We are locals and hate to pay to park or the hassle of driving around looking for a spot. We parked down by Carrollton and hopped on the streetcar. You can bring a drink on as long as it has a top, so we stopped in a little bar got a drink and rode down to the french quarter, what a great way to meet new people and enjoy the view. Way better than driving.
Check the times that they stop running we lucked out and the one that we were on continued past 2am but if we would have parked a bit further we would have been out of luck and had to walk.

This is the first city I have ever traveled to that is so easy to get around on foot to almost everything and the public transportation fills in the blanks beautifully and is reasonably priced at just a mere $1.25 per ride or an all day "Jazzy pass" for just $3.00 with as many on/offs as you want. I completely recommend NOT renting a car for this city and relying completely on foot and by the trolley system. Also very accessible for folks in wheelchairs and the drivers are really nice about it too.

I recommend trying the streetcars once. They are a great inexpensive way to see the city. But be aware that they don't really run on a regular schedule no matter what the RTA says, so don't ride if you need to be somewhere on time. And check in advance; if there's maintenance or a Krewe parade, they don't run at all.

Buy a daily ticket have correct change no change given back. $3 per person. Covers all cars good views of the city canal street. Riverside used these two. Jump on jump off anytime.