My first trip to New Orleans happened back in my senior year of college. The trip planning consisted of figuring out the dates for Mardi Gras, rounding up a few friends and, well…that was pretty much it.  No hotel reservations, no research on the city, no clue what we were getting into and in the end it ended up being one of my favorite adventures to date.Since then, I’ve been back to New Orleans another 5 or 6 times and each trip has had it’s ups (great food, non-stop nightlife, beautiful architecture and some fantastic cemeteries) and downs (near flood conditions, inevitable weight gain, super-sized roaches and losing friends in the Mardi Gras crowds), but over all, New Orleans is a beautiful city and I keep coming back for more.Over the years, though, one thing I’ve tried to avoid is visiting that city during the summer months. The humidity I experienced in April made me realize that I had no business being there in June. But alas a dear friend and a wedding ceremony had me booking a ticket from LAX to MSY just in time for the summer solstice.

I’ll admit it was hot, damn hot…and humid, but luckily they understand the benefit and medical necessity of air conditioning in most places around the French Quarter. We had an unfortunate situation where the electricity in our hotel was out for nearly 2 days and while i could’t turn on a light or the TV or even take the elevator all the way to my room on the 44th floor, the room still did have air conditioning.  I’ll say they had the priorities straight on that one.

While I spent the majority of this New Orleans trip with the bride and rest of the bridal party getting ready for the big day, I did have some time to run around and revisit some of my favorite areas of the city.  And got to check out some new spots as well.

Lessons learned from my first trip to New Orleans

1. Preservation Hall – a tourist destination, but not a tourist trap. It is well worth the visit. The music was great and don’t despair if you only get a ticket to the standing room only section in the back. That makes it much easier to break out into a toe tapping dance, which you will want to do. And the late afternoon show is the real deal and a lot easier to get into at the last minute.

2. At Antoine’s restaurant the Baked Alaska is not lit on fire…but the Cafe brulot diabolique is. Make sure to order it.

3. You can have a very enjoyable, authentic time in the French Quarter without ever stepping foot on Burbon Street.  Go once..but only once. Its enough for any one over the age of 21.

4. Somehow with the hot humid weather and no specific festival like Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest or the Essence Music Festival going on, I thought things would be a lot cheaper at this time of year. No luck. Flights, hotel rooms, attractions – apparently as busy in the summer as at any other time of the year.

5. Cafe Du Monde is best visited at 2:00 AM when the crowds have gone and a late night snack buried in powdered sugar is just what you need.

6. There are not many places where you can do it in the U.S., so go ahead and enjoy the novelty of getting to walk the streets with a drink in hand. (OK – I may have learned this lesson on previous visits as well).

7. Definitely make your way over to Frenchman’s street.  A great area for live music, drinks and artwork. Definitely worth a walk or short cab ride beyond the French Quarter.