Tips and Tricks for Bourbon Street

Bourbon street can be a lot of fun, but it can also get dangerous quickly.  You should know your limits and pace yourself unless you want to end up a sloppy mess, curled up in a piss puddle.  The best advice I can give you... DON'T drink a bunch of the hurricanes/hand grenades or any other sugary drink they try to push on you.  Those drinks are not only full of sugar, which will make you really sick, but a lot of them are made with Everclear which usually has a really high alcohol percentage.  With the amount of sugar in these drinks it takes longer to feel the effects of the alcohol so people will make the mistake of drinking them too quickly, then getting smacked in the face with the effects later. If you want to last more than an hour I suggest everyone in your group buys a different sugary drink and then you all share, so you can try each popular drink known down on Bourbon street.  Then you should switch to beer or a low sugar cocktail you are used to, at least for a couple hours.  Then if you really enjoyed the frozen drinks of death, you can go for a round two.  Originally, I had suspected that the mixed drinks like the Hurricane or Hand Grenade were going to be a rip off and be super stingy on the alcohol... this is not the case, I promise you there is enough in one drink to get you a good start for the night.  I like to think I can hold my own when it comes to drinking so please take this advice seriously. DO NOT RUSH THE DRINKING. Trust me, you will enjoy the night so much more if you pace yourself and take in the aromas of Bourbon street, which includes a good mixture of shame, regret, horse shit, and hot dogs.

Now that the "manage your alcohol intake" lecture is over, here are some other tips and tricks for Bourbon street:

1. Bring cash! Most bars have a $10 minimum if you use a card, plus they will charge you and extra fee (about $2/$3) to swipe it.

2. Watch where you walk! There are big piles of steaming horse shit all over the street. I stepped in some myself.. not fun.

3. A lot of bars will not let you bring in an open container from another bar so be prepared to hang out in the street while everyone finishes.

4. Beer is super expensive ($6 for a bottle miller light) so make sure to pregame before you go. Or move on over to Frenchman street where you can listen to some amazing live jazz and the beers are a little cheaper ($5 for bottled miller light).

5. Make sure you are wearing the right clothes for the weather. We were there in February so jeans and a jacket were necessary, plus a lot of the bars where very open so you didn't burn up inside.

6. Finally, know how you are getting home. If you are in walking distance, brilliant! otherwise, the street cars stop running around 3am so if you miss the last one, your only other option is a cab.  Cabs can be pricey depending how far you are going, plus they know they have a monopoly in that area because your drunk ass has no other option. For a potentially cheaper option, try Uber. It wasn't necessary for us to get around by Uber so I don't even know if it is a big thing down there, but hey worth a look.

**Bonus Tip: EAT A LUCKY'S HOT DOG on the walk home or to the street car. Seriously it will change your drunk life.

I hope you enjoyed this post, and found it helpful in one way or another. I love you hear about your story if you have already experienced Bourbon Street, or if you have any questions please leave a comment below!

Red Velvet Out.

*Oh yea P.S. here's a link to my video: Things to Do and See in New Orleans Part 2: