Though New Orleans' most
visited neighborhoods are a
dream to walk around,
getting from one to another
is not always easy on foot,
and if you're traveling
anywhere outside the Quarter
after dark you'd be better
off calling a cab .
The Regional Transit
Authority (RTA) runs a
network of buses
($1.25, exact fare required;
24hr information
504/248-3900). The most
useful routes include
"Magazine" (#11),
which runs from Canal Street
in the CBD to Audubon Park;
and "Esplanade"
(#48) from the edge of the
Quarter up to City Park.
You're more likely to use
the handsome St Charles
streetcar (a National
Historic Monument, dating
back around 100 years) that
rumbles a thirteen-mile loop
from Canal Street, along St
Charles Avenue in the Garden
District, past Audubon Park
to Carrollton uptown ($1.25
each way; 25ข transfers;
exact fare). The cars
trundle along at an average
speed of 9mph; it takes
about 45 minutes for a full
one-way trip. Though the
streetcar runs around the
clock, services fall off
after dark. There's a newer
streetcar along the riverfront
, where trolleys make ten
stops between the Convention
Center and Esplanade Avenue
(Mon-Fri 6am-11pm, Sat &
Sun 7am-11pm; every 15min;
$1.50; exact fare). It's a
total trip of less than two
miles, however, and of most
interest for its pretty
river views. VisiTour passes
, available from the welcome
center and most major
hotels, give unlimited
travel on all streetcars and
buses ($5 per day, $12 for
three consecutive days).
