Love New Orleans!
I have been there twice and both times stayed in the French Quarter at the Hotel St. Marie which was very reasonably priced and in a good location. We did all the tourist stuff like tour the cemeteries and go on the riverboat ride but mostly we just liked hanging out around Jackson square and people watching drinking coffee at cafe du monde etc. I hated the food of new orleans although everyone told me how great it was (I'm a northerner and grew up in near the ocean so the seafood didn't cut it for us and honestly when compared with other cities I would give the cuisine a thumbs down -- maybe because we just couldnt bring ourselves do fried frogs and alligators). The music is great and the city is very lively. Oh and let's talk about those Hurricanes. I did drink them, and I can't remember how many or what happened after
You can just walk all around and you will be intrigued or at least I was. The one thing I would suggest is to do a night ghost tour of the french quarter. I was so spooked I was afraid to go to sleep!!
Have a wonderful trip.