Solo Female Traveller to New Orleans

Old Dec 6th, 2014, 09:15 AM
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Solo Female Traveller to New Orleans

Early 30's female traveller planning to visit New Orleans during MLK's long weekend (1/17 - 1/19).
Looking for advice/tips surrounding day/evening tours, shows, restaurants, bars, and etcetera..
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Old Dec 6th, 2014, 09:20 AM
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Consult with your hotel as to exactly which areas are safe. There are a number of very high crime areas immediately adjacent to tourist spots and even one block the wrong way can be VERY dangerous.

(A colleague of mine turned the wrong way out of his exclusive hotel, then turned a corner - at 7 pm. He was immediately accosted by two young men with a gun who forced him to lie on the round, took his wallet and watch and were threatening to shoot him when a cop car turned the corner. The young men ran and the cops helped my colleague - and told him he was in the wrong place and should not enter this area at all.)
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Old Dec 6th, 2014, 02:58 PM
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It's kind of odd when you think about it. Why would criminals only stay on one block? Especially if they want to hold up the tourists who are in the next block. Maybe it's the New Orleans mystery.

People would say the same thing about where I lived in Washington DC, Capitol Hill. About how it changed block by block. I was supposedly on a good block but finally moved when one too many guys got held up at gun point in front of my townhouse.

I was the once years ago by myself. I was really at a business conference but had a lot of free time. I didn't venture very far from where all the people were at all, and I don't stay out late. I think I was near Canal St, but the bottom. People will advise the French Quarter is safe, but I have read it has one of the highest crime rates in the city, although maybe more for theft than armed robbery. But there are some bad areas right near the French Quarter, so you can't be wandering around on dark streets near it. Don't go to cemeteries alone.
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Old Dec 6th, 2014, 03:02 PM
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The French Quarter tends to have pickpockets 0 since so many people are wandering around drunk. But there is a very high rate of violent crime (as in 6 ties as high as NYC) esp in poor areas that are very near the French Quarter.

Just be sure to talk to hotel staff about what is safe. And obviusly follow all the usual rules if you go out aone in the evening (NEVER leave a drink alone)
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Old Dec 6th, 2014, 03:36 PM
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As for safety, I went to lots of areas that were outside the French Quarter, following local advice. But I recognize that people are not necessarily logical about this. For example, one woman told me she felt safe bicycling through a certain area, but not walking. I'm not sure that's sensible. There were a couple of times that I felt the street was too deserted (once I was on it), and I should not have been walking there, so it's probably wise to plan better than me. Stick to high-traffic areas at night.

For excellent music, go to Frenchman Street.

The World War II Museum is amazing.

There's so much music all over the place. Find some listings and go from there.
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Old Dec 6th, 2014, 05:39 PM
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Buses for daytime swamp tours pick up at most hotels. Those seem pretty safe for a solo traveler.
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Old Dec 6th, 2014, 09:31 PM
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Yes, and there are good plantation bus tours too. Similarly, the cruises along the Mississippi (in my case I took the one that went to the Battle of New Orleans battlefield) are good too.
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Old Dec 7th, 2014, 05:53 AM
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Use a taxi at night. Exercise the same caution as in other American cities. Watch your booze consumption. Do not take advice from someone whose put-down is based on never having been there. NOLA is worth the effort.
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Old Dec 7th, 2014, 09:02 AM
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Well I have been to NO at least a dozen times - always on business - but often with substantial time off. And it's the only place in the US that i have seen obvious armed guards in hotel lobbies (ritz carlton and one other - forget which) and when you ask the concierge/bellman they will have maps with the safe areas already marked.
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Old Dec 7th, 2014, 10:18 AM
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That put down up above struck me as hostile, uncalled for, and ignorant. I wonder if the person meant to type something else….I'm not naive but was pretty shocked to read the comment.
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Old Dec 8th, 2014, 07:43 PM
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Well, what kind of things interest you? It's hard to give advice on tours, restaurants, music, shows and bars without knowing more about you. There's something for everyone.....and there is much more to the city than just the French Quarter.

I would definitely do a 2-3 hour city tour right away to get an overview of the city.

As far as safety....I've been to the French a half a dozen times and just got back from a long weekend today. I thought this was the safest/quietest visit I've had. Granted my previous trips were 15+ years ago but I thought the overall vibe was a lot tamer in terms of panhandlers and such. In general, the area from Canal Street east to the French Market and north as far as Bourbon Street has a lot of people traffic and tourist stuff, so you would probably spend most of your time there and not run into any issues. Going into the lesser-visited sections would bring a higher likelihood of crime. And obviously day time is safer than night. But even saying that we spent quite a bit of time north of Bourbon and had zero issues and zero sense that it was at all dangerous.

