I'm a regular traveler to New Orleans, and I hear a lot about how scary or unsafe this city is. I can tell you...that's not true. Well, no more true than your own home town. If you travel the streets and bars/clubs with your common sense in tow, you will find that this is a great place to visit. All you have to do is keep your ears and eyes open. People often make the mistake of doing silly of unsafe things while on vacation (Ilike getting so drunk you can't even stand let alone walk home), and those same people wouldn't do those things at home. Catch a cab!

And, if you're going to visit New Orleans you need to go outside of the French Quarter once you've explored it for a while. It's a nice walk for a couple days. There are still lots to see and do beyond the Quarter. Magazine Street is a 'don't miss'. There is one of the world's greatest Zoo's and a marvelous Aquarium. Bring your kids, but remember...Bourbon Street is best served to an adult.

thanks Myron!

I agree with Myron. We go to New Orleans every year for a long weekend and have never had a problem. Stay on main roads after dark. Learn the Quarter during the day and know where you are going to at night. We normally go to Emeril's Delmonico in the Garden District one night for dinner...great place. But we take a cab, if you go to the Garden District during the day drive or take the street car. It is very nice to tour. Just be smart and you will be fine.

I'll agree with you guys. And so do a lot of travelers apparently, because New Orleans was chosen as the top family destination in America by Yahoo! Travel and National Geographic.

You can read more about it here: New Orleans as a family destination

Or read about other TripSmarter member's New Orleans vacations.

27 years of NO travel and fun with no crime other than my got ripped off by a street hustler in the OLD OLD days. HIS fault not the hustler's IMO.

To be fair though the crime rate is higher than average BUT be smart and learn to look a bit crazy when you find yourself off the beaten path a bit. Worked for me. ;0)

Are you sure you weren't really crazy...:-)? Just kidding.

You know now that they have to clean the city up I would like to say, it pains me to see it destroyed the way it was, but the media has shown it to be an even scarier city. But we must all remind ourselves that criminals are a very minor part of the city's makeup. It is unfortunate that the least of the bad guys gets more press than the law abiding citizenry.

New Orleans is too great a city to not recover from this smelling much better...pardon the pun.