Sightseeing Safety (neighborhoods, to live, dangerous)

[llowman]

I have lived in MD all my life, but have never entered DC to play tourist. I'd love to "see the sights" but have no one to go with me most of the time. Is it safe for a woman alone to tour areas like the National Mall, Georgetown, figure out and take metro? Any help would be greatly appreciated as I don't want to keep missing out on the world around me.

[Moth]

Well...how dangerous could a place with thousands of people in broad daylight be?

[mettler]

I plan on going down there by myself this Saturday, but I am a guy

[Grasonville]

Originally Posted by llowman

I have lived in MD all my life, but have never entered DC to play tourist. I'd love to "see the sights" but have no one to go with me most of the time. Is it safe for a woman alone to tour areas like the National Mall, Georgetown, figure out and take metro? Any help would be greatly appreciated as I don't want to keep missing out on the world around me.

Sure! - But if you find the Metro in Georgetown - keep it a secret - no one else has found it yet

If you have the chance to go during the week - you can avoid someof the crowds that the summertime brings.

I have been to DC LOTS of times alone - makes it nice to see only what YOU want to see.

Since you have waited this long I would suggest waiting till the weather cools off a bit - all that concrete can get pretty steamy in the summer.

[gzjht1]

Depending where in MD you live, you can proably take a train into DC - much easier than trying to find pkg. Arm yourself with maps and tour book - you'll be fine. The subway is easy to use.

[sleepy_s]

I live in DC and spend quite a bit of time traversing the city as a young, single woman at all hours of the day and night. You should be safe around the monuments and other touristy areas, especially now that it is tourist season, and there will be many people in the areas that you visit. It's very unlikely that you'll find trouble in the neighborhoods that you've listed above -- although of course, as with anywhere, you should stay aware of your surroundings. If you're wary of your safety at all, I'd recommend doing everything in the daylight. The monuments are beautiful at night, but the walk between them can be poorly lit. There are also many tour options available... or you can indiscretely follow behind an organized walking tour. Enjoy your visit!

[Skatergirl]

Just a thought. Lloman, you;ll be fine. I take many gaunts to the areas you mentioned, alone, and I'm fine with it. I even wear my headphones quite a bit. Georgetown--Nice to visit, but do it early if you can to avoid the heavy traffic and congestion. It's a nice, longgggggggg walk from the closest metro station, but there's lot's of great eateries to relax and refuel so you'll do fine.

[Bluefly]

Kind of fascinating peoples' irrational fear of DC - even ones who live nearby.

The places you mentioned will probably be full of people playing recreational league sports and many tourists and many very wealthy people shopping. Hundreds of thousands of people ride the metro everyday, all day.

I could not think of safer places in the whole country.

[SmerkyGrl]

I go into DC to do museums at least once every couple of months and I'm a short little Asian girl. Don't be so paranoid

[llowman]

Many thanks for all the encouragement. I know it's difficult for younger people to understand, but women of my generation weren't encouraged to venture out alone. In fact, we were chastised for being independent thinkers. That makes it difficult to change the patterns of a lifetime. Thanks to my desire to live a fuller life and help from people like you, this is one more woman who isn't going to spend her twilight years in front of the TV.