<p>Yes FC, I certainly get it that there are many “foodies” at Tulane–certainly nothing wrong with that!! If the folks at Tulane are even half as nice and enthusiastic as the bloggers here, I think my son will have a very easy decision to make. We are set for a Destination Tulane date in late March–can’t wait! By the way, my son is a musician (guitar, piano, plays in a band) and we look forward to taking in the live music scene. Suggestions?? Thanks to all for your help!</p>
<p>So many music venues to chose from. On Thursday nights you can catch Kermit Ruffin (he’s a jazz trumpeter) playing at Vaughn’s Lounge. Vaughn’s is in a somewhat dicey neighborhood, so you would need to take a cab there and back to your hotel. And, be prepared to stay up till the wee hours of the morning. Also, check out who is playing at Tipitina’s on Tchoupitoulas, House of Blues, Howling Wolf. You can really just walk down any street in the quarter and follow your ears…there are so many places that have live music. You won’t have any trouble finding a place to listen to live music. I promise.</p>
<p>For great local live music check out the Maple Leaf Bar on Oak St or Tipitinas on Napolean. And if you happen to be in town for Jazz Fest - I highly recommend it. It’s packed with excellent music and the best food I’ve ever had at an outdoor festival. My older son who graduated from Tulane several years ago makes an annual pilgramage to Jazz Fest.</p>
<p>Ok Lew, help a Chicagoan whose DD has Tulane as a top pick. What is the “Boot”? So much to learn!</p>
<p>The Boot is the local bar/restaurant that has been there forever, within a couple blocks of campus. It was there when I was there, right after they repealed Prohibition. Pretty much your classic scuzzy college bar.</p>
<p>Hey big88blue–thanks for the shout out on jason bay and the mets!!! You said you visited…any decision yet?</p>
<p>Yes, fallenchemist described it right…but your DD will see it so pop in for a minute</p>
<p>As fallenchemist said, The Boot is a Tulane institution right along with The Mushroom right above it. Mushroom used to sell Albums, insense and rolling papers. lol Not really sure what it sells now, but it is still there. The Boot is on Broadway right around the corner from all of sorority and fraternity houses.</p>
<p>intereresting side note…John Grisham covers Tulane in somel of his novels…I don’t recall which one, but one of the main characters was knocking down drinks at The Boot. (Could have been “The Pelican Brief”)</p>
<p>Probably was the Pelican Brief. Much of that movie was shot in New Orleans in and around the Tulane/University area. So, it very well could have been The Boot. That’s pretty funny. The Boot was around when I was in grammar school (not that I was actually going to the Boot then, but I had lived around the corner from there). Been there forever.</p>
<p>Phone conversation overheard on the Tulane campus:
“No Mom the boot isn’t where you go for pizza. It’s where you go to drink beer and make bad decisions.”</p>
<p>The last thing DD and I did before leaving NOLA in the U-Haul was to stop by and grab a T-shirt which read “The Boot, where your Tulane education begins and ends.”</p>
<p>Now THAT’S funny!!!</p>
<p>Before it was The Boot, the place was called Eddie Price’s. Anybody remember that?</p>
<p>I’m afraid that was before my time, but I do remember Friar Tucks and then Shannahans…</p>
<p>Mets22: No decision yet, but visiting definitely gave me a better picture of Tulane and New Orleans…it definitely increased the odds of me choosing Tulane…I’m still waiting on a few more schools…but Tulane is definitely at the top of my list…and I’m probably going to go there…it’s just so nice and fits me well…and yeah, J. Bay should help us out big time…I’m excited…Let’s Go Mets! and have a nice trip down to New Orleans, maybe your son and I will be classmates lol.</p>
<p>This is fun!</p>
<p>I think the Mushroom is now a pizza place–isn’t that the little window next to the Boot for take out? And for music, I vote for Vaughns (we usually drive there, just mapquest it and if memory serves Kermit Ruffin is strictly a Thursday night thing) or the Maple Leaf, which is closer to campus. OK I need to go pull out my “Living a Treme Life” CD…</p>
<p>Mardis Gras is the 16th this year. If I fly down there to visit Feb. 4-7 is that gonna be full swing, crazy Mardis Gras? I’d like to avoid that on my first visit to New Orleans (with my mom).</p>
<p>Jack - True, the Tulane Mardi Gras holiday is Feb 15/16 … but Mardi Gras activities begin considerably earlier. For example, during the Feb 4-7 period alone there are 17 parades planned in NOLA:</p>
<p>[Parades</a> & Schedules - Mardi Gras - NOLA.com](<a href=“Mardi Gras | NOLA.com”>Mardi Gras | NOLA.com)</p>
<p>That said, my brother and his wife chose to visit NOLA during the first week of February last year, and reported that while the atmosphere was festive, that it wasn’t boisterous (if you know what I mean). YMMV. Good luck with the trip!</p>
<p>No, Mardi Gras will not be in full swing and you should get a relatively normal experience. Like NewHope says there are some parades but it will be much more for locals at that time. The surge of out-of-towners won’t be for another week. Weather iffy that time of year, but that’s the way it goes. It might be 70 or it might be 40.</p>