queenofcorona
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- Jan 28, 2010
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I lived in the same loft on Jefferson in the early 90s as I do now. I moved to Nola in between (was living in the quarter during Katrina). I can say from personal experience, downtown and Congress was much more dangerous 20 years ago as it is now. Streetscape really improved it. Back then there was only Dons Seafood that I can think of and one gay bar.Today there are so many bars and restaurants it would take me a while to count.
Downtown and even Congress is not nearly as dangerous today as some have described. A good comparison is the French Quarter back then and now. Back in the 80's no one would dare walk on Rampart because of the crime. Today I still see it as dangerous at night but I had no problem parking there and walking to and from at night.
Exactly. I see all this stuff about how Lafayette was some safe haven before Katrina, and being from the area and living there before and after the storm, I just don't see it, and neither does anyone else I know. I talked to friends who were high school students at Lafayette High and Acadiana and asked them about gang graffiti and the like after people from New Orleans got to Lafayette, and I get the same, "what???" response from all of them.