Don't Go To US, Period? (Sacramento, Compton: neighborhood, camping, living in)

[AdmiralNorton]

alienred, If I were you, I'd be much more scared about Bangkok than about Cali.

[straight outta camden]

Originally Posted by alienred

I have been living in Bangkok for the past 18yrs. When I visit the UK I feel like a tourist. On my last but one trip I visited the area in London where I still have an apartment that I rent out. It was scary, it had changed so much. Outside major cities it is relatively safe but in the major cities you are right, be wary. My youngest brother moved to New Zealand from my apartment in London. He is bored but feels safer.

The thing is that so many of you are talking about how bad and dangerous just about every area is. Unless you are mega-rich and live in gated communities and are surrounded by bodyguards nowhere seems to be safe according to most of you.

What's a tourist to do?

By far the UK is safer than the U.S.

Thanks,

Rob.

The UK is not safer than the US. Look up the International Crime Victimisation Survey. It's now a few years out of date but it clearly shows UK and Australia are top for violent crime per capita. US is some way behind. It is true there is more murder in America but the odds of that happening to you are vanishingly small. You are much, much more likely to get into a car wreck than to suffer any kind of crime here.

If you had spent more time in Britain and read the newspapers you would have seen tales far more blood-curdling than anything related in this forum. Pick up the Daily Mail, I dare you. I'm sure you can buy it in Bangkok.

Anyway, is Thailand really that safe? An Islamist insurgency in the south; an army coup last year; the world centre of child prostitution; Brits and Aussies stoned out of their minds riding mopeds around... Imagine how all that looks to outsiders.

[Southside Shrek]

I don't think I'd feel safe today taking the London tube and/or bus. In fact I have spoken with Brits vacationing in Florida who said the same thing. They try to avoid London like the plague.

[humboldtrat]

Thanks to the weak US dollar, there are thousands of European tourists visiting California this year. I see them all over the place in San Francisco. And just about all of them manage to escape with their lives and return to Europe. You just have to be aware of your surroundings. The usuall tourist places are quite safe.

[Cali BassMan]

Come on over for your holiday.. As long as you stay out of the cities, you'll be fine.. CAli. is a tourist meca, and as such, all the places tourists want to visit are pretty safe. If scumbags go to such areas, local law enforcement is fairly quik to make them feel unwelcome...
Most crime is scumbag against scumbag.....

[sponger42]

Most of the people who warn about "how crime rates have skyrocketed" and try to make everyone else afraid, have tons of expensive stuff, live in gated communities with security patrols and have never been the victim of so much as a pickpocketing. They just think it's a crime if somebody speaks Spanish near them or drives a car with shiny rims and a loud stereo.

I've been the victim of some minor crimes and it's just not a big deal. Most crimes aren't even as big of a deal (or as expensive) as a fender-bender in the parking lot. Even my buddy who got stabbed in a mugging didn't let it dominate his life. People just need to get over their fears.

Crime in the US isn't so bad, and very very few tourists are victimized at all. You're safer as a tourist here than as a resident, and you're pretty safe as a resident. As a tourist, you'll be forgiven if you wander into the "wrong" neighborhood, and the cops aren't going to pull you over and hit you with some bogus charges due to profiling.

Tourists are totally welcome. Enjoy your visit!

[alienred]

All good comments and very welcome, thanks I'm coming.

Bangkok is safe. The coup was nothing, the last one was bloody but confined to one area. In my area where all the Japanese live was quiet.

The stoned foreigners are all in Pattaya along with the child prostitution and it is safe to walk around day or night but it's a horrible dirty place.

The south is a mess and no one not even the insurgents know what to do about it. Reason has given way to stupidity. Like everywhere it the minority that spoil it for everyone else.

Thais, even the rich so called educated ones, are very immature and easily led astray.

I know this country and it's people well. After 18 years I should.

Just as you after all your years know your country so I will listen to wise ones among you and have a great holiday.

Anyone wanna meet for a beer?

[Fleet]

Originally Posted by SandyCo

I don't live in a gated community, and I feel pretty safe. Would I go out for a walk at 3:00 a.m.? Probably not. Most areas aren't that bad, seriously... Just avoid the ones that are. Enjoy your visit!

I would and have. Well, not at 3:00 AM, but at 1:30 AM. It was last spring and one of the last-of-the-season warm Santa Ana winds were blowing, and I couldn't resist going for a walk. I won't say the exact street where I walked to, but it was near the 118-freeway.

At that late hour, there were still a few cars on the street and on the freeway, otherwise very quiet. I had no problems at all and didn't feel scared at all.

[Stevedawg]

Well look at all these people posting on the internet, they are ok. They live in the US. Yes guns are legal in the US and I think that kind of scares Europeans but serious don't let it scare you off. There are neighborhoods in big cities that you may be better off not traveling into but even, but I think it would be a shame not to travel here due to that reason. You could just stay out of big cities all together there is beautiful scenery everywhere in the US.

[JackSparrow]

Original poster: You seem to have all the answers. Sorry to inconvenience you.

PS- We don't want your tourist revenue.

kthanksbye