Things to do in New Orleans

It’s almost redundant to suggest stopping anywhere in the French Quarter, the world’s greatest spot for just, well, wandering. Many begin their beautifully aimless exploration of the neighbourhood from its heart in Jackson Square, where artists and tarot readers surround famous St Louis Cathedral. Make sure to shop on Royal Street, and don’t leave without catching a set of traditional, unamplified jazz at cozy Preservation Hall (if you’re there in the evening). But otherwise just wander, and wonder, getting absorbed in small surprises.

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On 3 July 1929, New Orleans’ daily newspaper announced that ‘work must resume!’ and the city’s transit strike – which shut down its vital streetcars – had to end. But the strike went on so long that, in a show of support for the streetcar drivers, the owners of Mother’s Restaurant on Willow Street began giving out free, low-budget French baguette sandwiches to all those ‘poor boys’ on the picket line. These days, a ‘dressed’ po’boy comes with meat or seafood, lettuce, tomatoes, mayo, and nothing more. Mother’s also coined the term ‘debris’ to describe its roast beef po’boys’ sloppy gravy.

Driving in quaint areas of the city, such as the French Quarter – or, more to the point, parking there – can be painful, but cycling is the best way to get around. Plus it gives visitors the most bang for their buck. Hire a bike and cycle through the French Quarter and bohemian Faubourg Marigny, past gorgeous mansions on Esplanade Avenue, with stops at cemeteries and other attractions along the way in this surprisingly compact – and mercifully flat – city.

Not a traditional tourist hub, New Orleans’s Mid-City neighbourhood nonetheless provides the same high level of southern architecture as Uptown’s Garden District, while also somehow feeling cosy and relatable. Any visitor would be unfortunate to miss the 1,300-acre City Park – with its beignet cafe, theme park rides, and system of beautiful lakes – which is just around the corner from the equally beautiful kayaking spot, Bayou St John. After a day in this urban paradise, head back up Esplanade Avenue to take a tour of French painter Edgar Degas’ former house, followed by drinks and fine cuisine at the nearby Café Degas.

Subirse en el famoso tranvía de St. Charles Avenue es una actividad imprescindible. Con un recorrido de una milla, podrá divisar los lugares de interés típicos de la vida en la zona sur, desde el distrito central de negocios hasta Audubon Park, pasando por Uptown. El ayuntamiento ha añadido líneas nuevas recientemente, como por ejemplo la que conecta el barrio francés, conocido como French Quarter, con la moderna avenida St Claude y que termina en el Faubourg Marigny. No lejos de aquí se encuentra el Ninth Ward, el distrito donde se rompió el dique en 2005. Incluso se puede hacer una visita guiada por las áreas más afectadas por el huracán Katrina,

Puede pasar horas explorando las innumerables galerías independientes de arte contemporáneo que hay en Julia Street, en el distrito de negocios de Nueva Orleans. Además, el primer sábado de cada mes, las galerías abren sus puertas por la noche y se puede disfrutar de un ambiente artístico con copas de por medio. El segundo sábado del mes, el distrito St Claude Arts District ofrece una experiencia similar en un entorno mucho más experimental y "underground".

The best view of the French Quarter and many other of New Orleans’s most famous sights can be glimpsed from the city’s least famous riverbank: take a $2 ferry ride across the Mississippi River to Orleans Parish’s second oldest neighbourhood, Algiers Point. You may find yourself the only tourist in Algiers’ Folk Art Zone and Blues Museum, and you’ll likely be dancing with just locals to the music at Old Point Bar, where the river breeze renders the humidity more than tolerable.

Podría pasar toda su estancia en Nueva Orleans visitando sus museos. En City Park, bajo los espléndidos robles, se encuentra el famoso NOMA o New Orleans Museum of Art. En el Central Business District se encuentra el prominente Contemporary Arts Center, justo enfrente del distinguido Ogden Museum of Southern Art. Con un estilo muy diferente, los viajeros curiosos pueden también visitar el pequeño pero extraordinario Backstreet Cultural Museum, dedicado a la cultura de Treme (el primer barrio afroamericano de la nación), y la hermosa casa House of Dance and Feathers, un museo privado de la cultura india del Mardi Gras que cuenta con una buena colección de piezas de trajes y accesorios de los diferentes tipos de tribus.