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It's ok to do the touristy parts of New Orleans. Those are pretty incredible locations! Jackson Square is one of the finest public spaces in the country and it is a living part of the City for locals.

I enjoy eating at the local dives but visiting the touristy places. New Orleans is nice, since the French Quarter also has plenty of local dives in addition to tourist (although any names escape me at the moment). Some also function at both (who doesn't love Cafe Du Monde?).

A few years ago, towards the end of college, I somehow found myself in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. I avoided the French Quarter like the plague, mostly wandering along Magazine Street.

I like to have a good balance of local dives and tourist spots. If I'm in a new city I like to wander around in a specific way to hit tourist spots but on my way there I come across interesting places. Some of the best restaurants have been random picks because the planned one were too busy or closed. And I have loved the sights I've come across on my way to tourist spots.

I think after Katrina, and I'm a local born and raised girl, shop owners and other areas outside of the French Quarter would greatly appreciate all the business they can get, still years later. Try heading off into the Garden District for a stroll. Take the St. Charles to the end of the line and back and bring a camera with you. Or head up to Congo Square in Louis Armstrong Park, in the Tremé neighborhood. Basically explore. If you want an interesting take on NOLA try getting up just before sunrise and taking a walk down to the river. The FQ is a totally different place in the wee hours.

Well, I think in the case of New Orleans, the so-called "touristy" spots ARE the heart of a city's culture.

Are their things to do beyond the French Quarter? Absolutely! But the reason to go to New Orleans is for the quintessential experience found in the more popular spots.

Whether you go to Cafe du Monde for coffee and beignets or The Palace Cafe for their turtle soup, you're experiencing a culture unlike any other city in the world. Depriving yourself of those things, even a simple walk down Bourbon Street, just to to avoid being "touristy" and you're cheating yourself.

(Just avoid paying for Bacchus beads... Please!)

While visiting New Orleans, we did a mix of both tourist places and places that were off the beaten path. It's difficult to avoid the tourist hang outs like Cafe Du Monde (do locals go there?) or Jackson Square. However, I didn't feel the need to have my palm read in JS....does anyone? Although it was not advised by all the travel books & blogs I read to rent a car, we did anyway just to explore all the great plantations outside of the city. This was a definite highlight as we love history. After Katrina, the Plantation guides said that visitor traffic had dropped off by more than 50%. Sadly, people have not returned to the Plantations.

If I do go back, we will do less of the tourist things and more of the "hole in the wall" and "out of the way" stuff. However, we'll always stroll Magazine Street....that is a must.

It's silly snobbery to avoid the "tourist" places in a city -- they're often the most special or picturesque.

I actually enjoy LIVING in tourist neighborhoods. Right now, I live in the tourist section of my city -- Montreal's historic old port. In Paris, I lived across a side street from Notre Dame cathedral (with a view of gargoyles). And if I lived in New Orleans (where I briefly went to college), I'd choose the French Quarter (but preferably one of the quieter streets).

Crowds and the noise are a small price to pay for living someplace interesting, rather than someplace that could be just anyplace. That said, ALL of New Orleans is interesting -- it's one of the most eccentric and special cities in North America.

Modtramp -- you said exactly what I was going to say. When I first moved here I was like, "Oh I'm not here for Mardi Gras or the French Quarter, I'm here for the REAL New Orleans." Ha! That seems utterly preposterous to me six years later.

Ok ok, I currently live in New Orleans and just let me say that the French Quarter is not the place to spend your time here! Yes, go take a pictures of Jackson Square... but New Orleans has so much more to offer than the over-priced dive food of the Quarter, YUCK~! Uptown/Garden District (St. Charles Ave., Magazine St., Prytania are where its at! Magazine St. especially for those decorators and designers! Also check out Sucre (shopsucre.com) for the best desserts, chocolates, and pastries in the city!! (on Magazine St. as well). Get out of the Quarter people!!

Ok ok... I currently live in New Orleans and grew up in Louisiana my entire life so yes, go take a few pictures of Jackson Square and visit Cafe Du Monde, but PLEASE get out of the Quarter! New Orleans has SO much more to offer than the over-priced dive food they consistantly serve there, YUCK~! Uptown/Garden District (St. Charles Ave., Magazine St., Prytania) is where it's at! Magazine St. especially for the decorators, designers and foodies out there! Check out Sucre (www.shopsucre.com) for the best desserts, chocolates, and french pastries in town, also on Magazine! Also, when do we get an AT New Orleans?? ; )

On the rare occasion I'm in Times Square (which I avoid whenever possible), I want to grab the tourists and say, "get out of here. There's so much more to see!" A few weeks ago, I was there meeting my sister and nephew and some tourists asked me where the Olive Garden was. I directed them to Restaurant Row (9th Ave, 44th-46th--around there) and told them they'd get more for their money at one of those restaurants and much better selection. I'm convinced that helping the nice people from the square states is the reason I've always been helped when I'm travelling.

I live in the French Quarter and am regularly drawn to Jackson Square. So much goes on there. There are so many people and it's simply a lovely place to hang out.