The Roads Less Traveled
Thanks to Mardi Gras, many visitors think of bourbon street — replete with bars serving oversized drinks, souvenir shops peddling t-shirts and restaurants dishing up gumbo — as New Orleans’ only must-visit thoroughfare. But the historic city has no shortage of other walk-worthy streets, whether you want to go boutique shopping, hunt for antique treasures or take in live music.
GREAT ARTISTS COLLECTIVE
ROYAL STREET
For a museum-worthy afternoon stroll, head to the art gallery-and antique shopfilled Royal Street, located just one block south of Bourbon Street’s rowdy revelry. A section of Royal in the upper French Quarter is closed off to traffic every afternoon for pedestrians. Your best bet is to saunter down Royal from Canal Street to the Esplanade, keeping your most discerning eye on the 200 to 1000 blocks.
GREAT ARTISTS COLLECTIVE
815 Royal St
504-525-8190; www.greatartistscollective.com
At this intimate space with two gallery rooms, browse — with (complimentary) wine in hand — works from about 50 regional and local artists, including hand-tinted photos, blown glass, purses made of neckties and watercolors.
RODRIGUE STUDIO
730 Royal St
504-581-4244; www.georgerodrigue.com
This artist-owned gallery has gone to the dogs — the blue ones with yellow eyes that have become George Rodrigue’s most famous series. In addition to the “Blue Dogs,” original works from every other phase of his career, including “Bodies,” “Hurricanes,” “Oak Trees” and “Cajuns,” are for sale.
MOSS ANTIQUES
411 Royal St
504-522-3981; www.mossantiques.com
Owner Keil Moss knows what he’s doing — his greatgrandmother Hermina Keil opened the family’s first antique shop in New Orleans in 1899. This space — one of four Keil-owned Royal Street businesses — is a treasure trove of sparkling estate jewelry, oyster plates, frames and other antiques that are easy to take home.
VINCENT MANN GALLERY
305 Royal St
504-523-2342; www.vincentmanngallery.com
Jacob Manguno, the founder of this refined space, is known for his expertise in French paintings — and the evidence is on the walls, where you’ll find original works from the Barbizon period forward. The collection includes works by Françoise Gilot, the last living member of the modern masters to come out of Paris in the 1940s and ’50s. (She was also Picasso’s muse and mother of his two children.)
FRENCH ANTIQUE SHOP
225 Royal St
504-524-9861; www.gofrenchantiques.com
You can’t help but look up when you step inside this 20,000-square-foot showroom — it’s like chandelier heaven. Open since 1947, it features one of the most extensive collections of antique lighting in the country, as well as gold-leaf mirrors, porcelain, dining room sets and other 18th-and 19th-century pieces, all sourced from Europe.
MAGAZINE STREET
Named for a magazin, a 1700s warehouse that housed products waiting for export, Magazine Street is where shoppers go to browse independently owned boutiques that sell everything from of-the-moment and vintage fashions to handmade jewelry, home décor goods and chocolate. Here’s a sampling of Upper Magazine’s top shops.
THE MAGIC BOX
5508 Magazine St
504-899-0117; www.magicboxneworleans.com
It’s all fun and games in this colorful world of whimsy. Kids will go nuts over toys of all kinds, from dolls and puppets to trains and wind-up butterflies.
HAZELNUT
5515 Magazine St
504-891-2424; www.hazelnutneworleans.com
Co-owned by Bryan Batt of Mad Men fame, this eclectic home décor shop carries dishware, glass trays, pottery and New Orleansinspired fabrics.
PIED NU
5521 Magazine St
504-899-4118; www.piednuneworleans.com
Pronounced “pea yay new” — meaning “barefoot” in French — this fresh-smelling shop is part clothing and jewelry boutique, part apothecary and part home furnishings store.
DIRTY COAST
5704 Magazine St
504324-3745; www.dirtycoast.com
Floor-to-ceiling T-shirts sporting clever — sometimes provocative — New Orleans-themed sayings make it nearly impossible to walk by this store without going inside.
SCRIPTURA
5423 Magazine St
504-897-1555; www.scriptura.com
Journey back to a time when handwritten letters were the norm and envelopes were sealed with wax. Browse travel journals, handmade paper, desk accessories and other writing accoutrements.
MIMI
5500 Magazine St
504-2696464; www.miminola.com
This high-end clothier is the largest retailer of Vera Wang’s bridal line in the Gulf South; hosts seasonal trunk shows (November includes Michael Kors and Michael Atchison); and features such designers as Herve Leger, Vince and Rachel Roy.
FRENCHMEN STREET
As the birthplace of jazz, New Orleans is naturally rich with live music spots where big bands and individuals jam on pianos, trumpets and saxophones every night of the week. For a taste of the local sound (and some other genres mixed in), head to the city’s most happening after-hours street, located in the Faubourg Marigny neighborhood.
SNUG HARBOR
626 Frenchmen St
504-949-0696; www.snugjazz.com
Home to separate dining, music and bar rooms, this popular, multilevel jazz spot hosts two shows every night, including big band, classic, piano and modern.
THE SPOTTED CAT MUSIC CLUB
623 Frenchmen St
www.spottedcatmusicclub.com
Featuring live jazz all night, every night, this small, bare-bones spot has solid lineups and a lively crowd.
D.B.A.
618 Frenchmen St
504-942-3731; www.dbabars.com/dbano
You’ll probably need to carefully study the chalkboard menu at this laidback, all-wood spot before deciding which of the 120-plus beers to order. Shows take place nightly; cover charge varies.
CAFE NEGRIL
606 Frenchmen St
504-944-4744
Follow the reggae beat to this funky, coverfree club, where musicians perform in front of a large Bob Marley mural. If you get hungry, there’s a food counter in back.
THREE MUSES
536 Frenchmen St
504-298-8746; www.thethreemuses.com
This intimate, classy venue combines the talents of a local chef, bartender and musician. Open since August, it has already garnered fans for its inventive food and cocktail menus and live shows.
THE MAISON
508 Frenchmen St
504-371-5543; www.maisonfrenchmen.com
Those who like to dance should head to this party spot, which hosts everything from brass band competitions and open-mic jams to swing dancing classes and electronic music parties.
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