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The Vinyl Tourist Visits |
New Orleans, a/k/a The Crescent City, The Big Easy, NOLA, and so on, is to the State of Louisiana what New York City is to the rest of its home state--a totally different world. It's reputation as a town whose values are at odds with its rural neighbors derives largely from its European (French and Spanish) origins and attitudes. Throughout the 19th century, French was commonly spoken and the revival of Cajun culture during the past few decades has rekindled interest in the native tongue.
For the record collector, the best shops are located in the Vieux Carré (Old Town), as the French Quarter is also known, and are all within walking distance of each other. To get around other parts of the city, a three-day transit pass for $12 is recommended and is valid for unlimited rides on all public transportation, including the Riverfront, Canal Street, and St. Charles Avenue trolleys. We purchased ours at the Tourist Info booth next to the Café du Monde on Decatur Street, but they can also be bought at the Lighthouse on the river side of the Jackson Brewery.
Because cuisine is a regional obsession, it's actually difficult to find a bad meal here, even at the lowliest diner. However, it is possible--avoid the Praline Connection (any location) at all costs.
Our favorite spots include:
Hotels
- Villa Convento (616 Ursulines Street)
An unpretentious, family owned hotel at the quiet end of the French Quarter. Yes, the room decor is more Motel 6 then Belle Epoque, but the shaded courtyard and friendly hosts more than make up for it. - Le Richelieu (1234 Chartres Street) is a more upscale alternative and quite affordable during the off-season. Paul McCartney lived here for two months and you can stay in his suite, too.
Breakfast/Lunch
- Cafe Du Monde (813 Decatur St.)
- Croissant D'Or Patisserie (615 Ursulines Ave.)
A favorite with local residents, sandwiches, pastries, coffee are served in what appears to be a former Turkish Bath (Don't worry--it isn't). Lunch can be had for $5.
Brunch/Lunch/Dinner
- Gumbo Shop (630 Saint Peter St.)
Popular and for a good reason! - Mona's (504 Frenchmen St.)
Middle Eastern dishes and a neighborhood favorite. There are several other locations, but we like the one in the Faubourg Marigny district. - Mona Lisa (1212 Royal St.)
Italian cuisine at neighborhood prices. - Bennachin (1212 Royal St.)
Right next to the Mona Lisa, you'll find this delightful West African restaurant, specializing in fare from Cameroon. - Commander's Palace (1403 Washington Ave.)
One of the best restaurants in the USA, famous for their Sunday brunch. Reservations and jackets (for gents) required.
In need of a local map? Try Google Maps.
Finally, if you haven't already done so, please read the Vinyl Tourist's Caveat.
- Louisiana Music Factory
210 Decatur Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 523-1094
If you're looking for Lou'siana tunes, be they Jazz, Cajun, Zydeco, Swamp, Pop or Blues, then this is the place! There are two floors of music -- compact discs on the street level and records one flight up. The vinyl section is well organized by genre and artist and there's a fine collection of 78s in boxes beneath the LP bins. Here I found many vintage goodies--rare mambo 78s from the 1940s on RCA's Mexicana label, an LP of John Zorn's Spillaine, a 78 of "Jesus Hits Like Atom Bomb" by Lowell Blanchard and some great Tommy McClain swamp pop reissues on CD. Very strong in jazz (all eras) and prices are generally good. They're also happy to let you preview sealed CD's, as well as LPs. - Beckham's Book Shop
228 Decatur Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 522-9875
Mainly a used book emporium, this three-story shop also carries a large variety of classical LPs, mostly in the $2-$6 range. Except for the most common titles and mono releases, Shaded Dogs and their audiophile cousins are scarce, but the otherwise large selection and very reasonable prices more than make up for this. Be sure to go to the third floor where most of the bins are located. - The Kitchen Witch
631 Toulouse Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 528-8382While principally a cook book and utensil shop, the Kitchen Witch is also the successor to The Magic Bus, formerly on Conti. While the bus and it stock survived Hurricane Katrina, the lack of new collections that weren't damaged by the storm, forced the owner to move to Austin, Texas. The Witch's owners, Debbie Lindsey and Philipe LaMancusa, still keep a few bins of LPs in the back for nostalgia and I was able to score a couple of original Miles Davis 6-Eye Columbia pressings for reasonable prices.
- Good Rockin'
635 Pere Antoine Alley, between Royal and Jackson Square
New Orleans, LA 70116
(504) 525-2522
Tucked in the shadow of the St. Louis Cathedral on the east side, Good Rockin' is a cozy joint with a friendly atmosphere. The stock emphasizes local talent, including many who are long gone, from Armstrong to Gottschalk. Hours are often by chance.
