New Orleans, Louisiana

High and Dry

Theo Kitchen

The crowds are gone but the city remains. The jazz, the bars, the food, the French Quarter. All there and yours for the taking. Broken promises, politicians fighting and pointing fingers, an intense rebuilding effort, New Orleans has taken it all in stride and shown the world what a little bit of bourbon and a lot of elbow grease can do. There has not been a better time to visit, the hotels are open, the bars are stocked, and the restaurants staffed and ready to serve. The only thing missing is the traffic. Walk down Royal Street, take a moment to listen to a street band, try the shamefully good local coffee and be among the first to rediscover that New Orleans has come back -- swinging.

Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop

Built in the 1770s, the Blacksmitherie (as locals call it) is one of the few remaining examples of French architecture in the city. It is also the coolest jazz bar around. Low ceilings, an eclectic crowd, lots of candles, a corner with a piano and an outdoor courtyard, this is the place lucky tourists and hip locals go to catch 70-year-old Johnny Gordon on weekends as he plays his heart out on the piano. At the far end of Bourbon street, past all the bars and clubs, in a residential section of the Quarter, the Blacksmith Shop is an authentic bit of honey-bourbon-jazz; nitty gritty and lots of character.

Cafe Brazil

On Frenchmen Street, which is home to a collection of bohemian cafes, bars, and highly rated family run restaurants, Cafe Brazil is the premier spot in the Quarter for world music. Afro-cuban bands, reggae, and Brazilian bands play on a single small stage set on a wide dance floor. During the day it is a coffee house attracting musicians and artists, but at night it transforms into a funky place to be seen with an enthusiastic dance crowd that often spills out onto the street.

Bourbon Street

There is no denying that Bourbon Street is the queen of the French Quarter. Bars, bars, and bars line both sides of the street and range from country western to piano bars, topless bars to discos, Bourbon is the most drink-ingest, eat-ingest, dance-ingest street in all of New Orleans. Restaurants range from the Court of the Two Sisters, a well known and long loved New Orleans tradition, to grab-and-go sandwich shops. Marie Laveau's House of Voodoo is a definite must-do, offering all kinds of items for good juju, it's a safe place to buy a magic key chain to bring love or money (you need to buy two key chains if you want both).

Royal Street

With its charming antique shops and art galleries, Royal Street feels miles away from noisy Bourbon Street, but "the best street in the Quarter" is only one block away from the mayhem that is all things Bourbon. Local artists can be found here, either selling directly from the street or with showings in one of the galleries. Souvenirs along Royal tend to be more thoughtful than a t-shirt or string of beads; they tend to be handmade pieces of art to be treasured. Fine restaurants and intimate bars are set off by street musicians and street dancers. For lovers of art and culture this is the street to wander, a place to escape to and savor the real French Quarter.

Cafe du Monde and French Market

There is no bad place in the French Quarter to find souvenirs, but a long-standing tradition holds that the French Market, just off Jackson Square on Decatur Street, is the best place to go if you only have an hour to shop. The market doesn't sell food but does sell everything from t-shirts to jewelry to music to books. It's also close to Cafe du Monde, one of the best known coffee shops in North America. Chicory coffee and the naughty powder sugar-covered beignets await the tired shopper (or hung over visitor). Cafe du Monde is the perfect place to sit and watch the world go by or grab a cup of coffee to go for a walk down Decatur Street, along the banks of the mighty Mississippi River.