How safe is it to travel to/in Los Angeles?

Question

I am not one to be paranoid, but I have heard Los Angeles is a dangerous city, and I want to know if those holds true for Tourists and the areas tourists usually visit. I may be going to LA in October this year and I want to know that if we are going to Disneyland, the Hollywood Sign, Walk of Fame, Paramount Studios, Six Flags, Griffith Observatory, and the Aquarium of the Pacific.

Are these areas safe, or safe to get to? What are the best and safest ways to get there?

Forgive my ignorance if this is really paranoid.

I am coming from Winnipeg, Canada. We are a city of 700,000 and have pretty bad crime rate (one of the highest in Canada, and we were murder capital of Canada for a long time... I think 2006 was the first year we werent in a while).

Answer 1

Greetings from SoCal!

I don't know who keeps perpetuating these rumors. You really need to stop believing those movies, my friend.

One of the cool things about LA is that it truly is a diverse place to live. In a way, it's a melting pot, but in many ways, each group maintains its own unique culture and character.

The places you mentioned are all quite safe, as long as you exercise normal caution and have realistic expectations of what is going to be in Hollywood. The Hollywood area is not glitzy by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, the term my kids use is "ghetto". Walking down the walk of fame, it's fun to look for the stars of celebs. But keep in mind that the scene changes at night, and you need to exercise some extra caution.

As previously mentioned, you cannot get directly to the Hollywood Sign any more. However, there are some excellent viewing points at the Griffith Observatory, the Hollywood Bowl, and Bronson Caves (do a Google search on that one, it's very interesting--- If you have ever seen a cave in a movie, chances are overwhelming that they filmed it there).

Disneyland is safer than safe, and the Mouse likes it that way.

Have fun, be a little careful, and don't worry!

Answer 2

The areas u mentioned are very safe. The best way to go is to rent a car. All the places you mentioned are not close to each other, LA is very spread out and with traffic there, cab rides can get quite pricey.
You also may want to consider some of these places while you are there, Hollywood and Highland (where the stars are on the sidewalk, handprints in the groud at Gruman theater and the Kodak theater where the Oscars are held, Venice Beach, santa Monica pier and 3rd street Promenade.
Be forwarned that you now need a reservation for Griffith Observatory! I would look to see if there is a website with their number so you can call ahead.
Also, six flags (magic mountain is about an hour outside of LA, North depending on where in LA you stay)
Disneyland is an hour south of LA agai depending on where u stay.
I think the aquarium u are talking about is Long Beach (and if you are there don't forget to see the Queen Mary)
Areas to stay away from would be Compton, Ingelwood at night esp, but none of the things you mentioned are near there

Answer 3

With stats like that, you're worried about LA?

The reality of LA is, most of the violent crimes are gangs attacking other gangs.

Stay out of gangs and know gang areas, keep your wits about you and you'll be fine.

If you will be driving, I suggest you buy a Thomas Bros map book and know how to use it so you don't get lost and end up in an unsavory neighbor.

BTW, you can't get to the Hollywood sign anymore, it's fenced off. You can hike near it, though. You can get a really good view of it from the observatory. Ocotober is a nice time of year to visit. Clear skies and still warm.

Fly in and rent a car. No point spending 3 days on the road each way.

Answer 4

I live in Long Beach (home of the Aquarium of the Pacific). The areas you are interested in seeing are fairly safe, as all the tourists are there. LA is a big, wide city with a ton of freeways, so just make sure you map things out before driving around. Most of the places you mentioned (with the exception of the Aquarium and Disneyland) are in LA/Hollywood, so just grab a map and familiarize yourself with the 101 and 5 freeways. Disneyland is just a drive south on the 5 into Orange County. LA is a fun place to visit. Just make sure you know where you are going, as it is easy to get lost and find yourself in a bad neighborhood.

Answer 5

What people fail to see is that the US in general has a bad identity crisis. People from Europe and Asia have a belief that in the US we are a bunch of blood thirsty Animals, and that murders and crime is out of control… In a way it is compared to other rich country, the US has the highest crime rate of any rich country. As to your question… 1st My question to you is where are you coming from? 2nd Los Angeles is the second safest Major city in the US, we are only second to NYC. Los Angeles is considered safer that many small cities for example if you live in a city of 13,000 people and you have 130 related crimes (1 out of 100 people would be a victim) but then if you are in a city that has over 13 million people and you have 130,000 related crimes(1 out of a 100 people would be a victim this is just an example)… Los Angeles would be just as safe as the much smaller city. But more people equal more crime but it doesn’t necessarily make it more dangerous.


FYI... Places like St. Louis, Detroit, Oakland, Memphis, Atlanta, Washington DC, Dallas, Miami, Houston, San Francisco are all more Dangerous than Los Angeles check out this list... http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/10/30/D8L2OIB80.html

Answer 6

L.A.'s crime is over-hyped, mostly because it's easy for the media to cover it. With the itinerary you describe, you should be fine. You may see some beggars/panhandlers in Hollywood, but it's unlikely you'll encounter any serious problems. Even the "dangerous" areas of L.A. (like Compton mentioned above) are relatively safe by day, though there's not much reason you'd want to visit them. In the places you're going, you should take the normal precautions you would in any big city. Don't worry, though--you'll be fine.

Answer 7

you have asked this comparable question, phrased in diverse approaches, thrice now. confident, it incredibly is secure. Very secure for a city - statistically, between the main secure *significant* cities in the rustic. safer than manhattan, DC, Chicago, Nashville, etc... And opposite to what somebody else suggested, the worst neighborhoods are NOWHERE close to touristy factors. The worst neighborhoods are in the SE factor of the city, nowhere close to everywhere travelers (or maybe maximum locals) could bypass. Fisherman's Wharf (vacationer section #a million) is surrounded by using all good factors. Union sq. (vacationer section #2) does have some seedy factors around it, with severe occurrence of sources, drug, and prostitution crime, yet no longer too lots violent crime (and it incredibly is incredibly lots all concerning to the latter 2, ie: do no longer purchase drugs or contain your self in prostitution - and don't flash funds around - and you haven't any longer something to rigidity approximately). confident, you would be secure by using your self. Many youthful women stay in SF by using themselves, walk around all hours day and nighttime, and in no way have an issue. different human beings finally end up being randomly killed in small rural cities and suburbs. merely notice of your environment and you'd be high quality.

Answer 8

The comment above is fallacies of ignorance u will be fine flying into LAX. ppl do it all the time.

Answer 9

drive through compton and find out G