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It's L.A., not the Gaza Strip or Detroit!!

The Westside of LA is the safest area of the city. This most of the places a tourist would visit in the city. Here is a list of the towns/neighborhoods that make up the Westside.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westside_%28Los_Angel...

The downtown district has some fantastic places to visit. The area also has a large number of homeless who often bother tourists by begging for money. It's OK to go downtown during business hours, but don't go there alone after dark.

East Los Angeles, the south, central and south-central areas of city are dangerous and should be avoided. There's actually nothing of interest to tourists or vacationers in those areas anyway.

Here's a website with safety tips for travelers in LA.

http://golosangeles.about.com/od/latravelplanning/...

Stay in a decent hotel in a busy area, follow common sense and you'll be just fine!

Stick to the tourist areas, be aware of your surroundings, and you'll be just fine. There's no reason for you to go into South LA or East LA, some of the more dangerous areas.

stay on the westside, avoid south LA or east , some parts of the valley are hella sketchy too (van nuys, sylmar)

As long as you're not out looking for trouble, you should be fine.