Have you been to New Orleans? Overall it is a trashy city, but the French Quarter is not a "gheto" (sic) as you put it. It is a tourist trap.
I've been to NO. The company I work for has an office across the street from the Superdome. They occupy 4 or 5 floors of a skyscraper. I've stayed in the Hyatt there a few times. If you walk 3 or 4 blocks out of the French quarter... you're in "the projects".