Streetcars are an inexpensive and favorite way to navigate much of the city while touring the "American Sector" of New Orleans. Now, you might say to yourself, isn't all of New Orleans "American?" A major thoroughfare named Canal Street divides the city into two historically distinct areas: the old Creole section known as the French Quarter, and the section populated by the nouveau Americans who moved in after the Louisiana Purchase.
Introduction to the St. Charles Streetcar:
The historic St. Charles Avenue streetcar is a bargain at $1.25 per ride. You can get an even better deal by buying an all-day pass allowing unlimited access to all public transportation for $5.00. You do need exact change, but if you decide to purchase the daily pass, you can get it directly from the conductor.
You can catch the beloved old green cars all along St. Charles Avenue, which runs from Canal Street downtown, toward the University Section and Audubon Park uptown.
The most popular place to catch a streetcar is at Canal and Carondelet Street, since most tourists stay in hotels in the French Quarter or downtown. The streetcar stops are rather nondescript, but just look for the yellow sign that reads "Car Stop" on a pole near the corner.
Things to Know:
The streetcars run twenty-four hours a day, except during Mardi Gras parades. During peak hours, they come along about every five minutes.
Keep your head and limbs inside the car at all times, because they pass within inches of telephone poles and trees.
The seat backs reverse, so you can adjust them to face your companions.
To stop the streetcar, pull the overhead wire. The conductors are usually happy to call out your stop if you tell them where you want to go.
What You Will See:
The St. Charles Avenue Streetcar travels from the Central Business District past the Arts and Warehouse District, down the avenue along the edge of the Garden District and the fabled mansions of the American Sector. Continuing on, you will see Tulane and Loyola Universities and Audubon Park. Finally, you will turn on the Riverbend into the old city of Carrollton.
