for the record — a lot of the street cars are still out of operation since the hurricane, i believe. i know they've been testing them, but i'm not sure how many are taking passengers.

Nirvana
 

I was there with the federal gov't after Katrina. My partner was a vegetarian, and we had a tough time finding her stuff she could eat. I'm sure a little better now, but still not the easiest place to be a vegetarian. Nirvana, an Indian place at 4308 Magazine ST, was awesome.

i'll have my bike, and i figure i can use my own judgement when it comes down to the sketchy areas. i heard that you can make a turn and it looks like baghdad and the next street it's back to normal, now it's twice i hear it

the real problem is that NOLA doesn't have "bad Areas". It's all bad, with good spots in between.

Plan B is worth doing since nobody mentioned it yet if you have some free time.

what's plan b?

The bike co-op.
http://bikeproject.org/

oh kicka55 i can't check out that site because my job censors every thing but i'll check that out later. thanks!

are they back from vacation yet? it was closed for a bit.

The sign said closed till the 23rd so they should be open tomorrow. I will try to make it, they need volunteers now.

i thought about volunteering over there, but starting next month my free time is going to **** because i'm going to be booking/organizing benefit shows at the green project every saturday afternoon.

Snake N Jakes

Butlers

Cafe Reconcile

Jaques-Imo's (pronounced Jack imos)

All of Foburg-Marinee (phonetic)

Stay away from the Quarter; it's crap.

Enjoy the town!

It's really not possible to say, NO is a patchwork of areas, good next to bad. I lived there in the early 1990s when crime was really bad. I lived in a cheap shotgun on Magazine and Peniston, which was a rough neighborhood full of junkies and prostitutes. A quick walk away was the extremely wealthy street of St Charles. The whole city was like that. Perhaps it's changed.

I've heard Magazine Street has been gentrified, but I'm not sure. Does anyone know?

While you are generally right about travel books, and I take them with a grain of salt, Lonely Guide and Rough Guide can be very valuable for traveling with to parts unknown. Yes, you have to weed through the recommendations to find your personal travel groove, but I wouldn't discount them nonetheless.

As far as NOLA goes, I can't be of much help. I've never actually been to the city when the power grid is on. Though I hear the food is wonderful in general, and I can tell you the people are as friendly as can be. I may go back one of these days just to experience the town when it is up and running and milling with civilians. I'm seriously considering Tulane for graduate work though, so I may be there sooner than later.

My cousin runs a restaurant called Fresco. It is uptown on Maple St. I can't seem to access their site, but here's a link to their menu http://www.zagat.com/verticals/Menu....11313&HID=4656
I don't know if you can eat any of that stuff, but it's good food. Also uptown on Oak St. is the Maple Leaf, a really cool bar, with a good band called Papa Grows Funk that plays there nearly every Monday night. Also go to Tipitina's on Napoleon. I go to New Orleans often and generally feel most safe and "at home" when I'm Uptown. Frenchman is a really vibrant area and I see cyclists there often. New Orleans streets are torn to ****, but if you're careful you should be ok. You may want a mountain bike after a while. What else?...Many of the people there are really friendly and will show you the areas to party as well as the areas to avoid. Just be aware of your surroundings, buy a garmin, and have fun.

parts of it have, sort of, but for the most part it's still the same as always. it's a horrible street to bike on too.

i have three and i plan on using them for some things it's just that i wanted to get the experiences of you guys because the books don't have all the secrets you know?

Talking about bad roads. . . this is what happened to nolageek when one jumped out in front of him.

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d27/nolageek/rip2.jpg
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d27/nolageek/rip1.jpg

xylo- pmd you.

i like flora's cafe(cheap and good falafel), and this amazing thai restaurant (not cheap, but good) that i can't remember the name of.
i'll let you know if i figure it out.

do you mean the dragon's den/bangkok, ot the place in riverbend?

I feel most safe in Mid-city, but that's my home. I love downtown, and generally avoided uptown.

The quarter isn't crap, there's Molly's, the Abbey, coops, etc.

oh, and Juan's flying burrito should have vegan-ish food.

sorry for posting so much; I'm homesick.

Correct. The quarter has it's toursty vibe on in some sections, but it's a pretty big area (relatively), and there are great spots in the quarter. Good food places, good shopping, good bars, etc. Cafe Napolean may be listed in the tourist books, but it's a real nice place to hang for a while in peace at the right hours. And Magazine has gentrefied quite a bit, but it is patchy too. It's come a long way though.

I live in N.O. and rely upon my bikes as primary modes of transportation, including in the rougher parts of town. The St. Charles street car is running only from the CBD to Lee Circle, but the Canal line is fully operational. Bicycle Michaels on Frenchman is alive and well, and one of the employees is a BF member. There are many places to ride and to explore, safely or otherwise, and most of the crime is drug related. Staying away from the drugs and those people into drugs is the best way to stay safe in this town. Although, there are several recent, noteworthy and tragic exceptions to this general rule. I have not had any problems whatsoever, and my work sometimes takes me into the roughest parts of town.

For vege meals, try Bennachin Restaurant at 1212 Royal in the Quarter. The style of food originates from Gambia and is inexpensive, copious, and excellent tasting. Do not be in a rush at this restaurant or for that matter anywhere else in New Orleans . . . life has a flow of its own here and getting in rush over something ultimately is futile and self-defeating . . .

Hope this helps. I am on the streets here at least part of everyday . . . Mid-summer Mardi Gras is tonight on Oak Street if you are here already . . . the bearded oysters will be prancing starting at the Maple Leaf . . .

I respectfully disagree. NO is a great town. The Quarter, however, is beat. Don't waste your time with it. Just like New York. It was cool about 7 years ago, and then there was Berlin and Mexico City. Except the Quarter was cool a long time earlier. Same concept, tho.

There are sooooo many places further uptown. Snake N Jakes all the way, bro. You cannot go to NO and miss that. But do not go before 1am.

I'm homesick, too. Going back for a buddy's wedding in November. Sorry to hear the Trolley's only doing CBD.

And Chewy, I will respectfully disagree with you about the Quarter but also respectfully recognize the issue is one of perspective. You obviously look for something "cool" about the Quarter, and yet, the history, cuisine, architecture, etc. found in the Quarter transcend passing fancies of coolness. If your trip in November permits, try doing something different in the Quarter for a change . . . perhaps visit the Historic New Orleans Collection, for example.

BTW - good suggestion on Snakes. There are also many other similarly "cool" places to try.

We have street cars here . . . not "trolley's"