WHAT: The largest biennial of international contemporary art ever organized in the U.S.
WHEN: November 1–January 18, 2009.
WHERE: In 18 venues, from the museum-rich Warehouse District to community arts centers in the flood-ravaged Ninth Ward and Central City neighborhoods.
HIGHLIGHTS: All-night opening party with a haunted house and local musicians. • Artist Kay Rosen’s word-puzzle works on billboards across town. • NavinRawanchaikul’s I Love Taxi project: a comic book about local cab drivers distributed in city taxis during the biennial.

Stay:

International House
This locally owned hotel in a 1906 Beaux Arts gem was updated by its owners to a modern aesthetic—moody musician photos, granite bathrooms, plenty of music. At night, the lobby bar draws a crowd looking for a quiet, fashionable respite from the nearby quarter. It’s also seven blocks from the Contemporary Arts Center, where you’ll find Gajin Fujita’s epic painting of NOLA.
221 Camp St.
504/553-9550
Rates: $140–$400
ihhotel.com

Loft 523
This all-but-hidden boutique hotel—an exclusive clubhouse—is steps from bustling Canal Street, the border of the French Quarter. The minimal decor is offset by weathered warehouse brick walls, and low-slung, sumptuous beds dominate the 18 loft style rooms. Aveda toiletries, in-room audio system, and Aeron desk chairs add a sense of hipster comfort.
523 Gravier St.
504/200-6523
Rates: $190–$500
loft523.com

Ritz-Carlton New Orleans
The luxury hotel chain renovated a venerable local department store (Maison Blanche), resulting in 527 rooms of traditional, antique packed luxury. The third floor has three restaurant-nightclubs, but best is the open courtyard; a visit there is a perfect way to begin, or end, a subtropical autumn night. The Historic New Orleans Collection is a five-minute walk away.
921 Canal St.
504/524-1331
Rates: $200–$320
ritzcarlton.com

Eat:

August
After finishing as runner upon “Iron Chef” last year, John Besh returned home to his four-place group: Lüke, Besh Steak, La Provence, and this, his first, located in the city’s Warehouse District. It’s here that Besh arguably does his finest work—truffled gnocchi topped by Gulf lump crabmeat; flawless roasted chicken with local mushrooms; and rum-doused banana Christmas cake. Sip a cocktail at the clubby bar up front before taking your seat in the historic dining room, under a crystal chandelier.
301 Tchoupitoulas St.
504/299-9777

Brigtsen's
Local boy Frank Brigtsen passed on the chef-empire thing to run one little restaurant, this unassuming side-gallery shotgun house in the Riverbend neighborhood. Brigtsen’s wife, Marna, oversees the dining rooms with her sisters, while from his tiny kitchen Brigtsen turns out fish and game classics like Louisiana shrimp rémoulade with creamy deviled eggs and corn relish; or pan roasted venison.
723 Dante St.
504/861-7610

Casamento’s
Belly up to the marble topped bar of this uptown gem and slurp back “a few dozen raw”of the local oysters. During the colder months, the Gulf bivalves are at their flavorful peak, best enjoyed with a few Abita beers. And don’t forget to tip your hardworking shucker.
4330 Magazine St.
504/895-9761

Cochon
In April 2006, Herbsaint’s star chef Donald Link and fellow porkophile Steven Stryjewski opened this homage to the food of Cajun southwest Louisiana. The result garnered a slew of national press, and the local buzz hasn’t ceased. The bold, rustic flavors are well worth the effort of calling ahead (a must). Seafood here is exceptional, but the pig is king, especially the boucherie menu, featuring spicy house-made fried boudin, pork cheeks, and grilled ribs with pickled watermelon rind. Afterward, head over to the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, a flagship Prospect.1 venue.
930 Tchoupitoulas St.
504/588-2123

Commander's Palace
Genteel Garden District ladies (and other lovers of the lost afternoon) gravitate to this fabled flagship of the Brennan’s restaurant empire for an extended high-octane weekday luncheon, and that spectacle alone makes it worth a trip. The bar pours a range of well martinis for 25 cents a pop, and a prix fixe menu offer classics from the Creole canon (turtle soup, gumbo du jour, soufflé-style bread pudding) and the midday riffs of chef Tory McPhail.
1403 Washington Ave.
504/899-8221