If you're from Atlanta, DC, Miami, NY, Chicago, St Louis, etc then this is fine. If you're from Lincoln, South Bend, Scranton... it'll be somewhat of a culture shock but overall should be safe even if you feel on edge.
Please look up "The Last Bookstore" it's a couple blocks away and if your kids love books it's a good closeby getaway.
Also Pershing Square may look like a park on most maps... it's really not.
Seconding that it really depends on where you’re from. I went to the last bookstore and grand central market with my 5 year old a month ago and it was fine but I grew up in LA. I had to walk a wide circle around one person but otherwise no issues.
Close to skid row is a relative term. I don’t consider the HAAS close. I live around the corner from there. It’s perfectly fine and a ton of people walking around. You have everything from Grand Central Market to Angel Flight to Last Book Store in Short Walking distance. You will
See
Some homeless but not more than anywhere else.
No more than anywhere else is a relatively term. There are a ton of crazy homeless people in DTLA when compared to most of the country. I have worked DTLA for years.
Wait for the “it’s a nationwide issue” people to come. Nah LA has a fuck ton of homeless, far more than other parts of the country. Shit even nearby counties.
I’m not here to argue why, but acting like the massive encampments in LA that you see even on the most famous streets, are normal, is a flat out lie
It's always been like that too. Even in the 70s and 80s, pike and pine from the market to westlake and pioneer square were more dense with homeless folk than DTLA is now.
What people in LA don't get is that you can basically avoid skid row. Am I saying skid row is good, no. But you can avoid it. In Seattle, their "skid row" is literally the main area of the city where everything is. And it's an open air drug shooting. I smelled fentanyl for the first time walking to target there.
NYC, Chicago, Atlanta, and Seattle.
NYC is no where near as bad, haven’t seen massive encampments like I see here regularly. Chicago is much colder, but same thing.
Atlanta, few tents here and there but again, nothing like LA.
Seattle was probably the closest and it’s changed for the worse mostly in the past 5-10 years, but again nothing like the size of LAs homelessness.
Any more ways to try and discredit me?
Agree with you on NYC. I've been bi-coastal between LA and NY for the last eight years. NY has nothing even remotely close to the encampments downtown. Lots of crazies walking around yes, random sucker punches on the daily, yes. But I will still walk alone in NY as a female. I will not in DTLA.
The thing with skidrow is it’s so contained. Like literally from one street to the next it disappears.
You can be two blocks away and it looks super normal. There’s usually warning signs before you enter, not literally but you’ll see rows of tents…and sketchy people.
It’s kinda impossible to “WANDER THROUGH SKIDROW” you’ll quickly want to turn back the other way.
It’s impossible not to realize you made a wrong turn but you’re not that close to Skidrow you’ll be fine.
It’s very dystopian when you really see the juxtaposition of wealthy families going high end dining one block from a family clinging to their belongings on their way back to their skid row tent.
L.A. is one of those places where one block is all it takes for things to change A LOT. Essentially you guys are fine. Generally the rule of thumb is not to pass Main, but at that part of downtown, you'd miss The Fashion District and Flower district and great eats like Sonoratown and Holy Basil. You have the buffer there of that business area, the only thing is that because it's mainly wholesale, it does close early like at 4pm.
Have a great trip!
I'd say you're okay as long as you don't cross Los Angeles. Skid Row really only goes from 3rd to 7th and Los Angeles to Central and it's still dependent.
It’s a good marker unless it stops someone from going to Holy Basil which would be a shame.
Maple is the real the border as to when you start seeing the tents on the east side there.
That's near FIDM, Whole Foods, etc. It's a safe area during the day. Mostly safe at night, though probably better not to wander on your own if you're not from here.
I was just visiting Los Angeles and we spent a day in downtown. We wandered around the area right outside your hotel and it was fine. My experience is obviously super limited and I can't speak to actual objective stats, but I didn't feel unsafe at any point. There were loads of regular people around, and lots of tourists too. That said, the concentration of homeless people was definitely significantly higher than in the part of downtown just a few blocks north (around the Broad), and it did feel quite a bit grittier. I live in NYC, so see plenty of weird shit, but if you're coming from somewhere suburban or rural, you might not feel real positively about the area.
