GAY NEW ORLEANS AREA INFO

New Orleans occupies an 8-mi stretch between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain, covering roughly 365 square mi of flat, swamp-drained land. The heart of the city, downtown, includes the famous old area called the Vieux Carré (Old Square), or the French Quarter; the historic African-American district of Tremé; the Central Business District (CBD); and the Warehouse District. Across the river from downtown is an extension of New Orleans known as the Westbank, which includes the neighborhood of Algiers Point. 

Downriver from the sights-packed French Quarter are the Faubourg Marigny and the Bywater districts, neighborhoods developed in the early 1800s. The mainly residential area is also home to eateries, cafés, music clubs, and collectibles shops. Across Rampart Street, next to the French Quarter, lies Tremé. A couple of small museums add to the allure of this mainly residential area, of which parts were badly flooded during the Hurricane Katrina. 

Canal Street divides the French Quarter from the "American Sector," as it was designated in the early days following the Louisiana Purchase. Americans built their homes in increasing extravagance as they began to make money in the city and moved farther upriver. Eventually, a business district overtook what had been the residential blocks just uptown from Canal, and now the lawyers and artists of the CBD and Warehouse District share the area, taking advantage of the bars, clubs, and loft apartment buildings in this burgeoning neighborhood. 

Canal Street was undergoing a revival before the storm, and while a few stores are open, quite a few remain shuttered. However, the historic streetcar continues to run down the center of the street. The foot of Canal Street, where the French Quarter, the CBD, the Warehouse District, and the Mississippi River converge, is the site of major attractions such as the Aquarium of the Americas, Woldenberg Riverfront Park, Harrah's New Orleans casino, and the Riverwalk shopping-and-entertainment complex. 

The St. Charles Avenue streetcar parallels the Mississippi River on a route several blocks inland along St. Charles Avenue, home to antebellum mansions, the Garden District, and the university sector uptown. It is usually the best way to get to these areas. However, due to damage from the hurricane, it won't be running again until late 2007. 

Metairie, as well as hurricane-damaged Mid-City and the lakefront are accessible primarily by automobile. City Park, within Mid-City, covers a vast area that includes the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Botanical Garden, and Storyland, an entertainment area for children, plus miles of lagoons, golf courses, and recreation areas. 

The Mississippi River dominates New Orleans, even passing through one corner of it. The corner across the river from downtown is called Algiers, which was settled in the late 1800s and remained fairly isolated until a modern bridge and regularly scheduled ferries connected it with the east bank in the 1960s. Algiers continues to maintain a small-town flavor, with pocket parks surrounded by Victorian cottages and oak-canopied streets. 

Outlying areas include such attractions as the Chalmette Battlefield and National Cemetery some 5 mi south of New Orleans are in heavily damaged St. Bernard Parish, but are open to visitors. 

Directions in a city that bases its compass on the curve of the river can be hopelessly confusing. Canal Street, a long avenue that runs from the river to the lake, divides the city roughly into uptown and downtown sections. Streets to the north of Canal are named North and run downtown; those to the south of Canal are named South and run uptown. Only the French Quarter is laid out in a grid pattern. Ask a New Orleanian for directions and you are likely to hear about so many blocks downtown or uptown and on the lake or river side. The best advice is to keep a map handy at all times. 

New Orleans's housing patterns are very mixed. It is not uncommon to find mansions on one block and run-down tenements on the next, or nearby. You should be alert to conditions around you, taking precautions not to wander alone on deserted streets or in questionable areas. New Orleans has a high crime rate. If in doubt about the safety of sights to visit, ask hotel personnel for advice, tour areas in groups when possible, and take a cab at night. (Areas requiring special precautions are noted throughout this chapter.) 

Downtown, the Garden District, and Algiers are best explored on foot, because sites are near one another and should be experienced at a slow pace. For other areas, biking, driving, or riding the streetcar is recommended because of the long distances covered. 

If you should want to visit the areas damaged by Hurricane Katrina, you will have to do it by car. Many of these areas are still deserted and should not be toured on foot or at night.