About the Author and Contributors.

Acknowledgments.

Introduction.

Let the Good Times Roll.

About This Guide.

How Come “Unofficial”?

Creating a Guidebook.

How Unofficial Guides Are Different.

How This Guide Was Researched and Written.

Letters, Comments, and Questions from Readers.

“Inside” New Orleans for Outsiders.

How Information Is Organized: By Subject and by Geographic Area.

PART ONE Understanding the City.

A Too-short History of a Fascinating Place.

The French Flag.

The Spanish Flag.

Three Flags in Forty Years.

“The Whites of Their Eyes”.

Free Blacks, Slaves, and Mulattos.

The War between the States and Reconstruction.

The 20th Century and the New Millennium.

When the Floodgates Opened.

Parishes, Neighborhoods, and Districts.

The French Quarter.

Central Business District.

Uptown and the Garden District.

Faubourg Marigny.

Mid-City–Esplanade.

The Fictional City.

PART TWO Planning Your Visit.

When to Go.

Pick Your Party.

Weather or Not . . . .

Gathering Information.

Using the Internet.

New Orleans on the Web.

Major Travel and Reservation Sites.

Some Reservation Sites to Check Out.

Travel and Local Information Resources.

Search Engines and Directories.

Special Considerations.

What to Pack.

Playing Host.

Exchanging Vows.

New Orleans for Families.

Tips for International Travelers.

Tips for Travelers with Disabilities.

For the Nose that Knows.

A CALENDAR OF FESTIVALS AND EVENTS.

PART THREE New Orleans’s Major Festivals.

Mardi Gras Mania.

Jazz and Heritage Fest.

Halloween.

Creole Christmas.

Cajun Country Festivals.

PART FOUR Accommodations.

Deciding Where to Stay.

Some Considerations.

Getting a Good Deal on a Room.

Special Weekday Rates.

Getting Corporate Rates.

Half-price Programs.

Preferred Rates

Wholesalers, Consolidators, and Reservation Services.

How to Evaluate a Travel Package.

Helping Your Travel Agent Help You.

If You Make Your Own Reservation.

Hotels and Motels: Rated and Ranked.

What’s in a Room?

Hotel Ratings.

How the Hotels Compare.

The Top 30 Best Deals in New Orleans.

HOTEL INFORMATION CHART.

PART FIVE Visiting on Business.

Lodging for Business Travelers.

Lodging Convenient to Morial Convention Center.

Convention Rates: How They Work and How to Do Better.

The Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

Getting Food.

PART SIX Arriving and Getting Oriented.

Coming into the City.

By Plane.

By Car.

By Bus or Train.

Where to Find Tourist Information in New Orleans.

Getting Oriented.

Finding Your Way around the French Quarter.

Things the Natives Already Know.

New Orleans Customs and Protocol.

Talking the Talk.

Dress.

Eating in Restaurants.

Tipping (and Stripping).

New Orleans on the Air.

How to Avoid Crime and Keep Safe in Public Places.

Crime in New Orleans.

Crime-prevention Planning.

Personal Attitude.

Self-defense.

More Things to Avoid.

Carjackings.

PART SEVEN Getting Around.

Public Transportation.

Walking the Walk.

Public Accommodations.

PART EIGHT Sightseeing, Tours, and Attractions.

Guided Sightseeing.

Walking Tours.

Bus Tours and Trolleys.

Carriage Tours.

Special-interest Tours.

Swamp Tours.

River Cruises.

Self-guided Tours.

Exploring New Orleans’s Diversity.

Neighborhood Walking Tours.

Plantation Tours and Excursions.

New Orleans Attractions.

NEW ORLEANS ATTRACTIONS BY TYPE.

NEW ORLEANS ATTRACTIONS BY LOCATION.

Attraction Profiles.

PART NINE Dining in New Orleans.

A Rapid Return to Distinction.

A NEW ORLEANS CULINARY CALENDAR.

Hype and Glory.

New Restaurants.

The Restaurants.

Our Favorite New Orleans Restaurants: Explaining the Ratings.

A State of Flux.

The Best . . . .

NEW ORLEANS RESTAURANTS BY CUISINE.

NEW ORLEANS RESTAURANTS BY LOCATION.

Restaurant Profiles.

PART TEN Shopping.

The French Quarter.

Other French Quarter Collectibles.

Magazine Street.

The Warehouse District.

Malls of the Americas.

PART ELEVEN Exercise and Recreation.

Working Out and Playing Hard.

Walking.

Running and Jogging.

Biking.

Tennis.

Golf.

Gyms and Health Clubs.

Other Recreational Activities.

Spectator Sports.

PART TWELVE Entertainment and Nightlife.

Bourbon Street.

Jazz, Funk, and Soul.

Other Beats.

I’ll Drink to That.

Fine Arts.

Expect the Unexpected.

Nightclub Profiles.

NEW ORLEANS NIGHTSPOTS BY LOCATION.

Accommodations Index.

Restaurant Index.

Subject Index.

Unofficial Guide Reader Survey.