How bad is the Civic Center BART station? (San Francisco, Laguna: apartments, hotel)

[nikonfotog]

I'll be traveling to SF in a couple months, and will be taking the BART from the SF airport into the city. I'm staying in the wharf, so the best way to get there seems to be Airport --> BART --> F-line to wharf. (Although if anyone has alternate suggestions, I'm all ears).

I did this about two years ago and exited the BART at the Powell station. I remember waiting what seemed like an eternity for a non-packed streetcar. Which of course sucks if you're weighed down with luggage. So this time, I thought I'd exit the BART further south hoping that will yield a less packed streetcar sooner.

But...I've heard off and on that the Civic Center BART station (and its immediate surroundings) are dangerous day or night. Is that an exaggeration? FWIW, I'd be arriving around 1pm on a weekday.

If I don't feel like coming out the station swinging (especially with luggage), should I just take the exit at the Powell station and enjoy the fresh air while I wait an hour for streetcar with a couple empty seats? Or is the Civic Center station safer than I've heard/read over the years?

[Ceece]

It's been awhile but I worked off Civic Center for years and never had a problem.

[rkwalton]

The Civic Center is dodgy. No doubt, but it's well lit and you're unlikely to get cut if you're street smart. However, from there I can't think of a route that takes you to the wharf.

If you're going to the Fisherman's Wharf area another option is to take the F streetcar. It goes long around the piers but end up in that area.

The better option is to take the 30 bus which turns on from Columbus to North Point and passes a few spots in Fisherman's Wharf. You can catch it either from Powell or Montgomery Stations. It also runs frequently, so you're not left lingering on the street with luggage for too long. The stop you'd get on at Kearny and Market is crazy though. You might be better off walking one block down to Mission and getting on there just so you don't have to be jostled by everyone heading to Chinatown.

Go to the Muni website. Locate your hotel and see which lines go there. It's probably going to be the F or the 30 depending on what stretch of the wharf your hotel is located.

[nikonfotog]

Originally Posted by rkwalton

The better option is to take the 30 bus which turns on from Columbus to North Point and passes a few spots in Fisherman's Wharf. You can catch it either from Powell or Montgomery Stations. It also runs frequently, so you're not left lingering on the street with luggage for too long. The stop you'd get on at Kearny and Market is crazy though. You might be better off walking one block down to Mission and getting on there just so you don't have to be jostled by everyone heading to Chinatown.

Go to the Muni website. Locate your hotel and see which lines go there. It's probably going to be the F or the 30 depending on what stretch of the wharf your hotel is located.

Great tip, sounds like a plan. Thanks!

[rkwalton]

Originally Posted by nikonfotog

Great tip, sounds like a plan. Thanks!

You're welcome.

Now that I think about it. If you're going to the wharf at night the bus might not be as crazy if you're coming in after rush hour or the peak times on that bus.

[fakeplastictrees]

I'd also like to know, since I'm moving to an apartment that's a half mile from Civic Center. Is it safe to walk from Van Ness and Fell intersection to BART at 6:30am and return at 6pm?

[rkwalton]

My God, people are jumpy. Yes, that's fine. I used to walk from Fell and Laguna to Van Ness and Market a lot when I worked in the Financial District. Similar to NYC, San Francisco is a walking city. If you keep it moving, you'll be fine.

[California Vagabond]

You'd have to be pretty unlucky to run into trouble at the Civic Center BART station at 1 p.m. It could happen, but ...

If I were doing the trip with anything larger than a carry-on, I think I'd take Super Shuttle:

SuperShuttle San Francisco | SFO Airport Shuttle | SFO Shuttle Service | SFO Airport Transportation

... so I wouldn't have to wrestle around with heavy luggage on public transit. It wouldn't be bad on the shuttle from SFO to BART or on BART itself, but I'd hate to carry sizable suitcases on the F, and I'd be especially reluctant to take them on Muni buses.

[18Montclair]

Ive never had a problem at Civic Center station. Sure you might run into some pandhandlers and a few crazies but generally speaking, street smarts should be enough to be safe.

[mayorhaggar]

The Civ Center station is really not that bad by SF standards, there's weirdos there, mostly homeless people begging in the tunnels, but unless it's late at night there's always a lot of people around. The surrounding area is kind of seedy and a bit deserted but it's way the hell better than the heart of the Tenderloin, or 6th street, or the area around the 16th and Mission station.

Originally Posted by fakeplastictrees

I'd also like to know, since I'm moving to an apartment that's a half mile from Civic Center. Is it safe to walk from Van Ness and Fell intersection to BART at 6:30am and return at 6pm?

If you are looking at apartments on the block of Fell just west of Van Ness, keep in mind the Rickshaw Stop is right in the middle of the block and it's a VERY noisy nightclub. I used to live in a building on that block and while the club wasn't that noisy at first, after a while it was sheer torture, they'd be blasting loud music all night every night. I hope you're not going to live on that block, it really pissed me off that the city let a club set up in such a residential block.