Safety

Hi,

A girlfriend and I have a trip planned for two nights in October. My family have been reading about how dangerous new orleans is and are sort of freaking out about us going. We are staying in the French Quarter on Burgundy Street. We don%26#39;t intend on going out of the tourist areas. My question is, how safe is the french quarter for two women?

Safety

i%26#39;m 22 and i%26#39;ve always felt fine. i figure you just act like you would in any city. i%26#39;ve had people come up to me (more of the %26#39;gimme 20 dollars if i can guess where you got your shoes%26#39; type deal) but even then it was like once, and in jackson square no less.

also note that most of the crime there (as well as most cities) is drug related. so unless you are robert downey jr circa 1995 i think you%26#39;ll be fine

Safety

Thanks!

';My family have been reading about how dangerous new orleans is and are sort of freaking out about us going. ';

The answer is obvious - don%26#39;t change your plans, but consider getting a new family! :)

Seriously, New Orleans is like any other large city. It has crime. Most crime victims are NOT tourists spending two nights in town in the French Quarter. Actually, it would be extremely rare that two people spending 2 nights in the French Quarter would be crime victims.

Use common sense. Don%26#39;t wander down dark streets, don%26#39;t carry your purse around hanging open, don%26#39;t go places with people you don%26#39;t know, don%26#39;t get ';out of control'; drunk and wander alleyways at 3:00 in the morning...

Enjoy your trip.

Crystal,

It will be easy for you to locate the streets with the most foot traffic. This neighborhood is very easy to navigate. Find the safest route to and from your hotel on day one and stick with that (Burgundy is toward the outer edge). I%26#39;ve never felt unsafe on that street.

The French Quarter is safe enough for two women. It is a well-patrolled area. Sorry that your parents are freaking out....just assure them that there is plenty of police presence and that you will behave.

Have fun!

My husband and I were just there this past weekend and felt very safe. There were cops all over the FQ, both on foot and on horses. You will be just fine, just use common sense as you would in any big city.

and have fun!!

The FQ is safe - use common sense and stay with the crowds and you will be just fine. Have a great time! October will be a nice time to visit. Also, this topic has been addressed at length recently, if you type in a forum search under ';safety';, and there was also a thread entitled ';?? condition of the city??'; that I think addressed the safety concerns that people were having.

Where is your hotel/condo/B%26amp;B located on Burgundy? You may already be out of the tourist areas. Some parts of Burgundy are very deserted at night. In general, the French Quarter is very safe for two women, but there are parts of the Quarter where there is very little vehicular or foot travel at night. If this is your first time in New Orleans and if you%26#39;re staying in one of those areas, walking to or from your lodging late at night may not be advisable.

I%26#39;m with Rod on this one. I%26#39;d like to know where you%26#39;re staying on Burgundy.

Every trip I have taken to New Orleans has been women only, and only once was I even approached by someone. It was in a very populated area (which we stick to) so it was really more of an aggrevation. It amazes me that a few weeks ago CNN reported that Boston has had 200 murders so far this year (I think it was Boston, anyway, it was a well touristed place) and no one is saying not to go there. You can scare yourself out of going anywhere.

Just follow the same precautions you would in any major city.

The International Association of Chiefs of Police conference is Oct 12-18 in NO. There will be about 15,000 cops from around the US, I think it will be REAL safe if that%26#39;s the time you%26#39;ll be there.