Enjoying the French Quarter...

We quickly figured out that NOLA simply means "New Orleans Louisiana", because the word NOLA is everywhere. Our Hilton Garden Inn hotel was on the border between NOLA's business district and French Quarter, an ideal placement (thanks Bob!) for walking around and doing some banking transactions.

The French Quarter from our hotel roof at dusk, looking down Bourbon Street.

The French Quarter (Vieux Carre) dates back to when New Orleans was originally laid out (1721) and is a large area on the outside of a sharp curve in the Mississippi River, more or less bounded by the river and Canal St, N. Rampart St and Esplanade Ave. Within that rectangle, there are almost 90 blocks to explore, and we tried our best to cover them all on foot, having had a sweet taste driving in. All of the streets within the Quarter are narrow and one way, just wide enough for one lane of traffic, and one parking lane. Through these narrow streets and tight corners pass all manner of cars, trucks and buses, including some huge semi-trailers. Most intersections are 4-way stop signs, but some are not, just to keep drivers and pedestrians on their toes. Luckily, the traffic moves very slowly.

The Spanish origins of New Orleans are remembered by numerous street signs like this one.

The French Quarter (and indeed, everywhere else we went to in New Orleans) is packed with tourists. Indeed, this is the first place on this whole trip that we have seen crowds of visitors. We think this is pretty normal for NOLA, but there was also a car distributors' convention in town with 45,000 delegates! And we saw two cruise ships, so this explains why the city is so busy.

Complex balcony lacework on this grand hotel building in the French Quarter.

Balcony decorated in readiness for the Mardi Gras festivities.

Almost all buildings in the Quarter are very old, and not very tall. Some are very grand. It is apparent that preservation and heritage laws apply, which is what gives the Quarter its architectural appeal. Damage from the floding of Katrina is still evident to buildings and pavement. The roads and footpaths are in pretty bad shape, and while a lot of work is going on, it's apparent (and probably justified) that the city's reconstruction priorities are elsewhere. Pedestrians have to be very careful of trip hazards and great holes where they are walking - knowing we are both prone to them, we were desperate to avoid sprained ankles. The sidewalks are also quite wet (with water leaks and odd rain), which freezes into very slippery ice when there is a cold snap!

When you can't find a street name at an intersection in the French Quarter, llok down! It might be in the pavement.

Arguably, the main street of the French Quarter is Bourbon Street. Along and around this narrow street are centred most of the bars and cafes, and live music can be had in most of them for the price of a drink. The Bourbon Street strip, especially at night, is reminsicent of Sydney's Kings Cross - it is rowdy with party-goers carrying alcohol (in plastic cups only, thank you) and touts for restaurants and strip-clubs. Buskers add some welcome character to the strip, and on every corner there is a mobile hot-dog stand (crawfish dogs are very popular) to sate the hunger of bar-hoppers. There are beggars everywhere. Basically, Bourbon Street is exciting but seedy, and more salubrious entertainment can be had in other streets of the French Quarter.

Royal Street in the French Quarter has many antique shops, this one sepcialising in old chandeliers.

Exotic but typical decorations for Mardi Gras.

Hotels are everywhere in the Quarter, including large and famous identities in very grand and historical buildings. Every block seems to have several hotels - there are all sizes down to quaint boutique models and very humble abodes. When you add the massive luxurious hotels in the business district, the total number of hotel beds in NOLA must be staggering.

Colourful dormer on an old house in the French Quarter.

You never know what is behind those shutters until they are opened!

Beautiful detailing in a shotgun house in the French Quarter.

Walking the streets and avenues of the French Quarter is a delightful experience. All buildings are old, and there is quite a variety of architectural styles. The city is all decked out for Mardi Gras (predominantly green, gold and purple) which goes for two months and adds to the attraction. House styles are particularly interesting, and many near the river have characteristic upper floor balconies which were used to exhibit slaves for sale. The so called Shotgun Houses are possibly the most common, and are exquisite and colourful when in good condition. Peering down alleys into the backs of Creole Town Houses, we could see delightful inner courtyards complete with gardens and trees and even swimming pools appear to be qute common.

St Louis Cathedral is the spiritual centre of the French Quarter, seen here from the Mississippi River over Jackson Square (after Major General Andrew Jackson) who won the Battle of New Orleans for USA.

Shotgun house in the French Quarter, heavily decorated for Mardi Gras.

We found a number of places where good cappucino can be obtained. These are invariably in out-of-the-way parts of the Quarter, and seem to have a decent established clientele. The staff are always friendly, and interested to hear what we think about their coffee. Spitfire in St.Peter St was one, and the owner there gave us good hints about where to go. However, we kept returning to the Croissant D'Or in Ursulines Ave because they also had great croissants and baguettes! Another friendly shopkeeper was Sunshine (she said that that was her real name) who directed us to locations our of the French Quarter "where locals go". Unusually, Sunshine was very well travelled - she was born in Barbados and had lived in Point Piper, Sydney!

We found several good coffee shops in New Orleans, but this one also had the much more rare croissants and baguettes.