Our journey begins at the famous corner of Royal and Canal Streets in Old New Orleans. This was the gateway to the nineteenth century Creole "promenade publique". It was a lavish and decadent antebellum existence, filled with art, banquets, opera, architecture, duels, shopping and, of course, no shortage of Bordeaux and Bourbon. The Creoles even insist that they invented the cocktail. This French Quarter lifestyle in this beautiful crescent of the Mississippi River gradually gives way to the twentieth century traditions of Mardi Gras, jazz, and the rich bohemian existence of artists, musicians and writers. We will visit with William Faulkner, Louis Prima, Tennessee Williams, Etta James and Truman Capote along the way. From Monkey Wrench Corner, Pirates Alley, Jackson Square, to the Battle of New Orleans ... come with me ... and hold on to your chapeau!