Worst city you've been to...?
 

I had the pleasure of dealing with some sales goons at the office over the past couple weeks and, since they travel so much, the conversation always seemed to drift to their experiences around the country and what cities they enjoyed the most with the seemingly most important factors being weather, traffic, and food. For fun, I inquired what the worst city they had ever been to was.

"New Jersey."
"New Jersey's not a city."
"Any city in New Jersey."

The other seasoned traveler agreed, leaving me rather surprised that neither of them said "Detroit". Many years ago, I would have answered "Pittsburgh", but I've heard that place is no longer as I remember it and the stink of sulfur from the mills is pretty much gone. It'd probably come down to any of the dozen tiny towns I've passed through on the highway that no one will know.

So, what is the most unpleasant city you've been to and why?

A lot depends on timing and frame of mind.

For a while, I would have said NYC, but then I had a few trips there that were a blast.

Warri, Nigeria

Small city division: Gary, IN
Big city division: Detroit, MI
New Jersey division: Camden, NJ

Compton, CA and Tijuana come to mind (but that may be the circumstances I was in at the time).

Also . . . Mexico City. Before about the mid-70s I was there a lot, and it used to be beautiful, but later than that I hit my tolerance for pollution and crime and sheer mass of people.

Bradford, England
I've only been there once about 20 years ago. It was raining and I got assaulted, so that has probably influenced my decision.

That's a good thread question for sure.

I've been in so many truly horrible places in the last 4 months that anyplace in the US seems quite pleasant in contrast.

Then again, it's been a long time since I was in Jersey. :D

Has to be Tokyo. Nice but way too crowded.

Wecome to the Cellar, Quarantine.:D
Bradford's in the middle, isn't it?

Dublin, Ireland. The stench of vehicle exhaust was constant, detectable even inside the buildings. Also, one of the people with us got robbed.

I've actually been to New Jersey too, but I was about 8 years old, so I may not have been aware of how bad it was. I know we spent most of our time in the suburbs though, so in my experience Dublin was still way worse.

interesting how negative experiences, not merely the city itself, impact our choices

Montreal, then Boston or Oakland. Wait, no, New Jersey.

every once in a while, i get detoured off of admiral wilson blvd into camden.....

thats some fucked up shit.


coatesville was no picnic either

Tokyo, crowded? Myth.

Attachment 15995

We call it the North, but if you look at a picture of Britain it's pretty much in the middle (the top is Scotland you see)

I am very fond of Bradford, as is Dana (it's on her doorstep) - here's her pictures.

I agree it's all down to personal perception. Any place can seem grim in the wrong circumstances. That said, I don't think I even have a worst city. I dislike some of the suburbs of London, but that's about it.

I'm beginning to get sick of Newcastle. I've not been outside the city in 2.5+ months. I'm used to quite a bit more mobility than this.

Luckily, the girlfriend and I are taking a trip at Christmas. We're going to Prague (hostel), then have Christmas in Vienna (double bed in a hotel), and New Years in Brussels (queen bed in a hotel!). Hopefully that will cure what ails me.

New Jersey:
If Camden, NJ can still be considered a city....well it takes the cake. Camden is the armpit of the world.

Trenton def. has its hot spots!!

Texas:
I lived in Houston,TX (Spring Branch County) for 2 years. That was about 15 years ago. And even as a youngster, I can tell that Houston can be bad. But it is such a large city that could easily be broken up into smaller cities. Some areas are beautiful (gallarea area)(sp). BUt where I was at was, at the time, well below poverty.

Tucson. if new jersey is the armpit of america then Tucson is the taint. there is like one square block that is pretty'd up so they can advertise what a nice place it is. the rest of it is overrun by litter, dingy, dirty, gross. in half the city they don't even bother putting the signs in English at all. it is so messed up that i think the mayor is even here illegally. well maybe not... but i wouldn't be surprised.

:D NOW Thats a great quote!!!!!

Dayton.

But, I haven't much to too many places and most of them have been by choice so it was somewhere I wanted to see for a reason.

I lived in Tuscon as a kid, and had very fond memories of it. I went back almost 10 years ago and was really disappointed. There were a few nice places to visit, but mostly it was a rundown place. Roll up the windows and lock the doors.

Lots of sex motels and RV sales right... or am I thinking of Phoenix?

harharhar. oh wait, yeah we do have quite a few of those. but ours are clean (er) and the signs are in english (quite often) and we don't have all the illegals (except on bell road, constructions sites, home depot's, landscaping companies...). ok, scratch that last one.

Dodge City, Kansas.

The saying is true...You should just leave if you ever mistakenly find yourself there.

I thought Oakland was kind of scary.

No Wai! I had very excellent mexican food there...

