New Orleans?

[prncess674]

It's not about scaring people, just being honest. It's dangerous. That simple. I'm here, you're not. The 9th ward has less crime than the quarter these days. Give some facts to support your claim. If not, it's just an opinion of someone that is NOT here.

I think people need to take your advice with a grain of salt. I may not still own a residence in NOLA, I lived 33 of my 37 years of life there and still have many friends and my elderly parents are still living there so I make trips at least once every other month to NOLA and will be there next weekend for Mardi Gras, where I will have 10 friends from the DC area in town with me and not once have a instilled this sense of fear that you are. These are all worldly travelers who know common sense: travel in groups, walk with purpose, don't walk down dim streets and be aware of your surroundings.

You admitted earlier that you live all the way in Belle Chasse and are a teetotaler who doesn't venture into the city at night. I feel you are doing a disservice to visitors advising them to wall up in the hotel for there is fear and death around every corner. How sad that you are advising visitors to steer away from enjoying a wonderful evening meal at one of the many restaurants such as: Brennan's, Antoine's, The Gumbo Shop and instead must sit in fear in a hotel partaking of a bag of chips and soda while peaking out the window willing the sun to come up so that they can go back out.

 

[cindycastle30]

We were there over the summer and stayed on the edge of the French Quarter. We had a great time and the kids loved it and would rather go back there than go to Disney!

Our kids too!! We are cancelling our Disney trip this August to take them to New Orleans again. Ages 16, 15 14 and 10. First trip was 5 years ago for all of us and this will be the kids 3rd trip and our 5th. OP you have gotten all kinds of great ideas. One that hasn't been mentioned is the Confederate War Museum, it is very close to the WWII museum, maybe even right across the street. We took our kids there on the last trip and it was fan favorite. We spent a little over an hour there, but you could spend more time if you read all the info on display. Very cool to see a different perspective on the Civil War. The building itself is beautiful. The zoo was also well received by our children, which really surprised us since they aren't little kids. We also went to the aquarium which was neat also. For bigger families, look into buying the membership to the zoo/aquarium it was cheaper for us to do this.

 

[North of Mouse]

We were there over the summer and stayed on the edge of the French Quarter. We had a great time and the kids loved it and would rather go back there than go to Disney!

Our kids too!! We are cancelling our Disney trip this August to take them to New Orleans again. Ages 16, 15 14 and 10. First trip was 5 years ago for all of us and this will be the kids 3rd trip and our 5th. OP you have gotten all kinds of great ideas. One that hasn't been mentioned is the Confederate War Museum, it is very close to the WWII museum, maybe even right across the street. We took our kids there on the last trip and it was fan favorite. We spent a little over an hour there, but you could spend more time if you read all the info on display. Very cool to see a different perspective on the Civil War. The building itself is beautiful. The zoo was also well received by our children, which really surprised us since they aren't little kids. We also went to the aquarium which was neat also. For bigger families, look into buying the membership to the zoo/aquarium it was cheaper for us to do this.

Isn't it amazing sometimes what tourists see that we don't see, when things are "under our noses" so to speak and don't "really see" or appreciate?? Living near the city most of my life, I have always dearly loved the FQ, St. Charles streetcar, the zoo grounds (park) mostly, food, beignets, but have never been a fan of museums (my DH right opposite). He and my DB loved the WWII museum while my sis and I stayed on the River Walk We go back once a year to enjoy those things and would go more if we were closer. But, having said that, there is NO place we, or our kids would rather be than camping in the MH at the Fort in Disney Good thing we are all different, eh? Y'all enjoy

 

[EPCOTatNight]

I think people need to take your advice with a grain of salt. I may not still own a residence in NOLA, I lived 33 of my 37 years of life there and still have many friends and my elderly parents are still living there so I make trips at least once every other month to NOLA and will be there next weekend for Mardi Gras, where I will have 10 friends from the DC area in town with me and not once have a instilled this sense of fear that you are. These are all worldly travelers who know common sense: travel in groups, walk with purpose, don't walk down dim streets and be aware of your surroundings.

You admitted earlier that you live all the way in Belle Chasse and are a teetotaler who doesn't venture into the city at night. I feel you are doing a disservice to visitors advising them to wall up in the hotel for there is fear and death around every corner. How sad that you are advising visitors to steer away from enjoying a wonderful evening meal at one of the many restaurants such as: Brennan's, Antoine's, The Gumbo Shop and instead must sit in fear in a hotel partaking of a bag of chips and soda while peaking out the window willing the sun to come up so that they can go back out.

