I fell in love with New Orleans the first time I visited and the desire to return remains strong.

In the way of all great destinations, NOLA will always deliver a different experience depending on where you stay, the time of year and your expectations. This is no one trick pony! As the slogan goes, “Full of tradition, never traditional.”

Strolling the French Quarter, inhaling the fragrance of the Sweet Olive trees in bloom and stopping at Café du Monde for beignets & café au lait after eating the best shrimp po’boy* in the worldˆ. That’s New Orleans to me.

New Orleans is divided into distinctive historic neighbourhoods, all with their own personality. The most popular are:

• The Garden District (part of Uptown) has wide, tree-lined boulevards and grand garden fronted mansions. Visit with the St Charles streetcar line.

• The Tremé is the oldest African-American neighbourhood, full of jazz clubs and soul food.

• Marigny/Bywater is where the arts reign, with galleries, bars and Cajun bistros.

• The French Quarter (The Vieux Carre) is the oldest and most famous, where you’ll find Bourbon Street, wrought iron balconies and charming Creole cottages.

By the way, those famous townhouses in the French Quarter are not French. When the Great New Orleans Fire destroyed the old wooden buildings in 1788, Louisiana was under Spanish rule (1763–1801), so they were rebuilt with brick in the Spanish-style, complete with internal courtyards and cast iron balconies facing the street.

I saw and experienced more in four days than I had previously, thanks to my amazing tourism host – Diana Hernandez of New Orleans & Company – and her unending enthusiasm and love for her home town.

Even after three visits, I still haven’t scratched the surface. It’s got that French mystique, like its cousin, Paris… it tantalises but never fully reveals itself. The logical next step is to spend one month living and breathing the Crescent City, to get a little under its skin… stay tuned.

*Po’boy or poor boy is a Louisiana invention dating from the early 20th century. It consists of delicious, locally made crusty outside, soft inside baguette-style bread filled with a variety of meat – roast beef, ham or meatballs – or seafood – oysters, crabs or shrimps. The story goes that the name comes from a time when the streetcar conductors were on strike and when a conductor entered the sandwich shop, owned by Benny and Clovis Martin, someone shouted: "Here comes another po-boy"!

ˆThe effort to confirm said title holder is a challenge I will gladly undertake once I’m living in the Crescent City.

Experience

Consume

Purchase

Rest

This guide details all of the things The Packed Bag experienced. Please see New Orleans & Company for more.