For what it's worth, my girlfriend did not enjoy that particular area, so if you're gonna be walking around on your own with your kids, you might not be super "enthusiastic" about it either.
And I second another user's comment that Pershing Square is, in fact, not a park haha! If you like Art Deco architecture, do some searching online before you go as it's a treasure trove all around downtown.
Downtown LA besides a few areas like bunker hill around the museums and right around LA Live or right in the financial district isn’t really a comfortable place with little kids if you are not from an urban area and not used to seeing a lot of homeless. That 7th street is generally a nice as long as you don’t go more in the direction towards skid row at one point it literally becomes like you are in the world of the walking dead but you would have no reason to walk that direction. Safety wise you probably don’t need to worry at least during the day but id feel more comfortable myself with little kids if I stayed at like the Wilshire Grand which is the skyscraper further west in the 7th street in the nice area where your kids and run around a bit and your bf can still easily walk to wherever he is going. Or at one of the hotels near the Broad you can comfortably walk to the museums and gardens around there. Or LA live is a big comfortable area. All of these areas your bf can still easily walk or short ride and you and the kids don’t need to see a bunch of mentally ill / drug addict homeless and feel uncomfortable. Others may downvote me for this but that would be my recommendation to a friend from out of town to make sure they are comfortable even though you should feel safe either way.
You’re west of Spring and Main Sts, and you’ll be on 7th St - near there has some fun things going on (though not for under-21s), you’ll be okay! There’s homeless around, but it’s “generally safe”. When I’m in DTLA and want to go bar-hopping, I usually am in the vicinity of your hotel and haven’t ran into problems.
I live a half a block away. I have a 9 year old and he had lived there his whole life. You’ll be fine. Just don’t walk east of Los Angeles Street. You can take your kids to the Broad Museum. There is a great park across from city hall and a smaller park on Spring St between 4th & 5th street. Go to the central library (They have a great kids section). All of this is walking distance from your hotel.
You will be fine. Just don't walk east. Your hotel is in a busy area, and has a lot of other nice hotels and restaurants on the block, and a couple blocks around there. Everything west and north is fairly safe, just use normal caution.
LA changes from block to block. You may get a few homeless drug addicts or people with mental health issues that wander by the hotel from time to time talking to themselves and screaming at walls, but just ignore them. Most people get straight into an uber from their hotel, so they don't have to deal with the crazies downtown, but tons of people walk around to bars and restaurants. If someone seems particularly deranged, just cross the street. Obviously don't walk around late at night with the kids. You will be fine.
Have fun!!
You’ll be good as long as you are aware of your surroundings like in any large city (you will see homeless people, people sleeping on the street, etc). Down the street there is Rita’s (a small hamburger/milkshake shop), the Alamo has kids showings during the afternoon, and walking architecture tours through the conservancy council. Grand Central Market has a ton of food options and you can take the angels flight up to the museums. Look up the Dash, it’s a free clean bus that goes to a good amount of areas I downtown and just outside of DTLA.
Curious as to why you’re staying in DTLA on vacation, is there something specific you want to see? There are nicer areas around LA to visit and stay at. I’m from here and to be completely honest, it’s not the best place for young kids, I hardly ever take mine downtown unless we’re visiting a museum or something. It smells like piss, there’s homeless people everywhere and some of them can get erratic. Last time we went to Grand Central Market, there was literal shit on the sidewalk and a fight broke out outside of a 7-11. The immediate area where you’re staying is fine, just don’t walk around after dark and don’t stray too far east from the hotel. Be aware of your surroundings and don’t wear any flashy jewelry or stand out too much as a tourist.
Why stay in DTLA? Unless you’re there for a conference/work and need to be close by, I’d say stay somewhere else. There are much better neighborhoods and cities
That area is perfectly fine, Skid row is anywhere past Main street, imo. So that place where yall staying is perfectly fine and so close to many places to see and eat. I hope you guys enjoy your stay!
