Attitudes, accents and customs are different from anyplace else in the United States, including other cities of the surrounding Deep South. New Orleans' colorful past incorporates French, Spanish, Caribbean, immigrant Italian and Irish, African and Confederate cultures into one giant stew; the result is a town that can be everything from difficult to magical.

New Orleans is a relatively small city of approximately 1.5 million that threatens to grow significantly every few years or so, but then something, or rather nothing, happens, and things stay pretty much the same. For the most part, this suits the locals just fine. Part of the city's charm lies in this laid-back, anti-serious attitude toward progress. There's always tomorrow. No reason to hurry ("It's too hot, honey"). And no need to worry dawlin', "It's all good."

Getting Around
From the airport, cabs will take you anywhere in the city for a flat rate of $21, or jump on a airport shuttle that will take you to any of the major hotels for $7. You can, of course, rent a car, but if your plans mainly involve staying in the city, best to leave the car behind and avoid costly parking and potentially dangerous New Orleans drivers; this is, after all, the city that invented the drive-through Daiquiri window.

Public transportation, in this case buses and the oldest continuously operating streetcar line in the world, are efficient ways to get around New Orleans, although for safety reasons it makes more sense to call a cab in the evening hours. The most popular buses for sightseeing are the Uptown to Downtown Magazine bus and the Mid-City to French Quarter Esplanade bus. The streetcar runs from the Downtown starting point at the corner of Carondolet and Canal Streets (across from the French Quarter's Bourbon Street), up St. Charles Avenue and onto South Carrolton Avenue, terminating at South Claiborne Avenue. Bus/streetcar fares are $1.25 and exact change is required.

The Riverfront Streetcar, which runs between Esplanade Avenue and the Morial Convention Center also costs $1.25. Visitor passes offer unlimited rides for a flat fee (a one-day pass is $4; a three-day pass is $8) and can be purchased at most major hotels and at New Orleans Tours and Gray Line Tours locations. Both buses and streetcars run on fairly regular 15-20 minute rotations during the day, but there can be an hour wait at night.

During temperate spring and fall months walking or renting a bike from Olympic Bike Rental & Tours or Bicycle Michael's are highly recommended ways of exploring the city. City maps are fairly straightforward but discard notions of north, south, east or west when asking directions. The local sense of direction is based on orientation to the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain. You are "riverside" or "lakeside," and Canal Street divides the Uptown and Downtown sections of the city.

French Quarter/Downtown
For its historic significance, architectural beauty, fine dining and kinky, decadent ways the French Quarter is by far New Orleans' number one destination. Other than the small community of Quarter residents and the odd corporate power-luncher, daytime belongs to the tourists and the conmen, the homeless and the street performers who make their living off of tourists. Nighttime adds college students, street punks and suburbanites to the mix.

Canal Street near the River
Harrah's Casino and an expanded convention center have turned this part of Canal Street into a strip of hotels interspersed with Radio Shack-esque chain stores. The Canal Place Shopping Center and adjacent Riverwalk Mall area make this a popular site for tourists and locals alike.

Central Business District
Scattered, mismatched skyscrapers and the superbly odd-shaped Superdome sports arena dominate the landscape here. Bustling during the day with business types, this area dries up at night and turns into a deserted land of pitch-black buildings and empty parking lots.

Faubourg Marigny
A largely gay and artistic area right at the edge of the Quarter across from Esplanade Avenue. The nightclubs and restaurants of Frenchmen Street attract an eclectic culture-loving local crowd.

Faubourg Treme
The nation's oldest black neighborhood is slowly making a comeback as local developers put money into saving this historically important but decaying zone. Noted by locals to be a dangerous place to hang out, Treme offers secret treasures including St. Augustine Church on Gov. Nichols Street, where Mardi Gras Indians meet and Jazz funerals have been known to start.

Garden District
Top-notch New Orleans residential living in all its lush splendor--only a walking tour will do this district justice. Lush, overgrown gardens are tempting to lean into, but watch out for ants! Vampire LeStat fans make pilgrimages here to take part in all things Anne Rice, the famous author of vampire novels who opens one of her district residences for tours.

Irish Channel
Situated between the Garden District and the river, the Irish Channel is named for the Irish immigrants who settled there in the 1840s. Street names like Constance, Annunciation and St. Mary will help you mark the territory. Blocks range from dangerous to lower-middle income residential. A fun place to be on St. Patrick's Day.

Lower Garden District
A small neighborhood between Downtown and the Garden District that contains a typically (for New Orleans) odd mixture of wealthy, historic homeowners, tattooed/pierced artists, and the wandering mentally deranged. Magazine Street is becoming a great place to find antiques, cheap food, funky clothes and comfortable coffeehouses.

Mid-City
Mid-City usually goes unnoticed by the average tourist, except during Jazz Fest season when thousands take the Esplanade bus to the fairgrounds through the neighborhood's quaint residential environs. Besides being a peaceful part of the city to live in, Mid-City is a popular spot for locals who enjoy the City Park, the New Orleans Museum of Art, and a fun selection of moderately priced "little-gem" restaurants.

Uptown
Oak lined streets, mansions and college cafes are mostly what Uptown is made of. People who frequent this Tulane/Loyola University student-heavy 'hood tend to look as though they are doing well: healthy, tan and fit. Could be the two-mile jogs through Uptown's gorgeous, Spanish-mossed Audubon Park.

Warehouse District
A conflicted area that mixes fancy art galleries and fine dining with machine shops. It works though, especially during festivals such as Art for Art's Sake, when the neighborhood turns into one big wine and cheese, art appreciatin' block party.