Rain this weekend?

July 15, 2009 8:52 AM

Weather? Rain? Thunderstorms? And what to do if it ends up raining.

My check of the weather indicates it may rain this weekend. What is the rain likely to be like in New Orleans? A light refreshing mist like in Ireland? Or an El Nino downpour like in San Diego?

I was planning on spending Saturday before the party walking around as much as possible and seeing the sights. But if it's raining hard I don't want to be stuck in our hotel. Do we want to make a back up plan for Saturday during the day if wandering around doing tourist stuff ends up being a wash?

posted by y6y6y6 to New Orleans, LA at 8:52 AM (6 comments total)

We could all hole up in one hotel together! Here's a museum map. Knowing me I may tool off towards Tulane's special collections.
posted by jessamyn at 8:57 AM on July 15, 2009

Oh damn, that pharmacy museum looks mighty as hell. Maybe I'll do that around midday on Friday.
posted by Greg Nog at 9:09 AM on July 15, 2009

A light refreshing mist like in Ireland?
hahahahahaha.
sorry. probably pour like hell, then clear up & become rather sauna-like. on the upside, we've got a 'cold front' coming! should drop the temps into the 80s!
lately the rains have been intense but brief, localized (i.e., it might rain in the quarter but not uptown), and not much of a problem. keeping my fingers crossed.
posted by msconduct at 10:00 AM on July 15, 2009

The Ogden Museum usually has some nice stuff and it's right next to the WWII Museum and the (oddly disturbing) Civil War Confederacy Museum.

My favorite gallery in the whole world is in New Orleans as well. It's the humbly named "A Gallery for Fine Photography" in the French Quarter: Ansel Adams, Bellocq, Cartier Bresson, Jerry Uelsmann, Sandy Skoglund...it's a pretty amazing collection for such a tiny gallery.

As far as getting around in the rain...with an umbrella, you should have no problem at all. It will be...very sultry. Okay, let's call it what it is: a steambath. On preview: msconduct is right on the money.
posted by ColdChef at 10:33 AM on July 15, 2009

Ah, I've been to that gallery; they have some Diane Arbus as well.
posted by rottytooth at 1:13 PM on July 15, 2009

When I've visited NO before I've always had two lists - one to do in good weather, the other to do in bad. Rain won't last all day, so it's mostly a matter of staying inside for a while, then hopping back out. Galleries, museums, shops and snacking are all great To Do While Raining options. (I personally push snacking because I want as many local restaurants to get help in this economy as possible - so even if you can't finish everything on your plate, consider it a good deed. And also I like snacking.)

My personal favorite - get on the Charles St streetcar (that is the one that goes thru the Garden District, right?) and just ride it and look at the houses all the way to the end. Then get back on the next car and ride all the way back. But then I adore the streetcars and could do that all day, with or without rain.

Personally I hate dragging an umbrella with me - I would rather drag a hat and jam it on my head. (But then I also have a mother who would continually try to cover my head with her umbrella and nearly poke my eye out, poor woman. She never could understand that I didn't mind getting wet.)

Oh do remember to take something to cover up and wipe off your camera equipment. Even if the rain stops then city + rain = insane humidity. Sometimes it may cool things off, but don't count on it. When y6 and I first met he had the idea that we could both relocate to New Orleans and live there since he totally got into the food - I never have been able to convince him that the heat and humidity are really harsh to live with. The bugs I was able to convince him of by taking him on a phototrek through the swamps I lived in at that time, but that was easy.

Oh and the other thing I've learned - the French Quarter doesn't really wake up until after 8am. If you get out before then it'll not only be nice and cool, but there will be great photos to be found. And plenty of places open for breakfast.
posted by batgrlHG at 3:25 PM on July 16, 2009