<p>53rd street is a sort of shopping/residential area that is extremely safe. It’s when you get south of the Midway, around 61st street (with definite exceptions, like UChicago building areas- Burton-Judson and the New Dorm are good examples of areas south of the Midway that are very safe) that sketchy stuff starts to happen.
Basically, you want to still be cautious while walking around by yourself (as you would in pretty much any major city), so don’t be walking around drunk counting the money in your wallet at 2 am. I personally prefer to walk with a friend after nighttime, but I’m also tiny and female and highly unable to defend myself against the unsavory. Don’t worry, though- you are very unlikely to run in to problems in the 53rd street area.</p>