We arrived in New Orleans at night and took a taxi to our motel. Crystal Springs Motel is a little place on a dark, fairly deserted street. The iron gates to lock the interior courtyard were a bit disconcerting to us, country folk that we are, but the place was really very nice. It was quiet, and the staff, what we saw of them, were friendly. I would have liked a few amenities--for instance a chair in our room would have been nice.
On our first morning in New Orleans, we took a taxi down to the French Quarter and ate breakfast (on the recommendation of our taxi driver) at the Clover Street Grill, an unrepentant greasy spoon with 50's decor and delicious food. Then we walked around Bourbon Street, which is surprisingly quiet and deserted on a rainy Saturday morning.