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Areas to Avoid, San Francisco
See all San Francisco Warnings or Dangers
San Francisco - San Francisco
San Francisco
by goingsolo
San Francisco Warnings or Dangers: Areas to Avoid tips posted by real travelers and San Francisco locals.
Areas to Avoid
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San Francisco Areas to Avoid ReviewsTips 61 - 70 of 70  
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Areas to Avoid: The Tenderloin can be rough at...
  • By wannabeincal on August 24, 2002
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  • The Tenderloin can be rough at night, but it all depends on one's definition of rough. If you are a seasoned veteran of big East Coast cities, it isn't as bad as the worst neighborhoods there. If you are from a small Midwestern town, then the wise move would be to stay away unless you are actually looking for trouble. There are other trouble areas as well, but most are farther out from the main tourist sections. Ask a local for more details.


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    Areas to Avoid: Parking Prices/Tickets
  • By ashuja on September 19, 2007
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  • There is no need to rent a car unless you are traveling outside of the city. Parking is very expensive and if you happen to park in an illegal spot tickets are very expensive. The public transportation is excellent or you may take a cab.


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    Areas to Avoid: "The Tenderloin" ain't no cut o' meat my friends!
  • By uberteacher on March 15, 2003
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  • This is a totally rough area of San Francisco and I don't think there is any real reason to deliberately go there. It they think you're a clueless tourist, you're dead meat. Excuse the pun.

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    Areas to Avoid: Haight District
  • By on February 20, 2003
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  • Areas to Avoid - San Francisco
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    This is an interesting place to stop by, just to see it for maybe a couple of hours. Even steam cleaning nightly doesn't seem to fix the grime... Panhandling is incessant, and more of the people than usual appear to be "homeless by choice" (Newt Gingrich aside). The Haight is popular for teenage runaways and "squat" apartments of 5-10 teens or gen-x true slackers living in a small apartment. Drug dealing is opposed by a neighborhood group but is now only more discrete. Needless to say, you will hear the Grateful Dead frequently in this area.

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    Areas to Avoid: Visitacion Valley - It's Frightening (Part I)
  • By janeaus on July 2, 2004
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  • Visitation Valley - Map - San Francisco
    Visitation Valley - Map
    by janeaus
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    To say that this is a dangerous neighborhood is to say little. Do you know the Geneva Towers story? You can google for that. I invite you to read my tip and then decide for yourself whether you want to find yourself in the Visitacion Valley district of SF. Here’s what an official SF County site says about the Valley: “Visitacion Valley is in the basin located southeast of McLaren Park and reaching all the way out to the Bay. In 1777, a Franciscan priest first named the basin La Visitacion to commemorate the Virgin Mary’s visit to her cousin St. Elizabeth. Nowadays, this valley is a collection of residential neighborhoods lying just below the park and surrounding a small industrial district. It is bounded by City borders to the south and Highway 101 to the east. How sadly ironic is the fact that God has now completely turned away from the place visited by the Virgin only two centuries ago. Here’s a story of my recent unintended bus ride through there. It has been has been an experience I just can't let go of. I was up in SF on business, got off well before 5 PM and needed to go to Daly City BART to pick up my car. On Market, I saw a MUNI bus (#9) going to "San Bruno." Thinking it was the city of San Bruno, I jumped on. Gradually, I found myself to be the only white guy on the bus. I sensed no particular danger, but decided that it would be wise to give up my seat in the back and move towards the front of the bus. And to ask the driver whether indeed she was going to the city of San Bruno and how much longer it was to BART. As evil luck has it, it turned out that the bus was not going to the city of San Bruno. It was going to (and was already on) San Bruno Avenue right in Visitacion Valley.

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  • Other Contact: gls@sonic.net

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    Areas to Avoid: S.F.C. Police are never too far!
  • By ROCKARIA on February 9, 2005
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  • SAN FRANCISCO P.D. - San Francisco
    SAN FRANCISCO P.D.
    by ROCKARIA
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    Tourists and locals feel more safe with police presence and that is not lacking in S.F.C.

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    Areas to Avoid: When Traveling with Kids-DANGER!
  • By LauraCreepy on June 21, 2007
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  • We just finished a trip to SF with our 6 year old son. It was a very nervewracking experience. Every corner you have to hold their hand and cross and after that there are driveways coming from hotels and loading areas. My son is a rebel and he would try and get away. It was an exhausting trip because of this and I woul not reccomend this as a top choice for a trip with active young kids. I read an article while I was there that there are 146 pedestrian deaths a year in SF! My son was almost one of them! We got off the California trolley near Chinatown and in this area there is a space wide enough for a car to pass between the trolley and the street and so a mini Cooper comes along and is going to pass the trolley. It's 10pm at night on Father's Day. My husband had walked ahead and crossed the street since he was standing in a different section of the trolley cause it was crowded. I was with my son and he stepped off the trolley 2 steps ahead of me and then started to bolt across the street in front of the car. I saw what was going to happen as the car drove towards my son. My husband yelled stop to the car and my son and the car slowed. i ran towards my son picking him up and hugging him and then when the car stopped i ran across the street with him. we stood over there hugging on the side of the road. Also I get the feeling that kids are just not as appreciated in SF as in other places. They are the biggest city with the lowest child population in the US. My son did not get the loving and appreciative glances he gets back home here in Texas or other places we have traveled. Learn from us-our trip to South Padre last summer was better suited to a young child and to the beach is where we will go next summer. Our next trip to SF will be sans children!

  • Website: http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=local&id=4315097

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    Areas to Avoid: Hunter's Point
  • By hudin on November 1, 2004
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  • While there is probably no reason for a tourist to ever end up there, make sure you just don't. It is by far and away the worst area in San Francisco with the highest homicide rate in the area. They're working on cleaning it up currently, but it has a lot of problems that are taking a long time to deal with. Luckily it's very far south of the City and you shouldn't ever find yourself there, but if you do, immediately take the Muni Rail out of there, or find a taxi, or something. You put yourself in jeopardy if you don't.

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    Areas to Avoid: Tenderloin. Not for the tourist
  • By hudin on November 1, 2004
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  • While this area is very, very close to Union Square, Nob Hill, and Market Street, it is not somewhere to go. Any good map should have it listed, but it generally is bracketed by Van Ness, Market, O'Farell, and Mason. This of course depends on who you ask. It's a shady area with a lot of drug dealing, prostiution, and other things you don't want to get mixed up in. It's barely OK during the day, although strongly recommended to stay away from even so. At night, you just don't ever, under any conditions want to go there. You could get beat up, harrassed, or even shot if you're not careful. Police do not go through the Loin as often as they should, so stay in the areas that border it and you'll be fine.

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    Areas to Avoid: Many homeless
  • By slugworth_uk on December 8, 2004
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  • there appears to be an unusually large amount of homeless people here, especially characterised by mental problems. The tenderloin at night, i had to literally zig zag my way past them. However, not generally advisable, but on my way to a club, I came across a homeless person, and took the unprecedented action of buying him a few drinks in the bar. What better way to get a feel from a place than speak to people who have seen it all and a bit more!!!

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