New Orleans Skyline

Looking back at New Orleans from the deck of the Norwegian Sun, this skyline of the Central Business District is highlighted by the clouds of a March spring evening. This is the start of our Caribbean vacation and cruise.

The Central Business District is an area of New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the equivalent of what many cities call their "downtown," although in New Orleans "downtown" or "down town" is often used to mean portions of the city in the direction of flow of the Mississippi River.

Central Business District

The Central Business District or CBD is bounded on one edge by the Mississippi, on the downriver edge by the French Quarter, on the back by Claiborne Avenue, and on the upriver edge by Howard Avenue, the lower limit of the "Lower Garden District" of Uptown New Orleans. Notable structures in the "CBD" include the city's new and old city halls, the Louisiana Superdome, and the New Orleans Arena.

One Shell Square

One Shell Square, located at 701 Poydras Street in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana, is a 51-story, 697 feet (212 m)-tall skyscraper designed in the international style by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. It is the tallest building in both the city of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana. The building is primarily used for leaseable office space, with some retail space on the ground level.