@hunkulese: I don't think it's overreacting to ask if this is a safe area of what is supposedly one of the most dangerous cities in the US to stay in for a week. I already said right near the start that we decided to book it cos we thought we'd be safe and I wasn't worried about driving through that part of town.
Hey come on now Humanity that's a little harsh it cant be that bad I mean look Oakland wins this competition.
Oakland is a winner.
Where were you guys yesterday when I kept telling her we shouldn't stay in Oakland? Next year: Detroit!
Dunno dude, you guys asked "hey how about Oakland?" and people said "yah man Oakland is a shithole" to which your consensus apparently was - ok well we're e staying in Oakland then.
Listen I'm sure nothing will happen, but any place where people adamantly insist you don't go out at night seems like somewhere you don't want to be. I live in New York City and when I used to party a bit harder I'd be coming home on trains half drunk at 3-5am never having to worry about anything apart from trains running express only which was infuriating.
I asked "Is this part of Oakland safe?" to which the general consensus was yes, we're no where near the areas pointed out to us to avoid and the crime rates in that area are low. I've stated that we won't be visiting Oakland and won't be out in Oakland late at night, just driving through to get to SF everyday. People are adamant that I never go outside at night by myself, which I think would be the advice for any woman in a big urban environment. Unless you'd say its perfectly safe for a 5"2, 108 lb young girl to stumble around New York at 3-5am drunk and only have to worry about trains?
@slag: Neither of us are really sports fans, so games like that shouldn't be a problem for us. So far we're not planning on spending any time in Oakland, every morning just driving down to SF and back in the evening. Wrighteous is really nervous about it being a dangerous drive though, and hopefully we'll be okay parking during the day I don't think I'd ever trust a valet. We decided to go ahead and book that cottage, it's in the hills and has had a lot of great reviews so I'm hoping we made the right decision!
@raven10: Thank you for your advice. I'm planning on moving to Chicago next summer, last time I visited there was only one time where I felt unsafe so I'm hoping that I'll feel safe the majority of the time.
The vast majority of gun violence is from gangs. You don't really have anything to worry about . . . unless you randomly stumble into a gang war.
Unfortunately the new thing in the Bay Area is for people to walk up to someone, ask "You in a gang?" and then shoot them before they can even respond. That might be more of a SF thing, though.
Hopefully I don't look like I'd be part of a gang... What colours should I avoid wearing?
Yeah, just don't walk alone and in places that look even remotely shady. It has a decent nightlife too for those stuck in the East Bay. Also, get used to seeing the droves of homeless that occupy the Bay area; freaked me out when I first moved here.
I was shocked by the amount of homeless people I saw in Chicago!
Thanks to everyone for your advice. I checked out the crime rates and they don't look worrying in that area *touch wood*. From Google Street view it looks like a quiet cul-de-sac. We'll just be sure not to drive around downtown late at night and keep the doors locked.
@i_stay_puft: The thought of guns terrifies me. I'm sure they scare everyone, but being a quiet, little Brit that's never heard a real gun shot I'd probably hide under the bed for the whole trip if I heard some. First thing my mum told me when I said I was going to the US was "Be careful! They have guns there!!"
It's a cute little cottage though, and the reviews look really promising, so we are going to book it.
Hi, as some of you may have seen in my recent post @wrighteous86 and I are going on a road trip to San Francisco this summer. Prices in SF are a bit above our budget, so we've been looking through Air BnB and found a nice looking cottage around Oakland.
I've never heard anything about Oakland myself, but @wrighteous86 is a bit apprehensive as he's heard it's a dangerous area. From the reviews it seems like this cottage is in a nicer part of Oakland, but I wanted to be sure before we booked anything
"A" is where it's located, so does anyone have any idea if this is a safe area or not? Places are selling out fast, so we wanna get it booked as soon as! Also, would it be dangerous to drive to and from SF from here?
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