New Orleans | Barbra Streisand | Bourbon Street | Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

"We also went to Galatoire's," Ricci says of another temple of French Creole cuisine. "That's a very cool place."

I ask her if she stood in line at Galatoire's, which turns 100 this year and has somehow managed to maintain its dignity even as the Bourbon Street businesses that surround it have grown raucous. "No. We had reservations," Ricci says. "Do people usually stand in line when they have reservations?"

They do. It's one of those New Orleans traditions, like the jazz funeral or the Mardi­ Gras krewe, that visitors don't always know about. But Galatoire's didn't even take re­s­­­erva­tions until 1999, and it still only accepts them for the second-floor dining area. Many of the city's power brokers would never dream of making a reservation. They'll wait in line, especially for Friday lunch. "Really?" Ricci asks about the lineup. "That's different. Well, it is pretty good there."

Tip Four: Spend Some Hard-Earned Money
Ricci has made her mark playing characters that would be right at home on the offbeat streets of New Orleans. (It's easy to imagine Wednesday Addams and Lucy, the runaway who paints portraits of Barbra Streisand in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, sitting side-by-side eating beignets at Café Du Monde.) "I know I don't fit into the typical molds," she says. "I also look kind of funny. I'm kind of odd looking. So I've never been the traditional character. But I think as I get older, there will be more parts. More nontraditional roles."