James

Ok, here's the deal. There is nothing UNSAFE about Union Square. However, it does get a bit dirty and nasty as you head west. The further north you are, the less grimy (as you go up the hill). South of Geary, I would stay at Powell or east. Between Geary and Sutter, you're okay east of Taylor. North of Sutter, it's pretty much all fine. Also, I would not recommend Market Street west of Powell/Fifth.

It's not that these areas are unsafe at all, just dirty and not really anything nice to see. I have walked all around Union Square MANY times and have never felt unsafe.

Yes, there are lots of panhandlers and homeless people. But they are almost all completely harmless (everyone will have a story about how a friend of a friend had a "bad" experience of course).

Fisherman's Wharf is quite boring in my opinion. Yes, the bay is beautiful. But how many "3 shirts for ten dollars" stores do you need to see? And clam chowder in a bread bowl? Can you really eat that three times a day?

It's easy to get to Fisherman's Wharf from Union Square (do NOT take the cable car, you'll line up for an hour). The F-line streetcar on Market will take you there for $1. Or there are a number of bus lines you can take (#30, #15, #10), also for the same $1.

Also, just to note, the cable cars at Powell Street are closed through November, M-F 7a-4p (http://www.sfmuni.com/turnaround).

So, once again, Union Square is totally SAFE!!! Yes, it's a bit worn at the edges, but there are always TONS of people walking around at all times of day.

J

Unless your wife and her friend are going to be wandering around the area at 3 a.m., then it's perfectly safe for them to spend time there at night. My friends and I will often go for dinner, to the theater, or to clubs nearby, and either cab it or park under the Square or at any of the garages in the less appealing areas adjacent to Union Square.

There's tons of people everywhere at night, especially on the weekends. If they feel at all unsafe, there are plenty of cabs that can take them back to the hotel. But i'll be that they won't need one. Don't worry, it's safe enough for them.

kam

How people love to bash San Francisco!! Yes, there are panhandlers and homeless near Union Square, but many of you don't get the boundaries correct. I totally agree with James that to the west of the square is the Tenderloin and you don't want to go walking there at night as a woman. SF is not Disneyland! It's a real city with real problems. We are facing an election soon in which hopefully the residents of SF will vote to improve the city and deal with the homeless issue. In the meantime, I would feel very safe as long as I remained "city savy" in the Union Square area. I would not stay west of the SF Hilton though. Suggest any women alone take taxis in the evening---not terribly expensive and abundant.

Rat

Dear SF trolls are: Just curious but what compulsive obsessive disorder is it you have? What medication are you on? I have never in my life seen any one person as fanatical as you are about downtown SF. You can't hide because you post under alot of names but is very obvious who you are. Did you slip and fall, hit your head on some street in the city, file a lawsuit and lose? You are a joke. If I am a troll, so be it, what exactly are you?

Dave

Union Square is absolutely fine at night - probably even a tad safer than Fisherman's Wharf when it's dark out. As long as they exercise good judgment and stay out of the Tenderloin they'll be fine.

I moved from San Fran a year ago. Love it, but you definitely get a different view of it when you live there. Market Street and the Muni buses are disgusting, unless panhandlers and the smell of bum piss are your kind of thing.

No Uinion Square

Union Square is not at all the nice place that many on this board make it out to be. Make no mistake, it is a raunchy part of SF. Even though they "cleaned" it up, the Square is basically mostly cement with little greenery. It is an area frequented by juvenile skaboarders, addicts, and beggars taunting people for money and eating out of trash cans.