Which “bad” neighborhood in your city (or another) would you genuinely enjoy living in, and why? It could be a genuinely bad neighborhood, or just one with a reputation for being so.
For myself: Mt. Pleasant, in Washington, DC. Residential neighborhood with a nice restaurant strip, not far from the Columbia Heights metro station. It’s got a reputation for being somewhat poor and crime-ridden - but honestly, I’ve never felt less than safe there, and I quite like the main strip. It’s also relatively affordable. If I ever move back into DC proper (I’m in Arlington now), this would probably be where I’d move.
Oh - and if I ever end up living in San Francisco again, I’d like to live in the Tenderloin. Cheap curry! And I wouldn’t be far from a BART station.
I love Mt. Pleasant! I just left there! I had my first beer in 18 years there, just two weeks ago at a place called Ravens! It was terrific.
I love ghettos, Black American ghettos in particular, so there are lots of bad neighborhoods I would love to live in. I sometimes am not sure when a neighborhood is bad, because I got stars in my eyes when I’m looking at it.
Detroit, D.C., Philly and Baltimore all have ghettos I would love to live in. I am a sucker for 125th street in Harlem and I probably spend more time there than anyone I know that doesn’t live in NYC! But I don’t think anyone really considers that a bad neighborhood anymore. Or that could be those stars in my eyes again.
My neighborhood has a pretty bad reputation because it’s where most of the Latino population gathers. There’s some crime, most definitely but I prefer this place to any other in Memphis.
I really miss living in mostly-Latino neighborhoods. The music, the food, the people…wonderful.
I’m currently about to move to a mostly-Chinese neighborhood, instead. I am disappointed, and find myself much more “on edge” than I would in the comfiness of a higher Mexican population.
Not sure if it is a ‘bad’ neighborhood, but I’d like to live in the Mission district of San Francisco. Supposed to be the sunniest part of the city and I think I’d love the food.
I live in Harlem right now and I have to say it is pretty cool. Not my favorite neighborhood in NYC but I feel perfectly safe and comfortable here. There are lots of people of all races in the neighborhood so I don’t think I stand out too much being white but then again other people may not see it that way.
Nzinga, Seated, if you are ever in the area PM me and let me know! I’ll take you out to dinner to celebrate your trip to Harlem.
Neither the Haight nor the Mission are bad neighborhoods, although the Haight has some…less-than-savory characters wandering around, trying to recapture days gone by. I was actually born in the Mission, at SF General, and I grew up very nearby, on Potrero Hill. It is the sunniest part of the city, being on the bay side instead of the ocean side. The Mission has lots of good food and bright murals and also a lot of lesbians.
The Tenderloin is actually a pretty bad neighborhood, though. I would be less than thrilled to live there.
Maggie the Ocelot, my dad grew up in El Sereno! He’s taken me a tour of his childhood hangouts. It didn’t seem too bad. I mean, definitely not wealthy, but hardly a ghetto.
I’d totally move to Detroit. I like Mexicantown.
Hell, I’d move to Kabul. It’s my career goal to work in international development, and I’d move pretty much anywhere that would give me a job. I have low standards.
In Seattle, there’s an area just East of the International district where everything suddenly goes from falling apart stores with bars in the windows to being a sort of nice little area of well-tended (but clearly 10-30 year old) houses, that seemed to be populated with all the shopkeepers and whatnot of the international district. While a bit run down, it seemed very quaint and very safe, even though the regions that surround it are all a bit dangerous seeming.
Cities are odd in that a 1 block difference can go from dangerous to totally safe.
Me too. They fascinate me I wonder what it would be like to live there. Neighborhoods like Little Italy were ghettos back in the day (remember Mean Streets?)
There’s also a sense of culture that’s not middle American Blah or " You WILL go to Name Brand College" I wish there was some way to preserve that culture but yet not keep the people in poverty. It does seem like when ghetto folks rise up above the ghetto they lose their culture, b/c they feel they need to be Middle Class American.
Groovy baby!