jomagpie

Heading to NOLA for the first time in the spring and just trying to do some research. I definitely do NOT plan on hanging out only in the French Quarter during my one-week vacation, so I just want to know how "safe" is it to wander around? Obviously I will use common sense and not walk around in the night, but can anyone give me tips on what areas to be careful or avoid? (I will be with my bf, so not going around my own)

I plan to take the St. Charles streetcar towards Audubon Park with stops along the way. Going to Magazine St to check out the shops. Going to the CBD to eat at Cochon and check out the WWII museum. I want go to Franky & Johnny's or Domilise's for po-boys. I want to check out bars on Frenchman St, and other areas of the Marigny....

Any tips/advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.

nytraveler

You need to be VERY careful about leaving the French quarter - since there are areas immediately adjacent that are very high crime.

A (male) friend of mine (NYCer and city smart) turned the wrong way coming out of the Ritz Carlton and walked no more than a single block before he was held up at gunpoint at about 7 pm at night. He was told unless he cooperated immediately he would be shot, had to lie on the ground, hand over his wallet and watch - and was afraid he was going to be shot anyway until a car drive down the street. When he reported it to the police they told him he had no business being in that area - and that the Ritz is right on the edge of the danger zone.

I have not been in several years - but suggest you ask your hotel to outline for you on a map the areas that must be avoided - or to which you can go only in groups.

Obviously all cities have areas with high crime due primarily to drug activity - the problem with NO is that some of them are immediately adjacent to tourist areas - instead of 10 or more miles away as in most cities.

I'm not saying it's unsafe to go - but you must confirm where you are going and how to get there before heading out.

us4

I've spent a lot of time in NOLA over the years. While the dangers you hear about are real, I've never been or felt threatened down there. Just realize that you could be in a fairly safe area, but two blocks over things can get dangerous. Trust your instincts about safety.

nytraveler

FYI - the murder rate in New Orleans - per the FBI is more than .5 per 1000 people - highest large city in the country - more than double that of DC and 10 times that of NYC.

Tim_J

I have gone to New Orleans twice in the last year. Both times, I rented a car and traveled in all parts of the city. I've never had a problem. Yes, there is crime in New Orleans, and there are no guarantees whenever and wherever you travel. But there are lots of people around the places that you are thinking of going. Stay away from deserted streets after hours. Otherwise, have fun.

Littleman

I disagree with NYTraveler. NOLA is like any other major US city in regards to crime. Crime takes place in desolate low income areas that have high poverty. There are areas in NOLA a tourist has no business being there. There are areas that are fine such as FQ, CBD, GD and Uptown. There's a very high police presence in the FQ and very little crime at all. The FQ is within Rampart on the N, Canal on the W, Esplanade on the E and the MS River on the S. Inside this area is fine even at night if you are not out after midnight. The area in the first block S of Rampart is not a great place in fact Rampart is not a safe place at night. The areas between St. Phillip and Esplanade are not as busy as the rest of the FQ. I would not be walking around in that area at night unless I was with a group. Don't worry about the FQ not being safe in the day time. At night use caution.

The CBD and the Warehouse District is fine in the daytime. I would be careful late at night. If you go to dinner in that area walk but take a cab back to your hote. The GD and Uptown are very safe in the daytime. If you go to dinner there you could walk or take the streetcar. Take a cab back home.

Use caution. Walk in well lighted areas at night with a group. The safest way to dine at night is by cab. United is the highest rated cab company.

Have fun and enjoy yourself.

UNITED CAB @ 1634 Euterpe Street, New Orleans, LA 504 - 522 - 9771 or 504 - 524 - 9606.
.http://www.unitedcabs.com/

bardo1

Yes, there are some parts of New Orleans that are not safe.

HOWEVER, none of the places you've talked about heading to are in the least bit dangerous.

Enjoy your trip.

jomagpie

Thanks for all your responses!
I do plan to check out nightlife mainly in the Marigny area, but I will definitely use a cab for those.

It was mostly the day time walking I plan on doing that worried me. I didn't want to be walking somewhere and end up in a bad area. Thanks again!

Littleman

You can walk in the CBD or Warehouse District in the Daytime. If you want to walk in the GD or Uptown take the SC streetcar past I 90 to the 1200/1300 block area of SC. Get off and walk to Washington. Turn left and go 5 blocks to Magazine and walk to your right to visit the neat shops and stores on Magazine. I would take a cab home from Uptown at night.

nytraveler

People can disagree with me all they want - but they can;t disagree with the FBI crime statistics. My friend was robbed 1/2 block from Rampart at 7 pm at night (he had mistakenly turned the wrong way headed out of the hotel).

This is not common in most other cities - since the worst neighborhoods usually are not immediately adjacent to the major tourist areas. Nor do the police - or hotels - in most cities tell tourists which areas they should stay within.

I'm not suggesting not to go to NO. but just to be very aware of where you can or cannot go.

(In NYC you are safe anyplace within or near tourist areas - unless you walk around the deserted docks by yourself at 3 am - and probably even then.)

Grcxx3

The Ritz-Carleton is kinda on the edge of the FQ and is located on a section of Canal Street that used to be fine, but can now be rather dodgy, especially at night and especially in the areas just behind the hotel. And I would never go anywhere NEAR the FQ portion of Rampart St.

For someone not familiar with New Orleans (and it is my home and I love it), here are some thoughts....

