(Yes, there are areas near the quarter that are dangerous - but IN it there are usually people aroun

(Yes, there are areas near the quarter that are dangerous - but IN it there are usually people around. You can go to other parts of the city that are not bad areas - but are deserted at night - and I would;t touch with a barge pole.)
We stayed in the Warehouse/Arts district, which we really liked (wanted to stay in a quieter area), BUT one night we walked FROM the French Qtr to the hotel and I was not comfortable -- I have a feeling we were walking wine tours napa valley where we shouldn't have been, and should have taken a taxi. (but I'm here to tell the story ). The thing about New Orleans is that bad neighborhoods are not clustered together -- you can easily go right from a safe neighborhood to an unsafe one, so you need to know where you're walking (which I found out AFTER my trip).
Will Travel - we are locals wine tours napa valley (suburbs of NOLA) but sometimes stay in New Orleans hotels for different reasons. Personally, I would MUCH prefer to stay in a hotel either smack in the French Quarter or no further than Canal Street, which borders the French Quarter. Anything too far past Canal Street is too far to walk at night. wine tours napa valley The top 2 hotels on Canal Street in regards to location wine tours napa valley (to give a frame of reference)for me would be the Sheraton or Marriott. Since Canal St. borders the French Quarter, you would either walk down Bourbon, Royal, Chartes or Decatur from Canal, all safe areas to walk, mostly tourisy, not homes.
Another GREAT location is where the Place d' Armes hotel is. I have never stayed there but the location has to be one of the best for exploring the French Quarter. You are not in a noisy area, you are less than a minutes walk to the beautiful Jackson wine tours napa valley Square and Cathedral and a 2 minute walk from Cafe du Monde.
I like the Place d'Armes a lot. It is just off Jackson Square - great location close to everything in the FQ. I also like the Hotel Provencial - also a really good location, esspecially if you want to check out the clubs on Frenchman Street. There are some great clubs on Frenchman with great music and a very low-key atmosphere - good counter point to the craziness on Bourbon (which I also enjoy).
My favorite part of the FQ is the lower quarter - between Jackson Square and Esplanade, wine tours napa valley so I always stay closer to that end if I can. This area is more residential and further away from the high rises - I like the smaller shops and bars in the lower quarter and just the general atmosphere - but still a reasonable walk to everything.
Canal Street is technically the border of the FQ on that side, but the FQ doesn't really start to feel like the FQ until you are a couple blocks in from Canal - this is due to some misguided urban "planning" awhile back. I stayed at the Hilton once (not my choice) and didn't care for the location - just too far from my favorite parts of the FQ and the Faubourg Marigny. It is closer to Magazine St and uptown though if you want to visit those areas.
On our walking tour, we went into the courtyard wine tours napa valley of what looked like a lively hotel/inn in the Quarter, although we didn't get to see the rooms. It was called the St. Ann Marie Antoinette, but I think it is this hotel, now called "Le Marais":