However for a solo female I'd stick with the busier tourist area of the Quarter. And if you are going out on Bourbon at night and are staying anywhere on Canal or west of that you probably want to take a cab back to the hotel.
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Old Dec 8th, 2014, 07:44 PM
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Forgot....if you like zoos you could take the street car out to the zoo. It passes through the Garden District which is very beautiful.
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Old Dec 9th, 2014, 03:24 AM
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You'll be fine. I highly recommend the Dauphine Orleans as a hotel option. Great location and easy walk to where you'll want to go. I used to hate NOLA because I'd be there during conferences and have to entertain customers. If I never step foot on Bourbon Street, I'll be happy. But if you skip Bourbon street you can pretend you're in Paris or a European city. Stay in the French Quarter and be aware of your surroundings and you'll be fine.

Totally agree with taking the streetcar out to the Garden District. Loved walking around Magazine St. shops (especially Sucre) and stopping to walk through a cemetery (daylight). If you are interested, you could take a cemetery tour.

HIGHLY recommend the walking and tasting tour of NOLA. It will give you an overview of the city, its history and you get to sample the specialties of some of NOLA's most famous restaurants. Make Café du Monde your first stop for beignets. Enjoy wandering around Jackson Square and the FQ. Take the streetcar out to the curve in the river and enjoy Magazine St. Stay at a good location IN the FQ and enjoy a magical city.

If you are just there for a weekend, I'd stay in the city vs taking tours out to other venues.
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Old Dec 9th, 2014, 12:52 PM
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Interesting remarks. I visited NO several times in the 80s and early 90s. Apparently it has gotten more dangerous.

Back then, there were street hustlers around ("I bet I know where you got your shoes"), and kids (literally) offering to sell us cocaine, but I don't remember feeling threatened, even in less traveled areas (though we were told to stay out of the cemeteries after dark).
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Old Dec 9th, 2014, 12:56 PM
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Bitter, I wouldn't assume it's gotten worse. The same posters always make it sound very dangerous. It's not for me to say whether they are wrong or right--IME it has always been safe, but I know it can also be dodgy. I'm just saying that they represent one point of view very strenuously and repeatedly, which might give a false impression.
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Old Dec 9th, 2014, 01:00 PM
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That's weird, Bitter. The previous two posters said the opposite, including "But even saying that we spent quite a bit of time north of Bourbon and had zero issues and zero sense that it was at all dangerous."

"Apparently it has gotten more dangerous."
Really?
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Old Dec 9th, 2014, 01:20 PM
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Well - for solid data it;s probably good to look at the national crime stats - comparing various cities. that way you don;t have to rely on specific opinions or limited experience.
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Old Dec 9th, 2014, 01:21 PM
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Bitter: It's interesting you mention the street hustlers because I remember them well. I went there 5 times between 94 and 98 and they seemed to get progressively more aggressive and demanding each trip. My first trip in 94 they were fun and part of the experience, by 98 I avoided them and was threatened because I didn't cough up $5 when one of them 'cleaned' my shoes.

This last weeekend? Not a single street hustler approached me. There were the usual street entertainers (dancing/singing,etc.) and homeless people with a bucket and a sign asking for money. But I didn't see a single hustler in 3 days and nobody in my group of friends mentioned them either....I even felt perfectly safe walking down Canal Street at all hours of the day and night, and that was not the case back in the 90s.

And on all my previous visits the vibe just felt different than this one. I really didn't even think twice about venturing down streets and spent way more time off Bourbon than on it, yet never saw anything dangerous, scary or threatening and none of my friends mentioned anything of the sort either.

I can't speak to actual crime rates because I don't feel like googling them, I'm just saying it looked and felt safer this weekend than any of my previous visits.
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Old Dec 9th, 2014, 01:26 PM
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"Really?"

Try reading all of the posts, not just 2.
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Old Dec 9th, 2014, 01:36 PM
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Wherearewe: It is quite possible I was simply naive and/or lucky during my early visits. On my first visit, I did come across what I sincerely believe was a hooker and her pimp in an alley. It was very late/early. She asked me for the time, and I told her and moved on. (It wasn't until the next day that I asked myself, why would someone be hanging out in an alley asking people the time!).
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