I must admit that I never, ever heard of Magazine Street until my wife and I arrived in New Orleans and the concierge at our hotel recommended a visit to what he described as "an entertaining and fun diversion" from the French Quarter, Frenchmen Street, Bourbon Street, Jackson Square and other more celebrated destinations. Afterward, we presented him with a bottle of wine. Magazine Street is a major thoroughfare in New Orleans. Like Tchoupitoulas Street (another street I'd never heard of and can't pronounce), St. Charles Avenue and Claiborne Avenue, it follows the curving course of the Mississippi River through the Crescent City. The six-mile-long street took its name from an ammunition magazine located in this vicinity during the 18th century colonial period. Most of the street, which begins downriver at Canal Street and curves through the Central Business District and Lower Garden District and Uptown, then cuts through Audubon Park and ends at Leake Avenue, a part of the Great River Road, is a mix of residential and commercial buildings, generally older houses from the late 19th century, and antique shops, clothing boutiques, art galleries, restaurants and bars. It is well known for being a popular shopping district for interested tourists. But it is a quieter, more serene, more sedate, more relaxing alternative to the French Quarter. See for yourself. Magazine Street truly is a revelation.