French Quarter

The French Quarter: Bourbon Street is Not the Point

The Vieux Carre - the original grid of New Orleans, laid out by French and Spanish colonial administrators in the 18th century - covers about one square mile between the Mississippi River and North Rampart Street. The cast-iron balconies that define the neighbourhood’s visual character are largely 19th-century Spanish Creole additions, not French. The street grid dates from 1721. It survived Hurricane Katrina relatively intact because it is on higher ground than the surrounding city.

Bourbon Street exists and is famous for its bars and strip clubs. It is loud, crowded, and smells of beer. Most of the worthwhile things in the French Quarter are not on Bourbon Street.

Jackson Square and St. Louis Cathedral

Jackson Square is the formal park facing the Mississippi, with St. Louis Cathedral behind it. The cathedral’s current structure dates from 1794 (after a fire destroyed its predecessor) and was enlarged in 1850. It is claimed to be the oldest continuously operating cathedral in the United States, which is contested by several other churches. The flanking buildings - the Cabildo and Presbytere, now Louisiana State Museums - are colonial administrative buildings and worth visiting (approximately USD 10 entry each, closed Mondays).

Café Du Monde, on the downriver side of Jackson Square, opens at 07:00 and never closes (it has been continuously open since 1862 except during Katrina). Beignets are USD 4 for three. They are covered in powdered sugar that distributes freely onto clothing. Sitting at an outdoor table with coffee and beignets watching the river is the single most characteristically New Orleans experience that costs almost nothing.

Frenchmen Street

Frenchmen Street in the Marigny neighbourhood, seven minutes’ walk downriver from the Quarter’s eastern edge, is where working musicians play. Three or four bars on a single block - The Spotted Cat, d.b.a., Snug Harbor, the Maison - have live jazz, brass band, or blues every night from around 21:00 without a cover charge. This is where New Orleans residents go when they want to hear music. Preservation Hall in the Quarter is also excellent (USD 20 cover, strict capacity limits, line up early) but Frenchmen is more spontaneous.

Eating

Commander’s Palace is in the Garden District rather than the Quarter, but it is the flagship of the city’s classic Creole restaurant tradition. In the Quarter itself, Galatoire’s on Bourbon Street (founded 1905, USD 35-50 mains) and Antoine’s on St. Louis Street (founded 1840, the city’s oldest restaurant) are the traditional establishments for dressed lunch. For a less formal lunch, Cochon on Magazine Street in the Warehouse District is the best restaurant for Cajun cooking in a city full of them.

The muffuletta at Central Grocery on Decatur Street - a round Sicilian loaf with olive salad, salami, mortadella, capicola, and provolone - is the French Quarter’s signature sandwich and costs around USD 14-16 for a half. Central Grocery makes it correctly.

Hotels in the Quarter

Hotel Monteleone on Royal Street (a National Literary Landmark, connected to Truman Capote and Tennessee Williams) is the historically significant luxury option (USD 200-400 per night). The Audubon Cottages on Dauphine Street are private villa-style accommodations within the Quarter that book well in advance for Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest. Mardi Gras is in February, variable date; Jazz Fest runs the last weekend of April and first weekend of May.