One Night in New Orleans With the NBA
We spent a night in New Orleans to watch an NBA game in person. This is what it was like during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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My wife and I have season tickets for the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans. For the past five years, we’ve watched the team pile up injuries and losing records. But even with just one playoff appearance during that time, we love going to the games. And we love our time in New Orleans.
Limited Fans at the Games
Unlike most NBA teams, the New Orleans Pelicans are playing games in front of fans in this pandemic season. They are one of just six NBA teams to allow a limited number of fans into the arena. And of those teams, the Pelicans are hosting the fewest, just 750 per game.
These are the other teams hosting fans and their capacity:
- Houston Rockets — 4,500 fans | 25% capacity
- Orlando Magic — 4,000 | 21.2%
- Toronto Raptors (playing in Tampa) — 3,800 | 18.5%
- Cleveland Cavaliers — 1,944 | 10%
- Utah Jazz — 1,500 | 8.2%
The Atlanta Hawks are planning to allow fans starting January 18th, with 10% capacity limits at State Farm Arena.
With so few fans permitted, getting tickets at all feels a bit like winning the lottery. The Pelicans sent us an email to let us know we had tickets to see the January 2nd game against the Toronto Raptors.
Due to the pandemic, we’re avoiding most travel this winter. But New Orleans isn’t far, and we decided we could make the trip safely.
A Night at Hyatt House New Orleans
Our plan was to spend just one night in New Orleans, watch the NBA game, and then go home the next day. I have all the major hotel credit cards, including the World of Hyatt Visa card. This card offers an annual free night certificate (Category 1-4), and a second free night after spending $15,000 each year. I used one of those free nights to book at room at the Hyatt House New Orleans/Downtown (Category 3) near the Smoothie King Center.
We stay at this hotel regularly. It’s right next door to the Hyatt Regency New Orleans, connected by an interior corridor. But we almost always get a bigger room at the Hyatt House, and they are really good about upgrades. I have World of Hyatt Explorist status, which includes room upgrades when available. It does not include suite upgrades. And yet, the Hyatt House has upgraded us to a huge one-bedroom suite on more than one occasion.
This time, we were given a larger studio room with plenty of room to spread out.
Breakfast
The Hyatt House usually offers a full hot breakfast buffet and made-to-order items, as well. But during the pandemic, they simply deliver a breakfast bag to their guests. Our breakfast consisted of instant oatmeal, grapes, orange juice, and yogurt. It probably should have been enough, but I was still hungry.
Nola Breakfast Recommendations
Normally, we like to go out and get breakfast in New Orleans. After all, this is one of the world’s great food cities. But we’ve reconsidered our dining plans during the pandemic. You simply can’t eat at a restaurant and still wear a mask. That makes them risky indoor spaces, the very definition of an indoor gathering that we need to avoid right now. That said, these two recommended restaurants remain open.
Red Gravy is among our favorite places. The restaurant recently moved to the Garden District and we haven’t been to the new location yet. But they serve nearly all their regular brunch favorites, highlighted by their breakfast spaghetti. You can reserve at Open Table.
Willa Jean is a popular spot in the Central Business District (CBD), and it’s close to the stadiums. Their cornbread is simply amazing! For your brunch entrée, I strongly recommend the Hangover Bowl. It’s got braised short ribs, cheese grits, onion, garlic and poached egg. Brunch reservations are a must!
Dinner Plans
Before the game, we knew we’d have to eat. We still didn’t want to eat indoors, but found an outdoor table at the Copper Vine Wine Pub.
We have a bit of a story with this restaurant. In 2019, we finally took a bucket list trip to Cuba. We booked a room at an AirBnB in Old Havana, and by chance, stayed in a room right next door to Copper Vine’s executive chef.
It really is a small world.
We’d already stopped by this newish (since 2018) restaurant for drinks, but now we had to go back for dinner. And yes, the menu does have a Cuban sandwich, the Cochon da Lait Cuban ($16). Copper Vine Wine Pub has a nice selection of appetizers, including awesome brussels sprouts and rich crawfish beignets. It’s a great stop for a pre-game meal and some good wine, and it’s just a few blocks to the arena. Reservations are recommended, particularly if you want an outdoor table.
A Night of NBA Action in New Orleans
After dinner, we walked over to the game. I’ve been impressed with the efforts of the New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Pelicans to host games safely. They require all fans to wear a mask, removing it only while actively eating or drinking. Fans weren’t drinking much, either. Under the most recent COVID-19 order, indoor sports venues are not permitted to sell alcoholic beverages. Oh well, we saved some money.
I was going to check out some Pelicans swag at the stadium store, but there was a strict limit of 34 customers at any given time. And people were waiting in line to enter. Oh well, we saved even more money.
When you attend an NBA game, there is always a lot of gameday entertainment. But with the pandemic raging, it’s all been put on hold. No mascots, no cheerleaders, and little interactive fun with the fans. The NBA experience today is almost entirely about the game itself. But it was great game, and the Pelicans won.
The event was far from normal, but I was just grateful to be back in the Smoothie King Center. I was so happy to have spent a night in New Orleans watching my favorite NBA team pick up a victory.
Final Thoughts
We normally go to around 20 games a year and sell the rest of our season ticket allotment. This year, we’ll probably go to every game to which we’re awarded tickets. I have no idea how many that will be. If nothing else, the pandemic has given me a greater appreciation for some of the cool things I was able to do regularly. I love basketball, and I love New Orleans. I was thrilled to get a night in New Orleans with the NBA.