Travel Thread

[shafnutz05]

Don't go to Cafe Du Monde. But if you must..... Jax brewery is just across the park. And there are often buskers there, so that's fun.

My wife really wants to go there. Is there a better spot nearby for beignets? Cafe Beignet looks promising. I'd rather avoid the tourist trap if they are overrated.

[tifosi77]

The main location on Jackson Square is usually swamped with tourists. A random Wednesday will probably mitigate that, but there's another CdM location down river in the mall south of Spanish Plaza. If just going to CdM is what your wife is after, go there. If she's insistent on going to the OG location, I wish you luck. I believe there's another beignet place in the Jax building, which is like 200 feet from CdM.

(Actually, it's not that bad, and CdM is one of the few touristy places in NOLA that actually has some cred amongst locals as well.)

[blackjack68]

The one in the Jax building is a Cafe Beignet location.

Cafe duMonde is worth hitting at least once and if there is a line, it goes quickly. Then go across the street and walk inside the park at Jackson Square.

[DigitalGypsy66]

Yeah, you have to go to Cafe Du Monde in Jackson Square. Always a line, but worth it for the experience.

[iamjs]

Back in Vegas again. Hitting the neon museum tonight and supposedly going to a speakeasy shortly after. They wouldn't let me made a reservation for one, so I had to lie be creative and say I had a date that doesn't drink. Said date also won't be showing later, so I'm unsure how its gonna play out.

Friday night I'm hitting the VGK/Sharks game but should probably find something to do on that side of the strip beforehand.

[tifosi77]

If you go to the Mob Museum you might meet my father-in-law. He's a volunteer tour guide.

[MalkinIsMyHomeboy]

Booking a trip to Australia/NZ for August. probably going to do 5-6 days in Aus and 9-10 in NZ

right now I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to do while in Australia. I really want to go to the outback (or at least something close to it since I won't know what the true outback is anyway). My current thinking is fly to Adelaide from Sydney (I'm flying into Sydney originally) and then drive a few hours Northeast of Adelaide

Is there a better way to do this? I don't have a particular interest in seeing anything specific like Uluru. I really just want to go out in the middle of nowhere and chill with some kangaroos

[tifosi77]

I'm jealous, Oz is definitely a bucket list visit for me.

[MalkinIsMyHomeboy]

I'm jealous, Oz is definitely a bucket list visit for me.

I'm not paying a dime for the flight to Oz (well other than taxes). The Citi American Airlines card had a 60k mile bonus and I racked up 20k miles for the requisite 80k total

Also the flight from Oz to NZ is only around $200 which I can pay fully using my cash back cards unused reward

[Gaucho]

I'd probably drive down the coast to Melbourne, then back to Sydney via the Alps and the outback. I've never been there, though, so I don't know if it's feasible.

[iamjs]

If you go to the Mob Museum you might meet my father-in-law. He's a volunteer tour guide.

I should have asked for more info beforehand. I ended up doing the all-access but ended up doing the tour self-guided.

[willeyeam]

Booking a trip to Australia/NZ for August. probably going to do 5-6 days in Aus and 9-10 in NZ

right now I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to do while in Australia. I really want to go to the outback (or at least something close to it since I won't know what the true outback is anyway). My current thinking is fly to Adelaide from Sydney (I'm flying into Sydney originally) and then drive a few hours Northeast of Adelaide

Is there a better way to do this? I don't have a particular interest in seeing anything specific like Uluru. I really just want to go out in the middle of nowhere and chill with some kangaroos

I will post a response with more details tomorrow evening. If I forget please @ me. I've been to pretty much everywhere on the east coast. I haven't done the outback and quite honestly I'm not sure I'd recommend that if you only have a week

[willeyeam]

Is anyone traveling with you

[MalkinIsMyHomeboy]

Nope just me

[tifosi77]

Then I'd say you definitely don't want to do the Outback. lol

[tifosi77]

If you go to the Mob Museum you might meet my father-in-law. He's a volunteer tour guide.

I should have asked for more info beforehand. I ended up doing the all-access but ended up doing the tour self-guided.

If he was there, chances are he was wearing a USMC hat. 5'10"or so, wispy gray hair and goatee. Sorta high pitched voice. Guy's a legit superhero imo.

[NTP66]

I'm jealous, Oz is definitely a bucket list visit for me.

