I lived in central London, in W9. Once a week, we danced at the Dover Street Jazz Club in Mayfair 3-4 km from our apartment. When we couldn’t find a cab at 2:00 am, we walked home from there. We also took midnight walks from home lasting 2 hours through St. John's Wood, avoiding the area of Kilburn which was rough and dicey at night. I'll never forget those walks, how buildings, roads and leaves glisten in the dark after rain -so redolent of 'film noir' and British spy films of the '60's; the 72 Arabic restaurants and 20+ shisha houses up and down Edgeware Rd. punctuated by eyebrow-threaders’ salons and travel agents offering flights to cities I couldn't even place on a map; and looking into the windows of Mayfair designers' shops to study in peace those cuts, that refined stitching, all the detail put into beautiful items that I can't afford but appreciate.
Our only rule was, "if it feels right in our situation (for us, a life of travelling and living in different places, and having lived in England 13 years), try it. If you don't, if you're still a foreigner, don't speak the language fluently, or notice that you're biting your lip about a locale being proposed for a saunter, or if the idea/suggestion makes you or your partner frown or tighten your shoulders for a sec or drum your fingers, or you feel challenged, those are the safety devices you've built to address your safety needs so don't do it! One (unproved, too general) rule may not work for everyone or even anyone. Personal security practices must relate to one's own vulnerabilities. Too often, a travel rule reflects or advances an ingrained cultural bias learned at home, classism, or simply applies a moral puritanism. Thus, it's important to ask when you hear one, "Would following this rule truly make me safer or is its only value to make me think that if I do this or that, I am?” If the latter only, it still might restore your confidence while walking streets. It is this confidence and awareness that might make a thief think twice before choosing you unless you're at the same time doing something very stupid. As one older tangurero said, to be safe in BA all HE needs is his good tango walk. He knows his own vulnerabilities and addressed them without going overboard or relying upon magical formulae.
While we were walking London's streets nightly, a lady was raped one block from us on a tony corner amid the most charming cluster of local shops, cozy terraced cafes and white Georgian residences....at 4pm on a Tuesday. She lived there, was doing nothing stupid. She may not have been raped had she walked areas of Hackney or Southall which are known to be dangerous especially at night. We really have to admit that danger couldn't care less about our rules, and that adopting one that only appeases our fear is no guarantee of personal safety. Each time we acknowledge that fact, it's our job to reinstate our confidence so that we can go out and enjoy where we are rather than spread our fear to others. Reporting horrific incidents in BA and warning people of risks are valuable aids to travelers. Ditto comparing incidents in one city with another’s. But it’s emotionally and socially irresponsible to tell people that a city is intrinsically and perpetually dangerous just because we’ve not developed ways to deal with our own fear. That’s like spreading AIDS on purpose or recklessly because you resent your or your friend’s having contracted it. If you feel the need to blame someone while you deal with your resentment which is natural, blame the perpetrator or what you did wrong if that’s appropriate, not where the perpetrator resides among millions of caring people.
I use the same protection, my gut sense, in BA, Malaysia and Firenze by adjusting my internal fear warnings to prevailing conditions where I'm going. I adjust these again when I arrive at and sense a new place or one I've not visited for years. I will force myself to keep walking if I should discover mustard on my clothes in BA or Spain. (In Toronto, it's been watered-down faeces inside buildings' elevators as people are returning to work from their lunch break.)
Thank god there are people on this thread who have given their time to combat the fear-spreading about BA. Were it not for them, I'd be calling my prospective BA landlord right now and asking, "Tell me, tell me, has BA really become this dangerous in the last 15 months?!!!" I would have made a fool of myself doing that -made him think that I'm just another inexperienced tourist which until now he knows I'm not. I'm relieved too that I didn't unnecessarily cause him to worry about us. So a big hug to those who balanced the picture while acknowledging the occurrence of crime. They reminded me of how safe I always am in BA despite what’s in the news.
), we've all had our turn so I don' think there is anyone left