You can take any major city in this country and hear stories of muggings, suicides, assaults, etc. NY, LA, SF, Houston, Atlanta, Miami. Whether you want to believe it or not, there are areas of a major city where it is safe to walk your dog after dark. I saw more homeless in the more touristy areas of LA than I ever saw in the Quarter. Every city has its black eyes. A HS friend (from NO) was gunned down in SF on the front steps of his apt about 2 years ago. He died in his fiancees arms. He had just dropped her off and she was about to get mugged when he jumped out of a taxi to intervene. Chit happens everywhere. I'm not jaded. I realize the problems in NO, but I also stayed away from the areas where the problems existed. There are some great things in the city (completely separate from the night life), and these are the things that make the city so special.
