We ended up getting a DIRT CHEAP rate at the Best Western near Civic Center in San Francisco in July. Is this area safe for me and my husband? How close to BART station is it? I'm a bit worried about the location. PLease advise.

I would try to pick another location. That's not an area I take people to when I want to impress them with SF. Lots of vagrants.

Stu Dudley

The hotel is okay but the area is bleak, or at least it was when I was last in SF. If you can switch...take a look at Columbus Motor Inn; Chelsea Motor Inn, or the cartwright Hotel. Not as close to the Bart but worth the cab ride!

You got dirt cheap for a reason.

I would most definitely look elsewhere

oops, hit post too soon. I have stayed there - when I used to work for the State I had to stay in SF periodically and we had a pretty low per diem for hotels. I think I stayed there twice over the years. The place itself isn't a hole - but unless you were traveling on business I wouldn't use it. In fact I would NEVER stay there on a leisure trip.

Go to www.biddingfortravel.com to do your research on what folks have gotten on Priceline and then bid on Priceline. You will get a much better hotel for a good price.

No, you do not want to stay in this area. Priceline if you must, but if you want to choose your hotel go to the San Francisco Reservations site...hotelres.com.. I would look for somehing in the Union Square area. Not the Ramada Limited, nor the Mark Twain, which are on the edge of an undesireable neighborhood. Hotelres will allow you to see the (discounted) hotel rates and all of the amenities, with pictures and maps. On this site you do not pay up front with no cancellation priveliges. You give them your credit card number as a deposit for the first night and from there you deal with the hotel, and pay when you check out. I don't take chances on sites like Priceline where you are locked into something you haven't seen. Caveat emptor.

Sorry about the spelling. Am typing fast on one of those "ergonomic" keyboards. Not used to it.

The Pickwick Hotel on 5th at Mission would be a better choice. Not as nice as Union Square, but still in the more economy pricing and within walking distance. We even walked at night and felt pretty comforatble.