We see so many stories over here about all the gun violence, riots, road rage, is it safe to visit the U.S.?
Of course it is safe, just like it is safe to visit Europe.
Yes, I am trying to make a point and just generally tired of all the posts from people freaking out because they can't turn off the TV.
Point well made.
My guidance to all who are questioning the "safety" of making a trip is to not take counsel of their fears.
I am glad you posted this! As an American, I am always puzzled to hear this question, especially as someone who has lived In Los Angeles and San Francisco and spends a lot of time in New York City. I own guns but like most people who have guns legally and am licensed, I don't go about shooting people. I am 55, going on 56 and have never been shot, caught up in a gun battle, been bothered with road rage or been in a riot. Always take the same care in cities here as you would anywhere else (this means stay out of bad neighborhoods and poor ghetto neighborhoods- you'll know them if you see them) and be fine. I am glad you brought this up! The news news media focuses on crime so much people start to think that is what the USA is about and it's not. We love visitors.
Thanks Emily for posting this. There is a lot of violent crime in the US, we read about it in the papers and see it on the news everyday. I would say the majority or it is domestic violence, robbery, drug related, gang related, race related, etc. It is not targeted for the most part against tourists or at tourists sites. As long as people do not venture into seedier areas of a particular city they are normally fine. I too am tired of people wondering if traveling to Europe is safe because of a few instances that the media reports.
I believe if one uses common sense then that should not stop one from experiencing the excitement and joy of traveling.
I have to say that if the shoe was on the other foot and I was a Frenchman looking into bringing his family to the U.S., it would give me pause. Such a vastly different culture and experience and perspective on guns and violence!
Why? Be serious. Sure different culture but that is why you travel. There are thousand of tourists in Manhattan daily and the mugging rate is ??? Probability of the French family being robbed is about the same as the American family in Paris.
Several years ago (10 or more?) tourists were being shot in Florida (mostly German). They flew into Miami, rented a car and lost their directions and wandered into not very good neighborhoods of Miami. I remember that authorities in Germany recommended not to travel to the USA because of unacceptable danger of being shot. I personally feel safer in European cities than in American ones. I always smile when somebody from Detroit, Chicago, Memphis, etc. is asking on this Forum if certain city in Europe is safe. What to say? It is irrational fear of unknown.
Probability of the French family being robbed and about the same as the American family in Paris.
I am being serious, and it may be the case that chances are about the same. I was referring to what it must be like from the perspective of someone in Europe to hear all the hysteria out of American media, that's all.
Isn't answering this type of question part of the service the forum provides for the inexperienced tourist? I respectfully suggest that while folks might be fed up with this type of request, people will keep asking the question, and they should.
And no, the USA is most definitely not safe if you don't know where you're going -- same as many, if not most countries in our beautiful world. Information is the key, and not the kind peddled by the corporately sponsored mainstream media outlets.
Great topic, Emily. In St. Louis City (a different entity from St. Louis County) a couple months ago, 6 or 7 people were shot in one night. A few weeks ago someone was shot outside a movie theater just a couple miles from where my parents live in the county. And I'm sure most people on this board know about the Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson (a municipality in St. Louis County), and all the subsequent rioting and looting. Yet when I told my mother about my upcoming trip to Europe, she was worried about my safety with regard to terrorism. I think a lot of that fear, on her part and on the part of others like her who don't travel, comes from fear of the unknown. We know which areas of St. Louis to avoid so we consider it a "safe" place to live, which might sound crazy to Europeans.
The United States are scary, I travel to Europe to feel safe.`
Hi,
Come to SF and see. We have one occurrence amidst the road rage, gun violence, etc that European cities don't have (as far I know)...the drive by. A number of people (3,4,5, 6 or more) shot or shot dead in the course of a week-end by a drive by happens in the S F Bay Area, sometimes on consecutive week-ends.
Those incidents happened in Miami in the 1980s to German tourists with rental cars where they were robbed or murdered. The culprits would spot out a rental car in Miami, bumped it from behind when the unsuspecting Germans stopped at a red traffic signal. Then to see who bumped the car and the damage, they got out, (as did the culprits), only to look down a barrel of a gun. That's how they were robbed, some were shot dead.
