Few cities have a rhythm like the Big Easy. Curling along the curves of the big, muddy Mississippi, many cultures come together in this river city. French and Creole, Cajun and Southern, and so much more.
Stepping off the Plane
Although it’s been a few years since the $1.3-billion North Terminal opened at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY), everything still feels fresh and new. And although a whole city of delicious food awaits, you might be tempted to grab a bite before even leaving the concourses. Many of NOLA’s best chefs have outposts here, so you can grab anything from po’ boys to beignets to fried chicken, and Creole Vietnamese fusion.Getting a Taste of a New Day in New Orleans
The heat and humidity is no joke in southern Louisiana, so although the day remains relatively cool, enjoy the peace and placidity of the Garden District. Buy a $3 “Jazzy Pass” and you can ride all day on the city’s four main streetcar lines. It’s not only inexpensive; it’s also a rare opportunity to get an inside view on everyday life in NOLA, riding with commuters coming from and going to work.
Hop on the St. Charles Streetcar, which has been moving locals since 1835. With the pass, you can hop off and hop on freely, if anything along the way catches your eye. And everything should, with the route winding past big antebellum homes and spreading oaks draped in Spanish moss. (Just picking a random few blocks for a stroll usually leads to some sort of adventure or interesting conversation.)
Hop off to get a quick look at St. Louis No. 1 Cemetery. Established in 1789 and the eternal home to many famous denizens, this is the place you picture when you think of a New Orleans cemetery, with gothic tombs above the ground—the one from all the movies. On a recent visit, it was closed to the public, and word is that you now need to book a tour to get inside—although just a glimpse is worth it.
Then, ride a little farther to Audubon Park, which has been a 350-acre urban oasis since 1871. Cool breezes blow off the bordering Mississippi River, and you can walk or bike the curving 1.8-mile path. Even nonbirders should have a look at Ochsner Island, which is home to abundant winged life, from great egrets to green herons to double-crested cormorants. If you’re still looking for more animals, the on-site Audubon Zoo has everything from giraffes to jaguars to elephants. (Some 2,000 creatures, in total, from all over the world.)
And then ride to near the end of the line for lunch at a true New Orleans institution. Jacques-Imo’s Cafe is crazy in all the right ways. Even before I go inside, I see at least one al fresco table set up in the back of a pickup truck (a couple was quietly eating their meal in the truck bed). A sign outside announces: warm beer, lousy food, poor service.
Filling an Afternoon With American Highlights
Take the streetcar back to Magazine Street. Although I had always pictured a past rooted in periodicals, this major thoroughfare was, in fact, once home to a munitions magazine. Today, it’s where the cool kids go to eat, drink, and especially shop. Browse secondhand stores, record shops, handicraft galleries, and plenty more. Then take a break on one of the open-air patios for a Sazerac, which was invented somewhere near here. It should always be served neat, perhaps with a splash of bitters.
Soon, you’ll want to escape the afternoon heat at one of the coolest museums you’ll find anywhere. The National WWII Museum—in bright, living color—walks you through various aspects of the war, and the contribution of the United States to victory. Exhibits showcase events and struggles on the home front, the landings on the D-Day beaches in Normandy, and the difficult battles in the Pacific.
Strolling and Dining Long Into the Evening
There was a time when people didn’t quite know what to do with the International Trade Mart. Built in the 1960s to house overseas consulates and other important offices, the distinctive modernist 34-story building has long crowned NOLA’s skyline.It eventually fell into vacancy and a regrettable degree of disrepair. Its reinvention to a Four Seasons Hotel cost almost half a billion dollars, reopening to a whole new phase in its life in 2021. It’s worth a look, even if you only pop in for a pre-dinner drink at the glamorous, Gatsby-esque Chandelier Bar, which serves up champagne and a whole list of classic cocktails.
If time (and your pocketbook) allows, dinner at their premier restaurant, Miss River, is a highlight. Chef Alon Shaya’s menu is a love letter to New Orleans. He takes Cajun, Creole, and classic dishes of other styles, elevates them, and adds his own twist. Blackened gulf snapper, clay pot dirty rice, duck and andouille gumbo. But my favorite? The Best Stop boudin. It comes with a good story—ask when you order it.
Afterward, it’s just a short walk to the French Quarter. Although this is obviously the most touristy part of town, it is undeniably fascinating. Founded in 1718, the Vieux Carré bears the architectural and cultural fingerprints that come from hundreds of years of history.
Spanish brick and stucco. French cast-iron galleries. Surprise courtyards lush with vegetation. Shotgun houses, built in a West African style, to keep the humid air moving. Take five minutes—maybe 10—to walk Bourbon Street. The party never seems to end here, and it is a fun spectacle worth taking in.
But then explore the side streets with lamps flickering under Spanish moss. Walk along Royal—a handsome, quieter thoroughfare—to the St. Louis Cathedral, the fountains, and the horse-drawn carriages on Jackson Square.
And if you have time for one more, finish the night on Frenchmen Street, around its intersection with Chartres. Just east of the Quarter, this off-beat neighborhood, called the Marigny, is where the locals go for a nightcap. Brass bands play at the intersection. People pop in and out of the art market and bohemian bars.
Most of the bars include live music—but not the thumping nightclub DJ mixes you’ll find on Bourbon. Here, at a place such as Three Muses, you can pull up a chair, order a Buffalo Trace on the rocks, and listen to a three-piece combo—bass, guitar, and fiddle, playing for you into that long and sultry New Orleans night.
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3 Recommendations for Essential New Orleans Dishes
You can get traditional, raw oysters on the half-shell at Drago’s seafood restaurant. But I humbly suggest you try their specialty. Covered in a combination of garlic, butter, and herbs, then sprinkled with Parmesan and Romano cheeses, these oysters are cooked close to perfection in their shells.
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A Note on Streetcars
Although the St. Charles line might be the most famous, New Orleans has four different routes. If I had an extra day, I would just sit back, relax, and ride all of them.Take the Canal Streetcar to City Park and the New Orleans Museum of Art. The Riverfront line transports riders to attractions along the water, and the St. Claude-Rampart Streetcar is slated for imminent reopening—it will take you, most notably, to Louis Armstrong Park and the ponds and sculptures at Congo Square.
