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Wander the French Quarter at daybreak, roam among quieter neighborhoods, and discover the food the locals love.

Nothing says summer like oysters and wine al fresco.

Wandering Chef: Justin Simoneaux in New Orleans

A trip to the Big Easy isn’t complete without a muffuletta (or two).

Overview

San Diego’s first food hall is housed in the city’s former naval training center, a 361-acre site in Point Loma that now features a lively business district with wide lawns, a waterfront park, and historic Spanish Revival–style buildings. Here, vendors serve everything from coconut-curry chicken sausages to ahi tuna poke bowls, providing the makings of a casual lunch or dinner. Take your food to the patio, or sit inside at the high-top tables near the bar and enjoy the untouched murals that line the upper walls. Painted by naval recruits in the 1950s, they depict various vessels, from a late 18th-century sailing ship to a World War II aircraft carrier.

Louisiana Music Factory, an essential stop at both the beginning and the end of every trip to New Orleans, is an old-fashioned music store with a heavy emphasis on local acts. Come by early during your visit to sample the work of New Orleans groups at the CD-listening stations, then pick up one of the free publications to see if any your favorites are playing. At the end of your trip, return to grab CDs of resident artists you enjoyed at the clubs. (The store also hosts frequent, low-key concerts on weekends.) It’s conveniently located where Frenchmen and Decatur streets meet, near the city’s live-music nexus.

Neal Bodenheimer, the cocktail guru behind this brand-new spot, calls his latest venture “proto-Tiki.” But don’t expect an over island theme. In fact, the spot is pretty minimal—and the rum cocktails are excellent.

Café Du Monde is always open; it’s the clientele that changes—from visiting families and local pensioners early in the morning, to couples in the evening, to Bourbon Street refugees looking for coffee and ballast in the night’s thinnest hours. This huge coffee stop is a rarity—a tourist trap that locals actually love (although they will rarely wait when lines are long). It’s been around for more than a century, and basically serves two items: beignets and café au lait. The beignets are similar to Spanish buñuelos, fried fritters of dough, and are one of those French traditions that’s survived here more durably than in France. While probably not on anyone’s diet list—they come piled with powdered sugar—they’re surprisingly light, and an order (which equals three beignets) disappears with unusual haste.

If you’re looking for unique clothing to take home as a souvenir, head over to Squash Blossom on the Decatur square. Squash Blossom opened in 1999 by mother and daughter Ettie Wurtzel and Talia Wurtzel Blanchard, who were devoted to featuring the work of local designers and artists. In addition to the lesser known brands, they carry clothing from Free People, Frye Boots, BB Dakota and more. Be sure to check out the sale section in the back!

In the funky neighborhood of Decatur is one of the country’s top rated beer bars. The old wooden doors make you think this place comes right out of the Old South, but it has a touch of Europe. Upstairs there is a bar devoted completely to Belgian beers like Boon Kriek and Blanche de Bruxelles. If you’re not familiar with many of these beers, the staff is very knowledgeable and can recommend something to your tastes. It can be difficult to find a table on a Saturday afternoon so go early. They also have a nice pub food menu with staples like fish and chips.

In 1876, a small museum collection was started in Oxford, Ga., at the original Emory University campus. Over the years—through acquisitions, archaeological digs, and donations—the collection has grown to include pieces from ancient Greece, Meso-America, Rome, and Africa. But what makes the Carlos so impressive is the collection of Egyptian mummies and sarcophagi. The Carlos, now located in Decatur, also hosts traveling exhibitions of art and artifacts.

Tucked away in the Kalorama neighborhood is an urban oasis of steps and terraces connecting S Street and Decatur Place NW. Designed in the early 20th century during D.C.'s “City Beautiful” movement, the Spanish Steps vaguely resemble the original version in Rome, but the smaller scale and residential surroundings create an intimate, sheltered feeling. Like Rome, D.C.'s Spanish Steps are a neighborhood landmark and a natural gathering place with a romantic touch.

You’ll see hand painted signs saying “Be Nice or Leave” in restaurants and bars all over New Orleans. At Coop’s Place, a dive in the French Quarter that happens to also serve great food, and where you’ll see people from all strata of society lunching there from Central Business District businessmen to “French Quarter rats”, the vibe tends to be a bit more “snarky” as their website states, but in the nicest possible way, if you know what I mean. Hence their “Be Nice or Starve” sign.

The fragrant, pleasingly cluttered Central Grocery is a holdover from an era when Italian-run groceries occupied storefronts throughout the city. This timeworn shop across from the French Market still boasts an old-world charm, filled with tall shelves crowded with imported goods and various whatnots, mostly Italian. But that’s not why you’ll see lines out the doors. The crowds are clamoring for muffulettas, classic New Orleans sandwiches that originated here about a century ago. (Slogan: “Imitated by many, but never duplicated.”) A muffuletta comes on a type of round, flattish loaf (not unlike a focaccia) that originated in Sicily. The details may vary, but it typically includes cured meats (capicola, salami) and cheese (provolone). What distinguishes it from a hubcap-shaped hoagie is the topping—a tangy marinated-olive salad. Know this: You don’t need to order a whole one; a quarter-sandwich is still plenty filling for one person.