Is this the one?
http://www.rodewayinnsf.com/
That neighborhood as not as bad as right near civic center. It's more industrial. The question is how much tolerance do you have for graffiti, closed businesses and homeless people? It's not the safest neighborhood, but you can walk around there at night if you are aware and keep your eyes open. It's in Soma and there are some nice, relatively new loft-style condos on the side streets. I used to live in the area and would walk around at night. I used to live near 6th street which is MUCH sketchier. But, I grew up in NYC so I have a higher tolerance for grittiness than a lot of people. I see you're in the NY area so maybe you do too.