambalaya its delicious and huge serving.
Cafe Du Monde: Best place to try the local specialty of Beignets (fried dough covered in powdered sugar)

Next day i decided to do a self guided walking tour of the Garden District. I caught the St Charles Trolley outside of Courtyard By Marriott Hotel. The trolley ride takes about 20 minutes to travel out there, and you will know when to get off as most of the trolley empties with the tourists but otherwise look for stop named Washington. Once you get off the trolley turn left down Washington and you will reach the first stop of the self guided tour. I downloaded the self guided google maps tour from Free Tours By Foot New Orleans, if you prefer you can opt to do the actual tour with a group, where you pay what you want. The Garden district is really nice neighborhood to wander the street through and see all the different styles of homes, as well as the cemetery which is home to above ground tombs.