Getting around
Even the taxicabs have the patina of age in this historic city. Big old Caddies and Oldsmobiles glide through the streets for fares that begin at $2.10 and cost $1 per mile thereafter. During the crowd-heavy events, rates run $3 per passenger or whatever the meter says, depending on which is higher.

But there are far more picturesque ways to go. Dusty-green streetcars travel leafy St. Charles Avenue, from Canal Street downtown, through the mansion-speckled Garden District to Claiborne Avenue. Pay $1.25 each way and enjoy one of the most scenic rail trips any city has to offer.

Mules wearing funny hats and drivers wearing even funnier hats wait with their carriages in front of Jackson Square. Half-hour rides, including a droll narration of embroidered history, run about $10 per person for a party of four.

In the French Quarter, Garden District and Magazine Street, walk around and soak up the atmosphere. Just avoid dark, isolated areas.

When to go
The Jazz and Heritage Festival occupies prime time on the last weekend of April and the first weekend of May. Last year, the weather was warm, the air dry and nearly cloudless. Still, locals were marveling at the lack of precipitation, so take an umbrella if you go in the spring. Winter still hangs on during the days leading up to Mardi Gras, but the cold isn't anything a jacket or sweater can't handle. Hate shoulder-to-shoulder crowds? Avoid the largest conventions. And schedule around the hectic college and pro football weekends at the Superdome, when fans from all over the country converge, leaving their manners at home.