Tim, I live in New Orleans. Lower Garden District, to be exact. Work in the CBD. St. Charles and Gravier, to be exact.

DC was the "murder capital" in 2002. I read in the local paper (Times Pic, to be exact) the other day that they are again "leading" this dubious race. Can't recall the exact story and I'm too lazy to look it up, but it's there if you dig hard enough.

All I said initially is that we don't have 2-3 murders per day. That would put N.O. on track for 700-1000 per year.

Even Gambit shows N.O. recorded 150 murders in the first 180 days of the year. Horrible, for sure, but in line with other large cities with similar socioeconomic issues.

Gambit link:
http://www.bestofneworleans.com/disp...ommentary.html

Tim, I found an interesting story from the Washington paper. Last year, N.O. and D.C. had similar numbers of murders but D.C. won "the title" (as if this were some game!) because N.O. has fewer than 500,000 people and is in a different category. How bizarre!

http://www.washtimes.com/metro/20030...3406-7084r.htm

Hi myst,
Don't forget to go to the Cafe du Monde for after-hours coffee and beignets (it will help you find your hotel room after drinking Hurricanes). And 5 days is a must!
I'd personally scratch Biloxi and do a day through Cajun country, plantation, and/or Tabasco tour (truly a kick!). You might enjoy reading a James Lee Burke mystery before/en route; we had to go to his native quaint New Iberia just to see what it was all about! Thumbs up on Petunia's and NOMuseum of Art (long lines for special exhibits sometimes but worth it). Have fun!

Cool Dan,
I will read the article, but let's not dwell on the bottom of the barrel here. Our town is lovely and has the best food and fun around...IMO, so Le Bon Temps Roule. Everybody come on down and enjoy, but be safe and wise. Tim

I just wanted to comment on safety in NO. I am not an expert by any means, but a year and a half ago, my husband and I were there for a week. We had a great time and did not feel uncomfortable about our safety at any time. During the day, we felt totally comfortable everywhere. At night, we hung around the FQ and FM, took the regular precautions for wandering around at night, and were fine. My husband seemed to have lost $20 along the way one night, which means he may have been pick pocketed or he may have dropped it paying for a drink at a bar. Who knows. Either way, we never felt that our safety was in anyway threatened.

Tim, truer words were never spoken. It's a great city and I love living and working here.

I'm getting married next year and my wife-to-be has already "pared" her guest list down to about 300! Apparently everyone she knows wants to visit N.O.!

Thanks for all the responses-- murder capitals don't really scare me as I worked in Oakland, CA for 9 years and can handle myself in big cities.

I am not a gambler, but will certainly take some time to see the sights and eat plenty of regional foods. Yum. Looking forward to it.

myst - if you've spent that much time in Oakland, then New Orleans should be scared of you, not the other way around - LOL.

Ha Ha. Downtown Oakland is not as scary as it seems in the news. People are not exactly gunning down stockbrokers in the financial district LOL.

I expect the same is true of New Orleans. You just learn which neighborhoods to avoid. As a commercial banker I just try to stay near the real tall buildings.

Dan is incorrect as to the murder rate....2002 New Orleans was second only to Puerto Rico in muders per capita.

Sorry to say that right now NO is indeed a very dangerous place, but you are perfectly safe by being alert, staying in the well patrolled tourist areas, and don't wear flashy jewelry.

lets not forget about that poor young Japanese tourist 2 months ago, we should be ashamed with what is going on !

All I have to say is GO BOBBY GO !!! NO and LA needs a big change!

We just got back and we couldn't believe how "cleaned up" the city seemed to be just from last year's Oct visit.

Wasn't there some SF-type controversy back there last year that involved the homeless, panhandlers, etc?

Ccor- "Too much fun" T'aint no such thing, dahlin'!O:)

Can anyone recommend a <i>really</i> good place for Thanksgiving dinner? I've tentatively booked Arnaud's and am waiting for Stella! to publish their menu on their website, but would love other suggestions. How about the brunch at the Sonesta? (They offer fried turkey, but we'd rather eat later than 3PM when they shut down.)

Thanks!

myst - from what you hear on the news, you'd THINK people are getting gunned down on every corner!

That is true J. My friends from Paris were quite scared when they came over and I wanted to go to dinner in Oakland!

If they only knew I drive over on many a weekend to buy tamales from a street vendor (fantastic tamales).

Most of the killing is caused by gang problems in &quot;the burbs&quot; economically depressed neighborhoods in the High #'d Aves of East Oakland toward San Leandro.

It is hard to even drive into these areas without making an effort to find them.

I never wear flashy jewelery and will keep my eyes open in NO.