| One
of New Orleans' many nicknames is "the Crescent
City ," because of the way it nestles between
the southern shore of Lake Pontchartrain and a dramatic
horseshoe bend in the Mississippi River. This unique
location makes the city's layout confusing, with
streets curving to follow the river, and shooting
off at odd angles to head inland. Compass points
are of little use here - locals refer instead to
lakeside (towards the lake) and riverside (towards
the river), and, using Canal Street as the dividing
line, uptown (or upriver) and downtown (downriver).
Most visitors spend most time
in the battered, charming old French Quarter (or
Vieux Carré ), site of the original settlement.
On its fringes, the funky Faubourg Marigny creeps
northeast from Esplanade Avenue, while the Quarter's
lakeside boundary, Rampart Street , marks the
beginning of the historic, run-down African-American
neighborhood of Tremé . On the other side
of the Quarter, across Canal Street , the CBD
(Central Business District), bounded by the river
and I-10, spreads upriver to the Pontchartrain
Expressway. Dominated by offices, hotels and banks,
it also incorporates the revitalizing Warehouse
District and, towards the lake, the gargantuan
Superdome . A ferry ride across the river from
the foot of Canal Street takes you to the suburban
west bank and the residential district of old
Algiers .
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