Avoiding Tourist Hazards, New Orleans

Keep in groups, don't wander off the beaten path. Stay out of the housing project areas. Don't go into the cemeteries alone. Keep your cell phone handy for emergencies. We have a high crime rate, but most of it is drug related, so if you stay out of those areas and don't buy/sell drugs, you should be o.k.

when you are venturing in the Quarter, turn around when the businesses are gone. The Quarter is a safe area and the residents have a great neighborhood watch program, but sometimes someone is just waiting for a drunk tourist to venture too far from the crowd. also, believe it or not, a lot of the Quarter is residential...have some respect for the quiet areas! i know, i used to live there and hated the rowdy tourist sauntering through the residential areas!

Everyone will tell you this, but instead of just generally warning you that NOLA can be dangerous, I'll offer you some tips--remember, I'm a born and bred New Yorker, so I sort of know what I'm talking about.

First, don't walk around like a tourist. What does a tourist look like? Well, they usually wear a certain kind of walking shorts, sneakers and, this is the biggest indicator, the ubiquitous cameras around their necks. Don't people get it yet? When walking around the quarter in the day time, that sort of thing is fine.
Don't go in the cemeteries like that!. St. Louis #1 is surrounded by an often dangerous neighborhood. I've heard that people are often followed in there and cornered b/c it's almost a maze.
I've never paid for a tour, but they are always going on in there. If you feel a bit intimidated, you could always walk near a tour.
Otherwise, when you're going around sight-seeing, look like you know where you're going. For God's sake, don't open a map in the middle of the less-touristy areas (the blocks of the quarter heading towards Esplanade--esp at night!). If you're drunk, don't stray from your group. Don't walk back to your hotel alone and totally wasted at 4 am.