Unexpected Trip: New Orleans Here I Come!

Well this happened completely unexpectedly today but it looks like I will be in New Orleans French Quarter for a few days next weekend. ; I should be there mid day Friday- staying two nights- and leaving Sunday morning. ; I have always been fascinated with New Orleans history and culture- although the closest I have ever been to the city has been killing time in the airport a few times. ; The good news is most of the two days I will have to spend on photography- so I need some quick tips! ; I am very interested in shooting some of the historic buildings- Jackson Square- St. Louis Cathedral- Bourbon Street- and lots of people of course. ; I plan to shoot a lot and really immerse myself in the culture for my time there (not planning on sleeping much...) so any can't-miss suggestions would be much appreciated.

And what gear to take? ; Here is my kit:

Nikon D700
Nikon D200
16mm f2.8 AF Fisheye
20mm f2.8 AF
28mm f1.4 AF
50mm f1.2 AI-S
50mm f1.4 AF
105mm f2.8 AI-S Micro
135mm f2.0 AI-S
180mm f2.8 AF
300mm f4 AF-S

I usually travel pretty light but am thinking the following:

Both Cameras- D200 for Backup if nothing else.
28/1.4 for the Cathedral, Museums, Cemeteries, etc. ;
50/1.2 and 135/2 for Misc People / Street Photography.
Tripod and Cable Release ;

Also- any thoughts on a good place to stay that's walking distance from most things? ; I'm only going for the two nights so cost is not a huge deal.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

 

Jeff - You really can't go wrong with the Crowne Plaza. It is at the corner of Canal Street & Bourbon Street. About 6 - 8 block walk from the French Quarter (Jackson Square, St. Louis Cathedral, Cabildo, Jackson Brewery & the River). From there, you can catch a street car over to St. Charles & ride down to see all the amazing historic homes of the Garden District which make for some Great Photo ops as well. Also, if you are up to it, Harrah's Casino is right at the foot of Canal. If you have time, there's also the National D-Day Museum. The Crowne Plaze has a Restaurant called Dickie Brennan's Bourbon House which serves some might fine New Orleans Cuisine (Char-Broiled Oysters, Raw Oysters & other seafood) & just around the corner is Acme Oyster House. Another option is the Riverside Hilton at the foot of Canal & Poydras (Across from Harrah's) which has Drago's (Another Great restaurant which serves alot of Great New Orleans Cuisine, including the Char-Broiled Oysters). One more would be the Ritz-Carlton which is also on Canal not far from the Crowne Plaza. Either way, you can't go wrong. I have stayed at all three of these fine hotels & loved every one of them. Let me know how it goes. Here are a couple websites for these hotels:

Ritz Carlton:
http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/NewOrleans/Default.htm?utm_campaign=09048&src=ps

Astor Crowne Plaza:
http://www.crowneplaza.com/h/d/cp/1/en/hotel/msyla?rpb=hotel&crUrl=/h/d/cp/1/en/hotelsearchresults

Hilton Riverside:
http://www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hotel/MSYNHHH-Hilton-New-Orleans-Riverside-Louisiana/index.do?WT.srch=1

The Great thing about any of these is that you can catch a Street Car right out the front door of any of them. There are three different lines that the street cars run: Canal Street, River Front & St. Charles. Here's another site with lots of info about New Orleans:

http://www.bigeasy.com/maps/index.html

ENJOY!

 

Jeff,

Years ago I stayed at the Prince Conti Hotel French Quarter. ; It is a small hotel tucked right off Bourbon St. that places you right in the center of the French quarter, which would be great for quick equipment changes. Totally safe, clean, comfortable, and surprisingly quiet in the room. Orbitz is still giving it a good review at a very affordable price, so I would def recommend that. In comparison, I remember thinking the Ritz was a hike.

As for equipment, I would say that the "interesting" streets are narrower than you may think and the buildings taller (the spacious grounds of WDW's Port Orleans French Quarter resort are definitely an exaggeration for obvious reasons), all with a lot of detail that you may want to capture. ; At night a lot of jazz clubs had their windows wide open offering a view of their band, so you might want something really fast for those catches. ; Good luck with the tripod at night--the streets are uneven and so are the walking patterns of much of the people enjoying themselves.

For locations, I'm pretty sure pictures will pop out at you. ; It's a bit like WDW on the details--one my favorite pics from NO was of an apartment address ended with "1/2". ; Talk to the locals about interesting places--probably the most approachable are dusk-time musicians playing in squares or artists down by the water (though in my experience the musicians were more likely to be actual locals). ; I'd recommend at least one wee early morning picture hunt as the sun rises (swap it for an afternoon nap to get out of the heat)--the colors are great, and if you are near bourbon, so are the "morning after" shots

Have a great time!

 

I will also second the hotel Deniz mentioned. The only reason I didn't mention it sooner is that there are so many. There's the Royal Sonesta located on Bourbon Street, Hotel Monteleone, Omni Royal Orleans, Hotel St. Marie, Place D'Armes, Bourbon Orleans & this is just to mention a few. You really can't go wrong with any of these. I live about an hour from the city & have been by all of these places many times. There are also a number of other fine hotels on Canal & Poydras Streets including the Marriott family of hotels, Le Pavilion & others. That first group I mentioned are all directly in the quarter. One more thing, go down by the river near Jackson Square & you can get some nice photos along the levee with the ships plowing the Mississippi.