GAY NEW ORLEANS ESSENTIALS

New Orleans is one of the world’s busiest ports and Gay New Orleans the cultural capital of the South, yet the city is remarkably compact and easy to navigate. Gay and lesbian visitors are always pleasantly surprised to learn that many of the city’s attractions, accommodations and nightlife are within walking distance of each other; in fact, “hoofing it” (in New Orleans’ case, translated as walking or grabbing a mule-drawn carriage) is a favorite means of transportation in the Crescent City.

AIRPORT
Louis Armstrong International Airport is convenient; just 15 miles from the Central Business District and French Quarter, it is a quick ride away, whether you go by bus, shuttle, taxi or limousine.

AIRPORT TRANSFERS
Shuttle-bus service to and from the airport and downtown hotels, as well as local hospitals and the uptown college campuses, is available through New Orleans Tours Airport Shuttle. Buses leave regularly from the ground-floor level near the baggage claim. To return to the airport, call 24 hours in advance of flight time. The cost one-way is $13 per person, and the trip takes about 40 minutes.

Louisiana Transit also runs a bus between the airport, the CBD, and Mid-City. The trip costs $1.60 in exact change ($1.10 from Carrollton and Tulane avenues) and takes about 45 minutes. Departures for the airport are every 10 to 20 minutes from Elks Place and Tulane Avenue across from the main branch of the New Orleans Public Library, and from the corner of Tulane and Carrollton avenues. The last bus leaves at 7:40 PM from Tulane and Elks Place, 11:45 PM from Tulane and Carrollton.

A cab ride to or from the airport from uptown or downtown New Orleans costs $28 for the first two passengers, then $12 for each additional passenger. Pick-up is on the lower level, outside the baggage-claim area. There may be an additional charge for extra baggage.

By car, take the Interstate 10 Expressway (from the CBD, go west to the Airport exit). Allow an hour for the drive during afternoon rush hour; without traffic, the drive takes a half hour.

AMTRAK
Amtrak services New Orleans. Three major Amtrak lines arrive at and depart from New Orleans's Union Passenger Terminal. The Crescent makes daily runs from New York to New Orleans by way of Washington, D.C. The City of New Orleans runs daily between New Orleans and Chicago. The Sunset Limited makes the two-day trip from Los Angeles to New Orleans en route to Orlando. It departs from New Orleans traveling westward on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday and leaves Los Angeles on Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday. Some routes may change with cutbacks in Amtrak funding. Trains arrive at and depart from New Orleans's Union Passenger Terminal in the heart of the CBD.

BUS
Greyhound has one terminal in the city, in the Union Passenger Terminal in the CBD. Ask about special travel passes. Check with your local Greyhound ticket office for prices and schedules. Greyhound (1001 Loyola Ave., New Orleans, LA, USA. PHONE: 800/231-2222 or 504/525-6075, www.greyhound.com).

BOAT
The Delta Queen Steamboat Company offers 3- to 11-night excursions up the Big Muddy and environs aboard the Delta Queen, a National Historic Landmark built in the 1920s; the Mississippi Queen, built in 1976; or the American Queen, the largest paddle wheeler ever built. Cruises up the Mississippi focus on the river's effect on history and historic onshore sites such as antebellum plantation houses, Vicksburg, and Natchez. Founded in 1890, the company operates out of an enormous and efficient waterfront terminal complex adjacent to the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Carnival Cruise Lines departs from New Orleans.

LOCAL BUS SERVICE
New Orleans has a very accessible and reasonably priced public transportation system, too. It only costs $1.25 to take an RTA bus . . . or one of the city’s famed streetcars, which travel the Riverfront and Canal Street. Where else can you actually ride on a historic landmark?

STREETCARS
RTA is fully operating its #2 Riverfront Streetcar line (runs from French Market Riverfront stop at Esplanade to the Convention Center) and its full #45 Canal Streetcar line (runs the full length of Canal Street to the Cemeteries terminal, also including the Carrollton Spur). Both lines are using the undamaged and historic olive-green Perley Thomas-type streetcars, usually run along the St. Charles Avenue line, for this service 7 days per week from 7 a.m. – 10 p.m.

WEATHER
The best time to visit New Orleans is in spring and fall when the temperatures are warm, but not too warm, and the humidity is low. Many visitors courageously choose the summer months despite the torrid and humid conditions to take advantage of the low off-season rates. Dress is cool and casual in the summer, and umbrellas are a must thanks to the frequent afternoon thunderstorms, which help cool things down.