The Worst:
1)Athens(Greece)
2)London(England)
3)Detroit(USA)

The Best:
1)Reviere De Loup(Canada-Quebec)
2)Rome(Italy)
3)Toronto(Canada)

Bed rest, uh huh. rite. :chuckle:

lol! You had great Mexican food in Dodge City, Kansas?!? Wild!
:D

Newark, NJ

Close second, Warsaw. That was 1997. It might be better now.

Salt Lake City.

Amarillo, TX. Every time I drive through I have to stop there for gas, and there is always construction of the 'airport parking garages sort' (that is, never ending) and I have a tough time getting back onto the freeway to get outta there. Once I stayed in a hotel near there and left my pillow behind. I paid to have it shipped back to me, even though "I Left My Pillow in Amarillo" would make a great country song. I couldn't bear to leave anything there.

Moscow, Ida... no, Russia. It was February and still the USSR so it's probably better now.

And you do want to get out of Dodge when the wind is blowing in from the feedlots.

both

Kiev, probably because of the stark contrast between the beauty it should have, and the ugliness it actually has. Wonderful people, and some good friends there, but the city itself is a disaster.

Los Angeles. Hands down.

In that case, you're doing it wrong.

How about, manos para arriba?

I'd have to say Baltimore...at least the parts away from the Inner Harbor area...

North America/US: Newark, NJ
North America/Mexico: Cozumel, Mexico (Too touristy)
South America: Ciudad del Este, Paraguay (Black market one of the largest in the world)
Europe: Svetogorsk, Russia (Crime, rampant drug resistant VD, and corruption)

Regular division: Los Angeles. It's ugly, polluted, dirty, covered in crappy grafitti, and way too big.

New Jersey division: Jersey City :greenface

Washington, DC...the people were just such pricks. I had never been in such an environment before. Not even Chicago or NYC are that bad.

Seattle...I dunno. Seattleites always seemed cool and friendly to me...April and I must not have met them during our week there.

Surprisingly, these cities were much better than I expected:
--New York
--Los Angeles
--Vancouver

Oh...worst city in Jersey...Camden. Or Asbury Park, though I've heard that's getting better. Haven't been there since '04.

Paris, France - very overrated, dirty and smelly.
Fayetteville, NC - only driven through, but that's bad enough.

Baltimore is awesome because of its skeevyness.

Los Angeles is beautiful, but she makes you work for it. I defy you to stand in front of the Disney Recital Hall, or on the balcony at the Getty, or on the crest of the Angeles Mountains, or in the crashing surf of Zuma, and tell me this city is ugly. And even if all of that doesn't get you, you have to admit, we have all of the beautiful people.

But, if that's your perception of this town, by all means, stick to it. I'm all for people staying away, whatever the reason.

I really don't like Wellington in NZ. True to it's catch phrase, it is windy, and rainy nearly every day (or so it seems). I'd hate to live there, and I'll never go there to visit again if I can help it.

As a transplant to DC, I love it. I don't think people here are pricks. I love having family here and showing them around. However, traffic is a pain to say the least. Metro = good. Particularly for sight seeing. And there's so much to do and see, whether you're a history buff or love art or want to see a play... Just remember as soon as you give in and buy a cheap t-shirt from a street vendor you'll find a cooler one for cheaper 2 vendors away. lol There are also so many great choices for dining.

Seattle... I thought the people there were quite snobby. Although the people outside the city seemed friendly and helpful. And the airport is one of the worst. I can only think of one I disliked more - Miami.

All of them.

My friends live in Stanley Village, not the same as Stanley, but close by.

Paterson, NJ
Newark, NJ
Lynn, MA
Passaic, NJ
Camden, NJ
Union, NJ

But Lynn, MA is the only one with a warning poem:

"Lynn, Lynn, city of sin. You never come out the way you came in."
And it's true. Went there once and got mugged.

Don't nobody say shit about the Chi.

This thread is municipally just meant to cook people up.

But if i were to participate, I'd say Nashville. Good music, crappy locale.

Nashville, TN. Country music and whiskey. That's all there is. Welcome to Nashville.

yeah but some of them are absolutely ace,
I lived in a suburby part of High Barnet for 17 years... I always felt it was quiet enough to feel peaceful but connected enough to feel... well, connected. Although in saying that I was recently informed High Barnet has a higher crime rate than Hackney. (doesnt suprise me... Hackney is on the rise)


Its not a city but I have a bone to pick with Enfield in London,
what a dive. What a total dive.

Sydney.






Buahahahahahaha!

Best cities you've been to . . .
 

we've had our run of worst cities. Now let's hear it for the superlative urban centers!

Wait . . . have I ever been to a "best" city? Are large cities inherently bad? Noisy, crowded, crime ridden . . . What's the criteria here, anyway?

Here's my pick: San Francisco: for its beauty and diversity

oops that was supposed to be a new thread. Oh well.

You little debil, you. :lol:

I haven't been to a lot of places, but I fell in love with San Diego the second the plane landed.

why? where did it land?

Um, in San Diego?