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New Orleans, Louisiana

With Mardi Gras soon upon us, maybe your thoughts are turning to planning a visit to New Orleans. Although Mardi Gras is the quintessential party, New Orleans is such a vibrant city that no matter when you visit you will have an experience that you will always remember.

Amtrak's City of New Orleans and Crescent travel into New Orleans, the City of New Orleans from Chicago and the Crescent from New York City. The City of New Orleans is a double-decker Superliner, with multi-level sleeper accommodations and a Sightseer Lounge with great views. And, the food - well, the food is pretty incredible. The menu is Cajun, the preparation and presentation is excellent, and the dining car personnel are among the most sociable that I have encountered on Amtrak. Maybe it's the New Orleans ambiance.

As is usual on the Superliner, there are Lounge Car movies in the evening, as well as complimentary snacks and games during the daytime. The Lounge Car is a wonderful venue for viewing the scenery as the train plugs along. And, the scenery along this route is incredible, particularly when the train traverses Lake Pontchartrain. It is almost as if the train was riding upon the water.

The Crescent is a single level Viewliner and, although I find the Viewliner less comfortable than the Superliner, the ambiance and food on this line is also excellent.

Both trains arrive at the New Orleans train terminal which, unfortunately, is akin to a rundown bus terminal, with a significant lack of architectural merit, but which is only a short taxi ride away from the French Quarter and other interesting New Orleans neighborhoods.

A must see is Mardi Gras World, which is located across the river in Algiers. Take the ten-minute, free ferry ride from downtown New Orleans over to Algiers, be picked up by the Mardi Gras World van, and you will be taken to a fantasy place. This is the place where the actual Mardi Gras floats are constructed, and the tour will take you right into the working area where the floats for next year's Mardi Gras are already being constructed. Mardi Gras World also makes props for Disney, Universal Studios, Harrah's and other location. This is definitely a must see.

Also definitely worth a visit is the Mardi Gras Museum, next to the Cathedral on Jackson Square. I spent hours in this interactive museum, which contains all manner of Mardi Gras memorabilia. There are a number of other museums in this area, and there is a discount if multiple admission tickets are purchased at the same time. Inquire at the entrance to the Mardi Gras Museum.

New Orleans has an incredible zoo and aquarium, both well worth visiting. The Aquarium of the Americas is right on the river, at the foot of Canal Street, and within walking distance of the French Quarter and Jackson Square. Visitors can purchase a joint Aquarium/Zoo pass and take a forty-five minute cruise from the Aquarium upriver to the Audubon Zoological Gardens. Being right on the river was lots of fun and it was very interesting to get so close to the huge automobile carriers and cargo ships that frequent the Mississippi.

The Aquarium presents excellent exhibits of sea life that inhabit North and South America, the rainforest, the Caribbean, the Mississippi River, the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Coast. The Zoo includes exhibits of animal life and habitats of the African Savanna, the Australian Outback, Asia and the Louisiana Swamp.

New Orleans has so many excellent restaurants that you can hardly go wrong by just taking a walk around and picking out one that appears interesting. However, I do want to suggest one restaurant which is off the beaten path, but which offers some of the best seafood that I have ever had (coming from a Mainer, that means a lot). Uglesich's is a few blocks away from any main drag, but we did walk there from the convention center. It might look rundown but obviously the kitchen is far from rundown. The food is incredible, so definitely put this restaurant on your list.

Want to visit the jazz clubs on Bourbon Street? Of course you do. Remember, though, that even if you choose not to visit a club, maybe because you are traveling with a child, all of the clubs open their french doors and windows, and the music carries into the street. Just take a walk down the street during the evening and you will be treated to some of the finest jazz and blues anywhere.

Find out about city tours in New Orleans

There are many New Orleans travel guides, published by all of the major, minor and independent travel publishers. So, pick up any one to acquaint you with the layout of the city, give you phone numbers to call for information and provide a general sense of the city. However, for a real feel for the magic that is New Orleans, turn to literature, not travel guides.

New Orleans Stories, an anthology published by Chronicle Books, includes stories written by local and distant writers alike, from Louis Armstrong and Ann Rice to Walt Whitman and Mark Twain. The voodoo stories will send chills up your spine, the regional stories will give you a sense of place and the classics, such as "A Streetcar Named Desire," will help you understand the rich literary heritage of New Orleans.