if you go big easy.4a

GETTING AROUND: City buses depart every 10 minutes during peak hours -- 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. -- and every 23 minutes at other times. The fare is $1.50. Fare to the Central Business District is about $21, or $8 per person for three passengers in a taxi.

LODGING: Hotel reservations should be made well in advance, except in the summer months, and as much as a year in advance for special events such as Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest, when room rates go through the roof. Alternatives to hotels include modest family houses and posh historic inns. Call the Bed and Breakfast Inc. Reservation Service at (504) 488-4640, or visit the Web site bedbreakgnofn.org. New Orleans Bed and Breakfast and Accommodations can be reached at (504) 838.0071 or e-mail Infoneworleansbandb.com. Bed & Breakfast Access can be reached at (888) 766-6707 or e-mail baxcesbellsouth.com.

DINING: No palate should go unsatisfied in this city known for its creole and Cajun cooking and its wide variety of restaurants and bistros. But reservations are necessary for lunch and dinner at such popular places as Commander's Palace, Antoine's, Brennan's, Bayona, Emeril's and Nola.