Which areas of Boston are safe and which areas should I avoid? (Cambridge: crime, hotel)

[AirportFan]

Hello, I am going to Boston in about 2 months. I am wondering which areas are safe to be in alone and which areas I should stay out of. Is it safe to walk alone at night? What about the suburbs of Boston, how safe are they? I don't want to go into an area where I have a chance of getting robbed or jumped.

[bohemka]

Stay off the green and red lines. They have been kidnapping people lately.

[pennyone]

Originally Posted by bohemka

Stay off the green and red lines. They have been kidnapping people lately.

Hahahahahaha!!!!! Seriously, you shouldn't do this......

[G-fused]

Stay off the Harvard campus. The Harvard police have been known to pull people over and quiz them on Pythagoras and his theorem. G-d help you if you stutter.

[Dm84]

A lot of trolling here.

There are definitely unsafe areas of Boston but you are unlikely to visit them as a tourist unless you actively seek them out.

[sharencare]

Most of Boston and Cambridge are safe, though I would never park a car without an anti-theft light on any public street near Harvard Square or Downtown Boston.

If you are worried about your personal belongings getting stolen, you actually should exercise caution in busy areas too. Though pick-pocketing and purse-snatching are rare in Boston, they are most likely to occur if you put your belongings down in a public area that's not in your line of vision. For example, my friend's wallet got stolen after she put her tote bag under a cafe chair while we were drinking coffee. This happened near the State House, which is located on Beacon Hill, one of the wealthiest areas of Boston. On the other hand, I grew up in a public project near poor minorities, and as diminutive single woman, I walked back and forth every day in this project for almost 20 years and no adult has ever been mean to me there, let alone ever stolen anything from me. Just because you are in an unfamiliar place (e.g. a poorer or more working class section of Boston) doesn't mean you should be afraid or assume the worst in people automatically. But just because you go to a wealthier part of Boston, it doesn't mean you should let your guard down. I would just be cautious everywhere--don't carry a ton of expensive things in plain view, be aware of your surroundings (i.e. don't gab on your phone or listen to music while walking down the street), and avoid being alone too late at night or too early in the morning.

As for your electronics, there's a thing called "Apple-picking" that happens in all cities and is mostly likely to occur in a busy train station. If you are playing on your Iphone on the train, oblivious to your surroundings, someone might grab your phone while the doors are closing and run down platform before you can stop them. I personally have not seen this happen despite riding on the train every day, but the transit police in Boston do occasionally hand out warning flyers at the stations and they've installed a ton of security cameras in recent years.

[AirportFan]

I'm hoping Boston is not as dangerous as Atlanta or Miami. I know crime exists everywhere, but in those 2 cities I mentioned crime is endless and always happening during day and night. I also want to take the Purple Line Train out to the suburbs and take a look at how different the neighborhoods are compared to Texas neighborhoods. I have a feeling Boston is one of those cities where you can walk into the woods from your backyard.

As for safe areas, I am going to be out late at night. Not sure if I'll be with a friend or if I'll be alone. The hotel I am staying at is right off the green line, so I am a little concerned about it too. As for electronics in the trains, I want to take a video of the Subways and film them. I don't think anyone would snatch my camera, as it would be near my face. I usually keep everything in my front pocket, so I think I will be fine.

I was just wondering if there are some areas I should not even go into, like names of suburbs that are known for crime, theft, and robbery.

[scratchie]

Originally Posted by AirportFan

I have a feeling Boston is one of those cities where you can walk into the woods from your backyard.

LOL, I have no idea what this means ("One of *those* cities"?) but it would only be hypothetically possible in the suburbs which have "woods" in them. Some do, most don't, and even the ones that do only have them in some areas.

You should be prepared for an area that's almost completely different than Texas. Most of the closer suburbs (especially the ones with purple line trains now) were first developed 100 years ago when they were served by streetcars and trains, so the development is very dense. If walking into the woods from your backyard is a "must have", that's going to cut down your search area considerably.

[CaseyB]

Originally Posted by AirportFan

I'm hoping Boston is not as dangerous as Atlanta or Miami. I know crime exists everywhere, but in those 2 cities I mentioned crime is endless and always happening during day and night. I also want to take the Purple Line Train out to the suburbs and take a look at how different the neighborhoods are compared to Texas neighborhoods. I have a feeling Boston is one of those cities where you can walk into the woods from your backyard.

As for safe areas, I am going to be out late at night. Not sure if I'll be with a friend or if I'll be alone. The hotel I am staying at is right off the green line, so I am a little concerned about it too. As for electronics in the trains, I want to take a video of the Subways and film them. I don't think anyone would snatch my camera, as it would be near my face. I usually keep everything in my front pocket, so I think I will be fine.

I was just wondering if there are some areas I should not even go into, like names of suburbs that are known for crime, theft, and robbery.

Where is the purple line? Where exactly do you want to go?

The green line is safe.

[AirportFan]

Originally Posted by scratchie

LOL, I have no idea what this means ("One of *those* cities"?) but it would only be hypothetically possible in the suburbs which have "woods" in them. Some do, most don't, and even the ones that do only have them in some areas.

You should be prepared for an area that's almost completely different than Texas. Most of the closer suburbs (especially the ones with purple line trains now) were first developed 100 years ago when they were served by streetcars and trains, so the development is very dense. If walking into the woods from your backyard is a "must have", that's going to cut down your search area considerably.

I was wanting to go to an area that is family oriented. An area where you have all of your local stores and your mall where everyone in that one area goes to. It would be nice to see something like that. Like an area like Chandler or Mesa in Phoenix that is all family oriented. So pretty much, if I take the Purple Line, I would be in historic areas?