We are postponing our annual Blue ridge trip until late summer and the wife and I have a week off the last week of May. I am thinking New Orleans. Whos done it on their bike? How was it? Its only 12 hours from us and thought it might be fun.

 

http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/..._rate_aga.html

 

This is just my opinion and take it with a grain of salt because I hate riding in congested cities on bikes. I live 3 hrs from NOLA, I spent a lot of time there covering the area as a Cardiology device rep and the wife and I visit the French Qtr for long weekends several times a year. I have no desire to visit on my bike, to much traffic and congestion to be enjoyable on the bike. In the French Qtr area parking is at a premium and many of the lots I am not sure If I would feel great about leaving my bike for the day. Your best bet is to get a hotel with secured parking, park your bike when you arrive and walk, cab or Uber. Most hotels in the French Qtr area will offer parking some have on site many are off site, going rate is usually around $40 per night.

With that said the wife and I enjoy visiting the French Qtr and go as often as we can. There are many fears about safety in NOLA but I honestly do not fell any less safe there than any other large city. Use common sense in the French Qtr, hang out in the well lit areas where the people are, dont wander down a dark ally alone at 2 AM etc... On any night of the year, Bourbon and the other streets in the Qtr will be packed with people and I never feel unsafe. You can't beat the city for food, music and fun but despite it being only 3 hrs away down I55 I always opt to drive and leave the bike at home because I know what the traffic is like in NOLA. But like I said I am just an ole country boy who hates ridding in congested traffic

 

We visited New Orleans 2 years ago in the spring on a cross country bike trip and spent a total of 1/2 hr there. With bike and all loaded down with everything we needed for the trip there was nowhere to park the bike safely and sight see. I would not even walk away from the bike to go a 1/2 block to the HD shop on the French quarters. THE WHOLE CITY SMELLED LIKE URINE AND THERE WERE DRUNKS LAYING EVERYWHERE. We opted out of NOLA and headed to Baton Rouge to spend the night.

I think if we were in a car and could lock everything up we would have been fine. Definetly would take the advice and leave the bike at home

Note : We actually were there the 2nd week of May.

 

Rode down there three years ago with my son in law to meet the wives. Parking is non existent unless you get a garage. Traffic was just about like any other big city. Spent four days down in the French quarter right on bourbon st. They let us pick our own place to park and we could see our bikes everytime we walked past the garage $90 for three nights for two bikes.

 

if you go get a hotel within walking distance to the Bourbon St that has indoor, secured parking. I bet the ride there from where you are would be gorgeous!

 

Went as a group from work, Mid-MO, already had reservations in a Fr Qtr hotel so parking was set and only had to walk around or ride the trolleys. Stayed at Dauphine Orleans, very nice but pricey with covered parking. Could stay at one of the Casino Hotels use their parking garage then ride the trains and buses would be as good.

 

Riding across the Lake Pontchartrain causeway during a thunderstorm was pretty intense. But other than that it wasn't too bad getting to the French Qtr.

 

I rode down it once coming back from a trip on the Natchez.

Urine smell, check. No parking, check. Glad I did it that one time, check.

 

We were looking at riding down from PA around the same time, and decided against it for several reasons. But the biggest reason was we were told that even in May the heat and humidity are almost unbearable. Both my wife and my buddies wife absolutely hate the heat (might be a woman at a certain age thing, lol)

But when we were looking we found several places to stay that had secured parking. Our plan was to ride in, and walk, taxi/uber around.

We are going to Nashville instead, will still have good eats and good live music and hopefully not quite as hot.