This is Bourbon Street in New Orleans on the evening of Wednesday, November 3. The lights are on and they're trying their best, but there's just nobody there. I guess this is a good time to visit if you want to avoid the crowds, but the crowds are kind of the whole point, aren't they?
I was there a few years ago, and I loved the French Quarter, but wasn't a big fan of Bourbon Street itself. It was mostly just kind of noisy and smelly.
Frankly, I'm just glad you got a photo that wasn't dominated by crowds of drunken fratboys vomiting into the street. That's MY memory of Bourbon St. (Rue de Bourbon?)
Oh, and my apologies for the excessive negativity in the last few hours. I've just gone 9 rounds with Quickbooks, and lost. Will tomorrow be another day?
I got to New Orleans every year, including the last 3-4 Mardi Gras before last year was cancelled (yes I was there and potentially a spreader in 2020). Outside of Mardi Gras, only on weekends is Bourbon Street usually cranking at expected volume, unless you're there for one of the other annual festivals/festivities.
Having said that, its usually cranking at a level above what we see in the picture, but November is definitely a slow month, and the party crowd won't generally arrive outside festivals until later in the evening.
Aside from that, New Orleans is my favorite city, the food and music scene is absolutely amazing, and the people are fantastic. The French Quarter is indeed a wonder (all of it, Bourbon Street just one small part), and other neighborhoods have their own charms as well (including Frenchman which is stellar nightlife).
There are more enjoyable parts of NOLA, such as Esplanade Avenue or the Garden District. It's a great, troubled town.