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[KevinKorell]

For those who may not have been to New Orleans before, or only visited once or twice, you may not know that there is a whole new language to learn when dealing with the customs of the area and the topography. What you may call a sub, hoagie, hero, sandwich, etc. in various parts of the country is known as a Po-Boy in New Orleans. The median, or grassy area between the two directions of a street is known as Neutral Ground in New Orleans. Most of the St. Charles and Canal Streetcar lines run in the neutral ground of those streets. Directions are different as well. There is no north, south, east, or west. It's all based on bodies of water. The streets do not really follow a grid pattern, as they twist and turn at random. They were laid out on sort of a hub-spoke system. If you are on the Canal Streetcar headed for downtown, you are Riverbound (as in the Mississippi River). If you are headed for the other end of the line, you are Lakebound (as in Lake Ponchartrain). The city itself is located entirely on the Eastbank (one word), which is the east bank of the Mississippi River. But this does not mean that you would travel west to get to the river. The Mississippi winds its way through this area, at some points flowing east, west, and even north. Right at the point of passing the Central Business District (CBD) and French Quarter, the river flows north. So the Eastbank is west of the river at that point, and the Westbank is east of the river. If you were to take the ferry across the river to Algiers (a section of the city), you would be travelling compass east but headed for the Westbank. Related to this as well, you may also see the terms Upriver and Downriver. Downriver is the direction of the Mississippi's flow, which again is assumed to be south but it can be any direction in the Greater New Orleans area. So what seems like a northbound trip on the Riverfront Streetcar from Canal to the French Market/Esplanade is in the Downriver direction.