Welcome to the Big Easy, the most European city in the United States.

New Orleans is known best for its festivals, particularly Mardi Gras, but there are more...many more. I have good friends who go live there for a month every spring to catch the French Quarter Fest for it's many stages, some large, some small with all local jazz performers. They usually end their stay by attending the Jazz & Heritage Festival, an enormous music festival held at the race track. In between, they catch the Easter parades, and eat and drink their way across the city. It's a great place to party, whether it is an intimate crowd of 20 or 475,000 of your fellow music-loving friends.

Here are my recommendations on what you should see, where you should stay, and what you should eat in the Crescent City.

What to see:

Walk the French Quarter. You can spend your entire time in the city in the Quarter; everything you could ever need is here, from upscale restaurants, cafés, and bars, to museums and shopping. Jackson Square is the best known landmark with many artists and performers plying their trades. You can skip Bourbon Street in my opinion. If it's a bucket-list item for you, do it at night when the place is alive with all the gritty, drunken craziness you could expect.

Have a chicory coffee and beignets. The iconic spot to do this is Café du Monde, but I really like Cafe Beignet on Royal better. If you are an art collector, Royal Street is a place you need to explore. Also a mecca for antiques, this is my favorite street in the Quarter. The architecture is wonderful and the vibe is much more refined than Bourbon.

I haz my own Instagramz at https://www.instagram.com/pearlatgrandekrewe/

When you do leave the Quarter, head over to a section of town called the Marigny. Go listen to some live music on Frenchman Street. It's just east of the Quarter and has at least a dozen venues for its short 2-block span. Everyone has their own favorites. Mine is The Spotted Cat, but d.b.a. is a great spot, too.

Attend a wine or spirits tasting at Grande Krewe Fine Wine and Spirits and meet the wine pugs, Deuce and Pearl. They keep their calendar well-updated (http://grandekrewe.com) and host tastings regularly on Thursday evenings and many Friday evenings. It's walk-able from Frenchman on Decatur Street, speaking of which, walking shoes are a must in this city. There's a new restaurant around the corner called Paladar 511 that is definitely on my list for our next trip.

If you have a lazy afternoon and just want to hang out, I think the best place to do this is at Bacchanal Fine Wine & Spirits at the end of the Bywater district, 23 blocks from Frenchman. It's a wine store with great cheeses and charcuterie. Buy a bottle or three and take them out to the big, shady back yard which sports a little stage and live music. If you get some cheese and meat, the cooks there will prepare it for you, adding bread, olives and pecans. This meal paired with their house rosé is the closest thing to heaven in a sundress as you will ever find.

The National WWII Museum found a home in this city and it is a great museum, even for those who are not military buffs. The movie they show in the 4-D theater is narrated by Tom Hanks, and they're always improving and expanding. Located at the south end of the CBD (Central Business District), it's a 20-block walk from the Quarter to the south. Other notable museums and venues include the Audubon Butterfly Garden, St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum, and the Louisiana State Museum Cabildo; all excellent brain-building experiences.

No matter what you do, notice the colorful people. They are the most decorative part of the city.

Where to stay:

With a stay at Windsor Court Hotel, you'll be centrally located in New Orleans, steps from Canal Street and 5 minutes by foot from Audubon Aquarium of the Americas. This 5-star hotel is 0.4 mi (0.6 km) from Bourbon Street and 0.6 mi from Jackson Square; full spa, health club, outdoor pool, sauna. https://5startravelguru.trvl.com/hotel/windsor-court-hotel

With a stay at The Roosevelt New Orleans, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel, you'll be centrally located in New Orleans, steps from Canal Street and 4 minutes by foot from Bourbon Street. This 4.5-star hotel is 0.7 mi from Audubon Aquarium of the Americas and 0.1 mi (0.2 km) from Saenger Theatre. Relax at the full-service spa, where you can enjoy massages, body treatments, and facials. If you're looking for recreational opportunities, you'll find an outdoor pool and a 24-hour fitness center. https://5startravelguru.trvl.com/hotel/the-roosevelt-new-orleans-a-waldorf-astoria-hotel

With a stay at The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans in New Orleans (French Quarter), you'll be steps from Canal Street and Bourbon Street. This 4.5-star hotel is 0.6 mi (1 km) from Audubon Aquarium of the Americas and 0.7 mi from Jackson Square. Relax at the full-service spa, where you can enjoy massages and body treatments. You're sure to appreciate the recreational amenities, including an indoor pool, a sauna, and a fitness center. https://5startravelguru.trvl.com/hotel/the-ritz-carlton-new-orleans

A stay at Loews New Orleans Hotel places you in the heart of New Orleans, within a 10-minute walk of Canal Street and Audubon Aquarium of the Americas. This 4-star hotel is 0.5 mi from Bourbon Street and 0.5 mi from National World War II Museum. Be sure to enjoy recreational amenities, including an indoor pool, a sauna, and a fitness center. https://5startravelguru.trvl.com/hotel/loews-new-orleans-hotel