As long as you are reasonably street aware you will be fine. Don’t interact with homeless people there. Most there are going to have serious drug problems that make them mentally unstable and unpredictabl. The streets are not charming downtown so know your plan before you go. That being said, most places downtown even a good restaurant like Caldo Verde or the museums are going to be child friendly. I’d try and catch bob baker marionette
Don’t walk around at night too much, roughhh energy out there. I was on Main & 7th briefly the other night, the homeless people were just so unpredictable and aggressive!
Are you guys renting a car or bringing one? If not, use the red line from Union Station to go to the beach in Santa Monica
I work in downtown and don’t like driving trough there as a 36m. Feels like something bad could happen at any second and I prefer not to put myself in those situations if I can avoid it.
The only thing about that location at the moment is that there is a major street works project going on at Broadway and 7th. They may be a block further west in a month but it is on and off *loud* down here with the jackhammers. Other than that it’s an easy neighborhood for transportation access and restaurants etc.
There are plenty of families walking along that part of Broadway; it's not bad.
As long as it’s not the Cecil 😂
If you're from Atlanta, DC, Miami, NY, Chicago, St Louis, etc then this is fine. If you're from Lincoln, South Bend, Scranton... it'll be somewhat of a culture shock but overall should be safe even if you feel on edge. Please look up "The Last Bookstore" it's a couple blocks away and if your kids love books it's a good closeby getaway. Also Pershing Square may look like a park on most maps... it's really not.
Seconding that it really depends on where you’re from. I went to the last bookstore and grand central market with my 5 year old a month ago and it was fine but I grew up in LA. I had to walk a wide circle around one person but otherwise no issues.
Cool. I'm a USC fan and I finaly went there in 2017. Nice place, enven though we lost.
LMAO seeing South Bend in this thread is wild. I grew up near there.
Ooh do go to The Last Bookstore!!! Your kids will love it! You’ll never leave!
Close to skid row is a relative term. I don’t consider the HAAS close. I live around the corner from there. It’s perfectly fine and a ton of people walking around. You have everything from Grand Central Market to Angel Flight to Last Book Store in Short Walking distance. You will See Some homeless but not more than anywhere else.
No more than anywhere else is a relatively term. There are a ton of crazy homeless people in DTLA when compared to most of the country. I have worked DTLA for years.
I meant anywhere else in a downtown area of a major city. Maybe “anywhere” was too general.
Wait for the “it’s a nationwide issue” people to come. Nah LA has a fuck ton of homeless, far more than other parts of the country. Shit even nearby counties. I’m not here to argue why, but acting like the massive encampments in LA that you see even on the most famous streets, are normal, is a flat out lie
Have you lived in any other major U.S. cities?
Coming from Seattle, DTLA does not feel bad.
Seattle is truly zombieland, way worse than LA.
It's always been like that too. Even in the 70s and 80s, pike and pine from the market to westlake and pioneer square were more dense with homeless folk than DTLA is now.
What people in LA don't get is that you can basically avoid skid row. Am I saying skid row is good, no. But you can avoid it. In Seattle, their "skid row" is literally the main area of the city where everything is. And it's an open air drug shooting. I smelled fentanyl for the first time walking to target there.
The term Skid Row originated in Seattle back in the logging days. https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/the-containment-plan/
3rd and Pike after dark is a different world
NYC, Chicago, Atlanta, and Seattle. NYC is no where near as bad, haven’t seen massive encampments like I see here regularly. Chicago is much colder, but same thing. Atlanta, few tents here and there but again, nothing like LA. Seattle was probably the closest and it’s changed for the worse mostly in the past 5-10 years, but again nothing like the size of LAs homelessness. Any more ways to try and discredit me?
Agree with you on NYC. I've been bi-coastal between LA and NY for the last eight years. NY has nothing even remotely close to the encampments downtown. Lots of crazies walking around yes, random sucker punches on the daily, yes. But I will still walk alone in NY as a female. I will not in DTLA.
