Somewhere between a biker bar and a college hangout, the dark Checkpoint Charlie's only seems intimidating -- an effect that's helped by the hard rock sounds usually blaring from the stage. It's easy to overlook straight rock with all the other New Orleans sounds around, but this would be the place to start trying to find it. R&B and blues sneak into the mix as well. A full bar, food, and pool tables help soften the ambience for the easily intimidated, and it's open 24 hours, making it a less touristy place for a quick drink during the day. Plus, there's a coin laundry, so a dusty traveler can clean up while enjoying the music. And right across the street is a fire station known for its hunky firemen, who on sultry nights sit outside and admire the views. Admire them right back.

The Scene
Much like its namesake, Checkpoint Charlie serves as a boundary marker for the small, chic Frenchmen Street scene in the Faubourg Marigny. It offers a typical bar layout: small stage, pool tables, an elevated area from which to hang out and peep the band, spacious bar. Slumming Frenchmen Street hipsters, aspiring rockers, seasoned bohemian and biker types and unwary tourists make up the clientele

The Draw
Unlike most of the other Frenchmen clubs, the bill of fare here leans mostly toward local rock bands aspiring to be the next Better Than Ezra, along with quirky avant-garde combos that mix jazz, funk and Tom Waits-style boho attitude. The standard-issue bar food, coin-operated laundry facilities and lack of a cover charge are perfect for barflies on a budget