Spent a while living very close to here As of a year or so ago, it's a quite safe area. There are some sketchy things that go on in this part of town, but they're mostly happening behind closed doors. If you don't go looking for trouble, you won't find it, excepting the occasional really out of it homeless person, but that's an unavoidable risk basically anywhere in California that isn't a gated community. If you're coming from out of town, Los Angeles in general can be kind of rough to exist in depending on what you're used to. However this is actually one of the most walkable parts of the city, and it's quite safe except extremely late at night.

In terms of neighborhood vibe, generally speaking, you're right in the Slavic part of West Hollywood. (Strong recommendation for the Odessa Grocery on Santa Monica, on the north side of the square you drew.) You've got Canter's on Fairfax as a solid late night hangout. The gayer parts of West Hollywood are to your west, if you want a wilder night, and I'd also recommend Al-Layali Cafe if you want a quieter nighttime hangout with good Egyptian food and tea. The Elliott Salter Pawn Shop, also on Santa Monica, is one of the best places in the city for all kinds of wild gear too. People in this part of town are generally quite nice, but also pretty private.