Central Business District

Art, history, commerce and pleasure
Word to the wise: In other American cities it would be Downtown, but in New Orleans it's the CBD - 'downtown' or 'downriver' in New Orleans refers to the neighborhoods east of the Quarter.

The CBD is New Orleans' commercial hub, and it has the skyscrapers and corporate towers to prove it. But nestled among glass and steel are traces of the 19th century, when Americans first settled here alongside the Louisiana French: the imposing neo-classical Gallier Hall (on Lafayette Square), the Jesuit Immaculate Conception Church (130 Baronne Street), and the former US Custom House (423 Canal).
Around 20 galleries on Julia Street (between Fulton and St. Charles) make up the arts district, which throngs with people for new openings on the first Saturday of the month, and on White Linen Night (first Saturday in August) for a white-attired street party. Nearby are the Contemporary Arts Center and Ogden Museum of Southern Art, as well as the huge National World War II museum and the Confederate Museum.

The riverfront to the east is dominated by largely sterile shops, restaurants, and luxury condos, while the western edge of the CBD is home to Tulane University campus and the Mercedes Benz Superdome.