|
Another name for New Orleans is "the Crescent City" , because it is nestled between the of Lake Pontchartrain and a horseshoe like bend in the River of Mississippi. The unique location makes layout of the city somewhat confusing, with streets curving just as the river, before changing into odd angles to head inland. Referral points are of little use, the locals refer instead to lakeside (towards the lake) and riverside (towards the river) as well as using Canal Street as the dividing line, uptown (or upriver) and downtown (downriver).
Most visitors stay in the bed and breakfast accommodations in the lovely charming old French Quarter. On its fringes, the funky Faubourg Marigny creeps northeast from Esplanade Avenue, while the Quarter's lakeside boundary, Rampart Street , marks the beginning of the historic, run-down African-American neighborhood of Tremé . On the other side of the Quarter, across Canal Street , the CBD (Central Business District), bounded by the river and I-10, spreads upriver to the Pontchartrain Expressway. Dominated by offices, hotels, bed and breakfast and banks, it also incorporates the revitalizing Warehouse District and, towards the lake, the gargantuan Superdome . A ferry ride across the river from the foot of Canal Street takes you to the suburban west bank and the residential district of old Algiers .
|