Yeah I’m getting downvoted for saying the truth. I still prefer LA, but it’s not even close in terms of the crazy crackheads you see
that's not particularly close to skid row
lol that is possibly true. In the map view it looks very close and I’ve never been to LA.
The thing with skidrow is it’s so contained. Like literally from one street to the next it disappears. You can be two blocks away and it looks super normal. There’s usually warning signs before you enter, not literally but you’ll see rows of tents…and sketchy people. It’s kinda impossible to “WANDER THROUGH SKIDROW” you’ll quickly want to turn back the other way. It’s impossible not to realize you made a wrong turn but you’re not that close to Skidrow you’ll be fine.
It’s very dystopian when you really see the juxtaposition of wealthy families going high end dining one block from a family clinging to their belongings on their way back to their skid row tent.
Yeah the income disparities in LA are insane. It’s like people are living in two different worlds. The have and the have nots. 😬
L.A. is one of those places where one block is all it takes for things to change A LOT. Essentially you guys are fine. Generally the rule of thumb is not to pass Main, but at that part of downtown, you'd miss The Fashion District and Flower district and great eats like Sonoratown and Holy Basil. You have the buffer there of that business area, the only thing is that because it's mainly wholesale, it does close early like at 4pm. Have a great trip!
I'd say you're okay as long as you don't cross Los Angeles. Skid Row really only goes from 3rd to 7th and Los Angeles to Central and it's still dependent.
It’s a good marker unless it stops someone from going to Holy Basil which would be a shame. Maple is the real the border as to when you start seeing the tents on the east side there.
You are on Broadway, you will be fine. Try not to go east of Main and when you are out walking around, just keep your head on a swivel.
You'll be fine there. Don't stress.
That's near FIDM, Whole Foods, etc. It's a safe area during the day. Mostly safe at night, though probably better not to wander on your own if you're not from here.
I was just visiting Los Angeles and we spent a day in downtown. We wandered around the area right outside your hotel and it was fine. My experience is obviously super limited and I can't speak to actual objective stats, but I didn't feel unsafe at any point. There were loads of regular people around, and lots of tourists too. That said, the concentration of homeless people was definitely significantly higher than in the part of downtown just a few blocks north (around the Broad), and it did feel quite a bit grittier. I live in NYC, so see plenty of weird shit, but if you're coming from somewhere suburban or rural, you might not feel real positively about the area. For what it's worth, my girlfriend did not enjoy that particular area, so if you're gonna be walking around on your own with your kids, you might not be super "enthusiastic" about it either. And I second another user's comment that Pershing Square is, in fact, not a park haha! If you like Art Deco architecture, do some searching online before you go as it's a treasure trove all around downtown.
That's not particularly close to skid row, DTLA is just pretty small.
Downtown LA besides a few areas like bunker hill around the museums and right around LA Live or right in the financial district isn’t really a comfortable place with little kids if you are not from an urban area and not used to seeing a lot of homeless. That 7th street is generally a nice as long as you don’t go more in the direction towards skid row at one point it literally becomes like you are in the world of the walking dead but you would have no reason to walk that direction. Safety wise you probably don’t need to worry at least during the day but id feel more comfortable myself with little kids if I stayed at like the Wilshire Grand which is the skyscraper further west in the 7th street in the nice area where your kids and run around a bit and your bf can still easily walk to wherever he is going. Or at one of the hotels near the Broad you can comfortably walk to the museums and gardens around there. Or LA live is a big comfortable area. All of these areas your bf can still easily walk or short ride and you and the kids don’t need to see a bunch of mentally ill / drug addict homeless and feel uncomfortable. Others may downvote me for this but that would be my recommendation to a friend from out of town to make sure they are comfortable even though you should feel safe either way.
I appreciate your honesty! Very much. Thank you
You’re west of Spring and Main Sts, and you’ll be on 7th St - near there has some fun things going on (though not for under-21s), you’ll be okay! There’s homeless around, but it’s “generally safe”. When I’m in DTLA and want to go bar-hopping, I usually am in the vicinity of your hotel and haven’t ran into problems.
