I completely understand. I used to live in the “hood” in Rochester NY and in Buffalo NY.
Yep, I spent about 14 years in the hood of New Orleans right of off Carrollton Avenue, and this was one of the better areas compared to other areas of the city.
It was Hell. I mean I have never seen such insanity in all my life.
That is not a place that I ever want to return to, though I do visit friends in Metairie, the suburbs, fairly often.
Best thing is to know exactly where you are going, exactly how you are going to get there, where you are going to park, make sure you have your phone with you in case of emergency, and it may be wise to have other emergency tools with you as well.