In a Paris bookstore, some time ago, out of curiosity I glanced through the French language version of the Michelin Guide to the US, the one French people would buy when they are going to visit the US.
It was interesting to see what Michelin rated as 3 star destinations in the US. But more to the point of this thread, under the Safety section, it had a fairly extensive discussion of safety for the French tourist in the US. It gave what I thought were reasonable warnings. And this was well before 9/11; and in a book written to encourage a visit to the US.
As I recall, the book mentioned gun violence and physical assaults, and not walking at night in a small group in larger US cities.
It was interesting to see how they saw our country, in the context of their discussion of safety warnings for a French tourist visiting the US.
Love your thread Emily! Brilliant way to make the point.
There have been quite a few tourists shot dead in SF in recent years that I remember well, and many more in previous years (not to mention all the locals). All were in "good" areas. SO much safer in Europe than it is here.
After years on the Helpline answering the Is It Safe to Go to Europe question I now let others answer those threads.
Emily,
Thanks for posting. This is an interesting topic for discussion given some of the recent posts about fear of travelling in Europe.
I'd like to add that even in relatively safe Canada, tourists still need to exercise some caution. Although I'm most familiar with the situation here in B.C., there are parts of many of the larger cities where it's not safe to venture, especially at night. Much of the gun violence that occurs usually involves only members of the criminal element, and not the general public or tourists (although there have been a few exceptions).
Emily:
I see American television series' on television every time we visit Europe, and we understand your concern for your safety. But what violence you're seeing on television is not what you'll experience in the U.S.
I have not always felt safe walking the backstreets of Paris late at night. And I didn't like it when a bunch of pickpockets fell at the foot of an escalator in the Paris underground--moving in during the ruckus. We have had nights at the Hofbrauhaus in Munich where we didn't feel safe with the people that we were drinking beer in mass with. I also didn't care for many of the English hooligans that go over to Prague for a boy's weekend of rowdiness. And I was once on a ferry from Dover to France with the most obnoxious pack of drunks I've ever experienced.
I have traveled throughout the U.S. on business for years, and I've never had any problem with crime. I choose when and where to be in the cities I happen to be traveling to. Don't hesitate to travel to this great land, but when in big cities do it on your terms.
Well done Emily,
I get annoyed about the repeated posts on the website "is xxx safe?", but I can never think of a suitably witty reply. They forget Europe is a place were real people live, work and relax, and who go through life not even considering if places are "safe" (whatever that means) and still never experience any street crime.
Frankly, the USA has a far worse reputation in Europe for violence and guns. I don't think I could ever feel safe in a country where people can legally carry guns in the street.
Another upvote for Emily. I never felt unsafe in the US on the time I was there, just a back of the head nervousness caused by health care costs and the 2nd Amendment. And trying to reconcile why those nice Americans we meet are better armed when at home than my local police.
Things that are rare get reported on the TV news, common things do not, and TV drama does not reflect reality. Except Dr Who and possibly Grimm which I understand are documentaries.
David - Just to clarify, I am from the US (born and raised) but live in Europe. I go to the US all the time.
I live in NYC where we get millions of tourists yearly. And they are safe. Even those that venture into Brooklyn seem to come out unscathed. It really is, as someone else noted, all about having information about the specific place and not generalizing one event in one place on one day to an entire country! :)
Pam
Emily,
It's safe if you stick to the southwestern and western National Parks.
See if you can get a bus tour (or rent a car if that's your preference, driving is easy and relatively cheap here) to these parks:
Grand Canyon
Zion
Bryce Canyon
Capitol Reef
Arches
Canyonlands
Mesa Verda
And if you can get as far west as California, see these National Parks there:
Yosemite
Kings Canyon & Sequoia
Death Valley
The bad guys don't go to these parks or if they do they don't take their guns. So these are safe.
And, as you already know, you've never seen anything like these natural wonders in Europe.
Notice I left out our mountain national parks, because I realize you have the Alps there.
There are some places throughout the world with a higher crime rate than others. The USA has made headway against drunk drivers, but that continues to be a problem, especially for the minority of safe drivers who encounter one. Americans consider driving a right, even an obligation, and some fail to take others on the road into consideration. Colorado has had a particular problem lately with hit-and-run drivers, where someone crashes into another vehicle and then flees, despite the law that says you must remain at the site, render aid to victims, notify the police, etc. Most people in the USA are responsible, but an increasing number here, unfortunately, are not.
