To be completely honest, this list is biased because I made it. But if you’re looking for a slow, easy day while waiting for the music to kick off on Frenchmen Street later in the evening, you need a solid slate of neighborhood things to do nearby. (Note: I did double-check the list with my mom, my child, and my dog, and they all agreed that even though a tour with us is the only thing on this list that costs money, we deserve the top spot. This is why I am nice to my family.

My whole adult life in New Orleans, I have lived within 10 blocks of the St. Roch Market. I lived walking distance away pre-Katrina when it was still Lama’s, I lived walking distance away when it was an abandoned symbol of a recovery going nowhere in the years that followed, and I still live walking distance now that it is a vibrant international showcase for local chefs. Only one thing has been steady: I’ve liked all of its eras. Oh, and even though it is walking distance, I

I love New Orleans, from the seeing the most obscure swampy corner in our inflatable kayak to the teeming Mardi Gras parades where you can't hide from the millions. You'll find many jaded folks putting down the old school New Orleans treasures, but that's not me. The New Orleanians of the past were right, and here are some of their best. Should we go to Preservation Hall, or is it too touristy? Preservation Hall is absolutely touristy, but only because us locals have been pa

Welcome to our Meet the Neighbors blog series, where we highlight the incredible local businesses, creators, and characters that make our block what it is. Since we are all New Orleanians here, I am patiently awaiting the responses from my friends down the street about their shops. Patience isn’t just a virtue here—it is a necessity for survival. As I wait, I figured I’d practice by interviewing myself! So today I am sitting down with me—the founder of A Street Tour Named Des

I don’t have my future completely mapped out. I know I’ll keep eating, drinking, biking, and talking because those are the things I’m best at. I also doubt I’ll ever end up on death row. But if I ever have to order a last meal, I know exactly where it’s coming from: Cajun Seafood on Claiborne Ave. The whole reason we run our New Orleans Culinary Tour is to show people the incredible quality, variety, and cheap-as-hell brilliance of our neighborhood food. We focus on the Tremé

The Ultimate Guide to New Orleans’ Faubourg Marigny: History From Washington Square Park If you want to experience New Orleans culture outside the crowded French Quarter—where folks are picnicking (thanks to our liberal public drinking laws), kids are playing, and musicians and other local color are loitering—your journey couldn't start anywhere better than in the historic Faubourg Marigny. And cradled right at the gateway of this vibrant neighborhood is Washington Square Par

Following my last post's dive into the neighborhood magic of Frady's One Stop, it’s time for another of the many types behind our local food. After 15 years of leading culinary tours on the Creole side of New Orleans, I’ve seen great places pop up, and better places close down. A lot of tasty memories live with my customers and me. Cheezy Cajun will always have a place in my heart with their cheese-filled boudin balls. I still dream about Chef Micah Martello's shrimp and grit

The Map of My Last Meal on Earth There is a lot of joy in my job. If you asked any New Orleanian what they would like to spend an afternoon doing, you would get a huge variety of answers... eating, drinking, socializing, costuming, playing music, second lining, fishing off the canal... our lives are good here... but I'd guess the top answer would be "telling captive strangers where we love to eat." I live the dream. At every stop on our culinary tour, I repeat, "This is one o

To paraphrase the old expression: "When was the best time to take a bike tour in New Orleans? On your previous visit. When is the second best time? On the very first day of your next visit." Obviously, I’m biased… but I’ve been riding bikes and guiding long enough to know. I’ve heard it from enough customers who finished a ride and immediately said, "Man, I wish we did this the day we landed," that I know it as surely as I know never to eat pre-frozen whole crawfish. Is the B

We would not take you out on our streets if it was not safe. These are the same streets I bike with my own child on. We have been running tours for 18 years as a Street Tour Named Desire, and previously as Confederacy of Cruisers, and besides one kid who once stuck her arm in a stray dog’s mouth (not recommended), we have never had anyone get hurt on our bike tours. We choose our routes carefully, completely avoiding the busier roads with faster drivers. By sticking to the ti

The first sentence of a Streetcar named Desire: "They told me to take a streetcar named Desire, transfer to one called Cemeteries and...