Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
such entertainers as the Pfister Sisters, Paul Sanchez, and the Washboard
Chaz Blues Trio. Apple Barrel rounds out the medley of music clubs.
Adolfo's, on the second floor of Apple Barrel, is a Creole-Italian eatery
whose signature dish is corn-and-crab cannelloni. If you're visiting French-
men on Thursday through Sunday nights, stop by the Frenchmen Art Mar-
ket, in the lot next to Spotted Cat.
•
Turn left on Royal Street and walk one block to the intersection of Royal and
Touro Street. Continue down Royal, cross Kerlerec Street, walk another
block to Esplanade Avenue, and turn right. This is a mostly residential area,
but a number of bed-and-breakfasts and guest houses line this stretch.
Among them is the Royal Inn (1431 Royal), home of the hopping R Bar, a
dive that draws huge crowds for its affordable drinks and funky vibe.
•
Cross Esplanade at Dauphine Street, turn left, and begin walking back down
Esplanade to the starting point. Don't be surprised to see a crowd of people
standing in front of 838 Esplanade. This is Port of Call, which, even with the
proliferation of burger restaurants around town, is still considered one of the
city's best.
•
You'll pass several Victorian mansions on both sides of Esplanade, including
the Lanaux Mansion (to your left at 547 Esplanade), an 1879 Renaissance
Revival home that
Forbes
magazine has called one of the best bed-and-
breakfasts in the country. The exterior of the inn and its lobby were featured
in the Brad Pitt film
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
The inn's decor
includes original furniture and wallpapers from 1879, as well as Civil War
memorabilia. Registered guests can arrange for a tour upon their arrival.
Music venues abound on this stretch as well, among them Igor's Checkpoint
Charlie's (501 Esplanade Ave.), which specializes in alternative-rock and
metal bands, and the Balcony Music Club (BMC), at the corner of Esplanade
and Decatur Street, which features blues, funk, and R&B bands.
•
From BMC, cross Decatur and you'll be in front of the Old US Mint, home of
the Music at the Mint jazz series and one of several museums that make up
the Louisiana State Museum system (see sidebar). Built in 1835, the Greek
Revival building served as a mint for both the Union and the Confederacy.
Today, it's home to exhibits on New Orleans jazz, Newcomb pottery, and the
Mississippi River.
•
Cross Esplanade at North Peters Street, then circle left on North Peters,
which becomes Elysian Fields Avenue heading north. Cross on Elysian Fields
