48 hours! Need advice. (Claiborne, Jackson: neighborhoods, pre-k, live)

[Stephen Neil]

I'll be coming down in April for two nights. I want to move down for good this summer, and this is probably the only time I'll get to spend down there until then.

I have been six times, but all pre-K.

I am making a list of neighborhoods I want to drive or walk through.

So far I am looking at Mid-city (the neighborhood), the Marigny, Bayou St. John.... People often say "look at Uptown" but there are lots of 'hoods, which are choice??

I'm nearly 30 yrs old and pretty eccentric. I love food and art and science and life and curious people. I am not accustomed to so reducing myself to a description but I figured it might help in case a would be responder had not seen my earlier thread..... I have a solid day and a half to explore areas I haven't seen, so help me out!

[mnr3]

if you've read through any previous similar threads (and you prob. have), you may have seen that there is simply no way to say this area is ok and this one is not. what goes for uptown goes for mid-city, marigny and everywhere in the city--it goes from good to less good in a matter of blocks. all of them are close enough to the action and all have nice places and dumps and streets you wouldn't want to walk at night. I would say you should just set your budget range and then go check places out. there are some border streets that we could give you as guidelines--for example closer to S. Claiborne is less desirable than St. Charles on the North-South axis, and closer to Napoleon is better than Jackson or Felicity on the east-west axis (this is for uptown), but really NO is not that big a place. Just drive around and you'll get a feel for the places, and since we don't know your comfort level, we can't really say. and don't worry about driving anywhere during the day, you won't get shot at, just keep moving.
I for one would probably be more interested in uptown or mid-city than say the marigny. If you move closer to summer you may be able to pick up a summer sub-let uptown from one of the tulane/loyola students, then settle in a bit and find a longer term place once you know the lay of the land. just set your budget and be aware that there are precious few exceptions to the "you get what you pay for" adage. you'll pay more to be close to a parade route and close to the hip sections and for the better neighborhoods, so it's one of those triple choices: hip, safe, or cheap: you can have 2 out of 3, but no more.
good luck

[Stephen Neil]

Oooh, good answer. I was not so much talking about safety, I have eyes..... ya know.. I know a rough spot when I see it. I know what shady people look like, how they move, etc.

It has been a long time since I've been down there and my memory of the city has faded. I only recall walking a long ways on Magazine, driving on Esplanade..... the FQ of course, and Canal down to this hostel on Lopez. I don't have a sensible mental picture of the city, really.

I know it's not a big city, and I lived in Chicago quite a piece away from the "action", so I don't mind. I would like to be somewhere with fair numbers of young people and some place to go have a drink. I'm not going to be very choosy because I am coming from a small quiet town in Alabama. I imagine any place down there will be pretty happening to me.

Anyway, thanks for the tips.