Working in the Tenderloin (San Francisco: neighborhood, place to live, restaurants)

[stephv710]

My daughter has been offered a job in the Tenderloin working at a nonprofit organization and may relocate from So. Cal. I've read through some of the posts that range from "never ever go there" to "it's not bad". I'm worried for her safety and wonder if it's smart to accept the job. Obviously she would choose another place to live, but coming and going is what would bother me. Am I overreacting? She was also thinking of not taking a car, but given the area, I don't think she should be walking to or taking the public transit there. Thoughts?

[mayorhaggar]

What intersection will the job be near?

I'd say it differs from block to block. Some parts are not that bad and have a lot of places that are good to go at night like bars (like the Hemlock Tavern) and there's a section with a lot of great Thai restaurants. But there are other parts like just west of the Hilton where there are literally dozens of homeless people on every block sitting around. There is a lot of drug dealing which leads to shooting and crime, though I've never seen drug dealing on the crazy level that there was in the Mission like 5 years ago (which seems to have cleaned up quite a bit)--but then I haven't really spent a lot of time in the TL. Also I've been on the bus through Geary many times and Geary didn't look that bad.

Again it depends on the area but I'd say she could get used to it and know where to go and not go. She probably shouldn't stick around after say 8pm either.

[stephv710]

Its on Ellis near Leavenworth.

[gnomatic]

Originally Posted by stephv710

My daughter has been offered a job in the Tenderloin working at a nonprofit organization and may relocate from So. Cal. I've read through some of the posts that range from "never ever go there" to "it's not bad". I'm worried for her safety and wonder if it's smart to accept the job. Obviously she would choose another place to live, but coming and going is what would bother me. Am I overreacting? She was also thinking of not taking a car, but given the area, I don't think she should be walking to or taking the public transit there. Thoughts?

As a single female, I don't have problems with the area in the day time. I wouldn't go there by myself late at night though. Walking and public transportation is fine. I would actually advise against driving...it's not practical.

It's natural for a parent to worry...but it's really a decision that your daughter has to be comfortable with.

[gone down south]

Not somewhere she should be walking around alone at night, but during the day, with the usual dose of self-awareness and street smarts, she'll be OK.

[uptown_urbanist]

What time of day will she be there? I've walked through the Tenderloin many times during the daytime without incident. I certainly would never turn down a job due to fear of being in the area. I used to bring my son to the downtown library, and we'd often walk back through the Tenderloin to get to Union Square or to catch the bus on Geary. It would be a major hassle to drive, and the buses run quite frequently. I think you are overreacting. Now maybe if she'll be working very odd hours she'll want to reevaluate or figure out safest forms of transportation, but during day hours she'll be fine. I, too, had heard all the horror stories about the Tenderloin, and think a lot of it is far overblown -- during daytime, anyway. I guess I was expecting something that looked far worse on the surface. There's a broad range of people there during the daytime, and there are some pretty nice restaurants and cafes there, too. I was envisioning something that looked like a worse version of LA's skid row, and the Tenderloin is much, much nicer looking, and not nearly as depressing, at least during the daytime. I don't know what it's like at night.

[andyadhi01]

Originally Posted by stephv710

My daughter has been offered a job in the Tenderloin working at a nonprofit organization and may relocate from So. Cal. I've read through some of the posts that range from "never ever go there" to "it's not bad". I'm worried for her safety and wonder if it's smart to accept the job. Obviously she would choose another place to live, but coming and going is what would bother me. Am I overreacting? She was also thinking of not taking a car, but given the area, I don't think she should be walking to or taking the public transit there. Thoughts?

Its okay in day time. But random shootings or stabbings do happen in the 'loin anytime of the day with high frequency and many times the victims are innocent people passing thru the hood. Health and hygiene is also a safety issue here because the 'loin is the filthiest urban area I have ever seen. By filthy I mean you will smell pee everywhere and you will see human excrement on the street and particularly in the alley ways. The streets are also decorated with passed out bums, tranny prostitutes, junkies high on drugs and all of them potentially carry every infectious disease imaginable. The TL is not for the faint heart but I still go there occasionally because its the only neighborhood in SF to have some authentic ethnic food.

[andyadhi01]

Originally Posted by stephv710

Its on Ellis near Leavenworth.

I am sorry to tell you that Ellis is one of nastiest street in SF. Ellis or Turk & Jones are probably the worst of TL but Ellis and Leavenworth isn't much better. Walk the area yourself before you let your daughter in the area.

[bmw335xi]

She will be fine. Two of my lady friends work in TL. Unless her job requires her to work till midnight, her chances of running into trouble aren't much different than working in other parts of SF. People who get in trouble in this area are mostly druggies and bums. Don't get involved with drug dealers etc and you most likely will never encounter any problems. Congrats to your daughter!

[TXGirlDreamingofSF]

A gal friend & I stayed in San Francisco for a month this past fall.

We went to the Tenderloin one evening with a guy friend.

We went to this bar & there was a very pretty, young gal working there as a bartender. We talked with her some & asked her if she felt unsafe working there, traveling to & from, etc. and she said she had thought she might feel unsafe when she first started working there, but that it has been fine & she has felt safe. She of course works really late hours also...the bar closes at 2 AM.

And, this was in a bad area of the Tenderloin.