Planning a Trip

No matter what your idea of the ideal New Orleans trip is, this guide will give you the information to make informed plans and help point you toward some additional resources.

Visitor Information

Even a seasoned traveler should consider writing or calling ahead to the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau, 2020 St. Charles Ave., New Orleans, LA 70130 (tel. 800/672-6124 or 504/566-5011; www.neworleanscvb.com). The staff is extremely friendly and helpful, and you can easily get any information you can't find in this book from them. If you're having trouble making decisions, they can give you good advice; if you have a special interest, they'll help you plan your visit around it -- this is definitely one of the most helpful tourist centers in any major city.

Once you've arrived in the city, you also might want to stop by the Visitor Information Center, 529 St. Ann St. (tel. 504/568-5661), in the French Quarter. The center is open Tuesday to Saturday from 9am to 5pm and has walking- and driving-tour maps and booklets on restaurants, accommodations, sightseeing, special tours, and pretty much anything else you might want to know about. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable about both the city and the state.

NOLA.com is an excellent resource, offering online versions of the Times-Picayune, information about nightlife and festivals, good links, and, of course, Bourbocam (a webcam aimed 24/7 at a certain corner of Bourbon St.; at press time, down for repairs), which we watch compulsively on the days leading up to Mardi Gras.

To read a few blogs about New Orleans first try www.gumbopages.com for plenty of information about New Orleans-related food and music, plus updates on the native author's many local friends and family. For additional blog action, there is www.appetites.us for excellent NOLA food coverage. The following is a roundup of literate locals, musing (and sometimes ranting) about the state of their beloved city, post-Katrina.

• www.righthandthief.blogspot.com
• www.bloggingneworleans.com
• www.peoplegetready.jockamofeenanay.com
• www.humidcity.com
• www.dapoblog.blogspot.com