Q. Is it safe to visit New Orleans?

The American Institute of Steel Construction will be holding its annual conference in N.O. this year. The following answer to the question above is given in the email flyer promoting the convention.

A. I can well understand your concern—I've read a lot of the sensational news reports too. And while I'm certainly not an expert, I can tell you what I've observed first-hand and what the New Orleans' authorities are reporting. From my visits, it appears that the tourist areas (French Quarter and Garden District) are about as safe as they were pre-Katrina. However, the surrounding areas—the areas that we've all seen in the news—are a different story. Some of these look like Katrina only happened yesterday and few residents have returned. As a result, crime in these areas is high and it is highly advisable to avoid them during evening hours. However, there have been a large number of conferences in New Orleans since June—and I haven't heard of any reported safety issues with planned activities. What the authorities have reported is that they have turned patrol of the devastated outlying neighborhoods (and remember, these are areas that tourists rarely ventured into pre-Katrina) over to the National Guard while they have concentrated their police efforts into the tourist-intensive areas (the French Quarter, the area around the convention center, and the Garden District). Despite National Guard activity, drug and gang violence is strong in these outlying areas (it's reminiscent of the old Cabrini Green area in Chicago before gentrification). My recommendation is to follow the same general safety procedures you would when visiting any big city.