Sorry to hijack this thread but I'm staying at the Holiday Inn Civic Center on 8th Street in October (going to Oracle OpenWorld) and was planning on walking to/from the Moscone Center where the conference is taking place.

Looking at some websites it seems the area I am staying is viewed as a bit dodgy.

Is this the case or would I be ok walking to/from the hotel early morning/early evening.

There are shuttle buses to/from the conference and hotel but when I go to a new city I like to walk about a bit. In fact, I'll often walk miles in one direction with no plans to see anything in particular.

Any tips appreciated.