The Canal Street Ferry
Free for pedestrians, the Mississippi River ferry offers the
city's most spectacular skyline views. At sunrise,
especially on foggy mornings, the view can be breathtaking. Budget
30 to 45 minutes to ride across and come back. The ferry leaves
the Canal Street docks every half-hour from 6 AM to 11:45 PM. Do not ride the last
ferry unless you plan to take a very expensive taxi back from
Algiers.
Special
French Quarter Atmosphere
Napoleon
House (500 Chartres). Napoleon House is a corner cafe with a
juke box that plays only opera. Housed in a 1797 landmark, it has
been owned and operated by the Impastato family since 1914. It's
the perfect place to enjoy a New Orleans muffeletta (a ham,
salami, cheese, and olive salad sandwich. They're big, so
split one with a friend) and a Pimms Cup, a
wonderful, light beverage for a hot day.
St. Charles Avenue
Streetcar
(CDTK)
The streetcar offers an easy and pleasant opportunity to enjoy
other parts of the city. From Canal Street, the
St. Charles Avenue Streetcar travels through the
Central Business District and along St. Charles Avenue (New
Orleans most glorious street), past the
historic Garden District, Loyola and Tulane Universities, and Audubon Park,
ending at Palmer Park, where you exit, pay a second $1.25 fare,
and reboard to return. You can enjoy the 13-mile, 90-minute
roundtrip twenty-four hours a day.
The new
Canal Street streetcar line (open) takes you to
historic cemeteries and the New Orleans Museum of Art. It has the
added benefits of being air conditioned and ADA-compliant, making it a good choice
for a warm afternoon.
Whenever you exit to sightsee, you'll have to pay another fare to
reboard, so consider purchasing a VisiTour pass from the
driver (1-day pass, $5; you can purchase a 3-day pass for $12 from
most hotel concierge offices), which lets you ride all streetcars and buses as much
as you want.
Music
For traditional New Orleans Jazz, the Palm Court Jazz Cafe (1204
Decatur St). Zagat's says the Palm Court offers
"absolutely fabulous traditional jazz" and "great
ambiance." The food is classic New Orleans Creole with a few
eclectic dishes, but the music is the main draw. Also offers a
gift shop that sells hard-to-find jazz compact discs. Reservations
recommended.
For
contemporary and progressive Jazz, Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro (626
Frenchmen St). Good food, the ambience is respectful of the music,
and Ellis Marsalis, patriarch of the Marsalis clan, is a regular.
Consider ordering tickets in advance. Shows at 9 and 11 PM; reservations
recommended.
 For Cajun music, food (especially seafood), and
dancing, Mulate's
is across the street from the Riverwalk. It features nightly live
Cajun music and dancing along with large quantities of authentic
Cajun food.
Bread Pudding
Bread pudding is New Orleans' traditional dessert. For something
different, try the incredible white chocolate bread pudding at the
Palace Cafe
(605 Canal Street). A more famous version, and also amazingly
delicious, is the bread pudding soufflé at Commander's Palace
(CDTK) in
the Garden District (1403 Washington Avenue). The kitchen needs
extra time to prepare the soufflé, so remember to order it at the
beginning of your meal.
Commander's is a
quintessential New Orleans experience. Dinner is expensive but
lunch is one of the best bargains in town, with the same legendary
Commander's service and quality. Only two blocks down Washington
Street from the streetcar, you can combine a streetcar trip, a
wonderful lunch, and a walking tour of the Garden District.
Pick up a Commander's walking tour brochure and spend an hour
strolling through the historic neighborhood.
Wake up and smell the
cafe au lait!
While New Orleans is famous for chicory coffee, many
persons do not know that our city is a center of coffee importing
and roasting for North America. Mocha and Java beans were
first blended together here.
 For traditional chicory cafe
au lait, a visit to Cafe du Monde in the
French Market
is required. Established in 1862, it is open 24/7 and
operates in an 1813 French Market building. Be sure to try an
order of beignets ("bin-yays"), a sort of New
Orleans-style doughnut.
For gourmet
roasts, Royal
Blend Coffee (621 Royal Street) offers excellent blends in a
beautiful and authentic French Quarter courtyard.
CC's Coffee
House (941 Royal St in the French Quarter) offers excellent coffee with
pastries, quiches, and other light foods by national television
chef John Folse.
A "Mochasippi" at CC's beats a Frappaccino hands down.
Tulane's campus
is also home to two PJ's, a popular local coffee house chain. One
is located at the corner of Freret and McAlister in the Stern
Building walkthrough, and the other is in the corner of the Willow
Street Dorms as the corner of Willow and McAlister.
