With no offense intended, I'd have to say Susan is overstating things a bit in regards to crime in Las Vegas. To be fair, we do have a fairly high violent crime rate, above the national average, and it is true that the national media doesn't make a whole lot of noise about crime in Vegas. But I can guarantee you that local news is more than happy to report criminal activities, and does.

Now, there are definitely areas of town that you do NOT want to go to, especially if you're a tourist...but most of these areas are adjacent to the Strip or in much older areas of town.

Honestly, I don't see much difference between Las Vegas and any other major metropolis, crime-wise, and that's speaking as someone who grew up and has lived here for over 20 years.

As for the original post...I'd buy gas, food and water, and drive myself to L.A. I've got family there and a place to stay. There's no way in hell I'd go to New Orleans. They've got plenty of problems of their own at the moment. I know next to nothing about Chicago, or what I'd do there, so I'll stick with a familiar place that has relatives to take me and my fictional child in.