I don't live in Belle Chasse. My son goes to Belle Chasse Academy. I live directly across the river from the Quarter in Algiers. I routinely catch the ferry and go in the Riverwalk and the Aquarium since we are members. My father works in a restaurant on Bourbon and I sometimes pick him up. I pick him up on Canal because I can't get to him by car. But my point is that I know the city well. We go to the French Market and other things, just during the day. I grew up in the Iberville project, so I am very street savvy......I just choose to be safe rather than sorry. Maybe my background clouds my judgment, but I've seen tourists robbed in the Cemetary on Conti, I've seen purses snatched, pockets picked, and tourists beaten. I've seen people shot, people I personally knew. I've seen more than most people can imagine, that's why I'm so careful now. I am a product of the worst parts of New Orleans. I still have family that lives in those environments. I'm not trying to scare tourists, but when you've seen and experienced what I have, you can never be too careful. We are both from New Orleans, but obviously from different parts.

 

[jujube]

I don't live in Belle Chasse. My son goes to Belle Chasse Academy. I live directly across the river from the Quarter in Algiers. I routinely catch the ferry and go in the Riverwalk and the Aquarium since we are members. My father works in a restaurant on Bourbon and I sometimes pick him up. I pick him up on Canal because I can't get to him by car. But my point is that I know the city well. We go to the French Market and other things, just during the day. I grew up in the Iberville project, so I am very street savvy......I just choose to be safe rather than sorry. Maybe my background clouds my judgment, but I've seen tourists robbed in the Cemetary on Conti, I've seen purses snatched, pockets picked, and tourists beaten. I've seen people shot, people I personally knew. I've seen more than most people can imagine, that's why I'm so careful now. I am a product of the worst parts of New Orleans. I still have family that lives in those environments. I'm not trying to scare tourists, but when you've seen and experienced what I have, you can never be too careful. We are both from New Orleans, but obviously from different parts.

I can understand how your background colors your view. That said, there was a shooting in DTD and purse snatchings too but that won't keep me from going there. There have been room robberies and child molestings at Disney resorts but that doesn't keep me from visiting there either. When my son, his friend and I were at DTD in November, an older guy came to sit near us outside of World of Disney and wanted to sell us pot! Now, I'm an older woman and my son and his friend are very clean cut so why he decided to approach us is beyond me.
Crime can and does happen anywhere. People should always be aware of their surroundings especially when they are in unfamiliar places.

 

[Planogirl]

It's not about scaring people, just being honest. It's dangerous. That simple. I'm here, you're not. The 9th ward has less crime than the quarter these days. Give some facts to support your claim. If not, it's just an opinion of someone that is NOT here.

I did look up the stats after seeing all of this and I should have posted. The murder rate is high but the other crimes seem down over most of the recent past. That's good.

For those of you nervous about bad area at night, stay away from Dallas. I'm OK with Fort Worth but Dallas makes me nervous.

 

[eyor44]

Don't be so sure. The first time that someone offers her fried crawfish tails at a party and she thinks that they are little chicken nuggets, she'll find out what she's missing. I preduct that it won't take her long to go from that to eating boiled crawfish at boils, because among kids that age the only excuse for not eating them is being Jewish or allergic to shellfish, though she may get someone else to peel them for her. (My DS is the pickiest eater you will EVER meet, but the boy loves boiled crawfish. As a person who distrusts mixed-up foods, he really likes taking crustaceans straight out of the shell -- that way he knows that no one has added any strange ingredients, LOL!) As for gumbo and etouffee, if she is attending a local school in Belle Chasse, they will probably be on the lunch menu. Really, we eat crawfish prepared in a huge number of ways, most of which don't leave them recognizable as crustaceans, and many of which are soups or stews or dips; newcomers always end up eating them initially without even realizing it, because they will sit down to a bowl of soup or a plate of pasta and it just happens. I grew up in a gulf coast military community where we had newcomers from all over the country coming in all the time; we simply delighted in stealthily feeding them things that they swore they would never touch, LOL.

Kind of like grits, which I'm surprised no one has mentioned. Grits, you get them with breakfast whether you order them or not. And have you every had cheese grits or grits with shrimp. oh my........

 

[Swan4Me]

The problem now is young black boys 16-17 that go in gangs to the Quarter at nite with guns and shoot at each other, but you could be in the crossfire.

Right now the mayor has issued several "warnings" and a curfew that states no one under 17 is allowed in the French Quarter at night, to control this situation, and the National Guard will be at hand for Mardi Gras.

 

[EPCOTatNight]

The problem now is young black boys 16-17 that go in gangs to the Quarter at nite with guns and shoot at each other, but you could be in the crossfire.

