or does it get dangerous at night.

i went through it on good street view and it actually looks like a pretty cool place to live, but i'm just worried about the safety factor.

It's hugely cool, trendy, and so much fun; the market is great, the nightlife is fantastic, and it's full of the hippest people (good or bad, depending on your viewpoint). It's also no more dangerous than the majority of London . . . but more importantly than that, I can't imagine how you would afford to live there! I'm in my mid-20s, a Londoner born and bred, and Brick Lane is so far beyond my means, it's unbelievable. As soon as a road is well-known, it's guaranteed to be out of your price range. If you're thinking of East London then all well and good, but I wouldn't set my heart on Brick Lane itself if I were you, or you could be in for a nasty (financial) shock . . .