GAY NEW ORLEANS SHOPPING

Shopping in New Orleans is like opening a treasure che New Orleans Shopping st in which everything you want is at your fingertips, from rare antiques to novelty T-shirts, artwork, jewelry, and packaged foods that represent the city's flavors and culture.

The Warehouse/Arts District, on the riverfront just upriver from the Quarter, has thrived since it was rediscovered during the 1984 World's Fair. Art and antique lovers should check out Julia Street in the Warehouse District, home to many contemporary art galleries.

Make sure you take home some of the city's posters and artworks, often collector's items, designed around New Orleans' special events such as Mardi Gras and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival or depictions of historic areas of the city. The special sounds of New Orleans -- Dixieland and contemporary jazz, rhythm and blues, Cajun and zydeco -- are available in music stores and live-music venues such as Preservation Hall, Snug Harbor, and House of Blues. Independent bookstores and major chains stock a plethora of local cookbooks, photography, history, and local literature and lore. Clothing stores focus on items that wear well in the subtropical heat, with styles ranging from the latest runway fashions, European designer wear, vintage items and reconstructed clothes, as well as styles from a host of local designers.

Fodors & Out and About

FEATURED NEW ORLEANS SHOPPING

ARTHUR ROGER GALLERY
432 Julia St., New Orleans, Louisiana
504-522-1999
In business for more than 25 years, represents regional and national artists, and with over 5,000 square feet of exhibition space, is one of largest galleries in New Orleans.

COOKIN CAJUN
#1 Poydras Street, Store 116 Riverwalk, New Orleans, Louisiana
800-523-6425 504-523-6425
lisette@cookincajun.com
Why not take a taste of New Orleans to family, friends and customers to remind them of your New Orleans vacation. Visit our Creole/Cajun gourmet store with all kinds of goodies like pralines, mardi gras dip mix, hot sauces, coffee, cookbooks etc.. Go to our website www.cookincajun.com and you will see what we mean.

FIFI MAHONEY
934 Royal Street, New Orleans, Louisiana
504-525-4343
Got a costume ball to attend? New Orleans teems with drag and other fabulous wear.

MAJOR SHOPPING AREAS

Canal Place -- At the foot of Canal Street (365 Canal St.) where it reaches the Mississippi River, this sophisticated shopping center holds more than 50 shops, many of them branches of the world's most elegant retailers: Brooks Brothers, Bally, Saks Fifth Avenue, Gucci, Williams-Sonoma, and Jaeger. Open Monday through Wednesday from 10am to 6pm, Thursday from 10am to 8pm, Friday and Saturday from 10am to 7pm, and Sunday from noon to 6pm.

French Market -- Shops in the Market begin on Decatur Street across from Jackson Square; offerings include candy, cookware, fashion, crafts, toys, New Orleans memorabilia, and candles. It's open from 10am to 6pm (and the Farmer's Market Café du Monde is open 24 hr.). Quite honestly, you'll find a lot of junk, but there are some good buys mixed in.

Jackson Brewery -- Just across from Jackson Square at 600-620 Decatur St., the old brewery building has been transformed into a jumble of shops, cafes, restaurants, and entertainment. Many shops in the Brewery close at 5:30 or 6pm, before the Brewery itself. Open Sunday through Thursday from 10am to 9pm, Friday and Saturday from 10am to 10pm.

Julia Street -- From Camp Street down to the river on Julia Street, you'll find many of the city's best contemporary art galleries. Of course, some of the works are a bit pricey, but there are good deals to be had if you're collecting and fine art to be seen if you're not.

Magazine Street -- This is the Garden District's premier shopping street. More than 140 shops line the street in 19th-century brick storefronts and quaint cottagelike buildings. Among the offerings are antiques, art galleries, boutiques, crafts, and dolls. If you're so inclined, you could shop all the way from Washington Street to Audubon Park. The most likely section goes, roughly, from the 3500 to 4200 blocks (from about Aline St. to Milan St., with the odd block or so of nothing). Pick up a copy of Visit Magazine Street: For a Shopper's Dream, a free guide and map to most of the stores on 6 miles of Magazine, available all along the street.

New Orleans Centre -- New Orleans's newest shopping center, at 1400 Poydras St., features a glass atrium and includes upscale stores like Lord & Taylor and Macy's. There are three levels of specialty shops and restaurants. Open Monday through Saturday from 10am to 8pm and Sunday from noon to 6pm.

Riverbend -- To reach this district (in the Carrollton area), ride the St. Charles Avenue streetcar (or the free bus temporarily replacing it) to stop 44 and then walk down Maple Street 1 block to Dublin Park, the site of an old public market that was once lined with open stalls. Nowadays, renovated shops inhabit the old general store, a produce warehouse made of bargeboard, and the town surveyor's raised-cottage home.

Riverwalk Marketplace -- A mall is a mall is a mall, unless it has picture windows offering a Mississippi panorama. Even though you almost certainly have a mall at home, this is worth visiting. Besides, if you need T-shirts instead of sweaters or vice versa, this is the closest Gap to the Quarter. Note that the best river views are in the section of the mall closest to the Convention Center. Other than a branch of Café du Monde, it's the usual mall suspects. 1 Poydras St. Open Monday through Thursday from 10am to 9pm, Friday and Saturday from 10am to 10pm, and Sunday from 12:30 to 5:30pm.

Frommers