Right now the mayor has issued several "warnings" and a curfew that states no one under 17 is allowed in the French Quarter at night, to control this situation, and the National Guard will be at hand for Mardi Gras.

I know the truth is that our young black men are more likely to be the perpetrators and victims of violent crime in N.O. But, as a black man, I wish you would have rethought bringing race into the thread. On the other hand, the problem is not just teenagers. Look at Telly Hankton, he's 36. We have a lot of 20, 30, and even 40 something year old men that never grew up.

 

[North of Mouse]

I know the truth is that our young black men are more likely to be the perpetrators and victims of violent crime in N.O. But, as a black man, I wish you would have rethought bringing race into the thread. On the other hand, the problem is not just teenagers. Look at Telly Hankton, he's 36. We have a lot of 20, 30, and even 40 something year old men that never grew up.

Thank You! There always has to be a few that try to keep the race issue alive and well. There are problems with all ages, races and backgrounds and no one should single out anyone else. Bad things can, and have happened in all backgrounds, economic situations, and races and we have had two experiences that were not good ones, and neither of them were with the black race. Good and bad come in all packages. Thanks for speaking up because I feel the same way. Being raised down So.LA I know what it's been like down there in the past, but thank goodness I had a wonderful mother that taught us to see all people for what and who they are and treat all "fairly and squarely" just like we'd like to be treated, and I have tried very hard to do that and taught my children the same.

 

[jujube]

The problem now is young black boys 16-17 that go in gangs to the Quarter at nite with guns and shoot at each other, but you could be in the crossfire.

Right now the mayor has issued several "warnings" and a curfew that states no one under 17 is allowed in the French Quarter at night, to control this situation, and the National Guard will be at hand for Mardi Gras.

Link please
There is a curfew, that part is right. It used to be only on weekends but now has been extended to 7 nights a week. However a search on both Google and the wwltv new site does not have 1 thing about gangs marauding through the French Quarter. Not to mention I watch the New Orleans news on tv and listen to it on the radio every single day.
Do you know how many tourists were shot last year? Zero
The crime is probably 99% drug related so don't go to New Orleans looking for drugs and you should be fine.
So please roll your eyes elsewhere.

 

[Mrs. Bradbury]

OP here. The closest big city to us is Atlanta, GA. Not exactly a beacon of lawfulness. On the other hand, ten years ago, walking to our car after dinner at a local restaurant, around 9pm, my husband at the time and I were robbed at gunpoint in our tiny little town with 2 traffic lights. How random is that? My point is we all have to be aware of our surroundings no matter where we are. Crime is everywhere, and people are in some pretty desperate circumstances these days. I do appreciate the warnings about people trying to stop you by asking a question, etc. Hadn't crossed my mind!

Thanks for all the suggestions and keep them coming. I'm going to start making some firm plans in the next week or so, and I know I'll be back with specific questions.

 

[leebee]

We love K-Paul's and The Gumbo Shop! I've also heard great things about Commander's Palace and Court of the Two Sisters. Neither, of course, is cheap, but good food in big cities seldom is. We have also been to Maspero's which serves (IIRC) cajun, creole, and plain ol' American style food, if you have someone who isn't into "ethnic" styles.

Regarding Brennan's, we've been to both "Brennan's" in the Quarter and "Palace Cafe" on Canal and were disappointed in both. I think we expected too much from Brennan's... went for Sunday brunch and were expecting a jazz brunch with a very upbeat atmosphere- definitely NOT what we got. Regarding Palace Cafe, we went for Thanksgiving dinner and it was...bleh. We were expecting the "traditional" thanksgiving meal (yes, it was on the menu) to at least have freshly-carved turkey, but it was pre-sliced, round slices of deli type turkey. Yuck. On this trip, in 2010, we were 2 adult women, 3 adult males, and three girls ages 9, 13, 16. We stayed in a hotel across Canal from the Quarter (The Pere Marquette/Renaissance) and walked back and forth to the Quarter every day and evening for dinner... we just stayed together and stayed smart, walked with purpose, and kept track of ourselves and those around us... just like in any other big city.

I have heard that both the swamp tours and the plantation tours are fun. We usually spend our time in the French Quarter, wandering around and checking out the shops, museums, and the street life. We took a horse-drawn carriage tour and enjoyed it. We also like riding the St. Charles street car down to Camilla Grill and back; takes you through the Garden District.

