Editing French Quarter (section)

==Landmarks and attractions==

===Jackson Square===
{{Main|Jackson Square (New Orleans)}}
[[File:Jackson Square New Orleans.JPG|thumb|[[Andrew Jackson|Jackson]] [[equestrian statue]] and [[St. Louis Cathedral (New Orleans)|St. Louis Cathedral]] &ndash; flanked by [[the Cabildo]] and [[the Presbytere]]]]

Jackson Square (formerly {{lang|fr|Place d'Armes}} or {{lang|es|Plaza de Armas}}, in French and Spanish, respectively), originally designed by architect and landscaper Louis H. Pilié (officially credited only with the iron fence), is a public, gated park the size of a city block, located at the front of the French Quarter (GPS {{Coord|29.95748|-90.06310|display=inline}}). In the mid-19th century, the square was named after President (formerly General, of [[Battle of New Orleans]] acclaim) [[Andrew Jackson]].{{Citation needed|date=July 2019}}

In 1856, city leaders purchased an [[Equestrian sculpture|equestrian statue]] of Jackson from the sculptor Clark Mills. The statue was placed at the center of the square, which was converted to a park from its previous use as a [[military parade]] ground and execution site. (Convicted criminals were sometimes hanged in the square. After the [[1811 German Coast Uprising|slave insurrection of 1811]] during the [[Territory of Orleans|U.S. territorial period]], some of the insurgents were sentenced to death here in [[Orleans Parish]] under a justice system which had not yet been converted to American ideals, and their severed heads were displayed here.)<ref>{{Cite book|last=Blyth|first=Robert|title=Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve|year=2012|language=English}}</ref>

The square originally overlooked the [[Mississippi River]] across Decatur Street; however, the view was blocked in the 19th century when larger levees were built along the river. The riverfront was long devoted to shipping-related activities at the heart of the [[port]]. The administration of Mayor [[Moon Landrieu]] put in a scenic boardwalk across from Jackson Square; it is known as the "Moon Walk" in his honor. At the end of the 1980s, old wharves and warehouses were demolished to create [[Woldenberg Park]], extending the riverfront promenade up to [[Canal Street, New Orleans|Canal Street]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Woldenberg Park |url=https://www.neworleans.com/listing/woldenberg-park/32771/ |access-date=2022-07-12 |website=www.neworleans.com |language=en-us}}</ref>

On the opposite side of the square from the River are three 18th‑century historic buildings, which were the city's heart in the colonial era. The center of the three is [[St. Louis Cathedral (New Orleans)|St. Louis Cathedral]]. The [[cathedral]] was designated a [[minor basilica]] by [[Pope Paul VI]]. To its left is [[the Cabildo]], the old city hall, now a museum, where the final transfer papers for the [[Louisiana Purchase]] were signed. To the cathedral's right is [[the Presbytère]], built to match the Cabildo. The Presbytère, originally planned to house the city's [[Roman Catholic]] priests and authorities, was adapted as a courthouse at the start of the 19th century after the Louisiana Purchase, when civilian government was elevated over church authority. In the 20th century it was adapted as a museum.{{Citation needed|date=July 2019}}

On each side of the square are the [[Pontalba Buildings]], matching red-brick, one-block-long, four‑story buildings constructed between 1849 and 1851. The ground floors house shops and restaurants; the upper floors are apartments. The buildings were planned as row townhouses; they were not converted to rental apartments until the 1930s (during the [[Great Depression]]).{{Citation needed|date=July 2019}}
[[File:Instrument Men Statue.jpg|thumb|Instrument men fountain in the French Quarter, September 2022.]]
The buildings were designed and constructed by [[Baroness Micaela Almonester Pontalba]], daughter of Don [[Andres Almonaster y Rojas]], a prominent Spanish philanthropist in [[Louisiana Creole people|Creole]] New Orleans. Micaela Almonaster was born in Louisiana in 1795. Her father died three years later, and she became sole heiress to his fortune and his New Orleans land holdings.{{Citation needed|date=July 2019}}

Directly across from Jackson Square is the [[Jax Brewery]] building, the original home of a local [[beer]]. After the company ceased to operate independently, the building was converted for use by retail businesses, including restaurants and specialty shops. In recent years, some retail space has been converted into riverfront [[Condominium (living space)|condominium]]s.{{Citation needed|date=July 2019}} Behind the Jax Brewery lies the Toulouse Street Wharf, the regular pier for the excursion steamboat, ''[[Natchez (boat)#Current Natchez|Natchez]]''.

