New Orleans

You can hop on a streetcar on St. Charles at Lee (yes, that Lee, and yes, he does have his back to the North for a reason) Circle, maybe ten minutes’ walk beyond the Dome. This will take you through crap, then the Garden District, then real uptown and Tulane and Audubon Park, and then the Riverbend and La Madelaine and the levy. This is an absolutely great route. Just take it and get out when it looks like the getting is good, which should start around the Garden District, but Audubon Park is probably the best. As to eating along the way, if you really knew what you were doing, which I suppose now you do, you’d make a reservation at Clancy’s in uptown. This is on my old block ([REDACTED] Annunciation—my old house—looks just as it did) and is without question the best neighborhood restaurant in the city. The oysters with brie for appetizer and the lemon icebox pie for dessert are out of the world. Seriously, you might want to do this, in which case I can give you more specific instructions. Also, though, closer to the Quarter, but still in uptown, are Casamento’s restaurant, Magazine Street as a whole, Tee-Eva’s pralines and pies, NEWMAN FUCKING SCHOOL (just across from the JCC, you’ll feel at home), the Frostop, Domilise’s (best po-boys, even better than Guy’s Po-Boys), and at the far other end, on Carrollton, are some great eating and music places around Maple Street (also, Maple Street books).

This was one small excerpt from a long email from John, the rest of which the world is just not ready to see, after I asked him where I’m going and what I’m doing from Friday through Tuesday between Final Four stuff on my first trip to New Orleans. So, help?