Questions about the Art Institute of California-San...

Hi. My family and I will be going to SF in mid-June, primarily because we are going to visit and check out the Art Institute of California-San Francisco (AIC-SF) on Market St. My son is very interested in their BS degree in Game Art %26amp; Design and their website makes the school seem very appealing. However, I keep reading here in the forums that the neighborhood on Market St. (between 7th and 8th St.) and near the Civic Center is one of the worst in SF. Should I be concerned about having my son go to college there? He%26#39;s a second-degree blackbelt in Taekwondo, but I would hope he wouldn%26#39;t have to use those skills very often. Also, what is the perception of the school from the local point of view? Any insights would help. Thanks!

Questions about the Art Institute of California-San...

I don%26#39;t know if this link will help you or scare you but here it is:

sfgate.com/traveler/…tenderloin.shtml

The area is known as the Tenderloin and, frankly, I%26#39;ve stayed just adjacent to it on Mason %26amp; Eddy a number of times when I visited the city. It is more forbidding in the nighttime when there are more homeless lingering on the streets but I can%26#39;t honestly say that I ever felt unsafe (I grew up in NY, afterall).

If the thought of people huddled around a make-shift ';trash can'; fire to keep wam during the winter is going to freak your son out, I%26#39;d pick another school but he and you have nothing to worry about.

Questions about the Art Institute of California-San...

I truly would not give it a second thought. My daughter and neice both go to college in San Francisco and love it. I worked in the Financial District when I was younger and frequently passed through these areas. Give your son pointers on being smart and safe and he%26#39;ll be fine.

When you visit, I%26#39;m betting your fears will be laid to rest.

Thanks for the replies. We%26#39;ll be sure to walk around there so my son can assess his comfort level. No one has mentioned that his life would be in danger so maybe it will be all right.

There are definitely worse neighborhoods your son could be in. I wouldn%26#39;t worry too much. I have to admit I had no idea there was such a school there. At first I thought it was the San Francisco Art Institute, but see from the websites that they are different.

The area is called the mid-Market Street area. During the dot-com era, even this stretch of real estate was getting dot-com businesses moving in because real estate was in a crunch. That said, I don%26#39;t find it so bad. One does have to develop a well-honed sense of urban street smarts to get about here late night, but my guess is that classes wouldn%26#39;t go past 9 p.m.? And learning how to stay safe, maneuver in a city ... isn%26#39;t that part of growing up? :-)

BetterthanBings, you make a good point. Learning to deal with a neighborhood like that would be a good part of his education. I am surprised though that you didn%26#39;t even know the school existed. Guess they don%26#39;t have a huge sign outside their building.

Another thing, during the day, the neighborhood, while still gritty, really isn%26#39;t too bad. I definitely wouldn%26#39;t look for an apartment there for him, but for school, I really wouldn%26#39;t worry about it.

So now I feel like a horse%26#39;s behind. I drove down Market Street where the Art Institute is, and recognized it immediately. I%26#39;ve gone past it scores of times; it%26#39;s right next to a building that I go into a lot because there are a number of non-profit organizations with which I%26#39;ve had contact. I guess I never really noticed the full name.

There%26#39;s a Farmer%26#39;s Market next door Wednesdays and Sundays that I used to go to, and a pretty decent buffet lunch place in the condos across the street (Moonstar). Plus, it%26#39;s very close to the SF Public Library, Asian Art Museum and City Hall....

Thanks again. I%26#39;m feeling much better about the location of the school. I%26#39;m actually pretty excited to go visit the area. We (my husband, two sons and I) have never been to SF before. From what I read about it, it seems a very interesting place and actually I think my son will love it. We%26#39;ll be there June 16-20! Can%26#39;t wait!