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I know there are a lot of you guys from down that way. Here is the situation if the bosses let us go.
Me 33, and my buddy, 40 are planning on going down to see the LSU/UNC game Labor Day weekend (not that its going to be much of a game). Thinking of heading down there Fri afternoon, going to the game Sat and coming back home Mon. Guys only trip. We want to definitely experience the French Quarter, bars, casinos, etc. big time. Esp since we wont have the ladies with us.
So the question is...
Should we fly into NO Friday night and rent a car to get to Tiger Staium Sat and come back to NO Sat night? Or should we plan on spending Fri night in Baton Rogue and then coming to NO after the game? I am worried if we stay in NO Fri night we wont make it to the game Sat! Not that that would be the end of the world.
How far of a drive is it and how much traffic on game day?
Where should we stay? We want to stay in the 100-150 a night category since we will most likely just be crashing but dont want to stay in a dump either. We want to be close to the action aka stumble home distance.
From the airport which is in Kenner and closer to Baton Rouge then the French Quarter you are about an hour to Tiger Stadium on non game days. You will not have too much trouble getting to the game but you may have trouble finding a place to park and the traffic does get bad before and after the game. My first recommendation is to go up a couple of hours early and walk around the stadium. The partying and carrying on before the game is as much fun as the game. I know you are probably not a Tiger Fan but you do not want to miss the parade when the team and band enter the stadium. If you walk around with a UNC shirt on be careful. SOMEBODY WILL TRY TO FEED YOU. No seriously you may get a bit of tiger ragging going on but you'll eat and drink well. While up there go see Mike the Tiger and his facility.
If you intend to get real drunk you may consider a hotel in the French Quarter so you don't have to drive. You should be able to find something in the area in your price range. I would stay away from the buses at night. The street cars are pretty safe but take a taxi if your drinking or walk
I am sure others will give you places to drink, I always liked Pat O'Brien's, it's kind of touristy but still pretty cool. Get a Hurricane. Walk around, listen until you find a band you like and walk in. The Quarter is very walkable. Part of the fun is finding a crowd you like and settling in.
It's been over 20 yrs since I hit the bars, but in the quarter most of the places had a very pricey drink and they didn't like it if you tried to nurse it and listen to the music. They would tell you to buy another or move on. I'm just saying this so you will know what to expect. I don't think there is anything you can do about it. Some of the nicer establishments might operate a little better. The house of blues is there and usually has some pretty good entertainment. It is mostly SRO when a good band plays. There is all the good food you can handle in the area. And follow what Al said.
Mike
__________________ They weren't biting at all.....then they slacked up.
The holiday inn off of bourbon is a decent hotel. If you're hitting up bourbon street at night, I believe that Bourbon Street Blues Company and Razoo's have 3 for 1 beers. True, the first beer is around 7 bucks but still. Bourbon cowboy used to be a fun hung out(its been about a year since i've been down there). As far as casino's in the french quarter, I have never been and have no comment. If you go too far off of the main Bourbon Street area, it can get real sketchy real quick. Use your head, watch you wallet, and have a good time.
I'll be in the quarters in about 2 weeks for a bachelor's party so I'll try to update you more after that.
At the risk of sending this thread to the bilge, every Labor Day weekend in New Orleans is the Southern Decadence Festival which is basically a collection of about a jillion homosexuals in New Orleans and the French Quarter acting , well...like a bunch of drunk perverted homos doing gay perverted stuff in the streets and everywhere else. If you ant gay, drunk, and horny, you will be horrified. With that said, it is a sight to behold, Sorry but that's how it goes. Google it.
Don't get me wrong, you can still go to New Orleans and have a great freakin time that weekend. If you want to avoid the gay guys, just stay out of the quarter at night. The daytime is cool and there are cool places to eat and drink outside the quarter where you can find straight folks. Was there a few years on that weekend with the wife and 4 young kids and it was NO PROBLEM. Had a great weekend. Just remember about the French Quarter at night on that weekend and what will be happening down there.
Just get to Baton Rouge 3 or 4 hours before the game and enjoy. If you get drunk at the game and it's at night, you may want to plan on staying in Baton Rouge Saturday night. The drive back to NO after a night game can sorta suck. Trust me. If its gonna be a day game you probably will not have time to arrive and get to Baton Rouge early enough. Night or day, go to New Orleans on Friday night, relax, eat some good food and soak it up. Remember, you are going to New Orleans. Don't over-think it. Just roll with it.
I didn't know Decadence was Labor Day weekend, but go figure. Shows how much it doesn't affect me. If you need to avoid the quarter, there is still a lot to see and do. And, as mentioned, the quarter would still be cool during the day. Also, you may be able to survive the quarter at night during decadence if you stay on the upriver side. As you go further down, you get into what is known as the "fruit loop". Most of the decadence will be down that way.
You should definitely go fishing. Either offshore or in/near. Come labor day, you can book a specs/reds inshore trip and catch some monster specks out in Breton sound or the gulf out of Venice. If you search "new orleans" on here, you'll find some similar queries as yours and lots of answers on where to eat, etc.
As for the game, I'd head back after, but as someone else said, at night, been drinking, that drive sucks.
You definitely need to avoid that weekend. I didn't realize it was that weekend. From what I've heard they don't stay on just the "other end" of Bourbon during that weekend.
You definitely need to avoid that weekend. I didn't realize it was that weekend. From what I've heard they don't stay on just the "other end" of Bourbon during that weekend.
That could be true. I've never felt the need to venture down there and check.
However, just think how funny it would have been if you had come all the way for the game, then found out it was in Atlanta.
About as much fun as sitting in a bar, getting drunk, talking up some exotic looken gal, get all excited about going back to the hotel room with her only to find out at a very inappropriate time that shes some guy in drag in for the Decadence festival.
About as much fun as sitting in a bar, getting drunk, talking up some exotic looken gal, get all excited about going back to the hotel room with her only to find out at a very inappropriate time that shes some guy in drag in for the Decadence festival.
That could be true. I've never felt the need to venture down there and check.
However, just think how funny it would have been if you had come all the way for the game, then found out it was in Atlanta.
Think about coming all the way to New Orleans, finding out the game was in Atlanta AND discovering the decadence was on.
My sister and her husband came to NO on one such weekend with some of their friends who were a VERY whitebread, sensible Ohio couple only to be greeted by the "festival" in all its glory. They aged ten years in five minutes.
Not meaning to derail this thread,
but I recall other areas where this event is also NOT children friendly,
found out the hard way at pensacola beach that weekend,
halfway through the crowd to the beach with my kids before I noticed the people around me and what was going on!!!
I did not think I was ever going to get my kids out of there alive!!!!
Not meaning to derail this thread,
but I recall other areas where this event is also NOT children friendly,
found out the hard way at pensacola beach that weekend,
halfway through the crowd to the beach with my kids before I noticed the people around me and what was going on!!!
I did not think I was ever going to get my kids out of there alive!!!!
Yep. I live in Pensacola and the locals avoid the beach during that weekend.
The gays are actually not as rowdy as you'd think but are very publicly "amorous". The beach businesses love them since they usually drop mucho $$$ while partying.
The beach has so many more problems when the high school "minorities" from Mobile, AL come to the beach after graduation. They totally trash the beach. Violence, laws broken. A real mess, to say the least.
New Orleans Suggestions 
