Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Marigny and Bywater, but if you don't fancy bikes, walk past Washington Sq Park
and soak up the Marigny's vibe.
Have dinner at
Bacchanal
and enjoy great wine and cheese in this musical
garden.
If you're feeling edgy, head to St Claude Avenue where the offerings range from
punk to hip-hop to bounce to '60s mod. For more traditional Nola jazz and blues,
head down Frenchmen St.
The next day drive, or consider renting a bicycle, and explore around the Tremé -
don't miss the
Backstreet Cultural Museum
or
Willie Mae's
fried chicken.
Head up Esplanade Ave and gawk at all the gorgeous Creole mansions sitting
pretty under the big live oaks. Take Esplanade all the way to
City Park
and wander
around the
New Orleans Museum of Art
.
Sights
French Quarter
Elegant, Caribbean-colonial architecture, lush gardens and wrought-iron accents are the
visual norm in the French Quarter. But this is also the heart of New Orleans' tourism
scene. Bourbon St generates a loutish membrane that sometimes makes the rest of the
Quarter difficult to appreciate. Look past this. The Vieux Carré (Old Quarter; first laid
out in 1722) is the focal point of much of this city's culture and in the quieter back lanes
and alleyways there's a sense of faded time shaken and stirred with joie de vivre.
Jackson Square
SQUARE, PLAZA
( 504-568-6968;
www.jackson-square.com
; Decatur & St Peter Sts)
Jackson Sq is the heart of
the Quarter. Sprinkled with lazing loungers, surrounded by fortune-tellers, sketch artists
and traveling showmen, and overlooked by cathedrals, offices and shops plucked from a
fairy tale, this is one of America's great green spaces.
St Louis Cathedral
CATHEDRAL
( 504 525-9585; Jackson Sq; donations accepted; 9am-5pm Mon-Sat, 1-5pm Sun)
St Louis
Cathedral is Jackson Sq's masterpiece. Designed by Gilberto Guillemard, this is one of
the finest examples of French ecumenical (church) architecture in America.
