On Sat, 27 Jan 2007 17:26:20 -0500, you wrote:

>And obviously you'll want to have some street smarts wherever you go - if
>you don't know how to tell, visually, between a good urban neighborhood and
>a potentially unsafe one, you might want to practice.  Obviously don't leave
>your loaded van parked in a neighborhood that might look a bit dicey.  Don't
>drive through strange neighborhoods in the middle of the night.  Figure out
>where you're sleeping while it's still daylight, if you plan to stealth
>camp, so you're comfortable with the area, then return later to park and
>spend the night.

I grew up in Chicago so I have some "street sense".  I tried to
describe that to a friend of mine who had grown up in "smalltown". The
best description I could think of was ...

... if there are vulnerable (young people, old people, women not in
large groups) walking around the neighborhood, then it's probably
safe.

B&S
'87 Westy 'Esmerelda Blanc'
SoCal