So, looking at things from a European perspective, are visitors planning a trip to the USA concerned about not dressing like a foreigner -- is it safe to wear non-white sneakers?
And does any Wiener consider American coffee safe or acceptable to drink? That may be a valid concern! ;-)
I think it's hard to make a generalizing statement about such a big and diverse country. Depends on where in the U.S. you are and where you are coming from. Seattle, for example, has parts that a lot locals would consider unsafe, but someone from Detroit, NYC, or Baltimore (just random examples) wouldn't be too concerned with. It also depends on how much you pay attention to that sort of thing. If you're hyper vigilant about reading every single news story about crimes, yeah, it's going to seem like we live in the middle of a gang-run war zone with all sorts of shootings, drug deals, violence, etc. If you realize that these incidents make up only a small part of life and the news usually don't report on the more normal, mundane parts of life, then it doesn't seem that bad.
I do personally find people owning and carrying guns to be a little disturbing - as I do with the U.S. gun culture in general - but I don't think it's going anywhere. I think the vast amount of privately owned firearms in this country is more rooted in the principle of "protecting the constitutional right" to have a gun, however outdated the actual need for guns may be. Anyway, as a visitor, I think you are unlikely to actually come across anyone openly wielding a gun.
The comedian Chris Rock jokes that the label 'Suspect' was put on him the moment he was born.
When we advise tourists to keep away from areas that are "seedy" or that you'll-know-it-when-you-see-it,
are we helping to criminalize poverty and difference?
I thought that Back Door philosophy calls on us to stay close to the ground, to meet people.
I'm not advising anyone not to avoid people who are being reckless or belligerent, but is being from poor circumstances a threat?
RS says that you should enjoy the gypsy quarter in Granada, for example, by only carrying as much money as you plan on spending. Have a good time. Can't we say the same thing about South Philly or the San Francisco Tenderloin or anyplace else in the US?
MC - Dr. Who is probably the best TV show ever, I did not realize it was a documentary. Does that mean I should pack my sonic screwdriver when I visit Scotland? Can I get that through TSA?
As an ex-pat, Emily, you have caused quite a bunch of stir from your fellow Americans...hahhahahahahahaha. Too much time on their hands. Have another Gruner Veltliner and enjoy the circus.
The Tenderloin is fine daytime but seedy, gritty, dumpy....you name it. . I would not suggest floating in the area alone on foot at 2 or 3 am all the time unless you have developed a feel for the place and want to increase risk to your life.
Between Wiener coffee and standard American coffee I'll take Wiener Kaffee any day.
I avoid the Tenderloin even during the day. Drug deals and disturbing things happening all around you 24/7. It's just a couple blocks from Union Square and unknowing tourists can easily walk into it before they know it.
I hate to disagree with Kent, but I saw a documentary years ago about the high amount of crime that happens regularly at Yosemite National Park and what a constant challenge it is for the park police. Gave me a whole new perspective of Yosemite.
Michelle, I am pretty certain it is a documentary, so see if the sonic can come through security. Or travel by Tardis. Though instead of Scotland you might end up in Alpha Centuri.
Kent, thanks for the travel advice, but that wasn't actually my point. My point is that it is a matter of perspective and media paranoia. I am American and have actually been to most of the places you named, lived in 5 different states and just happen to live in Europe now.
Here'a the perspective of someone who was born in the US, lived in Europe for awhile and is now back in the US (although practically almost in Canada) and may move back to Europe
... I find my own home country much scarier, but mainly because of some of the erratic driving habit's I witness. Come on, people, it is not acceptable to pass on the right!
I give newbies some slack, especially if from smaller towns. The biggest safety issue some of us face, me included, is avoiding drunk drivers.
Fascinating comments on the Tenderloin in San Francisco. Has it regressed a lot since July 2013? We walked and rode public transit all around the Union Square area including the Tenderloin. I didn't see anything to be alarmed about. Granted it was well before midnight......
