New Orleans, LA

[hannah]

Everyone saw it flooded, how is it now to be there? In the Tulane-Loyola area?

[winkatme]

I am from the MS gulf coast and by nature, I visit New Orleans a lot. The city still has its bad areas (as does the MS coast) but for the most part, life is back to normal. The campuses are doing great and the shopping/dining/entertainment in the French Quarter is as good as ever. Avoid the places that are still looking rough because the crime in those areas are still extremely high.

[pondhopper]

Does anyone have any more recent comments about New Orleans? How's the weather? Are there opportunities to do outdoorsy things (aside from water activities)?

[evnjnsn]

Uptown, the area near Loyola & Tulane, was one of the least damaged areas of the city. I lived there for a while 2 years ago and even then, uptown was mostly operational. Since then, the St. Charles trolley line has started running again (I think all lines throughout the city are running now). Weather in New Orleans is hot and humid in the summer. And spring. And most of the fall. Then there is a mild winter with occasional cold stretches. I loved living in New Orleans and would recommend it to anybody.

[irishcoffee]

Yeah, the Tulane/Loyola area and the French Quarter were not hit nearly as hard as other parts of the coast. The streetcars are all back up and running, and though Katrina is still on everybody's mind (and will be for quite some time), the living is generally good. NOLA is an awesome city. If you don't love it, something's wrong with you. :wink:

The weather is hot and sticky from April-October. Winters are mild. As far as outdoorsy things are concerned, there are lots of beautiful state parks in southern LA and MS.

[nbanbbbnb]

hey, guys

I am an international student who is going to Tulane. There are many second-hand information about the safety in Tulane area. Can someone give me some accurate information on that?

Thanks!

[Riotbeard]

<br />hey, guys<br />I am an international student who is going to Tulane. There are many second-hand information about the safety in Tulane area. Can someone give me some accurate information on that? <br />Thanks!<br />

<br /><br /><br />

I am considering an offer for Tulane PhD, but had questions about the political climate of the city. Are there many oppurtunities for leftist activism/ interaction with community? Is there much political activity in the city and around campus? What is the general political climate, center-left/ center-right? Also, how expansive and discoverable is the counter-culture scene? As a PhD student, I know I won't have much time to organize, so it would be great to be somewhere where I can attend... Also any other info on the city would be great. It definately has a "Fun" reputation.

[Angler]

Greetings,

Does anyone know anything about the commute from Metairie to Tulane? Is it reasonable? I noticed the rent is cheaper there in comparison to the areas surronding Tulane.

[Eigen]

I'd really avoid making that commute if you can.

It's discipline specific to some degree, but a long commute in grad school is much worse than such commutes as an undergraduate, from what I've seen- at least your first year or so.

That said, the shuttle system from off-campus commuter lots onto the main campus is pretty decent- but you're probably looking at about an hour either way to actually get to campus from Metaire. Parking is nearly non-existent on the campus itself.

If you're worried about rent, I'd contact your department- you can usually get in touch with some current/other incoming grad students, and find a place to split. Alternatively, there are usually some decent studio apartments that come available over the summer in the $600-$700 range close to Tulane.

If you have any more specific questions, feel free to PM me- I've helped several incoming students find apartments recently, and I keep pretty good tabs on apartments/prices in general.

Welcome to New Orleans!

Edited April 26, 2011 by Eigen

[Angler]

Thanks Eigen! That was just the information I was looking for. Look out for a PM in the coming month. I’m really excited to make the move to New Orleans!

[Eigen]

Glad I could help! I remember finding NO a pretty intimidating city to move to- the neighborhoods are so varied in such a close area that it can be hard to find out where, exactly, safe places to live are.

What program are you coming into here at Tulane?

[soon808]

Can anyone comment on the social work program at Tulane? Also, how easy is it to find a one bedroom apartment in the area that isn't terribly expensive? I saw grad student housing for Tulane that looked really nice but its about $900 for a one bedroom although that includes all the utilities and they are at least 900 sq. ft. Can anyone give me an idea about the average cost of pretty decent one bedrooms in the Tulane area?

