Make your dinner reservations for Friday night at Snug Harbor. This cozy restaurant and bar in the tucked-away neighborhood of the Marigny is the place to be Friday nights when when you might catch legendary jazz pianist Ellis Marsalis live.

Visit the warehouses where they construct the giant floats of Mardi Gras at Mardi Gras World, and watch the artists first hand.

You can't say you've done New Orleans without mastering the art of eating crawfish. Order a pound of boiled crawfish at Acme Oyster then get down to business.

Liuzza's, a neighborhood institution, boasts the best fried dill pickles and the coldest beer in town served in frosted schooners.

Jackson Square is full of all local artists, palm readers, tarot card readers, and musicians. Stroll along the pedestrian mall, buy some art, and stop to see what the future holds for you.

New Orleans is a great place for Christmas. The streets are lit up, actors dressed in period costume wander about, and you feel like you have the city all to yourself. Oh, and the weather is glorious.