I'm not paying a dime for the flight to Oz (well other than taxes). The Citi American Airlines card had a 60k mile bonus and I racked up 20k miles for the requisite 80k total

Also the flight from Oz to NZ is only around $200 which I can pay fully using my cash back cards unused reward

Pro tip: Those cards are churnable as hell (via targeted mailers), if you ever intend on going that route.

Also, I don't think any trip to that region could ever be complete without a tour of the Great Barrier Reef.

[MalkinIsMyHomeboy]

I'm jealous, Oz is definitely a bucket list visit for me.

I'm not paying a dime for the flight to Oz (well other than taxes). The Citi American Airlines card had a 60k mile bonus and I racked up 20k miles for the requisite 80k total

Also the flight from Oz to NZ is only around $200 which I can pay fully using my cash back cards unused reward

Pro tip: Those cards are churnable as hell (via targeted mailers), if you ever intend on going that route.

yeah, I read a lot about that online but I don't have the interest right now to focus on it. Maybe in the future but to me that all seems like a headache and I don't want to risk trashing my credit

Also, I don't think any trip to that region could ever be complete without a tour of the Great Barrier Reef.

yeah it's tough because there is so much in both countries I want to see and I'll be taking off like 2 and a half weeks from work. I'm not sure if/when I'll get another opportunity to do this trip and I don't want to not do it because I won't have enough time for everything...if that makes any sense.

[NTP66]

Also, I don't think any trip to that region could ever be complete without a tour of the Great Barrier Reef.

yeah it's tough because there is so much in both countries I want to see and I'll be taking off like 2 and a half weeks from work. I'm not sure if/when I'll get another opportunity to do this trip and I don't want to not do it because I won't have enough time for everything...if that makes any sense.

That's how I'd view it, as well. I plan on going to Australia in the next 5-6 years, and will be doing everything that is on my bucket list (white shark cage diving and the GBR) because I have no idea if that will be the only time I ever visit the area. It all depends on your preferences, really. I would do those two things before I would consider anything outback-related.

[MalkinIsMyHomeboy]

Also, I don't think any trip to that region could ever be complete without a tour of the Great Barrier Reef.

yeah it's tough because there is so much in both countries I want to see and I'll be taking off like 2 and a half weeks from work. I'm not sure if/when I'll get another opportunity to do this trip and I don't want to not do it because I won't have enough time for everything...if that makes any sense.

That's how I'd view it, as well. I plan on going to Australia in the next 5-6 years, and will be doing everything that is on my bucket list (white shark cage diving and the GBR) because I have no idea if that will be the only time I ever visit the area. It all depends on your preferences, really. I would do those two things before I would consider anything outback-related.

funnily I'm kind of the opposite. to me the outback is quintessential Australia

I'm not sure what NZ has in that way but I'll probably end up doing more water stuff there for what it's worth

[shafnutz05]

Cafe du Monde was as good as advertised. We basically just walked around the French Quarter for a few hours. I thought Bourbon Street was gross city... Some cool places, but by and large I thought it stunk and a lot of the bars seemed sketchy. Vagrants everywhere. My wife got the big drink at Fat Tuesday's so she was happy

Did talk to several very friendly shop owners, there are a lot of cool little small businesses around there. Really liked the Jackson Square area too. Was just really unimpressed with Bourbon.

[DigitalGypsy66]

I didn't see anything wrong with Bourbon Street, it looked like a tourist area to me. But I'm used to the seedy side of the south, having worked in downtown Charleston for over ten years - including a lot of early mornings which are late nights for a lot of people.

[tifosi77]

Bourbon Street is awful, and I'm sure I've said that here multiple times. The only thing worthwhile is Bourbon House, which is at Iberville. So it's not even really in the heart of the mess.

The only touristy places that I feel are really worth the effort are Preservation Hall (which is amazing), and Pat O'Brien's next door. The only reason I include the latter is because the former does not have restrooms, and so you have to go next door to tinkie poo poo. And while you're there, go ahead and get it over with and order a Hurricane.

[blackjack68]

Bourbon is indeed a touristy mess. But you need to experience it.

The French Market area/Jackson Square and Frenchman St. are far superior areas.

[Freddy Rumsen]

Something that always gets looked over is the Audubon Zoo and the area around Tulane.