No, it has not regressed a lot but as a tourist no need strolling there to see urban blight at night. I would never suggest to a tourist from Europe new to the city having no feel for a place like the Tenderloin to walk through there at night, even in a group, let alone solo. It's a matter of cultural cues, street smarts, what you're exposed to in a gritty, sketchy, dumpy area.
In Germany the only place that comes to mind closest to resembling the gritty, dumpy aspect of the Tenderloin and that's stretching the comparison was the immediate area outside of Frankfurt Hbf when I was there in 1977. Certainly the Hbf area now is by far not what it was 40 years, ie, with its redsigned streets, etc.
More years ago than I care to remember I visited a city. That city was noisy, dirty, overcrowded. It had problems on its street I have rarely seen on streets in my own. It was rude, jabbing elbows on the public transport, snark in the stores.
And every day since I have wanted to go back to New York. It is one of the few cities I have been to that I have fallen in love with, the other biggie is Shanghai. I would prefer to go to New York than London. But New York is unashamedly New York, unashamedly American. Let the USA be the USA, let Europe be Europe.
Despite its problems America is generally safe, as is Europe. It is not a theme park, it is not a museum. Enjoy a living, breathing Europe, we will do the same in the USA. Take advice. take care, and relax.
I think my favorite replies here are
* The United States are scary, I travel to Europe to feel safe".
* ... Have another Gruner Veltliner and enjoy the circus".
Reading this thread has given me great pause. We are traveling to Europe this summer and I think that same thing about going to the cities we are choosing. Have I chosen safe neighborhoods? Should I venture out after dark? I grew up in rural small town Texas where guns for hunting are very prevalent and I have never been a party to violence. You would never even know that guns are there but I feel safer there than I have ever felt in NYC, SF, LA or especially, Chicago, where there are supposedly "sane" guns laws. And yes, I do believe that when you outlaw guns, only outlaws will have guns. Yes, I would feel safe traveling to the US but ask where the bad neighborhoods are. I think that most cities who rely on tourism have a vested interest in keeping tourist areas safe. JMHO.
Jenny, AFAIK there is nowhere in the USA that has what you call "sane" gun laws, they all allow ownership of guns. If you totally ban the manufacture, sale or ownership of guns or ammunition (which I admit European countries only partially do), then there are no guns.
The biggest source of illegally imported guns in other countries is the USA. The USA is thus considered by many countries as a rogue nation exporting weapons and ammunition to other countries.
(end of Saturday night rant) :-)
Good post Emily..
While I do cut some slack for those less experencied travelers.. the ones who have lived in small town USA for their entire lives.. I have personally seen those" is it safe " posts by people from cities like LA and Detroit.. and frankly I think they must watch a lot of crap tv like Fox News .. if they are actually concerned about safety in other cities with much lower crime , murder and assault rates then their own!
Most posts here, or at least an awful lot, have lost sight of the fact that the OP's post was IRONIC. As often happens people are responding to responses rather than the original post.
Wonderful and thought provoking post , Emily . There should be more like this !
Last year when I went to Sacramento, I was arriving in the evening and my parents wanted me to stay in a hotel/motel overnight and they would pick me up the next morning. The hotel "taxi" would pick me up at the airport. Since I was carrying a lot of cash with me, this idea was rather scary to me. I had to hang out at the airport for quite awhile trying to figure out how to call the taxi, and then waiting around out in front of the airport. I looked the hotel up on Trip Advisor, and the more than several reviews said it was in a less than ideal location, that lots of druggies and homeless were hanging around. This made my fears worse! Then I asked some of the RS posters who lived in Sacramento what they thought of the hotel, and their responses were similar.
My biggest debate was to decide where to put my money, keep it all in my neck pouch, or hide most of it in my suitcase once I landed. Ah yes, 1st world dilemmas.
When I got to the hotel, I had to walk to an outside location with my luggage. It all felt so desolate. Not inspiring. Once I got to my room, I propped a chair under the door knob, just to be sure no one could break in. The thought of getting mugged or held up with a gun carrying thief just scared me, and I don't scare very easily.
That said, I have no qualms walking through the red light district in Frankfurt any time of the day or night, (not that I do this on a regular basis) It isn't scary there at all, cause I know people don't have guns.
