SFO - What the heck is McCovey Cove Parking Lot?
 

My daughter wants to go to the Rock the Bells festival and I have no freakin' clue what this place is...
A Hip Hop Festival in San Francisco is quite scary to me.
You suppose this a safe event?
What economy, decent hotel is closest.
Any help is appreciated!!!

McCovey Cove is the arm of the Bay next to AT&T park (named of course after the great Willie McCovey). The parking lot/concert venue is just south of the ball park . . . . .

McCovey Cove is right next to AT&T Park (where the Giants play.) I have no idea what your daughter is like, TxTravelPro, so I wouldn't presume to tell you how "safe" this event is! When my son was a teenager, he went to a lot of festivals/concerts, etc. in the city, with girls and with guys. Everybody is alive today!

Seriously, it's one of those areas that can be very safe, can be very sketchy, depending upon what time of the evening (if there's a baseball game on, it's cool.) I don't think I'd want to stay in a hotel near there, but I really don't know specific places there.

Which night is she going?

I see there are two Rockthebells festivals, one on the 11th, one on the 18th. There is a night game at AT&T on August 11. That means that on that evening at least, there'll be a lot of people and a lot of security around that area until around 9 or 10pm. That probably isn't as much comfort as you were looking for, Tx, but ...

Thanks for the info...the one in San Francisco is on the 18th.
I see there is a Courtyard 'downtown' and that seems to be among the closest hotels.
If anyone has any suggestions, I appreciate it.

This festival looks really cool. I wish I could go. Ticket prices look a little steep for me right now though - this IS right in the middle of hockey playoffs, so that is where a big chunk of my discresionary money is going right now - LOL.

Whether or not this is a "safe" event definitely depends on your kid. Just like any concert or festival, there will be plenty of opportunities for her to get in trouble. If she isn't the type to go looking for trouble and if she is savy enough to know how to avoid it if it comes to her, then I think it is a safe event for her. On the other hand, if either of those statements is not true, then maybe not.

I would have no qualms about going though - I don't think there is anything scary or inherently dangerous about a hip hop festival.

Thanks J.
I am a paranoid Mom... you know.
The whole hip hop culture sort of freaks me out, really.
Is hip hop the same as rap?
I always associate that music with gangs and such.
She listens to Lilly Allen and Josh Groban and is going because he boyfriend wants to go.
I'm not sure they can afford it though...
Any tips on the best area to stay?

i have stayed at that courtyard and it was a very easy walk to at&t as we were going to a game- was very nice and seemed to be in a pretty safe area. i can imagine it will be horrible to try and get out of there so maybe somewhere you can walk to would be easiest

Hip-hop includes rap as a sub-genre, but there are many kinds of rap, not all of which celebrate thug culture. Anyway, I agree with the poster above who said that your daughter's attitude is really the determining factor. To me, the key to staying safe in large outdoor crowds is keeping your wits about you.

Exactly. Rap is a sub-genre of hip-hop and then with rap there are more sub-genres. Gangsta rap gets a lot of press because it is an easy target - the media can play it up and boost ratings. But there is A LOT more going on than just the thug-life, ganster stuff.

I think staying in SF after the event would be great - make a weekend out of it. There is a lightrail (MUNI) line right near there that goes downtown, so your daughter might try Priceline for a good deal on a room downtown.

Is this the place where Cirque du Soleil put up their tents? If yes, I was going home at night from the Cirque, should be lots of people at a festival, and she'll be safe.

There was a light rail line M, but now there is a new line T, and may be J? Not sure, but you should get info from the MUNI website, and get a hotel somewhere along T or J if they are running in this area. Maybe Embarcadero or Union Square.