NOLA can be dangerous, of course. One night (after 11pm) our street car broke down and everyone had to walk to their destinations... and of course we were mugged. Nothing big, I'd actually noticed these two 12 year old boys follow a couple away from the street car and thought "there's trouble"; talk about a premonition! We were walking with a waiter from Commander's and the boys were mostly interested in his tip money. The men in our group fought back and subdued the boys until the cops arrived. NObody was hurt, nobody lost anything, but now, of course, I know that we could just as easily have been shot. However, we were definitely out walking too late at night and not paying enough attention, and knew better and SHOULD have just called for a cab, but walking down the well-lit street car tracks in the middle of St. Charles didn't seem dangerous (this was in 1984). Also, fwiw, my bil has been held up 3 times, twice at gunpoint, at the ATM machines in different parts of the city, but all occurred after 1am... once again, NOT a safe time of night.

 

[EPCOTatNight]

Link please

Do you know how many tourists were shot last year? Zero.

That is NOT true. I know of a tourist from France that was shot this past Halloween.

 

[jujube]

That is NOT true. I know of a tourist from France that was shot this past Halloween.

Would you please share the link because I cannot find it? I can find the names of the 2 people who were killed but they were both local. I. Am not doubting your word. I just want to read about it.
Btw , I am sad if a French tourist was shot. It does not happen often and it can happen anywhere.

I asked before if the shootings at DTD and the crimes at WDW keep you from visiting there?

 

[EPCOTatNight]

Would you please share the link because I cannot find it? I can find the names of the 2 people who were killed but they were both local. I. Am not doubting your word. I just want to read about it.
Btw , I am sad if a French tourist was shot. It does not happen often and it can happen anywhere.

I asked before if the shootings at DTD and the crimes at WDW keep you from visiting there?

Eight people were shot in the attack, including a tourist from France,*and police believe most were caught in the crossfire.
http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2011/11/new_orleans_police_man_killed.html

If the murder rate ever gets to a point where it's worst than Iraq like it is here, then yes.

 

[Swan4Me]

http://www.wwltv.com/news/crime/FBI...ate-Ten-Times-National-Average-130161983.html


Map of murders in New Orleans

http://www.nola.com/crime/nolasearchresults.ssf?appSession=271271788204434

 

[jujube]

http://www.wwltv.com/news/crime/FBI...ate-Ten-Times-National-Average-130161983.html


Map of murders in New Orleans

http://www.nola.com/crime/nolasearchresults.ssf?appSession=271271788204434

The map you posted was for overall crime in New Orleans. There were 2 murders in the French Quarter which is 2 too many. They were both on Halloween night.
This is the map of murders:
http://www.nola.com/crime/nolasearchresults.ssf?appSession=014271794368522

 

[Swan4Me]

Actually- both our links go back to the original map

You have to "fine tune ' it for Orleans parish and murders to see that info

I know someone whose nephew was shot coming out of a bar in the Quarter lasy year-but he was waving a gun at the Bouncer who made him leave (because he was shirtless)and the Policeman on the Bourbon St shot him (and his MOTHER drove him to N. O to "celebrate, knowing he was carrying a gun(He was white)
AND the family is trying to sue the city )

 

[MrsPete]

I'm coming in late on this, but I'll throw in my personal experience: I did not care for New Orleans. I've traveled fairly widely, and I'll say something about New Orleans that I'll say about no other place. I don't want to go back.

The high points of our trip included a carriage ride /ghost tour, art shops, beniets (I think I spelled that wrong), and the aquarium. Those positives weren't enough to balance out the negatives.

I had hoped to enjoy the old architecture, but it was marred by the boarded-up buildings that are interspersed with the grand old homes/shops -- you would've thought that Katrina had just come through a year before; so much was still damaged and in disrepair. Even the cathedral, something I had looked forward to seeing, was a disappointment because it was in such poor repair. Beggars were everywhere, and they were very forward with their demands. Evidence of drug abuse was rampant. Drunks too. You expect to see it in the French Quarter, but it's everywhere. We'd hoped to enjoy the food, and perhaps we just ended up in the wrong places (for every meal the whole trip), but it didn't meet our expectations. I did expect the food to be expensive, so I wasn't disappointed in that -- but given the ho-hum quality, I didn't think it was a good value.

To top it off, we were the victims of a violent crime on our last evening. It wasn't even dark yet, and we were on Constitution Avenue (?) in the heart of the "cleaner" touristy district. Even before that happened though, we'd decided that this isn't our kind of place.

We were in New Orleans 3-4 days, and that was a gracious plenty for us. We didn't expect a clean, Disneyland place . . . but it was more seedy, more grime-covered, and had more of a dangerous feel than I had anticipated. I can't imagine what it must be like during Mardi Gras. We won't be back.