New Orleans

New Orleans is a veritable food frenzy. A tasty gumbo of spicy Cajun and Creole cooking to upscale cuisine permeates its brassy and boisterous atmosphere. From étouffée and jambalaya to pralines and beignets, the food, like the Big Easy's famous music, has a rhythm all its own. Jazz and blues don't get better than this. The French Quarter, unharmed by Hurricane Katrina, reverberates with jive, especially at Preservation Hall where guests even sit on the floor to catch the sounds of musicians trained in the "Louis Armstrong school." Being one of the oldest districts in the country, the Quarter is steeped in history and 18th- and ...

New Orleans is a veritable food frenzy. A tasty gumbo of spicy Cajun and Creole cooking to upscale cuisine permeates its brassy and boisterous atmosphere. From étouffée and jambalaya to pralines and beignets, the food, like the Big Easy's famous music, has a rhythm all its own. Jazz and blues don't get better than this. The French Quarter, unharmed by Hurricane Katrina, reverberates with jive, especially at Preservation Hall where guests even sit on the floor to catch the sounds of musicians trained in the "Louis Armstrong school." Being one of the oldest districts in the country, the Quarter is steeped in history and 18th- and 19th-century buildings. Arches and filigreed wrought-iron balconies adorn these structures and house shops that are filled with art, antiques and kitschy souvenirs like boas and Mardi Gras masks. When Mardi Gras rolls around the French Quarter is parades, parties, chaos and merrymaking. Wilder in a different way is the bayou, just a half hour away. Lurking in marshy and moss-laden Cypress swamps are alligators, birds and other creatures.

About the Expert

Roberta Sotonoff is coauthor of Eyewitness Top 10 Chicago and has contributed to many other guidebooks, including Fodor's Chicago, Fodor's Caribbean, Fodor's Caribbean Ports of Call, and Thomas Cook Traveller's USA.