Evening winds shake the leaves to the rhythms blowing through the streets of New Orleans.
Bourbon Street, named for the French royals, not the liquor, swings all night and into the wee hours.
Inscribe two de rigueur experiences on your apres dinner entertainment agenda: Preservation Hall for Jazz at just $5 a pop and Pat O’Brien’s for the courtyard and hurricane experience.
Located side by side at 716-718 St Peter Street.
In the Faubourg Marigny neigborhood, Frenchmen Street is music central, and two venues set the standards.
At jazz club extraordinaire Snug Harbor, 626 Frenchmen, Charmaine Neville often performs on Mondays, and Fridays usually feature a Marsalis – Delfeayo, Jason, or father Ellis.
Dance to a Latin beat, underground hiphop or jazz at Cafe Brasil, 2100 Chartres Street at Frenchmen.
Cognac at the Napoleon House,, at 500 Chartres Street, a landmark of old New Orleans ambiance.
Attention pub crawlers up for an all-nighter:
The R Bar at 1431 Royal, stays open until 5 a.m. This place lays claim to authentic cool and 50s trappings.
And how many neighborhood bars can claim an inn of their own overhead?
Commander’s Palace, 1403 Washington Ave. in the Garden District does jazz brunch on weekends.