parades
(this is what you come for)
first
download WDSU Parade Tracker App
then
for parade MADNESS, head to Downtown and the French Quarter
or
for less crowded, more family-oriented parade experience –> Uptown St. Charles
but
for a paid experience including balcony seating in the French Quarter, food, drink and bathroom (cost 150+)
bathrooms
(you NEED this)
most likely
around Lafayette Square near the corner of St. Charles Avenue and Poydras street
less likely
along Napoleon Avenue and along Louisiana Avenue at the intersection with St. Charles Avenue
remember
most restaurants and bars close their bathrooms to everyone except their paying customers, but they sell $1/$2 passes
food
(soul in a bite)
what kind
a poboy. have a poboy! It’s a sandwich-type thing with working-class activist roots! Super cool history, so read up on that too
and… have gumbo!
where
Acme Oyster House: Fresh oysters and po’boys
Willie Mae’s Scotch House: Best fried chicken in the city
Café du Monde: Famous for beignets (deep-friend pastry of french origin)
hostel
where
india house hostel. brilliant, quirky atmosphere (graffiti and vodoo, but super clean and organized). CHEAP rooms, although for the cheapest cost (20$) you might be sleeping on bunk beds in a room with ten people