Brad Pitt's guide to New Orleans

"NEW Orleans has a real spirit. It's the most authentic of all American cities," asserts Brad Pitt.

Hot destination ... New Orleans has its own mind, its own thing," Pitt says, "It's unique."

"NEW Orleans has a real spirit. It's the most authentic of all American cities," asserts Brad Pitt.

Pitt fell in love with New Orleans in the early 1990s, during the filming of Interview With the Vampire and returned to shoot The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. In the meantime, he and Angelina Jolie bought a $3.5 million house in the French Quarter. With six bedrooms and four-and-a-half bathrooms, it's large enough to accommodate their six children.

"We love it there," Pitt confirms. "Our kids go to school there and we ride our bikes around the historic district. It reminds me of my upbringing in Missouri. Last year, we spent Christmas, Southern-style with all the trimmings."

Strolling the romantic cobblestone streets of the French Quarter, Pitt, an admitted architectural junkie, is always fascinated by the buildings, the feeling and the flavor: "There's music in the air, people playing jazz in the streets, the captivating aroma."

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The center of the French Quarter is Jackson Square, which is basically a park, surrounded by pedestrian-only streets and shops and historic buildings, like the Louisiana State Museum complex, which includes the Cabildo, where the papers for the Louisiana Purchase were signed.

Close to the Mississippi River bank, Café du Monde is the place for a traditional breakfast of distinctive chicory coffee and sugary beignets – and it's near the popular Riverwalk Marketplace, stretching a half-mile with 150 shops.

The cemeteries are a big draw for visitors because the graves are all above-ground and very ornate. There's also the New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum and Marie Laveau's House of Voodoo.

Signature drinks and seafood dishes

"You've got to ride a New Orleans streetcar," Pitt insists.

The St. Charles Avenue Streetcar is a National Historic Landmark, one of the world's oldest railway systems, which launched as a mule-and-carriage line in 1835.

With its wooden floors and seats, the streetcar looks like it's straight out of Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire. The ride from the French Quarter into the Garden District takes 15 minutes at most.

Dining in New Orleans is a delight. Galatoire's is known for its shrimp remoulade, trout almondine and other classic seafood dishes, but you cannot make reservations so get in line early.

Antoine's is famous for its spicy French-Creole cuisine and old-world atmosphere that hasn't changed much since the restaurant opened in 1840, including the famous flaming coffee.

With its signature drink, the Hurricane (rum punch in a giant glass), Pat O'Brien's is a huge Irish bar, located right next to Preservation Hall, a single room where you can hear the best Dixieland jazz. Musicians play for hours and hours in a nightly marathon.

But when Pitt visited New Orleans in early 2006, he was astonished by the lack of progress in repairing the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina, particularly in the Lower Ninth Ward.

"I couldn't believe that nothing was going on," he recalls.

"I remember the photographs of people on their roofs, begging for help, and I couldn't believe this was our America."

So Pitt spearheaded the Make It Right! campaign to help rebuild the devastated area, pledging $5 million of his own funds for the $22.5 million project, Global Green USA, which plans to construct 150 environmentally conscious homes.

"There's no reason why we can't do 1,000 homes, 10,000 homes, 100,000 homes," he says. "There's a community to be rebuilt and schools and health care. It's all about fairness for all. People must know that their houses are going to be here and that they're going to be safe.

"New Orleans has its own mind, its own thing," Pitt concludes, "It's unique."

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