It's been called America's "most unique" city.

New Orleans moves to its own hedonistic rhythm. Always has. Always will. Hurricane Katrina be damned.

Robb Carr / AP (ENLARGE)

Masks and souvenirs for sale line a store front window in the French Quarter in New Orleans. If a local wants to know 'Where y'at?' they're asking how you're doing.

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Sure, 80 percent of the city flooded in 2005 when the levees broke. But the still-reeling Big Easy is back open for business, with 150,000 visitors expected between now and Jan. 7.

So, what should you know if you're headed south for the Sugar Bowl?

No. 1, even though much of the city sat underwater for weeks, you'll see very little evidence of the disaster if you stick to the neighborhoods most tourists do – the French Quarter (or Vieux Carre) and Uptown.

Most of the city's hotels are located in these districts, which were largely spared the high water.

But a short cab ride away are storm-ravaged neighborhoods still only sparsely populated. Even if you've seen the pictures, it's hard to appreciate the damage without seeing it firsthand.

No. 2, LSU fans rival English soccer hooligans in demeanor. And they'll surely be willing to engage in the debate over whether their team — which managed a last-minute leap over Georgia in the rankings that determine who'll play in the national championship game – is deserving of its lofty No. 2 position. You can't win this argument. Don't try. In New Orleans, Bulldogs are outnumbered.

THE PRACTICAL

For the most part, you won't need a car. You can walk from the Quarter to the Superdome, where the Sugar Bowl is held. So park it at the hotel and leave it. Having a car will be detrimental if you plan to party like a rock star. Parking will be impossible in the Quarter. And traffic will be nightmarish.

Take cabs; United Cabs is usually the most reliable. Mind you, on New Year's Eve, you're probably in for a wait.

But if you're worried about crime — which you should be to a certain extent — getting dropped off and picked up reduces your odds of encountering the tourist-seeking mugger at 3 a.m.

WHERE TO EAT

Forget your diet. This ain't the time or the place. In New Orleans, you while away the day either eating or planning your next meal. For practical reasons, let's keep the conversation about restaurants — and bars — to the French Quarter, the Garden District and Uptown. You can't go wrong with the following upscale-to-medium price restaurants:

In the French Quarter or nearby, Galatoire's at 209 Bourbon Street; Bourbon House at 144 Bourbon Street; Irene's Cuisine, 539 St. Phillip St.; NOLA, 534 St. Louis St.; Palace Café, 605 Canal St.; The Napoleon House, 500 Chartres St.; and Herbsaint, 701 Saint Charles Ave.

Commander's Palace, at 1403 Washington Avenue in the Garden District, is a short cab ride, as is Upperline, 1413 Upperline St., in the Uptown neighborhood.

For more down-home joints in the Quarter or nearby, try Coop's Place (109 Decatur St.), Verti Marte (a take-out deli at 1201 Royal St.), Acme Oyster House (724 Iberville St.), Port of Call for burgers, pizza and rum drinks (838 Esplanade Ave.), or Lil Dizzy's (1500 Esplanade Ave.).

WHERE TO DRINK

Then, of course, there's the drinking. Like the odds makers say: Pick 'em. You don't have to stumble far to find a beer (you can find "HUGE A— BEERS TO GO" being sold out of an alleyway in the French Quarter), though the same might not be the case for restrooms. The heavy-hitting drinks are the hurricane at Pat O'Brien's (718 Saint Peter St.), where the concoction was invented, and the hand grenade at Tropical Isles (718 Orleans Ave.).

Gotta give a nod to a locals' hangout in the Quarter, The Kerry Irish Pub (331 Decatur St.). The bar attracts a fair number of tourists, too. It's a small place with one pool table, a jukebox and two TVs. But there's nightly live music, everything from Irish to blues to bluegrass. The House of Blues (225 Decatur St.) is right down the street.

And you don't have to wait for everyone to finish their drinks before moving on: In New Orleans, it's legal to have an open container on the streets. Just ask the bartender for a "go cup"

WHERE TO WATCH THE GAME, IF YOU DON'T HAVE TICKETS

Sports bars are hard to come by in New Orleans. Your best bet is to find a regular ol' drinking hole early and plop down on a bar stool with an unimpeded view of the TV. If you simply must have multiple televisions in the French Quarter, there's Kabby' Restaurant and Sports Edition in the Hilton at 2 Poydras St. Nearby, there's Gordon Biersch at Harrah's Casino at 200 Poydras St. Outside the Quarter, you could try Fat Harry's at 4330 Saint Charles Ave., Uptown, or Cooter Brown's at 509 South Carrollton Ave. in the Riverbend neighborhood.

THE VERNACULAR

• That's no median you're standing on, it's a "neutral ground."

• If someone wants to know "Where y'at?" they're asking how you're doing.

• "Making groceries" is the same as shopping for groceries.

• If a waiter brings you a bit of "lagniappe," he's bringing you a little something extra for free.

• If the waiter asks if you want your po-boy dressed, he means lettuce, pickle and mayo.

• If someone wants to bet you he knows where you got your shoes, don't do it. You'll bet $5 to hear him say, "You got them right here, right now, on Bourbon Street." And you'll have to laugh and pay $5.

• "Laissez les bons temps rouler" is New Orleans' motto: "Let the good times roll."

• The streets in the Quarter are pronounced with a local patois. "Burgundy" is pronounced "bur-GUN-dee," not like the wine. And "Chartres" is pronounced like "charters." And if you're headed Uptown and you want the cab driver to take Tchoupitoulas Street ... well, just go up St. Charles Avenue.

— AJC editor Colleen McMillar spent 14 gluttonous years in the Big Easy before washing up in Atlanta four months after New Orleans' levees failed. AJC editor and former French Quarter dweller Steve Beatty, who contributed to this article, ate and drank his way through New Orleans for 15 years before moving to Atlanta in 2005.