<p>My son was just accepted and we are very excited to visit the campus. We live in the NY metro area and would like to visit at a time when Mardi Gras is not in full swing. Any insights would be appreciated. We would like to visit asap. Also, any thoughts on airlines, hotels, restaurants would be appreciated. Go Green Wave!!!</p>
<p>There are a few non stops from the NY area. The best prices have lately been on Delta - but also check Jet Blue. I’ve also had good luck with Air Tran through Atlanta. We like the Embassy Suites on Julia in the Warehouse district - especially if you’re traveling with teenagers - more space and great breakfasts. But it’s a bit farther from campus. You can walk to the street car but we usually rent a car. If you do a search you’ll find lots of threads recommending restaurants in New Orleans or check Chowhound.com. The food is excellent.</p>
<p>we are from Long Island and will be visiting March 22 for a Destination Tulane day. See ya there? (Delta from MacArthur-Islip, stops in Atlanta)</p>
<p>Mardi Gras is February 16th this year. So, if you want to avoid MG, plan on going after that date. Once spring starts, the city starts hopping because the weather is so nice. Depending on how the Saints do, the weekends during the playoffs (which is anywhere from right now through Super Bowl) could find hotel rooms scarce and/or pricey. But, if the Saints lose, then there won’t be as much of a demand. Hope they keep winning, though 
There are only a few hotels that are “uptown”, one being the Hampton Inn on St. Charles Avenue, right along the Streetcar line. It is located in the Garden District and would be about 10 minute streetcar ride. There is also a B&B called the Park View Guesthouse. It is “okay”, but located across the street from the park and about a block from Tulane. There is also a B&B called Terrell House located on Magazine Street in the Lower Garden District. This is one of the nicest B&Bs in the city. The owner, Linda O’Brien, has lovingly restored a beautiful Italianate mansion and the rooms are beautiful. The rooms range from about $135-$185 a night, but the price includes the most incredible, gourmet breakfast made by Linda and parking is plentiful and free. Any other hotels will charge an average of $28 a night to park. I have stayed at the Terrell House several times when in New Orleans and have never been disappointed. </p>
<p>While I generally rent a car while in New Orleans, if you aren’t planning on being there very long, you can certainly take a cab from the airport to your hotel and either ride the streetcar during the day or take a cab if necessary. Check out hotwire.com for rental car prices. I always get my rental cars through that site and generally get a pretty good deal.</p>
<p>As far as restaurants, since I am a local (don’t live there any more, but will ALWAYS consider myself a New Orleanian!), I tend to like the older, traditional New Orleans restaurants. Galatoire’s, which is in the Quarter on Bourbon, has never produced a bad meal, but they don’t take reservations for their downstairs dining room, but do accept reservations for the newer dining rooms upstairs. Also, there is a wonderful restaurtant Uptown in a residential neighborhood called Clancy’s. It is a favorite of the locals and I absolutel love it. Their soft-shell crab is divine. Commander’s Palace (Garden District on Washington Avenue) is also a wonderful New Orleans restaurant. But it is hard to go wrong with food in New Orleans. Even the local “dives” have great food.</p>
<p>Hope this helps. I would be happy to answer any other “New Orleans” questions. I am thrilled that my own daughter will be a freshman at Tulane next year. Just more excuses to make it “home”. Best and congrats to your son. I think that you will all be very impressed with both the city and Tulane.</p>
<p>Thanks to all for the quick response–playoffs and super bowl is a good point–we are very anxious to visit but may just wait for the Destination Tulane day.</p>
<p>We visited Tulane in October and stayed at the Maison St Charles. It is far enough away from everything but close enough to enjoy. The hotel was very clean and the staff was great. No complaints from us. What we really liked was the trolley stops directly in front of the hotel and for $5 you can buy a 24 hour pass. After we parked the car we didn’t get back in it until we started home. Another convenience about this hotel is the parking. Most places charge daily rates and you have to use valet parking. At this hotel they have a fenced in parking lot right next to it just in case you do want to use your car and for no fee. We got a great rate by becoming a facebook friend of the hotel. They offer discount rates and free parking to all their facebook friends. It is not one of the expensive hotels right in the city but it is nice. If I go back I would stay there again. It only takes about 15 minutes to get to Tulane on the trolley from this location. It is located in the Garden District. Several other families that were attending the activities at Tulane were also staying there and were pleased. I hope this helps but be sure to become a facebook friend/fan and tell them you want that rate.</p>
<p>Thanks for the tip on Maison St. Charles. I forgot about that hotel. I will definintely “friend” them via FB to get a great rate. Thanks for passing along the iinformation.</p>
