New Orleans or Key West?

I lived in Florida my whole life so, I'm a die-hard salt life, salt water girl. (and now I live in Eastern Washington State - OY!) :laugh: If your husband is an outdoors kinda guy, I'd go with Key West. It's gorgeous, great places to dine, local shops. With that being said, if you don't have time because of the drive to really enjoy it (FISHING!) ....I'd go with NOLA. I love it there. It's fun, plenty to do, you'll get plenty of walking in also Although, the beignets, hurricanes, gumbo, boudin, and po' boys may negate all the cardio you get while walking. LOL


Either way, you'll have a good time, I'm sure. Watch the weather though, they're predicting a lot of named storms this year. Most of all, have fun with your hubby and HAPPY ANNIVERSARY ! :flowerforyou:

Aw, thanks!!

I live in Florida, so I always watch the weather... I think we'll be safe this early in the season, and so close to our trip with no storms out there at the moment.

The more I think about it, the more I think that more money for less time seems silly. I don't want to be rushing to get there to only have a few hours on the town. Ya know?

If we left for Key West at 5am we wouldn't get there until 1pm, and that's if we made absolutely no stops. We'd have late afternoon and evening, the night in the hotel, then we'd have to leave early Tuesday afternoon to head back home. We'd spend about $100 on gas, average seems to be about $160 on a room (prefer a B&B).

If we caught the 6:55am flight to New Orleans we'd be there around 7:25am. We would have all day on Monday and could potentially stay in the area until around 4pm on Tuesday. Cost.... about $8 on a bus if we choose cheap transportation, or $80 for cabs + $120 for the hotel I want to stay in.

Though you can walk it, the Quarter does get small after a while. It would probably be cheaper to rent a car.

http://www.neworleanscvb.com/things-to-do/

You may like the River Road Plantations. Many have haunted histories and several movies have been filmed here.

http://www.louisianatravel.com/river-road-plantations

and

https://encrypted.google.com/search?q=the+river+road+plantations&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=ro-yUaOXCqKkyQGG4IDgCw&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1600&bih=707#imgrc=_

New Orleans....for the food.

New Orleans is the better destination in just about every way except for water activites. if you are focusing on drinking, eating, gambling etc...go to N.O.


ive been to both several times and both are fantastic.

but since you would drive to Key West why not just go to Miami...thats better than either Key West or N.O.

Key. Lime. Pie.

Good point about the parking. If you dont plan on going to the River Road then forget the car. There was good public transportation and the streetcars were a fun way to get around.

You will really get a kick out of staying in the old Bed and Breakfasts. The surprise is when you step off the busy, bustling street through a gate and find a serene courtyard full of beautiful plants and peaceful fountains.

BTW there are a lot of street hustlers, waiters, vendors, bellman, taxi drivers who will try and shame you into leaving big tips.

Once there were several of us at Pat OBriens and we were drinking at the patio. Every time we ordered a round, we tipped heavy. Once I needed to cash a travelers check and the waiter brought the cash, fanned out on his shiny silver tray in a very forward and assertive manner meant to intimidate me into tipping him. It gave me a big time rash and he tried to stare me down as I took the cash and counted it.

As I put the money in my pocket he looked at my party with his eyes big & mouth wide while pointing at me. (trying to shame them) He stood there a while then positioned his shiny tray to where it reflected the sun in my eyes. I flashed and told him to bump on out. No more tips for him. Later we figured he got well over $70 from us in the 90 minutes we were there. This was in the early 80's so that was a lot of money.

The people are good and you can have a lot of fun with them if you have a good sense of humor. The police are good humored and helpful. The shoe shin boys will get you every time with some gimmick so avoid them. (Hey mister, betcha I can tell where you got your shoes at.... you got your shoes on your feet! Pay up!)

Dont carry a purse, keep one credit card and cash in your front pocket and look around before pulling it out as well as your phone.

Hubby wants to drive across the bridge to Key West. That's actually a big part of the appeal for him.

I would never have chosen Miami as a destination. Why do you say Miami is better than New Orleans and Key West?

that is a cool drive.

Miami would actually be by far the best beach destination of the 3. i love beaches so that goes a long way for me. its bars and restaurants are way better than Key Wests too.

Comparing Miami and N.O. both have great food...for nightlift Miami is about clubs and and great music and dancing. NO is about great bars and music. so there is really a matter of preference.

in general when im on vacation i like the club/salsa dancing type scene more than bar/music scene.

you cant go wrong with any of them...now im jealous you are going and im not lol

You can fly to Key West....

Not sure of the cost, but they do have an airport...EYW

Check it out....not sure where your coming from but just a thought

New Orleans it is!! Thanks for all the tips, I'll be going back through this thread later to plan out more of our trip.

Oh, and I know there is an airport in Key West, but it's not feasible for me to fly there. I'm a bit limited as to where/when I fly. For Key West, driving would be better for us.

I'm not sure what you're into but here's a few more suggestions:

Beer + lunch - Crescent City Brewhouse
Beer + Dinner - Gorden Biersch
Nightlife - Bourbon Street is it
Culture - Walking tours of the cemetaries, carriage rides set up outside Jackson Square and the Cathedral, Haunted Tours and such. You can get pamphlets at any of the information booths around the Quarter. You can also walk from Canal Street all the way to the French Market along the river.

ETA: if you want to go out a bit check out the Jean Lafitte Swamp Tours

Heading to YouTube right now...

I think part of the problem is that I would much rather see New Orleans but I think my husband would prefer to go to Key West. He says it's up to me, but it's supposed to be our anniversary trip this year and I want him to have a good time too. I don't want him to be disappointed that he didn't get to go to Key West, but I would hate to spend more money (because Key West would be more expensive of a trip) for less time at our destination, even though the road trip would be a blast.



I'm so conflicted... LOL

Honestly, it depends on what you want. If you're looking for relaxing beaches and waterfront, key west is the way to go. If you're looking for a culture/history experience with lots of city and night life, New Orleans is where it's at.

There's quite a bit of history and night life in Key West!! I've been to both, and they are entirely different experiences. One thing to consider is safety. I've never felt the least bit insecure walking in KW at any time of the day or night. In NOLA, we had the police stop us while walking down the street in broad daylight and tell us we'd be safer if we went back and got our car for the six blocks to the Super Dome. That was in '02. I imagine it's only gotten worse since Katrina.

Heading to YouTube right now...

I think part of the problem is that I would much rather see New Orleans but I think my husband would prefer to go to Key West. He says it's up to me, but it's supposed to be our anniversary trip this year and I want him to have a good time too. I don't want him to be disappointed that he didn't get to go to Key West, but I would hate to spend more money (because Key West would be more expensive of a trip) for less time at our destination, even though the road trip would be a blast.



I'm so conflicted... LOL

Honestly, it depends on what you want. If you're looking for relaxing beaches and waterfront, key west is the way to go. If you're looking for a culture/history experience with lots of city and night life, New Orleans is where it's at.

There's quite a bit of history and night life in Key West!! I've been to both, and they are entirely different experiences. One thing to consider is safety. I've never felt the least bit insecure walking in KW at any time of the day or night. In NOLA, we had the police stop us while walking down the street in broad daylight and tell us we'd be safer if we went back and got our car for the six blocks to the Super Dome. That was in '02. I imagine it's only gotten worse since Katrina.

I don't get these stories. I've lived here a while now and have never felt scared, threatened or been stopped by the police downtown. Especially in the day time.