Is downtown Edmonton as seedy as people say?

Question

I'm from out of town and thinking of staying at a hotel in downtown Edmonton (104th street, near Jasper Ave) but I keep hearing that this is a bad area of town. Since I likely will be using the LRT to get to and from Rexall Place, I'm a bit concerned about walking around in this area, especially at night. I've also heard bad stories about parking around the Rexall Place (ie. cars being broken into frequently)...is there any truth in this?

Answer 1

We always stay downtown when we go to Edmonton(about 5 times a year) We stay at the Coast Edmonton House, and the kids and I walk to the little shops in the evenings and have never had a problem yet!

All the times we have been there, there have always been a lot of people around, and not street or seedy people(but there will be a few) , but young to middle aged people,

Personally I would have no problem staying down town alone and having to take the LRT to get to where I need to go!

Rexall Place can have its problems. I have never had anything personally happen to my vehicle while attending a hockey game.

Answer 2

Jasper and 104th is great. My husband is a police officer and he feels comfortable staying in that area. As a matter of fact, we stayed in a hotel around there on New Years Eve and enjoyed the fire works. It is like any other city, once the sun goes down the crazies come out. Just don't walk around after dark by yourself and you will be fine. The river valley is a great place to walk/run/bike in the daylight and is very beautiful and there is a lot of great shopping in the vicinity. The public transit allows easy access to other areas of the city as well. Enjoy your visit!!

Answer 3

There are some downtown areas that could be considered seedy, but 104th and Jasper isn't one of them.

Answer 4

There are beggars and drunks after hours in the downtown area but the area you are at is not 'seedy'.

Take the LRT and go with friends.  Also if it is going to be a well attended concert there will be lots of people going and leaving at the same time.

Answer 5

Vehicles are broken into regardless of the area.  And Downtown around Jasper Avenue isn't the worst part.  If you were looking to stay any further east than 100st street then yes, you start walking into an unfriendly area, but places such as The Hotel Macdonald, Sutton Place, Edmonton Suite Hotels, Crown Plaza etc, are busseling with activity so they generally aren't dangerous areas because theres always people around. My advise over by rexall is stick near the building and get on the LRT as soon as you're done there.  stay around crowds and nothing will happen.

Answer 6

The are some bad parts.

Answer 7

There is definately truth in it, but if you are parking at rexall make sure that none of your valuables left in your car are visible. If you are staying downtown, do not walk alone at night and stay in well lit areas.  People won't randomly jump you.  You just have to use common sense and avoid talking to shady looking people.