- Within the main part of the FQ, I would recommend staying between Bourbon St and the River.
- Along Canal Street, I would stay between Royal St and the river.
- Taking the streetcar along St Charles is lovely, but there are neighborhoods 2-3 blocks off some sections of St. Charles (away from the river) that can get rough. So stay on the main avenue.
- The shops along Magazine are great and since you are looking to go to Franky & Johnny's (one of my favorites!) or Domilise's - then I would stick with the area of Magazine between Louisiana and Audubon Park.
- Along Magazine, stay on the main street. In general, the areas just off Magazine are fine, but I wouldn't venture off Magazine until you get closer to the park (or somewhere around Jefferson).
- If you want to walk to Magazine from St. Charles, I would recommend following either State St, Nashville Ave, or Jefferson Ave. This whole area is good, but these streets are lined with lovely homes.

Now, this is OVERLY cautious advice, but I feel that's the best for someone not familiar with the city. Oh - and I strongly recommend cabs at night.

No question that the murder rate in New Orleans is bad, but the majority of them take place in areas that tourists do not (and should not) frequent. Here is an interactive map of the 2010 murder locations.

http://media.nola.com/graphics/other...Murders-b7.swf

november_moon

Grcxx3 - That is an interesting map. Thanks for posting that. I love New Orleans, but the city definitely does have some deep problems. It does seem like most murders in NO are drug-related or gang-related. Innocent people do get caught up in it, but not usually. Of course there are situations like the robbery that happened to nytraveler's friend.

I think your guidelines are good. Like you said, a little overly cautious, but good. And this does sound complicated, but it really isn't that bad. If I were taking my first trip to NO, I'd probably just mark these areas on a map and then just reference it occasionally.

Grcxx3

november_moom - most of the murders are drug/gang related, and as such, most occur in very identifiable areas. Of course, things can happen anywhere so you always need to be cautious.

bachslunch

I agree with nytraveler and the cautious side of Grcxx3 on this one. The area immediately northwest of the French Quarter is decidedly not good, and deteriorates once you get past Bourbon Street going towards Rampart Street. Past Rampart is a notoriously dangerous housing project, bad even in broad daylight, and the Treme neighborhood to its north is very dicey. The area northeast of the French Quarter (Faubourg Marigny) isn't as bad, but can be pretty dicey, especially at night.

Taking the streetcar or buses to the uptown cemeteries, the art museum and upper Esplanade Avenue attractions, or to the business areas on Magazine Street from the Quarter strikes me as wise. One problem with New Orleans is that small sections, even no more than a block or two, can go from fine to unsafe in a hurry. It's wise to do a little research at a reliable site (I've found the city-data.com website to generally be much more reliable than this one for these kinds of questions) regarding NOLA safety.

Littleman

I have been going to NOLA for 45 years several times per year and never witnessed any type crime. I have never seen a fight much less a robbery or murder. I have friends that live in the CBD and GD that have never mentioned crimes of any sort. I agree with most posts that some areas should be avoided at night for sure. I walk 4 miles every day and my route when I am in NOLA is I leave the Ritz Carlton and go to Rampart all the way to Esplanade and then back to the river and from there to the CBD and back to the RC. I have done this many many times late in the afternoon but not after dark. I have never witnessed any attempts at any kind of crime. I think anywhere in the FQ is perfectly safe during the day or also the CBD. I have no fear of St. Charles but the areas two blocks to the N of SC can be rough.

Did you ever eat at Uglesich's which was on Baronne I think. That's a terrible area but I never read or heard of a guest there involved in any criminal attempt.

Go and have fun. Leave the worrying to the PD. They have a huge presence in the FQ.

SAnParis2

It IS a city, there IS crime. The F-M is very safe & the home to Frenchmen St. where you will find some of the very best music. Rampart is essentially the dividing line between good & evil, particularly @ night. The only crime I have ever heard of first hand is someone being pick pocketed. Hardly a violent crime.
Nola is not that different than CLT in that 'good' neighborhoods & 'bad' neighborhoods abut each other. Just use you head & stay in well-lit areas.
There is great advice on here, but unfortunately I believe NYTs' concerns are skewed by her friends mishap. Have a good, safe trip.

justwishin

Advice: don't (DON'T)walk about outside the French Quarter looking like a tourist..The Police only patrol the FQ. I know.

november_moon

I did see a fight in the FQ once in broad daylight and I have seen a couple at night. The one in the middle of the day was clearly between 2 guys who knew each other and were having a problem. It was very dramatic - one guy even threw the other into a window, which broke, glass all over the sidewalk, lots of colorful language. The fights at night were standard drunken BS - the world would be a better place if everybody was a happy drunk like me

b__b

We spent a few wonderful days in New Orleans in 2010..Felt very safe in French Quarter day and night..toured Garden District to Lafayette.cemetery area during the day.and it was only as we walked further down Frenchmen's street at night that we started to feel nervous and turned back...We were warned not to go to the Treme area and took notice. There are obviously people around who have had a tough time.....

jomagpie

Thanks for all the info! Went on my trip and it was great. We were careful but also made sure we weren't bordering on paranoid.

On a Saturday night (after midnight), we walked from Frenchmen St. to St. Claude/Marigny, from there to Franklin & Royal and we had absolutely no problem. We even talked to a few people still on their stoops and asked for directions. We walked around Bacchanal & Vaughan's in the Bywater also with no issues. I walked (during the day) from just North of Claiborne/Canal back to the French Quarter.

We found that people tended to just mind their business but if talked to, they were really friendly.

Thanks again!