683 Things About New Orleans

The 683 Oddest, Most Inspiring, Totally Scandalous and Just Plain Weird Things You Never Knew about New Orleans

With its colorful past, outsized personalities and tragic history of natural disasters, New Orleans is a city like no other. Now, Monica M. Dalide gives us 683 reasons the birthplace of Jazz has been called "the most unique city in America." Presented in a series of bite-sized trivia nuggets, 683 Things About New Orleans amuses, surprises and shocks with the juiciest bits culled from the city’s history books and diverse cultural milieu. Readers can:

- Take a beginner's class in the New Orleans lexicon, where "make a do do" means "get some shuteye" and a "yat" is the essential sign of a native
- Get the skinny on the city's rich musical heritage-the birthplace of Mahalia Jackson, Fats Domino and Louis Armstrong, to name a few
- Learn how New Orleans' infamous legal prostitution district came to an end (and meet the unfortunate city official it was named for)
- Hear the story behind Crescent City-invented drinks like the hurricane, Sazerac cocktail and powerful "hand grenade"
- Meet dozens of famous New Orleanians-from to Lee Harvey Oswald to Reese Witherspoon
- Much, much more!

Divided into 22 sections covering everything from sports to slave revolts (and, of course, Mardi Gras), 683 Things About New Orleans is the ultimate insider's bible-a field guide to the city's special quirks, only-in-New Orleans traditions and betcha-didn't-know past-that's sure to appeal to the native, the traveler and the former resident alike. But most of all, it's a reminder of just what makes this city so great.