Omni Royal Orleans offers graceful elegance in the heart of New Orleans’ French Quarter. Located at the fashionable intersection of St. Louis and Royal streets, our hotel has received the Four Diamond luxury award for the past 31 years and earned the Pinnacle Award for our thoughtful meeting services. This luxury setting incorporates modern amenities with a classic design throughout their rooms. Iconic wrought-iron balconies and public spaces inspired by the liveliness of the culture of New Orleans boast various color palettes and artwork that capture the spirit of The Big Easy. https://5startravelguru.trvl-hotels.com/hotel/omni-royal-orleans-hotel

Where to eat:

There is no shortage of amazing restaurants in this city. I have too many favorites to list here, so I'm restricting it to my top 5--the five places I have to go to every time I visit.

Mr. B's Bistro

A special-occasion spot (but isn't every day special?) serving modern, seasonal Louisiana fare in a refined, wood-paneled space. Located at 201 Royal Street, it is cozy, romantic, historic and upscale. I love the shrimp and grits, but it's a the barbequed shrimp that really makes me swoon. http://www.mrbsbistro.com/

Clancy's

Located on Annunciation Street in the West Riverside neighborhood near Audubon Park, Clancy's does not dissapoint. It's a favorite of all who know it. I love the fried oysters, Veal Annunciation, and their peppermint ice cream. It's not light fare, but really what is in NOLA? https://www.clancysneworleans.com/

Bayona

Chef Susan Spicer cooks creative Louisiana fare in a charming old cottage with a lush courtyard. Bayona is at 430 Dauphine and the chef makes a heavenly garlic soup and the lamb is off-the-hook good. http://www.bayona.com/

Doris Metropolitan

My favorite steakhouse in the U.S. (and I keep trying others), Doris is an upscale chophouse & butchery featuring dry-aged beef served in a modern setting. Doris (pronounced Doreese) is my favorite date-night restaurant. The cocktails are right on the mark. If you're trying to impress your date, get the porterhouse for two. The restaurant will carve it for you and serve beautiful truffle fries as an accompaniment. https://dorismetropolitan.com/

Shaya

Shaya is a stylish, bustling eatery with a patio offering modern Lebanese cuisine, beer & cocktails. It's cozy, upscale, and romantic and great for big parties. These small, sharable plates are all pure perfection and if you are Lebanese, this is your comfort food. http://www.shayarestaurant.com/

The restaurants that made me sad to not include are: August, Lillette, Bistro Daisy, Jaques Imo's, La Petite Grocery, Cochon, Peche Seafood Grill, Bywater American Bistro, and Sylvain. For lunch, please, please, please for the sake of your taste buds, go to Turkey and the Wolf, and check out their unorthodox Instagram feed (adult language warning).

Where to drink:

Welcome to the city that allows public consumption! You will see "go-cups" all over the place--people walking down the street and drinking alcohol. You can get a drink to go anywhere here, but I am going to give you some more refined options that are more "sit, see, and be seen" than "drive-thru daiquiri". Just know that there is no rush, if your companions want to leave before you are done, you can take your unfinished portion with you, though it will be in a plastic cup.

The Carousel Bar at Hotel Monteleone

The Omni Royal. A place to see and be seen, our popular Zagat-rated Rib Room has been the haunt of literary greats and the politically infamous for more than 50 years.

Bacchanal Wine

I've mentioned it before, but this is NOLA's Signature Backyard Party: it is a wine laboratory where food music and culture collude with Holy Vino to create the most unique evenings you will ever experience. www.bacchanalwine.com/ 600 Poland Ave. at the end of the Bywater.

CURE.

Despite refusing to hang a sign out front, this Uptown cocktail bar has never been a secret. From the street, the wide, arched windows frame scenes of glowing bottles on the shelves and drinkers in silhouette. After Cure picked up the 2018 James Beard Award for the best bar in America, its fame has spread. 4905 Freret St.

LATITUDE 29

Tiki bar meets mid-century chic. Great cocktails. Super-fun. 321 N. Peters St.

French 75

This tin-ceilinged "grande dame" of Creole dining since 1918, featuring seafood classics & a jazz brunch. 813 Bienville St.

The Big Easy is really fantastic. The people are as colorful as the city and this city knows how to throw a party, (which is why it's great for football games--get tickets and go)! These lists were extremely hard to create, mostly because it was so hard not to include every place I love (the list would have been very long).

Big thank-yous go out to my friends for helping me to not leave anything out and for sharing their favorites.

Welcome to the Big Easy!

Where will you go next?

Welcome to the Big Easy!

Where will you go next?

The Ritz Carlton! Need I say more?

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