<p>I have stayed at many places in New Orleans, but for campus visits I second cmb’s choice of the Hampton Inn on St. Charles. Because you step right out the door onto the streetcar, you really get the flavor of living in New Orleans quickly, and it drops you right at Gibson Hall. That gives you about a 15 minute ride up St. Charles where you definitely get the feel for the kind of surroundings in which Tulane is located. Then when not visiting campus you are right there in the Garden District and can take a great walk to see the other lovely homes that are not right on St. Charles. Not terribly expensive and very clean and friendly.</p>
<p>As far as restaurants, there are so many great choices. There was an old thread, I will look for it tomorrow and post it.</p>
<p>Good advice on this thread - The Hampton Inn is usually my first choice, but I’ve also stayed at the Best Western next door and it is very nice. Free parking there, too, but you have to park in a garage around the corner which is a little less convenient. Anyway, prepare youself to be completely charmed by New Orleans!</p>
<p>As promised:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/tulane-university/729797-non-french-quater-restaurents-recommendations-appreciated.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/tulane-university/729797-non-french-quater-restaurents-recommendations-appreciated.html</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/tulane-university/400470-good-restaurants-near-campus.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/tulane-university/400470-good-restaurants-near-campus.html</a></p>
<p>There are of course any number of French Quarter restaurants that are famous and/or excellent, which you can easily find in any on-line New Orleans guide. Good luck and good eatin’!</p>
<p>My family is visiting later this month and my daughter will go back alone for one of the honors weekends if she is still uncertain. We booked at the La Quinta Downtown because the kids are bringing friends so we needed a couple of cheap suites. It looks close to the right streetcar line, or am I looking at the wrong one?</p>
<p>I’m from NY and I recently went down to New Orleans to visit the school and see the city and loved it. I went to Port of Call for dinner the one night I was there, and I highly recommend it if you’re a burger fan.</p>
<p>P.S. Mets22 Jason Bay!</p>
<p>Mopinionated - You are at Camp and Gravier, only one block from the St. Charles streetcar, so you have the right one. Just look for the yellow signs that say “car stop” and that is where you can get on. You might have to walk a block, or it might be right there at the corner of St. Charles and Gravier. It will be on the other side of St. Charles from your hotel (the west side, more or less). The streetcars are green, not the red ones that run on Canal Street or the Riverfront. $1.25 each way, exact change required. Have fun!!</p>
<p>All the suggestions above are great. However, you may want to pick some places where students eat off campus to get a flavor of where students go–not parents or tourists. There are definitely some places west of campus (Freret’s) and some on Magazine that Tulanians go to. Do a full walk around Audobon Park across from campus - I view it as an extension of the Tulane campus itself. Also, walk over to the zoo at the south end of Audobon. Look up campus events on the Tulane website for the time you are going down …whether its a lecture, performance, or sports event. The goal is to get as much of a real campus flavor as possible. Maybe step into The Boot…Your kid is going to see it when he gets there…might as well expose him to this now. Sure you can eat at some great fancy restaurants downtonwn…(like NOLA) but its unlikely your kid can afford it. Next to the Hampton Inn (suggested above) there is a good Mexican place that students go to…can’t remember the name. Good luck. Enjoy.</p>
<p>I would recommend waiting for a Destination Tulane date. My D and I did one last year and she came away very impressed. In fact it clinched the deal. PS – April in NO was beautiful. </p>
<p>PSS – I second FallenChemist on the Hampton Inn on St. Charles.</p>
<p>lewmin, you’re thinking of Superior Grill. Great place and students can actually afford to eat there. Also, Nacho Mamas on Magazine for Mexican is where a lot of students, and alum, go.</p>
<p>Dang it, now I’m craving chips and salsa.</p>
<p>There are all sorts of “local” restaurants, some of them dives which, imo, are some of the best places to eat. Frankie and Johnny’s (Arabella Street at Tchoupitoulas) is a local favorite and in April, crawfish will be in season. Domilise’s which is Uptown and on Annunciation Street has some of the best po boys. The fried shrimp po-boy and roast-beef po boys (served hot with gravy) are delicious. It is a small restaurant that is a classic local New Orleans institution. I must confess, it looks exactly the same as it did when I was in high school and that was, uh, 30+ years ago! But, that is all part of the charm of the city. New Orleanians love their local establishments and are loyal to the core.</p>
<p>If you are staying downtown/quarter, there is a restaurant called Mother’s on Poydras. This is technically downtown in the “CBD”, but is just a few blocks on the Uptown side of Canal Street. There is also a restaurant called Jacques-Imos on Oak Street that has great cajun and creole food.</p>
<p>I could go on forever but will spare everybody. How did I get so lucky to have a daughter that wants to return to my hometown of New Orleans and attend Tulane? I am blessed!</p>
<p>Yep, Superior Grill. Although not right by campus, this is where a lot of Tulane Students hang out, especially at Mardi Gras. The place is absolutely hopping!</p>
<p>mets22 - I hope by now you are picking up on the unassailable fact that Tulane and New Orleans and food are inextricably intertwined. There are more strands in that twine, like music, public service, etc. but those three are fused with a nuclear torch.</p>