Santa Monica Safe Place? (Los Angeles, Lincoln: renting, crime rates, safe area)

[SagaSpring]

Hi there ! We are two Swedish girls who are going to stay in Santa Monica for 2 months . We will stay on Broadway near Lincoln Blvd. Is that a safe area ? Is it safe to go to the beach from there and can you be in the area in the evenings ?
Some other tips on how to get to know the American people? Where should we go? Clubs etc?
Regards Saga

[Cinema Cat]

I go to Broadway and Lincoln several times a week, usually around 6 a.m. There's a Vons grocery store there, where I do my morning shopping.

Yes, it's very safe. At least, as a man, I've never felt in danger. I don't think any woman would feel in danger either.

Completely safe during the day. Even safe at night, since police are often about.

[brrabbit]

It's as safe as LA can be, many families and tourists go there every day for fun/ stay on the beach/ clubs/ etc.
Yet it's also a very high-traffic area, attracting lots of different folks (there have been reports of rapes and kidnappings of school girls there by strangers). So, no need to worry there, but keep your eyes open at all times.

[disgruntled la native]

I don't know, santa monica has become kind of like Hollywood and highland. overcrowded, lots of tourists, weirdos, angry people. It's still pretty safe, but be very vigilant.

[murfslaw]

Originally Posted by brrabbit

It's as safe as LA can be, many families and tourists go there every day for fun/ stay on the beach/ clubs/ etc.
Yet it's also a very high-traffic area, attracting lots of different folks (there have been reports of rapes and kidnappings of school girls there by strangers). So, no need to worry there, but keep your eyes open at all times.

What planet are you from? Please provide the source where you got the information " reports of rapes and kidnappings of school girls there by strangers". That's a completely uninformed exaggeration. Sometimes it's better to say nothing than spread this kind of melious crap. Do you live in that part of Santa Monica?

[nh11]

It's safe, but at night, it's probably still a good habit to make sure you're with a group of people you trust. You might not have to worry about someone mugging you, but you'll still want to feel comfortable and secure even if it's just a homeless guy shuffling past you[1].

[1] The 22 Top Tips on Santa Monica, California Warnings and Dangers: 22 Warnings on How to Stay Safe in Santa Monica, California - VirtualTourist - http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel...ca-TG-C-1.html

In terms of getting to know the locals, you can join Meetup events[2], or check out local blogs[3] and FB pages[4] that highlight cool events and places happening around town. As a local, I also use Yelp[5] if I'm looking for popular places to try out.

[2] Meetups near Santa Monica, California - Meetup
[3] Best Bars in Santa Monica - Nightlife - Los Angeles, CA
[4] https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wests...76058709114038
[5] Night clubs Santa Monica, CA

Ugh, because I'm new, it looks like all the links are messed up.

[Kaphawoman]

Yes your area will be safe. As for tips to get to know Americans, people are generally friendly and willing to help foreigners and tourists. I would ask shopkeepers, bartenders, waitstaff--basically anyone you have to do a transaction with--to recommend things to do and places to see in the area. The beach has public volleyball courts. I'd try to suss out a non-serious game where the people are your age and opening to letting you join. Since you're young and female that won't be too difficult. I also recommend renting bicycles and taking the bike path along the beach, about 8 miles. You will be in the thick of things with joggers, roller skaters, dog walkers, beach bums, other tourists, etc. Will you be here over the 4th of July? That's America's Independence Day. Look online for areas where you can watch a fireworks show or attend a parade.

[majoun]

Safe.
All of the westside that's not in the city of Los Angeles is safe, and even most of the west side that
is part of the city of L.A. is safe. At this point I'd say the only parts of the west side that are less than safe are Venice and Palms, and even those are not uniformly unsafe.
Property crime issues are another story, they exist in SM as they do in all of L.A. County, but violent crime isn't an issue.

SM fortunately is it's own city and has an actual police department and public services, unlike the failed behemoth that surrounds it.

[brrabbit]

Originally Posted by murfslaw

What planet are you from? Please provide the source where you got the information " reports of rapes and kidnappings of school girls there by strangers". That's a completely uninformed exaggeration. Sometimes it's better to say nothing than spread this kind of melious crap. Do you live in that part of Santa Monica?

LA Times

[brrabbit]

Quick search found this statistics: Santa Monica crime rates and statistics - NeighborhoodScout
Note, that while it might seem fairly low numbers, it's still above average in the whole USA, and is definitely higher than 0.

Here's another (quite recent) sample from Santa Monica Daily News - Serial sexual assault suspect arrested .

And here's an attempted kidnapping - http://smdp.com/attempted-kidnapping-mid-city/141033

I don't say Santa Monica is a bad area, quite opposite - it's the main tourist attraction for a good reason. But unfortunately it attracts criminals as well.