The Columns is on the St. Charles Streetcar route between the Garden District and Uptown, in the neighborhood sometimes know as Milan, at the Peniston St. (rhymes with “tennis ton” [thanks Slate]) stop. The bar is located within accommodations that could be classified as being somewhere between a hotel and B&B, having 20 units. Drinks are served both on the veranda (porch) supported by “The Columns”, and in the dark paneled barroom.

The interior of the building was used for the filming of the 1978 movie “Pretty Baby” (starring the adolescent Brooke Shields as a Storyville child prostitute auctioned off to the highest bidder). Thomas Sulley, who is considered one of the city’s most important architects, built the home. The foyer, parlor and staircase vestibule are beautiful.

If you are exploring Garden District/Uptown/Audubon/Carrollton, this is a truly great place to sit back and enjoy a drink in the late afternoon or early evening. If the weather is fair, the veranda offers a great opportunity to look out on St. Charles Ave. as the sun sets Uptown. If the weather is not so pleasant, the barroom is both classy and comfortable.

Reviews on the restaurant are mixed; I have not tried it. The Hotel also gets mixed reviews. I last stayed there in the very early 80s when it was more rooming house than hotel. Would be interested in hearing comments from those who have stayed recently.

I have not classified this as a “must see”, because it does not on its own merit a trip from the French Quarter/CBD. But if you happen to be in the neighborhood, or are traveling past, and have the time, it is well worth the stop.