If you go
Where to eat:› The Napoleon House: 500 Chartres St., 504-542-9752, napoleonhouse.com› Café du Monde: 800 Decatur St., 504-525, 4544, cafedumonde.comAttractions:› The Historic New Orleans Collection: 533 Royal St., 504-523-4662, hnoc.org› Cabildo: 701 Chartres St., 504-568-6968, louisianastatemuseum.org› Marie Laveau’s House of Voodoo: 739 Bourbon St., 504-581-3751, voodooneworleans.com› Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro: 626 Frenchmen St., 504-949-0696, https://snugjazz.com
NEW ORLEANS – I have an eccentric friend who can be as genteel as a debutante at a garden party or as ribald as a sailor at last call, a contradictory nature I’ve learned to love. When we’re together, I’m putty in her hands, always giving in to her whims.
One day I’m reverently admiring the glowing stained-glass windows of a historical church, and the next, I’m in some crazy-weird bar, laughing so hard I have snorted my fancy cocktail through my nose and am crying black mascara tears.
The old gal is celebrating a milestone birthday this year. She’s turning 300. Her name is New Orleans.
In honor of the tricentennial, I strolled through the French Quarter, the oldest section of my beloved port city on the Mississippi River, to reacquaint myself with the venerable landmarks and action-packed hotspots that give the Big Easy that quirky personality that attracts thousands of tourists every year.