Wow, Mary (ShadowIrish), enjoy your trip to New Orleans. Wish I could go with you. New Orleans is my home, but it has changed soooo much since I moved away. You may have problems getting a hotel in the quarters (unless that was part of your package you won) You might need to see about some in the outlying parishes (Louisiana has parishes, not counties). Try (if you have to) for a hotel in Jefferson Parish and take a taxi to the dome. Outside of Orleans Parish, the public transportation is sparse. You will be there for some Mardi Gras parades, so check to see which are close by either your hotel or on a route you can get back to your hotel easy from. We gave up on going out at night because of the hassle, but nightlife in the Big Easy is different. There's a bar at the foot of Canal Street called the 360 (if it's still there). It's on the top of the building and rotates around so that you can see ALL of the city at some point from there. Can't tell you much more about it, but we sure enjoyed sipping our drinks as the room revolved. Get some beads, root for your favorite team and above all, enjoy the food! Have fun - and send me some pictures!