- Jim Russell Rare Records
1837 Magazine Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 522-2602Now we venture into the real N'Awlins. Jim Russell's shop is a ground-floor warehouse in the Magazine Street antique district, somewhat removed from the French Quarter. When we walked in, Jim was sharing barbecue and beer with some neighbors who were watching a baseball game on an old color TV. The selection of records (mostly pop, rock, and jazz) is variable in quality and finding what you want can be a challenge. Condition generally tends to be sub-par and prices, when they're marked, are inversely high. However, there is a nice selection of rock 'n' roll 78s, mostly unpriced. Negotiation may be possible. Worth a visit if you're serious about 78s or if only to soak up the atmosphere.
- The Iron Rail
511 Marigny Street
New Orleans, LA
(504) 944-0366Nominally a volunteer-run activist collective with a free lending library of radical literature, The Iron Rail is located in the corner of an empty warehouse at the tip of the Faubourg Marigny district. While I was able to peruse the few bins in about 15 minutes, I still came away with some British and Jamaican LP reissues of early ska and reggae 45s.
- Dauphine Street Books
410 Dauphine Street
New Orleans, LA 70112
(504) 529-2333An antiquarian book store located in the French Quarter, this shop has a minuscule pile of overpriced jazz LP's way in the back corner. However, the owner mentioned that he has 5,000 records at his parent's home in California and is thinking of shipping them in. Where they could fit in this tiny space is a mystery that only Einstein could solve! While the record selection was a disappointment, I did find some photography books I was looking for at bargain prices.
- Mushroom
1037 Broadway Street
New Orleans, LA 70118
(504) 866-6065
It's a step back in time when you enter this 60's "head shop." Mushroom is one flight up in a building on the western edge of the Tulane University campus and is where you'll find the usual rock suspects (in the usual rock condition), plus tie-dyed t-shirts, day-glow posters, incense, candles, rolling papers, et al. For the serious collector, it's really not worth a stop, except for fillers.
- Gimmick Cd's & Tapes
3403 Paris Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70122
(504) 288-5018This shop was recommended by a correspondent, but time did not allow a visit. It's location, on the lake side of town, past City Park, requires a couple of buses or a car to reach.
- Vieux Carre Vinyl (formerly Rock & Roll Collectibles)
1214 Decatur Street
New Orleans, LA 70116
(504) 561-5683
"It's better to be talked about, than not to be talked about at all." - Oscar Wilde
The name says it all and by rights (because of it's extensive selection) Vieux Carre Vinyl should be near the top of the list. However, it has two major problems. First, the bins and shelves are packed so tightly, that it's impossible to leaf through the stock. Second, the prices for even the most common records are inflated by up to 1000%. We're talking about LP's for $50 that are easily found elsewhere for $5. Don't expect to pay less than five times what a record is worth. Period.
Anyway, in the interest of full-disclosure, I will plead guilty to once making a purchase (in 1990). It was a 10-inch LP of (Brother) Theodore's An Entertainment Of Sinister And Disconcerting Humor... Or Tears From A Glass Eye, one of the rarest of all comedy/spoken word records. I paid $60 for a copy that was trashed on one side--and I knew it at the time.
Update Number 1: Since June, 1999, when I originally mentioned the Theodore record, I've seen half a dozen examples on eBay in VG+ to mint condition sell for $95 - $150. Today, I'd most likely get my $60 back, if only for the jacket... or not.
Update Number 2: The owner of Rock 'N' Roll Collectibles was understandably unhappy with my review and sent the following eMail, unedited and reprinted in its entirety:
Subject: hello
Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2000 12:32:20 -0500
From: "rockcollectibles" <vinyl@rockcollectibles.org>
To: <vinyltourist@laventure.net>how ya doing?
Thought it was about time for a rebuttal to your review of us. Since 1986 we have provided new orlneanians and visitors with an impressive selection of vinyl collectibles in excellent alphabetical order. This takes time and energy (and overhead,which is not cheap in the french quarter).
We have always stressed an environment of negotiation as is evident in your own experience. Unfortunately our space constraints dictates some stuffy areas but we have alleviated some of those problems. It's an ongoing issue that requires constant attention especially considering that we insist on being a "hands on" store and the alphabetical skills of some of our customers are suspect. Either way we try to keep our stock priced,identified and in alphabetical order as well as we can. "Why would anyone who knows anything about record collecting shop here?" Well, of course, I have a million responses to this question. But to start with we have an excellent knowledge in many genres of music. As you yourself have discovered we often have the one item our customer has been searching for (seemingly forever).We will gladly search and pull items for a customer if they find that our stacks are too tight (which in some cases they are). We also now have a web site (who doesn't) where you can find some (but not nearly all) of our extensive stock.
And so as we find ourselves entering the 21st century with fewer and fewer stores that specialize in vinyl and an evergrowing demand for such we would hope that you could reconsider your review of our store.
Thank You
http://www.rockcollectibles.org
Rock and Roll Collectibles
1214 Decatur St.
New Orleans, LA. 70116(504) 561-5683
Since I have no personal beef with the store, I urge you to pay it a visit and make up your own mind. As always, caveat emptor.
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