I had booked what I thought was a great B&B in Alamo Square (Chateau Tivoli) but two people who live in SF has told me that the area is unsafe. I do not know if they are just exagerating or if I should look elsewhere. I am arriving this Sunday!

Carla: I've been to Alamo Square twice on two different trips and felt very safe there. People walk their dogs in the park and you have a nice view of the city and the Victorian homes from the top of the hill. The park has plenty of benches and is a nice place to rest. Have fun!

This use to be refered to as a "transitional neighborhood". Things have transitioned very rapidly as of late and it is definitely better than it was, BUT I would be very aware especially at night. Beautiful victorians and well travelled during the day time but on the edge or into areas you do not want to saunter through after dark. If safety is a concern I would see if you could still book a room at The Washington Square Inn, A B&B in North Beach . Far more interesting and centrally located area, tons of great restaurants just outside your door ,to say nothing of safer. They only have about 10-11 rooms and are ususlly booked. But a Sunday arrival off season might be doable. While Alamo Square might work, in truth I would prefer friends stay in the Italian North Beach area.Good luck.

Definitely agree with above response. Yes, it's ok during the day, but a few blocks drive will put you in a not-so-nice area. There will be times in your trip when you will probably find yourselves arriving back at the b and b late in the evening. Surely there are other b and b or small hotels that are in a safer area near more things you can walk to. Enjoy our fair Bay Area on your visit!

A follow up that I hope will do more to clarify than to confuse. After talking with people at work, WE have the following recommendations. First realize "safety" is relative. If the question is," Will you survive in Alamo Square?" the answer is yes. Especially if you have a car , do not go wandering about after dark and most of us would not recommend taking public transportation in or out at night. I'm sure personnel at the Tivolie will caution you appropriately as it is in their best interest to lose as few tourists as possible. Know also that there are people who live there who probably do these things every day with a proper degree of caution. If the question was, "Would any of us recommend any of our friends to stay there?", the answer would be no. Since one of the great things about SF is walking about, there are areas to stay which would be far more interesting and "safer" especially at night. We may all be erroring on the side of caution and the Tivolie undoubtedly has patrons who rave about it .