Is Emeryville or Oakland safe to detrain?

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When I was asking mega questions re the CZ here, a couple of posts told me that Oakland was definitely NOT safe. No one advised that Emeryville was unsafe. I have no personal knowledge of either place.
 
I've detrained at Oakland (met by friend, stayed a couple days with him, then caught an Ambus from the station to San Jose via SFO). Wouldn't want to hang around the neighborhood, but it seems fine for a few minutes, especially if you stay on the platform.
 
Aloha

I have stayed in Jack London Square a couple of blocks from the Oakland Station. I do not consider the area by the station unsafe, but the area deteriorates real fast as you go away from the station.
 
Jack London Square is a very safe area, and it begins only one block away from the station proper (hence why Oakland is OKJ; the station's official name is Oakland/Jack London Square.) There are very high-end restaurants, very nice hotels, and some extremely expensive yachts which moor at the marina there. This area of Oakland is primarily industrial, though has been transitioning into a similar kind of setting as San Francisco's South of Market neighborhood for some time. The economic downturn stalled that movement some, but it is starting to pick back up again. If has the "feel" of some concern after dark, but it really is nothing more than that. You are assuredly quite safe, and one just needs to walk parallel to the tracks (which run in the middle of an active street,) toward the North from the station building and you'll be in Jack London Square itself in less than a couple minutes. During the day time, you have more danger walking across an intersection at New York City's 5th Avenue and 48th Street.

Emeryville? Probably one of the safer neighborhoods Amtrak serves in the entire country.
 
Are we talking about both OKJ and OAC?

As for OKJ, I can see that maybe being unsafe at night. As I walked around about a 10 block radius the other day, I got the sense that I was constantly in the ghetto. Not the people, but the quality and cleanliness of the streets and buildings.
 
Where are you going after you get off the train? Emeryville is the stop to connect to buses to get to San Francisco. We have gone thought there frequently, but only to transition between bus and train. Doesn't look to bad adn there are places to stay really close. there is an Enterprise rent a car very close to the station, but it is only open 8:00 to 5:30 on weekdays.
 
I have a friend that lives in Jack London Square and walks her dog around there at night without issue. That being said, if I was unfamiliar with the area and toting luggage I might not linger..
 
The OKJ station is fine. Get picked up, grab a taxi or get on the Ambus. Don't wander far, though.

Emerville you can go over the tracks to the shopping center/food court no problem.
 
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I work in the area during the week at the local transit agency and my patrol area includes the area around OKJ. Sometimes I'll sit outside in my work vehicle for an hour or two monitoring our service. It really depends on your definition of a bad area. The area around the station is actually one of the better areas in the city. It used to be more industrial but many warehouses are now turning into Condo conversions that are rather pricy. Jack London Square is nearby as well which is a common gathering point for many. Upscale restaurants are starting to move in and change the scene. It really depends on your view of what is safe and what is not.

Driving through East Oakland I take reports on fights, robberies, and the like. It is just everyday life. Shootings are numerous but they tend to occur in East Oakland or West Oakland, not the area the station is currently in. With that said, no matter where you go or travel to across the country, there will be some element of crime, especially in larger areas like the Chicago's and New York's out there.

I would give the same advice for Oakland as I would give Pleasantville... Be aware of your surroundings, don't loiter around, don't display all your belongings such as your expensive phones as it makes one a target, and just use common sense.

With that said, Emeryville would be a better station to use if one is weary. The stations may only be 4 miles apart but they are in very different areas. Unfortunately, Oakland has a bad reputation when it comes to crime but hundreds of thousands of people are in Oakland every day without a problem. Just be street smart and the average person should not have a problem.
 
I just completed a trip that included arriving at Emeryville on the CZ and waiting for the Northbound CS. I was alone and never felt unsafe. I had to wait several hours there and found myself a corner to sit in with my back against the wall, no one could sneak up on me. But there was no need for it as there was no one around who looked like they wanted to bother me.

The only station I did not feel safe at was LAX waiting for the PCL after the CS arrived. There are so many homeless in the station, the Amtrak police were having them rounded up and moved. Being there late at night I realized that staying at LAX was not for me. I will avoid this station for any length of time. May even try and board the CS elsewhere to avoid the station.
 
