A friend of mine went to New Orleans to visit and went sightseeing at some local park with footbridges and paths around a swamp...which was filled with alligators!
That just makes me laugh! I mean, it's a public park, and it's full of huge alligators! But yes, if you are used to it and know how to avoid them, I'm sure it's a little less shocking. When I was down there, I stayed in the city, so all I saw were drunk tourists. Still scary, but in a different way.
