Hotels near Emeryville and L.A. Union station?

[Bob Dylan]

Austruck: I agree with BCL re the Bates Motel in Oakland.

Please reconsider this booking, get on your computer and use kayak or trivago and find a deal on a better place.As was said, by the time you figure in the roundtrip transportation costs,you will be better off staying closer to the Station, whether in Emeryville or even Oakland!( the closer to the Bay the better in Oakland).

Trust us on this one please!

 

[Austruck]

Ugh, I'll try to change it! I'll reread this thread and see if I can find suggestions. The trouble has been finding something cheap since I just need to sleep there, that's all. But adding in a large cab fare -- twice -- sounds like a nightmare now.

I used Expedia and read reviews of more than a dozen places...

 

[Austruck]

The motel is prepaid and I will not get a refund if I cancel. Frankly, at this point, I'm willing to just chance it and use an Uber driver if possible.

 

[BCL]

Ugh, I'll try to change it! I'll reread this thread and see if I can find suggestions. The trouble has been finding something cheap since I just need to sleep there, that's all. But adding in a large cab fare -- twice -- sounds like a nightmare now.

I used Expedia and read reviews of more than a dozen places...

That part of Oakland isn't necessarily that bad in and of itself. It's mostly residential and not necessarily a run-down neighborhood by most standards. I suppose my biggest worry if I stayed at a place like that would be getting my car stolen or broken into, and you're not parking a car there. It sounds like the management of that motel is pretty good considering the type of place it is. My big worry would be the possibility of a place like that being used for drug deals, prostitution, or human trafficking, but that really depends on how the management responds to complaints. Another issue is that it's really far away from the train station. I'd have some of the same concerns with a motel on University Avenue in Berkeley, but it would be considerably closer and Berkeley Police actually show up for calls.

http://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Oakland-city-attorney-Go-after-all-motel-6175977.php

https://patch.com/california/rockridge/city-attorney-sues-shut-down-motel-0

I've stayed in cheap motels before, so barebones accommodations don't phase me. Nothing quite like a $30 room in an Econolodge, but even though it looked old it had been repainted and was relatively clean.

 

[Austruck]

I'm just going to be in Emeryville for 12 hours, so I'll just have to make do, I suppose. And since I'm going to be writing a book about the trip, this might end up its own chapter.

I installed the Uber app on my phone, so perhaps I'll just do that to get back and forth. (The hotel was about 80 bucks and, like everything else on Expedia, got mixed reviews. The things most people griped about are things I won't care about.)

 

[BCL]

I'm just going to be in Emeryville for 12 hours, so I'll just have to make do, I suppose. And since I'm going to be writing a book about the trip, this might end up its own chapter.

I installed the Uber app on my phone, so perhaps I'll just do that to get back and forth. (The hotel was about 80 bucks and, like everything else on Expedia, got mixed reviews. The things most people griped about are things I won't care about.)

I looked at the Uber fare estimate, which is $10-14.

https://www.uber.com/fare-estimate/

All motels on Macarthur Blvd (even the ones in nicer areas) have a reputation for criminal activity. It's just something that's just a matter of location along with low cost.

If you're alone, then I might have recommended the Berkeley YMCA. Nothing fancy, but the location would be much better. It's not as if downtown Berkeley doesn't have its issues, but there are a lot of people there and there's a different vibe when it comes to safety compared to Macarthur.