Washington DC - NY Ave, zip code 20002: Is it a safe neighborhood?

I am going to an audition in a couple of weeks, held at the Atlas Performing Arts Center, staying in the Howard Johnson Express about a mile away. I'll be there by myself, (I'm an 18 year old white female) and I have no idea what the area is like. Is it safe to walk around by myself?

ANY information would be greatly appreciated!

The Atlas Performing Arts Center is located in an historically-Black neighborhood that has had its share of troubles since the riots of the 1960s. While the neighborhood is starting to experience welcome gentrification with the opening of the Atlas in a former movie theater and the opening of several nearby restaurnts, I'm not convinced that it's yet safe to freely walk around in, particularly at night.

The hotels on New York Avenue have a bad reputation. Some of them have been used as welfare hotels, others for various illegal activties such as prostitution. Although I have no personal familiarity with the Howard Johnson Express, I just checked out the Trip Advisor website and found that of 17 posted reviews, ALL were negative--some extremely so! According to the reviews, it's not at all a safe place to stay, particularly for an unaccompanied woman. Please look at the reviews--the URL is below.

My suggestion is that if low price is your objective, that you stay at one of the motels/hotels in the close in suburbs, such as in Arlington, Alexandria, or Falls Church, Virginia. If you'll have a car with you, the exact location won't matter.

New York Avenue is not generally a safe area, but you should be fine if you travel by day and take the bus or a cab at night. Enjoy your trip.

Don't walk around at night, by yourself. Only sightsee in the downtown, or Georgetown area.

While the crime information about DC is greatly overstated, this hotel is not the best neighborhood in the city. It is also not really near metro - which I recommend highly for getting around.

A better option, if you can afford it, is to stay at the Red Roof Inn downtown, a little more than a mile from the Atlas Performing Arts center, almost a straight shot down H street. The Red Roof Inn has rooms from $120 a night, and the walk is about 1.5 to 2 miles between there and Atlas. But the Red Roof Inn is also walking distance from Metro, from the Mall, and situated in a great bargain restaurant and nightlife area. And one that is very safe for anyone to walk around at night. (I would let my daughter walk around that neighborhood when she was your age - so she could go to plays and such.)

Unless you are very strapped for cash, I suspect it would be a better choice.

No, that is NOT a good neighborhood. Stay somewhere safer, and take a cab to Atlas.

that is a good neighborhood.

Julie and others are right - don't stay there. If you can't afford the Red Roof, get a place out in the suburbs near a Metro stop (preferably on the Red Line, since Union Station is on the red line) and take the train into town. For example, look in Silver Spring, which is a 20 minute train ride to Union Station.

I live right near the theater. It's fine to walk around during the day, but a bit more dicey at night. However, since you're coming for the "So you think you can dance?" auditions, there will be plenty of people around.

Those hotels in Northeast along NY Avenue are HORRIBLE. Stay away at all costs. Also stay away from the Best Western on South Capitol. They are miserable areas with nothing within walking distance except abandoned rowhouses and old warehouses.

I know the downtown DC hotels are much more expensive, so if price is a concern, look at suburban hotels near the metro, and take the metro to the auditions.