From the 1920s through the 1980s, Jackson Square became known for attracting [[Painting|painters]], young art students, and [[caricaturist]]s. In the 1990s, the artists were joined by [[tarot card readers]], [[mime artist|mime]]s, fortune tellers, and other street performers.{{Citation needed|date=July 2019}}

Live music has been a regular feature of the entire Quarter, including the Square, for more than a century. Formal concerts are also held, although more rarely. Street musicians play for tips.{{Citation needed|date=July 2019}}

Diagonally across the square from the Cabildo is [[Café du Monde]], open 24 hours a day except for [[Christmas Day]]. The historic open-air [[coffeehouse|cafe]] is known for its [[café au lait]], its coffee blended with [[chicory]], and its [[beignets]], made and served there continuously since the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] period (1862). It is a custom for anyone visiting for the first time to blow the [[powdered sugar]] off a beignet and make a wish.{{Citation needed|date=July 2019}}

===Bourbon Street===
{{Main|Bourbon Street}}
[[File:French Quarter-865.JPG|thumb|The [[Old Absinthe House]]]]
The most well-known of the French Quarter streets, Bourbon Street, or Rue Bourbon, is known for its drinking establishments. Most of the bars frequented by tourists are new but the Quarter also has a number of notable bars with interesting histories. The [[Old Absinthe House]] has kept its name even though [[absinthe]] was banned in the U.S. from 1915 to 2007 because it was believed to have toxic qualities.{{Citation needed|date=July 2019}}

[[Pat O'Brien's Bar]] is known both for inventing the red [[Hurricane (cocktail)|Hurricane]] cocktail and for having the first [[Dueling pianos|dueling piano]] bar.  Pat O'Brien's is located at 718 St. Peter Street.<ref>{{cite news |last = Marszalek |first = Keith I.  |date = November 30, 2008 |url = http://blog.nola.com/anguslind/2008/11/pat_os_turns_75_this_week.html |title = Home of the 'Hurricane' Pat O'Brien's turns 75 this week |work = nola.com |access-date = 2009-06-19 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120324085132/http://blog.nola.com/anguslind/2008/11/pat_os_turns_75_this_week.html |archive-date = March 24, 2012 |url-status = dead }}</ref>

[[Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop]] is a tavern located on the corner of Bourbon and St. Philip streets. Built sometime before 1772, it is one of the older surviving structures in New Orleans. It is also the oldest bar in all of America that still operates as a bar. According to legend, the structure was once a business owned by the [[Jean Lafitte|Lafitte brothers]], perhaps as a "front" for their smuggling operations at [[Barataria Bay]].{{Citation needed|date=July 2019}}

The [[Napoleon House]] bar and restaurant is in the former home of mayor [[Nicholas Girod]]. It was named for an unrealized plot to rescue [[Napoleon]] from his exile in [[Saint Helena]] and bring him to New Orleans.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2022|title=Napoleon House History|url=https://www.napoleonhouse.com/history/|access-date=January 13, 2022|website=Napoleon House}}</ref>

The original [[Johnny White's]] bar is a favorite of [[motorcycle|motorcycle bikers]].  In 2005 an offshoot called Johnny White's Hole in the Wall, along with [[Molly's at the Market]], drew national media attention as the only businesses in the city to stay open throughout Hurricane Katrina and the weeks after the storm.{{citation needed|date=April 2016}}

[[Spirits on Bourbon]] was featured on the season three of ''Bar Rescue.'' It has become a staple of Bourbon Street, with its light-up skull cup and Resurrection drink.{{Citation needed|date=July 2019}}

The [[Bourbon Pub]] and Oz, both located at the intersection of Bourbon and St. Ann Streets, are the two largest [[homosexual|gay]] clubs in New Orleans. [[Cafe Lafitte in Exile|Café Lafitte in Exile]], located at the intersection of Bourbon and Dumaine, is the oldest continuously running [[gay bar]] in the United States. These and other gay establishments sponsor the raucous [[Southern Decadence]] Festival during [[Labor Day]] weekend. This festival is often referred to as New Orleans' Gay Mardi Gras.  St. Ann Street is often called "the Lavender Line" or "the Velvet Line" in reference to its being on the edge of the French Quarter's predominately gay district.  While gay residents live throughout the French Quarter, that portion northeast of St. Ann Street is generally considered to be the gay district.{{citation needed|date=April 2016}}