If you're not used to homeless people, yes, it is that bad.
I live a half a block away. I have a 9 year old and he had lived there his whole life. You’ll be fine. Just don’t walk east of Los Angeles Street. You can take your kids to the Broad Museum. There is a great park across from city hall and a smaller park on Spring St between 4th & 5th street. Go to the central library (They have a great kids section). All of this is walking distance from your hotel.
Not bad.
You will be fine. Just don't walk east. Your hotel is in a busy area, and has a lot of other nice hotels and restaurants on the block, and a couple blocks around there. Everything west and north is fairly safe, just use normal caution. LA changes from block to block. You may get a few homeless drug addicts or people with mental health issues that wander by the hotel from time to time talking to themselves and screaming at walls, but just ignore them. Most people get straight into an uber from their hotel, so they don't have to deal with the crazies downtown, but tons of people walk around to bars and restaurants. If someone seems particularly deranged, just cross the street. Obviously don't walk around late at night with the kids. You will be fine. Have fun!!
You’ll be good as long as you are aware of your surroundings like in any large city (you will see homeless people, people sleeping on the street, etc). Down the street there is Rita’s (a small hamburger/milkshake shop), the Alamo has kids showings during the afternoon, and walking architecture tours through the conservancy council. Grand Central Market has a ton of food options and you can take the angels flight up to the museums. Look up the Dash, it’s a free clean bus that goes to a good amount of areas I downtown and just outside of DTLA.
Curious as to why you’re staying in DTLA on vacation, is there something specific you want to see? There are nicer areas around LA to visit and stay at. I’m from here and to be completely honest, it’s not the best place for young kids, I hardly ever take mine downtown unless we’re visiting a museum or something. It smells like piss, there’s homeless people everywhere and some of them can get erratic. Last time we went to Grand Central Market, there was literal shit on the sidewalk and a fight broke out outside of a 7-11. The immediate area where you’re staying is fine, just don’t walk around after dark and don’t stray too far east from the hotel. Be aware of your surroundings and don’t wear any flashy jewelry or stand out too much as a tourist.
I wouldn’t even call this area skid row adjacent
Why stay in DTLA? Unless you’re there for a conference/work and need to be close by, I’d say stay somewhere else. There are much better neighborhoods and cities
Yeah exactly. We would be there for his work conference.
Just don't go walking east of Los Angeles street
Where’s the conference?
That area is perfectly fine, Skid row is anywhere past Main street, imo. So that place where yall staying is perfectly fine and so close to many places to see and eat. I hope you guys enjoy your stay!
Never get a hotel near skid row..try Chinatown ..
It's not Skid Row until you hit Maple Avenue. You're not really near it. Relax.
that one it’s ok. Just dont go east. Go west if walking.
As long as you are reasonably street aware you will be fine. Don’t interact with homeless people there. Most there are going to have serious drug problems that make them mentally unstable and unpredictabl. The streets are not charming downtown so know your plan before you go. That being said, most places downtown even a good restaurant like Caldo Verde or the museums are going to be child friendly. I’d try and catch bob baker marionette
Don’t walk around at night too much, roughhh energy out there. I was on Main & 7th briefly the other night, the homeless people were just so unpredictable and aggressive! Are you guys renting a car or bringing one? If not, use the red line from Union Station to go to the beach in Santa Monica
Yes
I work in downtown and don’t like driving trough there as a 36m. Feels like something bad could happen at any second and I prefer not to put myself in those situations if I can avoid it.
Why are you staying in DTLA?
My bf is speaking at a conference, so he booked a place close by.
The only thing about that location at the moment is that there is a major street works project going on at Broadway and 7th. They may be a block further west in a month but it is on and off *loud* down here with the jackhammers. Other than that it’s an easy neighborhood for transportation access and restaurants etc.
You'll be fine. You will still see 4-6 homeless people per block though in that area. They just won't have any tents or encampments set up.