Hotel at a Glance: Andrew Jackson Hotel

Named for the president whose part in the Battle of New Orleans catapulted him to national fame, the French Quarter’s Andrew Jackson Hotel is actually built on the site of the courthouse where Jackson was once indicted. The townhouse-style hotel exudes Old World charm and New World convenience; when you’re not browsing the web with complimentary WiFi, you’ll be starting your day with a free breakfast served on a stately silver tray.

• Where you’ll stay: Outfitted with furnishings that recall the hotel’s 18th-century origins, guest rooms come with private baths and satellite TV.
• Get some sun in the hotel’s well-manicured Creole-style courtyard.
• Nearby attractions include Bourbon Street, Café Du Monde, and the French Market, all of which are within 4 blocks of the hotel.

New Orleans’s French Quarter: Let the Good Times Roll

“Stop thinking of New Orleans as the worst-organized city in the United States,” writes author Dan Baum in Nine Lives, his post-Katrina book. “Start thinking of it as the best-organized city in the Caribbean.” Some folks think there is something distinctly foreign about New Orleans, a place where people’s priorities seem inclined toward enjoying life and relishing the moment at hand. Nothing says it better than the town’s unofficial Cajun creed: “Laissez les bons temp rouler,” or “Let the good times roll.”

Historic buildings with intricate wrought-iron balconies line the narrow streets of New Orleans’s French Quarter. Here, street musicians often fill the air with jazz music, their trombones and tubas swinging back and forth. Just off the Jackson Square park and near the towering St. Louis Cathedral, the legendary Café Du Monde serves beignets under heaping piles of powdered sugar, as well as cups of iced or steaming café au lait.

And then there’s Bourbon Street, where neon lights advertise frozen cocktails and crowds gather along 13 city blocks. The nearby Frenchmen Street, just north of the Quarter, provides a slightly less touristy taste of New Orleans nightlife. Some of the city’s most popular live jazz and blues bars dominate this historic two-block district, with each venue hosting world-class musicians nearly every night of the week. Jazz fills the air at the Spotted Cat Music Club, where a sign warns that both drinks and drunks are barred from the piano—but like all rules in New Orleans, it’s one that’s bound to get bent from time to time.

Love to travel? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest for travel tips, inspiration, and photos from around the world.