New Orleans and its French Quarter are one of a few places in the United States where possession and consumption of [[alcoholic beverage|alcohol]] in [[United States open container laws|open containers]] is allowed on the street.<ref>{{Cite web |url = http://secure.cityofno.com/SystemModules/PrintPage.aspx?portal=2&load=~%2FPortalModules%2FViewPressRelease.ascx&itemid=509 |title = City of New Orleans memo<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date = December 21, 2019 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071004151522/http://secure.cityofno.com/SystemModules/PrintPage.aspx?portal=2&load=~%2FPortalModules%2FViewPressRelease.ascx&itemid=509 |archive-date = October 4, 2007 |url-status = dead }}</ref> French Quarter Street is also home to [[jazz music]]; there are many street performers and jazz shops. Many streets are filled with jazz clubs with live jazz performances, making it an attractive destination in the [[Neighborhoods in New Orleans|neighborhood]].<ref>{{Cite web|author=Lorenza Brascia|title=Your best day in New Orleans, guided by sound|url=https://www.cnn.com/2017/07/03/us/new-orleans-soundtracks/index.html|access-date=2021-10-19|website=CNN|date=July 3, 2017 }}</ref>

===Museums===

The French Quarter boasts several museums, including the [[New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum]], [[New Orleans Pharmacy Museum]], [[New Orleans Jazz Museum]], [[The Historic New Orleans Collection]] and the Museum of Death.

===Restaurants===
The neighborhood contains many restaurants, ranging from formal to casual, patronized by both visitors and locals. Some are well-known landmarks, such as [[Antoine's]] and [[Tujague's]], which have been in business since the 19th century. [[Arnaud's]], [[Galatoire's]], [[Broussard's]], and [[Brennan's]] are also venerable.{{Citation needed|date=July 2019}}

Less historic&mdash;but also well-known&mdash;French Quarter restaurants include those run by chefs [[Paul Prudhomme]] ("K-Paul's"), [[Emeril Lagasse]] ("NOLA"), and [[John Besh]]. Port of Call on [[Esplanade Avenue, New Orleans|Esplanade Avenue]] has been in business for more than 30 years, and is recognized for its popular "Monsoon" drink (their answer to the "Hurricane" at [[Pat O'Brien's Bar]]) as well as for its food.{{Citation needed|date=July 2019}}

The Gumbo Shop is another traditional eatery in the Quarter and where casual dress is acceptable. For a take-out lunch, [[Central Grocery]] on [[Decatur Street (New Orleans)|Decatur Street]] is the home of the original [[muffaletta]] [[Italians in New Orleans|Italian]] [[sandwich]], with New Orleans being a major center for Italian cuisine in the American South.{{Citation needed|date=July 2019}}

===Hotels===
{{see also|Canal Street, New Orleans#Hotels}}
Accommodations in the French Quarter range from large international chain hotels, to [[bed and breakfast]]s, to time-share condominiums and small guest houses with only one or two rooms.{{Citation needed|date=July 2019}} The French Quarter is known for its traditional-style hotels, such as the Bourbon Orleans, [[Hotel Monteleone]] (family-owned), Royal Sonesta, the Astor, and the [[Omni Royal Orleans]].{{Citation needed|date=July 2019}} The [[Hotel St. Pierre]] is a small hotel also consisting of historic French Quarter houses, with a courtyard patio.{{Citation needed|date=July 2019}}

The Audubon Cottages are a collection of seven [[Creole cottage]]s, two of which were utilized by [[John James Audubon]] in the early 19th century when he worked in New Orleans for a short time.{{Citation needed|date=April 2021}} Also utilized by Audubon was the current breakfast room of the Dauphine Orleans Hotel, a 111-room hotel located on Dauphine Street.<ref name="Reynolds 2015">{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/hotels/2015/02/10/new-orleans-historic-haunted-hotels/23166771/|title=Seven New Orleans hotels with amazing history|last=Reynolds|first=Jane|date=February 10, 2015|website=[[USA Today]]|access-date=April 27, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Dickinson|first=Joy|date=2001|title=Scarlett Slept Here: A Book Lover's Guide to the South|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TEzGGSW-kWMC&pg=PA120|publisher=[[Citadel Press]]|isbn=978-0806520926}}</ref> The Dauphine Orleans Hotel's on-site bar, May Baily's Place, was once one of New Orleans' most-known brothels, and it is rumored that the ghosts of prostitutes and [[American Civil War]] soldiers haunt the property.<ref name="Reynolds 2015" />