Pizza
For a romantic French Quarter setting, try Mona Lisa (1212
Royal Street). Mona Lisa exudes French Quarter atmosphere, with
worn oriental carpets and antique hookahs. Recommended: a
half-seafood, half-garden pizza. Visiting Mona Lisa gives you
an excuse to walk the length of Royal Street. Lined with art
galleries and antique shops, Royal is the French Quarter's most
glorious street.
For nouvelle
pizza, try the Louisiana
Pizza Kitchen at the end of the French Market. As well as
great food (they cook their pizzas in a wood-fired oven. Recommended:
the Gambretti Pizza, with shrimp, jalapenos, and cilantro),
you get a fun view of the bustling French Market and of ships
loading at Governor Nicholls Street Wharf.
Local Favorites
Epicurious rates
Irene's
Cuisine (corner of Saint Philip and Chartres) as one of
its "essential" New Orleans restaurants. Famous for its
rosemary chicken, this cozy Italian restaurant features southern
Italian food with French Provencal influences. $21--$30, upscale
casual, dinner only, no reservations, so come early or be prepared
to wait in line. Try ending your meal with an Italian-style baked
Alaska, glowing beneath a blue flame of ignited grappa.
Aquarium / Zoo Cruise
(CDTK)
 The riverboat John James Audubon
makes the seven-mile round-trip between the zoo
(open) and
aquarium
(CDTK) four times daily. It’s a wonderful way to combine visits to
these acclaimed facilities with a Mississippi cruise. Your best
value is a combo boat, aquarium, and zoo pass ($31 adults; $15.50
children). In summer, cruise to the zoo in the morning and take
the boat or streetcar back for an air-conditioned afternoon in the
aquarium. The zoo features rare animals in natural settings,
including albino alligators in an award-winning swamp exhibit.
Children love the aquarium's penguin, otter, and seahorse
exhibits. It also has a rainforest frog exhibit and the world’s
largest exhibit of living jellyfish. The jellyfish are
breathtakingly beautiful, like ghosts in the water.
Bonus: for
smashed-penny collectors, the aquarium and zoo have most of the
few smashed-penny machines in New Orleans.
Hamburgers
A
hamburger at the Port
Of Call (838 Esplanade Ave) is a classic New Orleans
experience; some experts
rate it the best hamburger in the country. In addition to great
burgers and pizza, the fifties Tiki lounge decor and Tiki lounge
drinks give the restaurant charm and romance.
When you've
barhopped Bourbon Street until two in the morning and you're ready
to tackle the trek back to your hotel, you'll need to load up on
carbs and protein. The Clover Grill (900 Bourbon
Street) is the place to do it. Open 24/7, this diner is regularly
mentioned in national magazines and is famous for grilling
hamburgers under a hubcap. It also has good omelets and great
"Geaux Girl" waffles. However, when busy, the cigarette
smoke can be oppressive.
View from a Restaurant
Bella
Luna, in the French Market, has a wall of large windows with
dramatic views of the Mississippi River. At night, in the
moonlight, it is easy to understand why Gourmet Magazine
named it one of America's most romantic restaurants (jackets for
men preferred; reservations recommended).
A less
expensive, less formal, and less haute cuisine alternative
is the stunning view of the river from the Riverview restaurant on
the Marriott's 41st floor (614 Canal Street) (CDTK).
 |
|
Loretta Shaw Harrison making her famous pralines. |
Pralines
Loretta's
in the French Market. Loretta's pralines have been made by the same family for
four generations. The traditional praline is fantastic, but if
you're feeling adventurous, go for the coconut praline. Visiting
Loretta's is also a chance to see the bustle of the French Market,
a working open air market with fresh fruit and vegetable stands,
shops, flea markets, restaurants, and more.
And, of course . . . seafood
In
addition to restaurants mentioned above, Acme Oyster House (724
Iberville St), is a "must visit" French Quarter
tradition. Celebrity
chef Paul Prudhomme's K-Paul's
Louisiana Kitchen (416 Chartres St) has earned its
international renown. It has a beautiful balcony and lovely
courtyard, but it can have long lines and be relatively expensive
(main courses start at $26); you might want to call ahead for
reservations.
