Safety in west Berkeley

[Natural510]

Originally Posted by johnsovl

And are there any ways I can avoid any problems, other than not using my phone at night, show strong posture/eye contact, etc? Thanks in advance.

That should be good enough; there are some characters in that neighborhood (west of SP) but not as bad as what you'd find in south Berkeley. There's a Norteno gang in area but they usually don't trouble people, especially if they know you live there.

[johnsovl]

Natural510 - my place is only about a block or two from San Pablo, so I'm really hoping it won't be too bad. Should I somehow let them know I live in the area? Or just casually do my own thing until its more known. I suppose it'll be best when I actually start my commute, as awareness and knowledge of the area should make the difference. Thanks for your input!

[Natural510]

Originally Posted by johnsovl

Natural510 - my place is only about a block or two from San Pablo, so I'm really hoping it won't be too bad. Should I somehow let them know I live in the area? Or just casually do my own thing until its more known. I suppose it'll be best when I actually start my commute, as awareness and knowledge of the area should make the difference. Thanks for your input!

Nah, I wouldn't worry about it. Most of em, at least back in the day, were Berkeley High teens who smoke, drink & write their names up everywhere.

[rkwalton]

I just moved from Berkeley in December. I was in Elmwood and my boyfriend was in the Gourmet Ghetto, but there is a coffee house that I'd go to over there (MLK and University) and there was a store that he liked in that area too. We'd just walk from his place and sometimes stop at La Mission for food. Granted, I was walking with someone and not alone but it was fairly safe most of the time.

What I'd do is just get off at Downtown Berkeley BART and hop on the 51B. It will take you right to University and San Pablo. No problem.

[johnsovl]

Thanks for the advice guys.

rkwalton - I'll definitely look into the 51B line, I checked the schedule and it comes very often. Thanks for the tip and your experiences.

[mayorhaggar]

lol, San Pablo and University is not that bad at all. It does look a little seedy (pretty much anywhere on San Pablo does) but around there it's fine, and way better than further south around Ashby or where San Pablo runs through North Oakland. If you can't hack San Pablo and University then you probably wouldn't be happy in any urban area in the US.

[rkwalton]

Originally Posted by johnsovl

Thanks for the advice guys.

rkwalton - I'll definitely look into the 51B line, I checked the schedule and it comes very often. Thanks for the tip and your experiences.

Yeah, the 51B runs fairly frequently. I'd just track it using NextBus.com. The problem is at night AC transit doesn't seem to time their buses to coordinate with BART. Not sure if it's just not feasible or if they're jerks.

Once you're comfortable, walking probably won't be an issue. I do think the North Berkeley station is tucked off in a dark corner though. That's just bad city planning.

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by mayorhaggar

lol, San Pablo and University is not that bad at all. It does look a little seedy (pretty much anywhere on San Pablo does) but around there it's fine, and way better than further south around Ashby or where San Pablo runs through North Oakland. If you can't hack San Pablo and University then you probably wouldn't be happy in any urban area in the US.

^This. Berkeley's bark is worse than it's bite especially this area.

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by rkwalton

Yeah, the 51B runs fairly frequently. I'd just track it using NextBus.com. The problem is at night AC transit doesn't seem to time their buses to coordinate with BART. Not sure if it's just not feasible or if they're jerks.

Once you're comfortable, walking probably won't be an issue. I do think the North Berkeley station is tucked off in a dark corner though. That's just bad city planning.

I can't remember at the moment but there is a specific reason why that BART station is there. It has something to do with it running under Ohlone Park and the ground not having any structures over the tunnel there. I think it's softer than the surrounding area or something so it has to be in an area by itself where no structures would sit atop of it. It's the only BART station like that.