I am going to be in Berkeley for a few days and I need to still get in runs. How safe is the area (I am a woman)? What are some good places to run?
I am going to be in Berkeley for a few days and I need to still get in runs. How safe is the area (I am a woman)? What are some good places to run?
Oh man...you're in some deep trouble. I'd bring some mace if I were you.
Depends on what area you're in. On the flats near San Pablo Ave, not too safe. South side, less safe than North. Running in and around Campus or Strawberry Canyon during the day you should be fine.
The closer you are to the hills, the safer you are, though I would say you are safe in most areas, with the exception of Ashby and Sacramento/MLK, which is where I grew up, bordering Oakland. Actually I would think you are safe even there, but its all concrete. Look into Tilden Park, it is a regional park in the hills.
No, bring lube, instead!
honestly one of the grossest places I've been....
Berkeley is a terrible urban ghetto with crime, homelessness, and civil disobedience. Cal is an old school and the surroundings are run down and in need of bulldozing.
USC is in an area which is slowly gentrifying a block at a time but is today even worse. LAPD Southwest Division often has the highest number of police officer killed on the job in the U.S. There are hundreds of street gangs in the area. USC track star Bryshon Nellum was shot three times by gangsters on Halloweeen.
Oregon is the pisshole of the PAC-10 with thousands of bicycle mounted homeless meth addicts snatching purses from campus women. They live in the dumpsters and allies. There are many bank robberies, burglaries, car thefts, etc. all over Eugene and Springfield. The police are outnumbered and can't control the crime spree. Recently there's been a mass influx of illegals from south of the border too.
UCLA, Arizona State, Washington, Washington State, Stanford, Oregon State, and Arizona are relatively tranquil in comparison.
Terrible urban ghetto wrote:
Berkeley is a terrible urban ghetto with crime, homelessness, and civil disobedience.
Oh man...yeah, civil disobedience is a terrible thing. Americans NEVER do that. The government is always right.
Well, watch out for this guy:
http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/PressReleaseMain.aspx?id=34890
And here are the crimes that have happened this year:
if you have a car, head to Tilden Park. drive all the way to the top (Inspiration Point) and run along the Nimitz bike path. it is paved but if that bugs you, there are lots of trails in Tilden.
if it is clear, the views of the bay/golden gate are awesome. the path is nearly flat.
one day, as i ran along the path, there was fog to the west but sun from the east. the sun projected my shadow onto the fog as I ran. somehow the fog magnified my shadow. very surreal.
my wife rode her mtn bike there for years and never had any incidents. then again she did have a dog with her.
There are tons of trails in the hills of Oakland/Berkeley. I used to see Regina Jacobs fairly often in Redwood Park. If you can't get to the top of the hill, there's a "firetrail" that starts near campus, above the stadium on centennial road. there are also single-track trails at the top of spruce, selby trail is very nice. I like running to the top of spruce, taking selby trail around and coming down shasta (if you can go longer, add on more trails in tilden).
You can also head down to the Marina, where there are a few paths, or run north on the bay trail, and there's a bike/multi-user path under the BART. If it's night, it depends on your level of comfort, and I'm a guy so I don't mind running anywhere in Berkeley at night.
darwinrlo wrote:
And here are the crimes that have happened this year:
http://police.berkeley.edu/crimealerts/2009/index.html
In my opinion, Berkeley is deteriorating into a total s***hole. Every time I go back it seems more and more like a third world country. There is a lot of crime, homeless, drug dealing, theft, etc. Is it as bad as Richmond or Compton, no, but you need to be alert at all hours of the day. Since you are a visiting single female, DO NOT RUN ALONE AFTER DARK ANYWHERE IN BERKELEY. You could unknowingly run into a shady area and bad stuff happens even in the non-shady areas (area dark). As for running during the day, stay as close to the hills as possible. If the houses nearby look like they would go for $1.5 million or more (even in today's economy) you are probably safe. Do not run in West Berkeley (anywhere between I80 and Martin Luther King Blvd). The Cal campus itself is usually pretty safe. Some of the trails up in the hills are beautiful, but I wouldn't go up there alone as a single female (I've seen some strange dudes up there).
Be safe! Trust your instincts, run in areas with lots of people about, and you'll be fun.
darwinrlo wrote:
And here are the crimes that have happened this year:
http://police.berkeley.edu/crimealerts/2009/index.html
Oh yeah, one other thing. Those are merely the crimes reported through the UCPD. The City of Berkeley Police Department sees many more crimes in its jurisdiction. Essentially that link you posted is a small sampling of Berkeley crime. Don't mean to scare you, but there is a lot of crime in Berkeley. It is an urban area.
fjskdljflksdjfkl wrote:
darwinrlo wrote:And here are the crimes that have happened this year:
http://police.berkeley.edu/crimealerts/2009/index.htmlIn my opinion, Berkeley is deteriorating into a total s***hole. Every time I go back it seems more and more like a third world country. There is a lot of crime, homeless, drug dealing, theft, etc. Is it as bad as Richmond or Compton, no, but you need to be alert at all hours of the day. Since you are a visiting single female, DO NOT RUN ALONE AFTER DARK ANYWHERE IN BERKELEY. You could unknowingly run into a shady area and bad stuff happens even in the non-shady areas (area dark). As for running during the day, stay as close to the hills as possible. If the houses nearby look like they would go for $1.5 million or more (even in today's economy) you are probably safe. Do not run in West Berkeley (anywhere between I80 and Martin Luther King Blvd). The Cal campus itself is usually pretty safe. Some of the trails up in the hills are beautiful, but I wouldn't go up there alone as a single female (I've seen some strange dudes up there).
Be safe! Trust your instincts, run in areas with lots of people about, and you'll be fun.
Sorry, meant to say do not run anywhere between San Pablo Ave and I80. *I need more sleep* The area around MLK isn't great, but it is alright during the day. Cross San Pablo, you take your life into your own hands. It's like running into a rap video, expect it's real.
The UC system was forced by the courts to end Asian Exclusion in the 1990's. Today the Cal campus is 40% Asian.
Berkeley is seriously not as bad as people are telling you, you'll be fine. The people on this thread are uptight white suburbanites.
That's what I used to say about Boulder.
That's what I used to say about Boulder.
hijhijhh wrote:
There are tons of trails in the hills of Oakland/Berkeley. I used to see Regina Jacobs fairly often in Redwood Park. If you can't get to the top of the hill, there's a "firetrail" that starts near campus, above the stadium on centennial road. there are also single-track trails at the top of spruce, selby trail is very nice. I like running to the top of spruce, taking selby trail around and coming down shasta (if you can go longer, add on more trails in tilden).
You can also head down to the Marina, where there are a few paths, or run north on the bay trail, and there's a bike/multi-user path under the BART. If it's night, it depends on your level of comfort, and I'm a guy so I don't mind running anywhere in Berkeley at night.
Did you see Regina Jacobs INJECTING HERSELF WITH 'ROIDS???
I saw Regine Jacobs pop Lance Armstrong's and Jose Canseco's and Barry Bonds' and Kelli White's and Jason Giambi's finely crafted buttocks with magic.