Question for locals re: walking Capitol area at night (violent crime, hotel)
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It's 8:45 and we're bored in our hotel near Dupont Circle. We're not into the bar scene and have heard the monuments are beautiful at night. But I also saw two people warning not to walk near there at night. People post the same thing about downtown Raleigh at night when visitors ask on our forum and that's a big overreaction for us. Is it for you guys? I don't want to be cooped up until daylight unless there's a real reason. Thanks for your opinions!
You've probably already left (or not) by now, but here's my answer:
I see people walking (and jogging) around the mall at night all the time. I personally wouldn't do it. A couple of years ago there were a group of teens attacking people - even couples - walking the mall at night. One young woman was even raped. Fortunately, the kids were caught. I'm sure the chance of something bad happening at night there is small, but I personally wouldn't risk it. The area is not very well lit.
I disagree with Smores. The fact that a handful of people have been attacked on the mall at night over the last three years is all you need to know. It's about as safe as walking from your hotel to dinner in Dupont.
The Mall is more or less fine at night. There was one big series of robberies awhile ago (like 5 years ago) that made all these scare headlines but not much since then. No one here can guarantee your safety on the Mall at night but I wouldn't hesitate if my niece were out walking the monuments after dark.
The walk to and from Dupont will be a walk in the city, but there will be people out and whatnot. I wouldn't be overly concerned (but as always, pay attention to your surroundings, etc). You chance of being hit up for some money from a homeless person is pretty high, your chance of being mugged is rather low.
If you are comfortable in cities in general, then walking between Dupont and the Mall will be fine. In terms of violent crimes, these are two of the safest areas in DC. However, it's not the suburbs, so the overall rate of crime is a little higher. As a woman walking alone, I have no reservations about strolling in either area well into the wee hours.
No problem at all. I, too, have heard people warning visitors to "stay away from the Mall after dark", and can't for the life of me understand why. It's one of the safest areas in DC.
Thanks to everyone. I actually did leave already. We did walk around the mall area starting around 10 and coming back around 1 AM. It was quite nice, especially at the WWII monument. There were a good number of people around- no one that made me feel shady. Just people walking around, looking at monuments, drawing, taking photos, etc. I'm glad I went. Didn't feel unsafe at all.
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completely safe
