I have lived in L.A. (Santa Monica, actually) for six years and it's certainly true that people don't walk as much here, especially not to get places. But a lot of people do walk for fitness and Beverly Hills is probably the safest area in L.A. I wouldn't hesitate to walk around there at any time.

Well, you must have had Muggins written all over your forehead. If you're only wandering around tourist traps like Rodeo Drive, you'll never know the city anyway. Downtown LA not only has some fine examples of architectual wonder and kitsch, it's also friendly, extremely 'walkable' in that it's laid out in grids, and lastly, populated by real people of the city, i.e. immigrants and businessmen, students and vagrants too. It's no different from parts of the City where it abuts with Hackney, and I love walking there too!