We've been to Emeryville several times and stayed overnight. Had no problems and did not discern any of the signs of sketchy characters or sleaziness. LAUS is adjacent to a couple of tourist areas and across the 101 freeway from downtown. It is relatively safe, but sometimes homeless from across the freeway in skid-row migrate over. The Sheriff's Department rounds them up and shoos them away. The building is relatively well patrolled mostly by the Sheriff's Department Transportation Services Bureau. They have responsibility for patrolling Metrolink (owners of the station) and the MTA trains and busses.
 
I've never felt unsafe at Los Angeles Union Station, although I grow weary of the many panhandlers who openly troll for easy marks. Every one needs some oddly specific amount of money to ... wait for it ... get home.
 
I Love LAUS, but I was approached by this guy who said he had just gotten out of jail for Domestic Battery & needed money to get a cab home because she wouldn't come get him!!! I Swear!!!! :eek: :giggle:
 
The Jack London Square area isn't really all that bad at night, but definitely be aware. There's a lot to do at night and there are lots of semi-upscale restaurants and shops in the area, including Cost Plus and BevMo. There was a gang-related shooting at the movie theater (and I used to watch a lot of movies there) and for months Oakland Police used to have a car in front at all times when it was open. I won't say it's perfect, but the area is being turned into an area with loft apartments and better options. A lot of people with high incomes are moving into the area, and the city is highly motivated to provide better police services lest property values and sales tax revenues go down. For the most part I haven't seen anything odd there except once. I was out with my wife on a Sunday morning/afternoon to have brunch at Scott's and wanted to get coffee at Blue Bottle. We had the coffee in hand and were walking back when (I kid you not) someone from a group pulled out a gun. He wasn't yelling and frankly it didn't look like he was doing it in any aggressive manner. I think he was just showing it off to his friends (held it sideways gangster style), but we simply walked away as fast as we could and tried to act like it never happened. I think something like this could probably happen in any place, but that was the first time I'd ever seen anything like it. You'd probably be surprised how many people are illegally carrying weapons.

As for Emeryville, I'm not too worried. I used to work there and stayed late. The area around the Amtrak station includes industrial businesses, hotels, shops, and upscale apartments. Still be aware, but it's actually a pretty nice area.
 
Emeryville--yes, definitely safe. I would not detrain in Oakland unless you know the area well or are just planning to stay in the station.
 
I walked from OKJ to the BART station at night at didn't feel uncomfortable. As I recall the area was very quiet though, virtually no one around for better/worse.
 
I have walked the Lake Merritt Station-Amtrak Station route at least two dozen times during the past 10 years, mostly at day but four times even at night. During the day, you should have no fear at all. It's an area of warehouses and a few developing artists lofts/restaurant ventures and easily done between moderate 10-15 minutes at most. At night you would need to be a bit warier but the apprehension is more the fact that there is no one around, rather than unsavory characters around. Yes it is Oakland but crime in Oakland does not occur everywhere. And the area around the Lake Merritt station is overall safe. The Oakland Museum is a block and a half to the northeast, as is Lake Merritt itself, with its parklands.

I would compare the walk to that between the San Antonio station and the Denny's/Riverwalk area in that city, a walk that you must always do at night if taking a break from the Sunset; early morning if boarding the Texas Eagle. Not a worry at day; reasonable caution at night.
 
I'd just add that any problems that might happen around Jack London Square aren't that it's a particularly unsafe area, but that it's a place that people congregate. It's quite popular to paint Oakland as some intensely crime-ridden city. That's true to some degree, but mostly because there are poor areas with lots of gang-related violence. The upscale residential and commercial areas of Oakland (and I would include Jack London Square) are generally safe.

I mentioned the shooting in front of the movie theater. There was also a shooting at a movie theater in San Francisco a few years ago. There's a popular movie theater in Emeryville, and I've seen armed security there. They exist because people aren't stopped at the door, frisked, and asked for any gang affiliations. We live in a society where we have freedom of movement, and bad stuff can happen anywhere. Of course be aware, but living in fear is a rather tough way to go through life.

So in short, I wouldn't worry about getting off at Oakland. I take Capitol Corridor and see nicely-dressed people getting off at OKJ all the time. If there were any unusual concerns about personal safety, they wouldn't be getting off there.
 
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