Yes, however, this is a major metropolitan area and precautions you would take in any major city are advised. Know your surroundings, walk with confidence, and avoid dark areas. The Quarter, CBD, Arts & Garden district all cater to tourism and see heavy traffic. Areas like the Treme, lower 9th Ward, and parts of the Marigny are less patrolled and best practices should be used if staying in or hanging out in these areas.
Debatable, if you are cruising the Garden District or Magazine St you will still have uneven sidewalks but less likely for the "street gravy". In the Quarter, don't even think about it, "street gravy" is real and you don't want to find out the hard way what it is. Double bonus, under no circumstances should you add socks to any sandal situation in the Quarter! Bring those comfy broken in walking shoes you were thinking about throwing away soon anyways!
Yes, we will be hosting a welcome party at the Sidecar where everyone is welcome! We will also be doing some things around town where the more the merrier! Once we've made plans we'll let you know where and if tickets or reservations are needed.
Totally up to you, we would advise against it. The areas we will be in are highly walkable and serviced by the two major street cars in the city (Canal & St. Charles). Many streets get shut down at dusk and navigating with a vehicle can be cumbersome. There are pedicabs and horse drawn carriages around the city if you are looking for more intimate transportation.
Now is the time! We are booked and counting down the days. We'll be in Wednesday, September 2nd leaving Wednesday, September 9th. MSY (Louis Armstrong Airport) is an easy in/out airport just north of the town and takes about 30-45 minutes to get to the Quarter and CBD outside of rush hour traffic.
Your presence is the only gift we need, if you must provide a gift please use the online registry. No gifts will be accepted at the wedding. We are all traveling and don't need additional items to pack. If you must do a card, please consider mailing it to our house. We are all in this for the celebration and party and don't want to lose your thoughtful addition to our day.