[Eigen]

If you look in the city guide section, or search, there's already a thread on New Orleans housing. If you have more personal/detailed questions, feel free to PM me. Housing is a bit on thte expensive side, but there's plenty available. I pay $950 for a larger one bedroom for myself and my wife. The real way to cut costs is to find a roommate and go in on one of the larger place, two or three bedroom houses are proportionately much cheaper to rent than one bedroom houses. Most housing is single houses, duplexes or triplexes... Not nearly as much in e way of apartment complexes in the uptown area.

As to the quality of the program... That would be better answered in a different subforum, I would think.

[lisaleezah]

Hello -

I will be starting a PhD at Tulane in the fall and am wondering what neighborhoods are good ones to look for housing. Additionally, does anyone know anything about graduate student housing at Tulane?

Thank you!

[process chemist]

I am a native New Orleanian, so I know some good spots. My brother stays in some apartments in Carrolton (to the right of Xavier University, across Carrolton Ave) and he pays $650 for a two bed room. These apartments are ok, they are kind of old, but functional. They have central heat, and air, hard wood floors, but the kitchen is small. I think a one bedroom cost $560 at most. The best thing about this area is that it is near Tulane (~15 min by car, by bus I think you take the Carrolton, and then the Lowerline and you should be directly infront of the tennis courts at Tulane). Also, look into people renting doubles near Prytania. This area is really beautiful, right on the street car line, and about a 30 min street car ride from Canal St., near Audobon Park and the zoo, tons of shops and botiques, restaurants, and most importantly, you will be near the crux of most of the Mardi Gras parades ( which you will get off at Tulane, even for grad school).

But be wary of the areas very near Tulane (Prytania is one, but you can find good places there), because that area is filled with exclusive neighborhoods, and rents can run well over $1200/month for a double. If you have a car, and don't mind a commute ( I would recommend having a car), there are some new apartments where the St. Bernard housing project used to be. Those apartments are brand spanking new (like granite countertops new), and they have rent controlled apartments for people on fixed incomes (~$400-$500). This is about 30-45 minutes to Tulane, depending on traffic. The good thing about this area is that it is near (walking distance) the Fair Grounds, so you are in walking distance to probably the best music festival in the country (Jazz Fest, roughly ~20 minute walk, but I wouldn't recommend it), and near the interstate (I-610). The con is probably the crime, but this area is not bad. My grandmother lives like four blocks from here and their neighborhood is extremely quiet.

If you want to be far away from campus, there is New Orleans east. This is really far from Tulane's campus, but their are many apartments there, but the crime can be bad in some areas. Driving to campus everyday would be a nightmare, literally it would be an hour commute every day.

If you prefer surburia, there are Metarie and Kenner. These are both pretty far from Tulane's campus, but they have the more traditional apartment complexes and they run the gambit from inexpensive to really expensive. But again, the commute is murderous. They are near the airport and malls, but that is literally it. If you want to have fun, you will have to take a short drive to New Orleans.

All in all, there are many jewels in New Orleans, but you have to watch the crime in the area (this place is not as bad as people make it out to be), and the cost. Also consider, their are many efforts to enforce traffic laws in New Orleans (speed cameras, stop light cameras, police check points), so the closer you live to Tulane the less you will have to drive, and that lowers the probability of getting several tickets, and you will recieve tickets (at $250 a piece). Also, you will have to consider, the flooding situation. Living uptown in general is safe from a floodin stand point. The Carrolton area only got 4-6 ft in Katrina, as opposed to the area where the projects used to be (about 14 ft of water). I don't recommend Craig's List, but ask some students and they will know. Good luck!

[lisaleezah]

Thanks so much! I'm not sure that I'm going to have a car, so I think I'm probably going to end up looking in Uptown despite the prices, but I guess I might also be able to do a place that was on the streetcar line. You've given me some really helpful thing to think about!

[Eigen]

I'm in grad school at Tulane now- I sent you a PM. Feel free to ask if you have any more specific questions about housing, I've been helping the last several years of grad students find places, so I've been keeping up pretty well.

