We stayed at a Best Western right on the trolley line. I believe parking and breakfast were included. It worked out just fine.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g60864-d112002-Reviews-BEST_WESTERN_PLUS_St_Charles_Inn-New_Orleans_Louisiana.html

HTtY

PS I don't recall a problem getting to the highway.

The streetcars each have a very simply route. The route that borders the French Quarter runs a straight line up and down Canal Street. There is a different, unconnected line that runs a short route along the Mississippi river front. There is a third line that runs along St. Charles. No route runs into the actual French Quarter. Busses do not either. You need to walk or take a cab if you want to get into the French Quarter's narrow streets, but the whole French Quarter is walkable. Any hotel along Canal street is a good choice if you do not want to be in the French Quarter. Here is the map link
http://www.sfcityscape.com/maps/more/NO_streetcars.pdf

Thanks for the trolley map and hotel recommendation.
What area/streets have the easiest access from highway?
Anymore areas or hotel suggestions?

Can you clarify what you mean by easiest access from highway? There aren't any highways that run through or very close to the French Quarter area. Do you mean the interstate? The interstate exits for I-10 are about 1.5 miles away from the French Quarter. You would use Canal St. or Poydras, the main streets people use to get to the French Quarter.
If you want access to the streetcar line (there aren't public busses that go to the French Quarter, as least that I know of), you would need to choose a hotel along the street car route. You can also ask if your hotel has a shuttle bus that may take you close to the French Quarter.
New Orleans can be different from most other US cities in regards to easy access to public transportation in the "tourist zones". People rely on cabs.
Here is a a very helpful link:
http://www.frenchquarter.com/about/FAQ.php#driving

Okay - I'm going to be REALLY picky....but in New Orleans - the term we use is "streetcars" - NOT "trolleys."

Now, where do you plan on spending most of your time? If your plan is to mainly stay in the FQ - then just drive there, park at the hotel (or a nearby lot), and enjoy. And if you want to drive to the zoo or uptown or where-ever - then do it.

Driving in the FQ is really not that big a deal if you're not doing it all the time. My 18 year old son didn't even grow up there and he manages it with his friends just fine.

And I agree with WorldGallery -most people rely on cabs, not buses or streetcars.

New Orleans is less spread out than most Southern cities and three of its principal tourist areas - Riverfront, French Quarter, French Market - are close to each other so it's a walkable city, especially for the South. Staying out of the central part of the city and taking local transit is a poor choice - the streetcars go through some dicey neighborhoods (and New Orleans is shot through with those) and taking the bus is just ridiculous because it's slow and infrequent.

Stay near Canal Street and Poydras Street - somewhere in the box with the Loyola Ave side of the Superdome on one end and the Convention Center on the other end. (Go look at a map). You cannot swing a dead cat without hitting a hotel in that area - all chains represented and nearly all brands of each chain, plus some independent hotels. All said hotels will be within walking distance of the Quarter and extended walking distance of the Market, Jackson Square, Riverwalk, etc. You can grab a streetcar (name unknown, Desire unlikely but possible) to the Garden District.

Look: New Orleans is the murder capital of the country - it has the highest murder/nonnegligent manslaughter rate of any US city with a population > 250,000 and the rate is nearly 8x higher than New York, 40% higher than dumps like Baltimore and Detroit, and nearly 25% higher than the #2 city on the list, St. Louis (all statistics from FBI from 2010). Do not be cute about where you stay just because you may not like to drive in traffic so that you end up in a shady area or a cruddy area of a suburb like Metarie. Canal and Poydras Streets are WIDE streets, get a hotel near them and near the highly trafficked and highly policed tourist areas, and you'll be better off. You won't drive the FQ anyway, you'll take a cab if you must or walk it (it's the most walkable section of the city, why wouldn't you walk it?).

Thanks for all the info.
We did not realize how easy to walk and how close things were.I think we will stay in downtown or French quarter area.By the looks of hotel map there is lots to choose from.
Now to find one with parking.

The streetcar through the Garden District is The St. Charles Street line. Staying near the south end of Canal St. makes the most sense. Walk in the daytime in the French Quarter. Beer of questionable quality is sold from doorways ($1) in the FQ after dark. The only vehicle other than police cars I saw in the FQ after dark was Larry Flint's limo.