I grew up not too far from there and have spent a lot of time in it. It does have a lot of great history and the food is fantastic. However, the whole city is a festering chithole, not just Bourbon Street. Bourbon Street itself is actually one of the safer areas, now get two blocks off of it and it's a different story. I still enjoy visiting it in a morbid curiosity kind of way like how you can't take your eyes off a train wreck. Don't let your guard down there however.
I grew up in Big B.R. I have spent many, many nights in New Orleans since the 1970s.
The music, the food, and the joyous insouciance were so delightful, unparalleled compared to any other of the many cities I’ve experienced.
It was a perfect place to be with a young love. I know this first hand.
But over time the dysfunction, the crime, and the corruption became ever more wearing.
Everyone there seems to feel ever more put upon and under siege. N.O. always had an edge but that’s become much sharper.
Katrina was a watershed event. Many working and lower-middle class people left and the inflow of charming bohemians tapered off.
It became more difficult, more expensive, and the amount of super cheap but really fun stuff dwindled.
And the crime has exploded and become preposterously vicious.
I’m afraid the New Orleans I loved is gone forever.