I am now reminded of the one time I felt a little unsafe - we were to stay with some couchsurfers in Philly. They had great references and had a lot of people stay with them, so I had no issue...but when we showed up to their place, they weren't home (we were early). We sat in the car for about 45 min, feeling more and more uncomfortable with the look of the neighbourhood (run down, graffiti) and the looks of the people hanging out on the corner. So we bailed. I left them a note just saying we had arrived too early and decided to go find a hotel since we didn't know when they'd make it home (pure BS - I didn't want to say the hood scared us...lol). We had a GPS in the car, so we just programmed in to find hotels. I'm sure we would have been fine, but I wasn't 100% sure our SUV wouldn't have been vandalized overnight.
Also, one time in Toronto (back in 2001) we were walking down Bloor or Yonge or one of the main streets - then realized all of a sudden a lot of the shops seemed to be porn stores and XXX video places...lol...let's just say we turned round really fast...
They make for funny stories now!
And the answer remains, "Of course it is safe [to visit the U.S.], just like it is safe to visit Europe."
It seems there has been a recent spate of posts on this site that lean toward the hard core reactionary position that is now infecting this thread . I recall this one to mind as a brilliant example . https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/paris-problems --- The premise of this one seemed , from the start , as having an underlying agenda , and several more hit around the same time ( undoubtably due to the fear mongering that surrounded Charlie Hebdo ) . This one , recently on the Scotland thread , takes the cake https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/scotland/worried-about-scotland-trip , Is this OP really frightened , as she states , or is this another flavor of what we are seeing here ? By the way , be seated when you read it , it would have you writhing on the floor with laughter , if it weren't so tragic .
I love my country, but the US is not the "greatest country in the history of the world" and there are many, many countries that have the same freedoms we do. What nonsense.
When people make ridiculous statements that are untrue, I disregard everything they say.
People shall find what their fears discover.
"The United States is the greatest country in the history of the world.". Sorry, my father told me when I was a small girl that Canada is the greatest country in the world. That "greatest country in the world" stuff is a load of rubbish, whether it is the USA or Canada, or whatever country you were born in. A British politician (Disraeli?) once said "Patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels" and I do believe he was right.
Norma , how right you are !
"God Bless America - and no place else!" (Right-wing presidential candidate Brian Lewis's repeated mantra at the end of every speech/campaign appearance in "Head of State")
I have been informed in a PM that it was Samuel Johnson who said "Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel"., not Disraeli. Thank you, Steven.
Laughing a bit at this whole post. Why? Because it's Oscar Sunday and millions of viewers will watch and want to visit Hollywood. In fact "live on the red carpet coverage" is happening at this very moment. I live here and can hear the helicopters hovering. I'm sharing this because when I drive down Hollywood Boulevard towards Hollywood and Highland and the Dolby Theatre (home to the Oscars) all I can think is "Those poor tourists, expecting something special and what they find is a dirty, grimy, area filled with panhandlers and tacky souvenir shops." Nearly as gritty as the Tenderloin and reminiscent of Times Square before Disney cleaned it up. I grew up on the Bay Area and visit SF all the time. The Tenderloin has made dramatic steps but remains a seedy area of the City by The Bay. Here, I watch as tourists stop to look at the stars on the boulevard but I rarely see them with smiles on their faces. When they get to Graumans, yes, before hand, no way. Millions have been sunk into the revitalization over the 20 years that I've lived here but it's like putting lipstick on a pig. Literally yesterday morning I met a well dressed couple walking behind the W hotel as I was coming back from grocery shopping at Trader Joe's. Waiting for the light to change so we could cross the street they asked where was a good place for breakfast. In all honesty I had to tell them that within a comfortable walking distance, "not much." Yes, they could have gone to the over priced "Waffle" and I suppose I could have suggested Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles. Otherwise all I could say was Denny's. They were in town for the Oscars and I some how think they thought they were going to find a much more upscale atmosphere here in Hollywood. It's improved but I believe most tourists are disappointed to see it up close and personal. Sadly, the homeless situation in LA is huge. Weather is a factor. Who wants to be in Chicago in winter? As state, city and county services continue to be eliminated people will continue to fall through the cracks and be unable to get help. Started in the 70's when Reagan was Governor and closed the state's half way houses for the mentally ill. The state and urban areas have never fully recovered and as schism between the classes continues to widen don't be surprised if you step over a human being sleeping on the steps of the US capitol if you visit Washington DC.
