Odyssey by Foot last night...Observations (Duquesne, Oakland: apartment, dangerous, safety)

[cheezit34141988]

So for one reason or another (I'll let you speculate), I made a long trip by foot yesterday evening.

This involved walking from Southside Works, over the Hot Metal Bridge up into Oakland into the student housing streets for a barbeque in the early evening.

From there, walking back down over the Birmingham Bridge and down to Carson St for some bar hopping.

From there, at 2am-ish, walking over hte 10th St bridge, up through Duquesne, up into the Hill District at about Centre and Crawford.

From there at about 3:30am-ish, walked from Centre and Crawford, up Centre, down Kirkpatrick, and back over the Birmingham to my apartment in Southside.

I tell people about this this morning, and all my friends freak out saying everything from "you walked ridiculously too far," "should have called a cab," "those areas are NOT safe," "what were you thinking," and so on and so forth...especially concerned with how I walked through the "ghettos" of South Oakland and The Hill Dist. at that time of day.

I never once on this trek felt concerned for my safety/well being. Is it true that a lot of people think that those areas I walked through are bad enough to avoid and I'm just oblivious? Or are my friends just pansies?

[Evergrey]

Your friends are pansies. Sounds like a fun walk!

[UKyank]

I'd say you just didn't venture far enough into the Hill district to hit areas where I'd feel uncomfortable walking in late in the night. I never found S Oakland to be at all dangerous.

[cheezit34141988]

Originally Posted by UKyank

I'd say you just didn't venture far enough into the Hill district to hit areas where I'd feel uncomfortable walking in late in the night. I never found S Oakland to be at all dangerous.

Thats what I was suspecting. The areas I walked through were a bit bombed out, but not bad at all. Just a few random wanderers out at that time. It was actually pretty cool walking over the Birmingham and seeing fishers just putting their boats in at that time. That and the gravel (I think thats what it is, or slag?) yard right under the Birmingham was running full steam.

[BrianTH]

The Hill's reputation as one big war zone is rather overstated.

[ferraris]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

The Hill's reputation as one big war zone is rather overstated.

Especially along the main drags. I wouldn't go wandering slightly inebriated through the side streets trying to take a short cut at 3:00AM, though, unless you're intimately familiar with the Hill.