A Taste of the Big Easy

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A Taste of the Big Easy
You'll get a heaping serving of career resources at the NAIFA 2015 Career Conference and Annual Meeting—so be sure to save a little room to indulge in the rich culture of New Orleans!

Christine Cusatis

Preparing for the NAIFA 2015 Career Conference and Annual Meeting October 3-5, 2015, in New Orleans? Don't miss the chance to capture the essence of the Crescent City. Whether you're craving history, music, architecture or food, New Orleans has it. Here are a few ways to savor the experience: 

Take a tour. Once you make it to your hotel, travel across the city in the Streetcar named Desire. For just $1.25 you can venture out and enjoy a wonderful ride down St. Charles Avenue, including Canal Street and through the neighborhoods of South Carrollton to Claiborne Avenue. Exact change is required. Cars operate every 10 minutes on weekdays and every 15 minutes on weekends during daytime hours. For a broad overview of the city beyond just the French Quarter, New Orleans has a variety of biking tours as well as a jogging tour that takes you through 10k of walkable New Orleans landmarks.

Eat well. New Orleanians treat food with reverence and panache, so plan ahead. Reach right into the heart of New Orleans tradition with café au lait and beignets at Café du Monde, just opposite Jackson Square at the French Market. Board a riverboat for a lunch cruise to see and feel the power of the Mississippi while sampling Creole specialties. Grab a muffuletta at the very aromatic Central Grocery (923-925 Decatur, across from the French Market), and picnic by the river or in Jackson Square. Or try the tantalizing gumbo at the Gumbo Shop, with its antique but casual ambiance and pleasant courtyard. 

Explore the French Quarter. By foot or carriage, Jackson Square has long been the heart of the city, flanked by the Pontalba Apartments, the Cabildo, St. Louis Cathedral and the Presbytere. Explore the markets—French, Flea and Farmer's—all in one long and colorful arcade at the French Market, and shop for jewelry, voodoo dolls, carnival masks, arts, crafts and tchotchkes to bring back home.

Catch all that jazz. Looking for an evening of authentic local jazz? Check out Frenchmen Street, which is known as the "local's Bourbon Street" and features live jazz in its clubs seven nights a week. Popular hotspots include D.B.A., The Spotted Cat and  Blue Nile. Down for something funky and bluesy or Cajun and Zydeco? See if Fulton Alley is up your alley, where you can bowl or swing to rhythm and blues. Tipitina's is home base for the beloved Neville Brothers and a slew of other local stars. Or try the Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop at 941 Bourbon, an 18th-century candlelit cavern where the piano music is live, the lights are dim and the ambiance is easy. 

Take a trip back in time. At Louisiana Avenue the Garden District tour begins. In Lafayette Cemetery, see how Orleanians spend the afterlife in sculpted monuments six feet over instead of under. Get the scoop on the myriad tales behind the Greek Revival, Victorian and occasional Creole facades. Check out the National WWII Museum, named one of the best museums in the country. Or visit a handful of restored plantations within 75 miles of the city. Houmas House, Oak Alley, San Francisco and nearby Laura and Destrehan all offer guided tours of splendor in the past. Longue Vue House & Gardens on Metairie Road is a 20th-century Classic Revival house, drawing crowds to its sumptuous architecture, luxurious art, antiques and lush gardens.

Art. If you're looking to see the bohemian side of New Orleans, head to the Marigny and Bywater, located just behind the Quarter. The area around Piety Street and St. Claude Avenue in the Bywater neighborhood has exploded with galleries, restaurants and bars in the years since Hurricane Katrina. If you want to check out some of New Orleans' best art, head to the Warehouse and Arts District. Several galleries and museums line Julia and Camp Streets in the Arts District, and the rest of the Warehouse District is home to some of the city's best restaurants and bars.

Many thanks to the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau for providing the information used in this article. For more information, call 504-566-5019 or visit www.neworleanscvb.com.