Is it safe to travel in the US? Absolutely. Like any country on the planet we have problems but don't believe each and every one of us carries a weapon or use our automobiles as weapons. Stop listening to FOX news.
The US is the greatest country in the history of the world.
Not a sentiment held by citizens of other countries. It's also not a becoming attitude to take abroad. There's something to be said for observing and appreciating what may be different than at home but appears to work very well - maybe even better than at home? Businesses adopt "best practices" all the time. Why not cultures/societies? What can we learn from each other?
and once a person uses the term " sheep" as in "sheeple" I know what kind of rubbish they are into ..
Once a discussion deteriorates into juvenile name-calling or offensive labels, it's no longer worth the time/effort.
Hi everyone. While the debate over gun control is certainly an important one, it honestly has no place on our travel forum due to the heated debate that ensues. I have taken quite a heavy hand and deleted posts that provoked other travel forum members about the issue, and I've deleted their replies (for continuity).
I appreciate the spirit of this topic, and there have been some great, very thoughtful replies. I tried to keep those and I tried to delete the gun control and political bickering as much as I could. Let's keep it civil, you guys.
If you have questions or concerns, feel free to contact me.
Where was the location of this hotel in Sacramento? Name of the hotel ? Given a choice between the immediate area of Frankfurt Hbf and a dingy area of Sacramento (there are a lot of them) after dark on foot, I'd take the train station any day too.
It was this one, La Quinta near the airport. In the light of day, it looked fine, but coming in at night time, not knowing where anything was, having to walk to my far away room outside, with a crap load of money on me, just was rather freaky.
http://www.lq.com/en/findandbook/hotel-details.sacramento-downtown.html#.VOuD3XZ4iQk
Edit: I did use the hotel taxi shuttle. Biggest problem was finding a phone to call them, then needing to wait outside for them. Again, 1st world problems, but after a long flight, was just tired and cranky. :-)
Yes, totally understandable. I've stayed at this La Quinta years ago in the late '90s. The location says, misleadingly, "downtown" but it's still way out there and spread out , still need a car to leave the place. You might have saved taxi expense if you had called for the hotel shuttle, if they had such a radius from the airport. Certainly, not the Innenstadt concept at work. The taxi drops you off at the entrance where you check in, then the Reception gives you map to track down/ fish for the room on foot and in the dark while you're rolling the luggage behind you, putting yourself in an unenviable spot to be jumped.
Of course it's silly to freak out about scare tactic news articles. But Fred's post just above about a hotel in California, "the location says, misleadingly, "downtown" but it's still way out there..." is exactly why people ask about a specific area or hotel. I'm sure we all know of hotels in our own hometowns that we would steer visitors away from. Hotel websites and booking sites can be very deceptive in descriptions and locations. Google street view does not always show the drunk sleeping on the street.
If you're wondering, ask. Maybe someone will have the answer.
Of course it is safe to visit the US as it is safe to visit Europe. Statistics are telling us that your probability of being pick-pocketed in Europe is higher than in the US, on the other hand your likelihood of being shot is significantly higher in the US. But the chance that it happens to you is still miniscule.
Emma, again you beat me to it. Every country has its taboo subjects it is not keen on discussing with outsiders. Regarding the monarchy it is probably the only bit of our constitution currently working properly. Doesn't stop the debates though about the future of the monarchy! Or of the existence of the UK as a state!
Criticising the country to most of the people here is generally ok, if, and the big if, it is not coming from the 'my country has no faults' school, which often fails to see why the other country does things differently.
Rick M from Plano - You can be an inexperienced traveler but still have common sense enough to distinguish a real threat from one that is media-hyped. Common sense has nothing to do with where/if you have traveled.
I wonder if much of the concern about safety is because of unfamiliar modes of transport in Europe? Unless you're from a large American city with lots of public transport, train and metro travel is virtually unknown to the vast majority of citizens. As heightened alerts often mention transport systems/hubs, maybe it's nervousness about train/metro stations which compounds worries one may already have about figuring out systems which are new and different?