Another choice for Cajun food might be the Bon Ton Cafe (401
Magazine St). New Orleans' oldest (and first significant) Cajun
restaurant, the Bon Ton Cafe is an "old school" New Orleans
restaurant with a more gently seasoned take on
Cajun and Creole dishes. It's known for crawfish (such as its
five-course crawfish sampler dinner), gumbo, excellent etouffee, a
variety of jambalayas, and a charming Old New Orleans ambiance. Be sure to try the Bon Ton's Rum Ramsey
Cocktail. Mike Anderson's (215
Bourbon St) offers the bonus of being located in a two
hundred-year old building in the heart of the French Quarter. For
crawfish novices, its "7-way Crawfish Dinner" (crawfish
bisque, crawfish cocktail, crawfish stuffed mushroom, fried
crawfish tails, crawfish etoufee, crawfish au gratin, and crawfish
scampi) is a good starter set. There is also a Mike Anderson's in
the Riverwalk
food court. It's a wonderful place
to get a bowl of gumbo and a bottle of Abita Amber, take a table
on the deck, and watch ships from around the globe visit one of
the world's busiest ports. |
Tips for enjoying
New Orleans
The French
Quarter, Arts and Warehouse District, and Convention District are
central to the city's tourism economy. Therefore, they are heavily
patrolled by police, especially plain clothes police officers.
However, you should still be aware of your environment and take
the same common sense precautions as in any other major
metropolitan area.
The French
Quarter police station is at 334 Royal Street. Its phone number is
565-7540.
Don't overdo
it. If you're sightseeing in the
heat of the day, remember to drink plenty of water.
New Orleans has
three streetcar lines: the St. Charles Avenue Streetcar Line (CDTK), the
Canal Street Streetcar Line, and the Riverfront Streetcar Line.
Ride all three! All are accessible at the foot of Canal Street. Check
routes and schedules here.
The bus fare
and one-way fare for all streetcars is $1.25 (exact change,
please). Your streetcar or bus driver can sell
you a 1-day VisiTour pass ($5; you can buy a 3-day pass for $12
from your hotel concierge) good for all for New Orleans buses
and streetcars.
If it's late
or you're tired, take a taxi back to your hotel instead of walking.
Taxis in New Orleans are easy to flag down and reasonably priced.
New Orleans'
civilized open container laws allow you to enjoy alcoholic
beverages while strolling down French Quarter streets. It's a nice
way to window shop. If you want to take a drink with you, ask your
bartender to pour it into a free plastic "go cup." Cans
and glass bottles are not allowed on the street.
The French
Quarter is first a neighborhood. Please respect the privacy of the
families who live there.
Because French
Quarter streets are narrow, cars may park on only one side of many
streets. Favor walking on the side of the street without
cars, because it will give you a clearer view of who's around you.
Especially at
night, it's better to walk in groups.
Especially at
night, it's best to stay on streets where you see other groups
of visitors.
During peak
nighttime hours, most bars and even some restaurants will be
heavily smoke filled. Bourbon Street bars and dance clubs like Oz,
Cafe Lafitte in Exile, and the Bourbon Pub have second story
balconies overlooking the street which are good places to escape
for fresh air. The balconies offer a wonderful view of one of
America's most famous streets.
Even though
Armstrong Park and Rampart Street are well lit at night and inviting, it's
probably better not to wander too far at night beyond the area
between the river and Bourbon Street, except for well-lit, heavily
trafficked areas.
When you order
a sandwich, burger, or po-boy, your server will ask if you want it
"dressed." That means with lettuce, tomato, and maybe
mayonnaise. "Not dressed" (not "undressed")
means just meat and a bun.
There is no
"r" in "po-boy."
When crossing
streets, remember that New Orleans drivers do not believe in turn
signals. They also view stop signs and stop lights with great
suspicion.
Traditional New
Orleans cuisine is "Creole," which means cooking styles
descended from 18th and early-19th century French traditions. It
is lighter, more refined, and often more expensive. It is
typically associated today with the old elite restaurants, such as
Antoine's, Arnaud's and Galatoire's.
"Cajun"
cooking refers to rural South Louisiana traditions, and it is a
recent arrival to New Orleans. It typically involves darker
sauces, stronger seasonings, deep frying, and the "Holy
Trinity" of bell peppers, onions, and garlic. A huge platter
of fried seafood with a side of spicy crawfish etoufee is Cajun.
Shrimp Remoulade with Oysters Rockefeller is Creole.
Here is one
source for New Orleans discount
coupons.
If a stranger
walks up to you and says "I bet I can tell you where you got
those shoes," the correct response is "I got them on my
feet."
New Orleans'
NPR station is WWNO (89.9 FM). Morning Edition is from
5-9:00 AM; All Things Considered is from 4-6:30 PM.
For local
music, listener supported WWOZ (90.7 FM) is a national treasure.
For persons
needing reassurance that the world as they knew it still exists,
there are three Starbucks within walking distance of the French
Quarter, one in the casino, one in Canal Place and the third in the Sheraton Hotel on
Canal Street. For
emergencies, there is a Krispy Kreme in Metairie. |
When friends or relatives
of ours visit New Orleans, what do we suggest they do? Here are a few
things we recommend to help visitors savor our city.
Friday, April 28, 2006 04:12 PM