Reserved Last MInute Trip on the CONO -- any suggestions?

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AliceIn

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My husband and I are celebrating our 10th anniversary next week, and I just booked us a weekend trip on the CONO out of Chicago. We're booked in a bedroom both ways -- in Room A on the way out, Room E on the way back home. Neither of us has been to New Orleans before, any suggestions on memorable things to do?

Anything special about the CONO? How's the food on that train? Any must-see sites from the train?

We are SO, SO, SO excited!

Also, we booked our hotel through Amtrak. We'll let you know how that worked out for us.
 
The scenery isn't exactly spectacular (basically dark/nighttime from Chicago to northern Mississippi), but I find it fairly interesting between Hammond and New Orleans.

As far as what to do, there are so many options I would have a hard time recommending specific ones. However, as we are on a rail-related site, I'd suggest perhaps riding the St. Charles streetcar line. Otherwise, though, plenty of museums (World War II Museum in particular), restaurants, bars, and fascinating architecture.
 
:hi: Nice get-a-way! During your layover in Memphis (early sunrise if on time0yall will be right next to Beall Street, not time to really go anywhere but you can stretch your legs, be sure and check with your SCA about how much time you have, sometimes it is as much as an hour, sometimes just a few minutes! The swamps in Southern Mississippi/La. can be interesting and the run into New Orleans is through the older/seamy part of the city and then you back into Union Station after you pass the SuperDome. Cabs will try to charge $15 to your hotel, correct rate is $1O, it's a tourist town!

So many things to do, food, music, old buildings. street cars etc. (the day pass on the street cars/bus system is a bargain!).Also the Algiers Ferry is Free, nice roundtrip across the Mississippi! Theres also the huge Harrahs Casino (player beware! :lol: ). Lots of ionteresting tours run by guides etc. but just walking through the French Quarter on your own, going to Cafe Du Monde, French Market, jackson Square will fill your day! New Orleans is the only place where its legal to take an adult beverae to go as yyou walk around the streets (plasatic only!) Id walk down Bourbon Street just to see it, dont want to go into the so called clubs etc.

Also the famous resturants are expensive, there are literally hundreds of local joints where the foods is outstanding and not pricey, go where the locals go! Google up New Orleans info, theres lots out there! BTW, What Hotel did yall book,lots of good recommends on this sight also! Please ask questions, lots of us Love New Orleans, Ive been there 5 times in the past year, all on trains! ;)
 
jimhudson said:
BTW, What Hotel did yall book,lots of good recommends on this sight also! Please ask questions, lots of us Love New Orleans, Ive been there 5 times in the past year, all on trains! ;)
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We booked the Renaissance Pere Marquette. It looked like it would be convenient to a lot of stuff. The streetcar and ferry sound great, I love doing transportation related trips/tours.

I saw a TV show about New Orleans po' boys, and I'm dying to try one. I'm a huge fan of crusty french bread, so that sandwich looked like heaven on a plate to me.

I'm looking forward to riding the train as much as I am to the visit to city -- I absolutely adore rail travel. I got hooked when I was young when I traveled through Europe on a Eurrail pass and then took my first sleeper trip from Munich to Paris.

For US Travel, I've done sleeper trips on the Cardinal (long ago though) and Capitol Limited (in 2009). This is the first time with a bedroom on the Superliner. On our trip on the Cap we took our kids along, and we were in the Family Bedroom. I remember liking the bedroom on the Viewliners, so hopefully this is just as good as I remembered.
 
AliceIn said:
jimhudson said:
BTW, What Hotel did yall book,lots of good recommends on this sight also! Please ask questions, lots of us Love New Orleans, Ive been there 5 times in the past year, all on trains! ;)
Click to expand...
We booked the Renaissance Pere Marquette. It looked like it would be convenient to a lot of stuff. The streetcar and ferry sound great, I love doing transportation related trips/tours.

I saw a TV show about New Orleans po' boys, and I'm dying to try one. I'm a huge fan of crusty french bread, so that sandwich looked like heaven on a plate to me.

I'm looking forward to riding the train as much as I am to the visit to city -- I absolutely adore rail travel. I got hooked when I was young when I traveled through Europe on a Eurrail pass and then took my first sleeper trip from Munich to Paris.

