... which happened to me in the last five years e.g. in Amsterdam on my way to the Park Plaza opposite the main station, Berlin on my way from Bahnhof Zoo to the InterContinental, in Düsseldorf on a very early morning going the Hampton at main station with a colleague and Brussels on my way from to the aloft at Schumann in the metro at Wet Straat as well. I also can name a few other destinations .... Nevertheless, I did consider this as a sign of unsafe but a regular encounter in today's life (and I was in my 40ies and wearing jacket and tie on some of this occasions). I simply might have looked like I needed some after an exhausting day stucked in meetings .

But I know, that the area is not for everybody. If you are a under 30 female solo traveller with less experiences in big cities, I would suggest staying elsewhere. But like christianj , I do not consider the area in general as unsafe.