Long story short, downtown was a bit much for me. Tahrir and Tal'at Harb (adjacent to the hostel) are bustling (loud) and you have to watch yourself.

After a few days in the rooftop hostel (pictures of view I found a nice little place in Shubra, a northern neighborhood of Cairo. Egyptians apparently call it the People's Republic of China because of its bustliness (zahma) but my area at least has a nice mix of urban activity and suburban calm.

 

I took a lot of pictures like this. Partly to scare myself.