For US Travel, I've done sleeper trips on the Cardinal (long ago though) and Capitol Limited (in 2009). This is the first time with a bedroom on the Superliner. On our trip on the Cap we took our kids along, and we were in the Family Bedroom. I remember liking the bedroom on the Viewliners, so hopefully this is just as good as I remembered.
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New Orleans is a great place for eating, beside the Poboys. Check out TripAdvisor or other sites for some suggestions and reviews. :)
 
AliceIn said:
We booked the Renaissance Pere Marquette. It looked like it would be convenient to a lot of stuff. The streetcar and ferry sound great, I love doing transportation related trips/tours.
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Good choice! I stayed there about a year ago in between the Crescent and Sunset Limited, and had a good experience. Staff was gracious and the room was large. It was a 5 minute walk over to the French Quarter, and the streetcar out front can whisk you away to many places. Fun times ahead!
 
A 4 star hotel with a great restaurant popular with locals - also a Starbucks. Large rooms robes etc. in the bathrooms.

New Orleans is one of our favorite locations and one of the places we most frequently visit by train. Head for Cafe du Monde first thing - Don't look for a clean table. They are all covered with the powdered sugar from the Bignets. You might be lucky to find any table. They do sweep off the table before taking your order. People watching is great fun. From there you can visit the market. There are a lot of things to see in New Orleans depending on your interest - food, music, plantations, history, Mardi Gras etc. The hotel has a concierge who can help you or there is a tourist information place near Cafe du Monde. A carraige ride will give you an overview. If you ride the street car, the most interesting things are before you get to Tulane. The Garden District it travels through is nice. The cemetery tour has some interesting history. If you get a Mufflata you really have to love olives.
 
I recommend the Napoleon House for a really good mufflata...I think I've been there both times I went to New Orleans; I discovered it on a recommendation from a family friend who practiced law in New Orleans, and as a result spent enough time in that part of town. Of course, there are no end of good restaurants in that part of town...and there used to be a very good diner a few blocks out of the French Quarter in the CBD.

Edit: It's called Mother's. And yes, it's very good.
 
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Anderson said:
I recommend the Napoleon House for a really good mufflata...I think I've been there both times I went to New Orleans; I discovered it on a recommendation from a family friend who practiced law in New Orleans, and as a result spent enough time in that part of town. Of course, there are no end of good restaurants in that part of town...and there used to be a very good diner a few blocks out of the French Quarter in the CBD.

Edit: It's called Mother's. And yes, it's very good.
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I second Napolean House and Mother's. I also like Mena's Palace and do ride on the St. Charles streetcar to Riverbend to the Camelia Grill, amazing fried pecan pie. Multiple day passes are available for streetcars. Johnny's Po Boy is good too, pretty hard to find a bad restaurant in New Orleans. Two other that were really good are on the Canal streetcar line where it turns off to City Park, Mandina's and Venezia, both are great.

If you like live music, head over to Frenchmen St and check out the Spotted Cat, DBA and several other great clubs right there. On Bourbon, I always enjoyed Big Al Carson at the Funky Pirate, down the street the Clover Grill is a neat, quirky little diner for a late night snack.

Gord
 
I also recommend doing a walking tour of the French Quarter. There are several you can choose from. I did a ghost/voodoo tour. It's not just about ghosts, but these guides know their history too, which NOL is full of. Visiting one of the St. Louis cemeteries is very interesting too.
 
If you really want to celebrate go do the Sunday Jazz Brunch at the Omni Royal Orleans Rib Room, between Royal Street and Chartes, or any meal for that matter (they do breakfast, lunch and dinerr.) The ambience is to die for and there is a lot of New Orleans history inside this eatery.

P.S. See if Amtrak will give you another bedroom on # 59 without additional charge~Room A is a tad smaller and you have to listen to the car door opening and closing all night long. Room E is the "only" way to go which you've snagged on # 58.
 
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Is Room E the one at the end of the hall? I think I got put in that on the Capitol Limited...that was basically a bedroom without calling it a bedroom.
 
Anderson said:
Is Room E the one at the end of the hall? I think I got put in that on the Capitol Limited...that was basically a bedroom without calling it a bedroom.
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Room E is in the middle of the car at the top of the stairwell and next to the coffee station. It is relatively quiet, the ride seems better and others on here prefer that room. There are 5 deluxe bedrooms upstairs on the CONO and A starts at the door end of the car and E is at the middle of the car. I'm sure someone can bring up the diagram of the car for us; if not, it is on Amtrak's website.
 
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