[pourl]

Can any New Orleanians give me their opinions about the Marigny?

[Eigen]

What kind of opinions do you want of it, specifically? Are you looking to live there and commute, moving there for other reasons?

[pourl]

I am going to UNO in August and trying to figure out where to live from far away, which is difficult/impossible, but whatever. I am physically going apartment hunting next month, but until then I'm trying to make flimsy plans about where to look.

Anyway, I don't necessarily want to live among the Tulaners because it seems overly far to drive, though I'm not opposed to it. I guess I'm interested in the Marigny because people say it's "artsy" and there's a road that goes directly from there to UNO. But I don't want it to be so artsy everyone is just insane.

I have a giant list of sort-of-safe-according-to-a-stranger-on-the-internet neighborhoods but it's basically almost every neighborhood except the fringes of the city, and I need to narrow things down. I am attracted by its closeness to the French Quarter (I can't help it, I love it there) and that it maybe sort of looks like the FQ too. So for these reasons, it's at the top of my list for potential places to live, but I thought I'd ask here. I doubt anyone on this forum actually lives there, because that would be overly coincidental, but if you know someone who does, or just have spent a bit of time there, let me know.

Thanks!

[Eigen]

There's a road that goes straight from uptown to UNO too, but that doesn't mean it's close by.

Marigny and Uptown are about equidistant from UNOs campus, practically.

It depends on what you're looking for, but I really wouldn't live in Marigny, or the FQ, myself. They can be fun to visit, but crime rates are much higher than the rest of the city, and you have to deal with a lot more crowds. About half of the people I know who's bikes have been stolen have been stolen from the Marigny- most of my friends now keep a spare "trash" bike to ride when they go down there as a result.

As for the area being "artsy".... I guess it is, but you could argue the same thing for the Lower Garden District/Warehouse District, and I wouldn't want to live there either.

If you want convienient to UNOs campus (and cheap rent), you want to live in the Lakeshore area. If you want a nicer place to live, I'd choose the Uptown/Fountainbleu/Upper Garden District.Nice areas, lots of stuff to do and culture, and not too expensive rental prices. The other alternative that can be a bit more hit and miss is the Bayou St Johns/City Park area. There are some really nice places, you're very close to NOMA and City Park, and the area is pretty "artsy".

Honestly, it's hard to find a place that isn't "artsy" in New Orleans. The suburbs, not so much, but in New Orleans, most places are pretty artsy.

Edited June 1, 2012 by Eigen

[pourl]

Elsewhere people have told me the French Quarter is the safest place in New Orleans because there are always cops there. I mean obviously there are pickpockets or whatever. Ugh.

Well, I'm never going to know until I look at places myself, and I probably still won't really know until I've lived somewhere for a while. But thank you for the advice. I'm trying to avoid the Lakeshore area but still not have to drive over 20 minutes. It's proving difficult.

[Eigen]

Almost nowhere is over 20 minutes, honestly. Even uptown to UNO is right about 20 minutes for me, assuming I'm not in the thick of morning traffic and I choose the right route.

Make sure when you ask people about the FQ and safety they're talking about *living* there. It's safe most of the times there are lots of people around, but that's not all the time. More than that, it's the crowds of tourists down there that would drive me nuts, though.

I think you might like the Bayou St Johns/City park area- might be a nice compromise. It's definitely got an interesting culture.

If you have more specific questions, feel free to PM me.

[pourl]

Okay, thank you! If I think of anything else as the time comes nearer I will let you know. And it's good to hear I won't have too much of a drive even from Uptown.

[layofotak]

I have lived there for more than 3 years and was a UNO student as well. My advice on housing would be limited to 2 areas, Uptown and Metairie. Both places are nice with a lot of things to do. Driving from uptown is 15 min and about 10 min from Metairie (add 5 mins for traffic in the morning for both). Safety is a problem in FQ as well as noise. Believe me it is very nice to visit and hang out but you don't want to live there.