Now, I have been in many US food halls in many US shopping malls, but this was something different. Being in the Deep South, there is lots of Cajun and Creole cooking, and the smells and sights that greet you here are amazing. I didn’t count them, but there must be 40 or more places to get food. Many of the places have examples of their food on plates on top of their counters, and the colours are amazing. There is just about everything available here, such as chicken, pasta, pizza, seafood, Cajun, Creole, desserts, chocolate, and best of all, Haagen Dazs ice cream.

There are plenty of areas along the mall where you can walk outside to see views of the river, with seating and telescopes for your pleasure.

At the other end of the food hall, you enter the shopping mall area. This section has many gift shops and general touristy-type memorabilia. If you want Mardi Gras beads any time of year, just about every shop sells them. If you then walk farther down, you get into the main shopping area. Here you will find branded shops such as Gap and many more.

When you exit the mall at the other end, you come out by the river where a couple of the big Mississippi river boats are moored. You also come out to a lovely fountain and access to the local aquarium.

The Riverwalk is definitely worth a visit, if only for the food!

This place is huge, and long…so take your time. There are levels and sublevels -- a, b, and c. The Canal Street entrance is really pretty, though the pictures Chuck tried to take of the water jets of Spanish Plaza fountain bombed out. Okay, I had made up my mind to have fried fish, because outside the Caribbean, this is one of the best places to eat fish. Chuck decided to have a gyro (he regretted that). You’ll find restaurants like Anthony’s Seafood House, which have elegant seating, or food court-type stands which run on endlessly and also offer tasty tidbits. There is a po’ boy shop for which you must ditch the diet. Also Cajun dogs, burgers, Haagen Dazs, steak places, chicken and biscuits, along with daiquiri stands, frozen fruit and Chinese in the way of Panda Express.

If you’re shopping, the brand-name stores are here to welcome your plastic, or if you need cash, ATMs are found on level B, to the left of the stairs leading to the next level. Though we love to window shop, we never do serious shopping in places like this, which are meant specifically for tourists. For the guys, there’s a "Nothing but Golf" shop, together with Eddie Bauer and GAP, among others. For the kiddie audience, there’s "Just Me Music", and the "Especially for You Create-A-Book" is always fun as a surprise to a young one.

The requisite bath-and-body places are all anchored here, including Body Shop, Perfumania, and some locals. A host of specialty stores will keep you dumbfounded: lots of local talent and art, leather, sports-related merchandise, hats, luggage, Mardi Gras fare to choke several horses, pottery -- it’s just endless.

We had the most fun at Mardi Gras Madness, because it was just too darn colorful. Look at the photo, and you’ll agree. You’ll do the aisles inch-by-inch for fear of missing anything; the glitz and gaudiness is at an all-time high here, and there’s more hanging from the ceiling, should you lose interest. Did I mention pizza?

You can also learn Cajun cooking at the on-premise school. There’s a small Café du Monde here, as well, serving their killer beignets. You can also purchase a riverboat cruise here, which departs from the same area. You can go outside and look at the Mississippi, but it’s more fun inside.