I live in the suburbs of DC (northern Virginia). We don't lock our doors at home but I don't go downtown at night unless I have to. Like a tourist, I'm not originally from this area; I don't feel like I know which areas are safe and which to avoid. I work with a lot of twenty-somethings who live in apartments inside DC and feel safe here, in fact they love the wide range of entertainment options, but they know where they can and can't go.
During the daylight DC is safe because the city is full of federal workers from surrounding states. After 17:00, it's a different feel completely.
So much news dwells on violence whether local, regional or international. Quite by chance I was reading major news stories the other day from the Calgary Herald, as many friends live in that city. So, a murder took place (gunshot). Today, I am reading headline news from the Czech Republic in which eight people were gunned down. So, should we avoid travel? Nope. Keep headlines in perspective.
It can happen anywhere. Crazy man with a legally owned gun got into the restaurant in Uhersky Brod (small town - 17 thousand people) and started to shoot. The worst shooting tragedy ever in the Czech R. (or Czechoslovakia before). someone will have to explain how a crazy man could legally own a gun. Well, "progress" is unstoppable.
"After 17:00, it's a different feel completely." The same can be said of downtown LA, from Little Tokyo to Bunker Hill, including Broadway. After the rush hour crowd leaves, you don't see the streets with pedestrians. I would not go so far as saying the statement applies to SF. In that regard, SF is different.
Sorry everyone, but another PSA needs to be made here.
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I think Kathy's point above about mass transit is a good one -- here in the New World (except maybe along the eastern seaboard) most urban planning and design happened in the age of the automobile, and many north Americans still think of mass transit as the unpreferred choice, the backup plan for people who don't have cars -- people like the poor, the crazy, the young, and the old. A lot of comedy routines revolve around how nutty people who ride the train/trolley/bus are. Housing densities in the prairie states and the West are generally low and residential zones are isolated from commerce, so people are raised in an atmosphere where collective enterprise seems like crowding and chaos.
I was raised in an urban environment, so a long car ride into the woods used to make me anxious rather than relaxed -- who could we turn to if trouble arises? Turn an ankle and you've got a miserable situation to deal with. The wide open spaces of the American West might not strike everyone as comforting and inspiring.
Parallel this with the dangers of the big city -- are we distinguishing actual risks from simple unfamiliarity?
A previous reply mentions downtown LA after 17.00 -- that's when it gets interesting to me, because that's when it becomes a more Spanish-speaking district, around the mercado central and the cathedral especially. To visitors whose associations with Spanish-speaking north Americans are not positive, the area is going to seem uninviting, just as isolated woods near the Great Lakes seem to me. Neither is 'unsafe'; both require visitors to take care.
Thoughtful points, avirosemail.
It's interesting to look at the situation in reverse as well? Visitors to the U.S. have their own unease and challenges regarding transport. Travel forums are littered with posts from the puzzled over a lack of ability to get from here to there - easily or at all - via public transport.
My advice for Europe is to be careful of anyone asking directions to the Leaning Tower of Pizza.
One thing to remember about public transit in the US is that Chicago is more like NYC. There are buses, the el and you probably don't need a car when you visit. If you have a car you'll pay a lot--not as much as NYC, but a lot--to park it. :)
Pam
Rick M from Plano - You can be an inexperienced traveler but still have common sense enough to distinguish a real threat from one that is media-hyped. Common sense has nothing to do with where/if you have traveled.
Emily from Vienna - totally agree with your first sentence. Sadly though, I fear you give some people too much credit in this area. However, I pretty much have to completely disagree with your second sentence. Perhaps I misunderstand, but applying that logic to a variety of travel situations is risky to say the least -- that is, unless you're traveling in a vacuum.
Rick M from Plano - you have misunderstood me. I am saying that a person's level of common sense has nothing to do with how much they have traveled. I know people that have never left Texas, but have tons of common sense, for example. I am not saying that you should abandon common sense when you travel.
My comment about difficulty/complexity of public transport in the U.S. wasn't in reference to major cities, although some of them have far, far better transit options for tourists than others.
Emily from Vienna - my mistake. Thanks for responding.
Happy travels!
