Access New Orleans 5e

Just returned today from a week-long trip to New Orleans (my first). This book was an absolutely indispensable resource. Must have checked it 5-10 times per day. The best maps (by neighborhood) I've found in a travel guide, and the concise, informative notes on restaurants, parks and attractions were very helpful.Best plan is to combine this book with another (like Delahanty's Ultimate New Orleans) that contains more history and culture information. Taken together, you've got everything you need.But even by itself the Access New Orleans book is extremely useful. I found the information in the book to be spot on in every case, and it's so easy to use it makes you want to refer to it more...

I love the ACCESS travel guides because they fit my travel needs -- I like to explore. Unlike traditional guides that are arranged alphabetically or categorically (a section for restaurants, a section for hotels, etc.), these are arranged geographically. Why is this important? Suppose you are staying in the French Quarter and don't have a car...going to visit the (albeit very interesting) sights on the north shore of Lake Pontchatrain may not be feasible. This books helps you find the sights that are near where you are staying, or where you are shopping, or where you are eating. And, the book is not only organized in a useful way, but it is also quite complete. Granted, not every hole-in-the-wall bar on Bourbon Street is listed, but all the major ones are. This book is certainly a necessary and sufficient resource for a tourist's quick trip to New Orleans.

I've taken two 2-week trips to the Crescent City and have planned 60-70% of the activities around advice the first edition of this book gives. It's neither stodgy nor preachy, and doesn't cater exclusively to upscale or downscale crowds, either -- so no matter your mood/budget, you'll find something good to do or eat in the city when you plan with this book. Also, it gets deep into the stuff the natives like: my best anecdote is Sid-Mar's, this crawfish shack we eat at that's WAY off the beaten path, having read the recommondation from the book. While we were staying at a B & B, the proprietor asked us where we were eating one of the nights we were staying there. When we answered "Sid-Mar's," she looked at us cross-eyed and said "How on earth did you figure out to go there? It took us two years to find that place, and we go there all the time now. Ain't it great?" The book is concise and pithy when the situation calls for it, is hip yet down-to-earth enough that you can trust it. Can't say anything else, except that I'm upgrading to the fourth edition so I can plan this year's return to New Orleans.

The "Access" travel series are, IMHO, the most practically organized and useful travel books available. Handily organized by neighborhood or area of the city, they are immediately recognizable for their colorful type -- green lettering describing parks, blue for museums, etc. This is great when you're strolling down a street and want to browse eateries or identify a monument. Their shopping information is really helpful -- unlike Fodor's or Frommers, the Access writers don't seem to pick the most "popular" shops, but identify quirky, interesting ones. I have gone through two editions of London Access, two of Washington DC, two of San Francisco, and am working on my first copy of New Orleans. The updating is accurate and timely, and the "Top Ten Favorites/Bests" (written by noted authors, critics, or chefs) sprinkled through the guide are cool and fun.