I stayed at a hotel on Toulouse and Dauphine in the Quarter and had marching bands "outside my window" at least 3x a day. (Secondlines.com even has routes and

I stayed at a hotel on Toulouse and Dauphine in the Quarter and had marching bands "outside my window" at least 3x a day. (Secondlines.com even has routes and schedules so you can plan your stay around this if you're so keen...) Granted a local wouldn't be caught dead in that area, but staying in hotels has never stopped me from getting "the local experience". Maybe if you're traveling to a destination where there's only resorts.