The Port of New Orleans (portno.com) has two cruise terminals, both in the heart of downtown. The immediate area is part of the Central Business District, which, like business districts anywhere, may be vibrant or deserted depending on the day of the week and the time of day. Just steps away, the Riverwalk shopping mall (riverwalkmarketplace.com) provides authentic shopping and dining experiences for those who have little time to spare. The cruise terminals are along the Riverfront streetcar line (norta.com). If you have a bit more time on your hands, a five-minute ride will take you to the French Quarter, the oldest and most vibrant section of New Orleans.
The Quarter, as it is known to locals, is laid out in a 13- by 6-block grid. Built in the 1700s, each block is less than half the distance of a modern city block. Using nothing more than your own two feet, you can take in the highlights of the French Quarter in less than a day. Stroll world-famous Bourbon Street with a drink in hand -- drinking in public is perfectly legal as long as you use a plastic “go cup.” See the antique shops on Royal Street, the junk shops on Barracks and the T-shirt shops on Decatur. Stop by Jackson Square, once the site of public executions, to visit the tarot readers who ply their trade in the shadow of St. Louis Cathedral. Wander down Dumaine Street, also known as “Voodoo Row.” When you get hungry, stop at any of the hole-in-the-wall dives or a corner store with a deli counter to experience true New Orleans cuisine. Be sure to stop at Café du Monde (cafedumonde.com), open around the clock since 1862, for powdered sugar-drenched beignets and café au lait. Tradition has it that on your first visit, you must blow powdered sugar on your dining companions.
If you want to see the city beyond the Quarter, sign up for a bus tour. Gray Line is known worldwide for its clean, efficient tour operations and knowledgeable guides, and the New Orleans (graylineneworleans.com) branch is no exception. The company provides two main bus tours, one focused on sightseeing and the other specializing on the results of Hurricane Katrina. The Katrina/City tour combines the two options. The bright red double-decker buses of City Sightseeing (citysightseeingneworleans.com) provide hop-on hop-off service at 13 stops across New Orleans. A full loop without stops takes about two hours to complete, and the tour is fully narrated in your choice of seven languages. Some ticket options include walking tours of the French Quarter and the Garden District.
The French Quarter is packed with walking tour companies that specialize in everything from ghosts to cocktails to voodoo to music history. Among the most respected are Haunted History (hauntedhistorytours.com) and French Quarter Phantoms (frenchquarterphantoms.com). Stop in at any tour office along Decatur Street to explore your options and make reservations.
