I’m interested in this remark since I live nearby and had a very nice time out in Tampa on Saturday night. We had some tapas downtown at a little Spanish place before going to the Improv in Ybor City to see Lewis Black. Afterwards we walked around a bit and then had a drink outdoors while listening to some fairly decent blues. Since we sat at a sidewalk table we got to people watch and there is a huge diversity of folks there. Of course that’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but there’s a fair amount of just about anything else to do nearby.
For my personal entry, I would say Lima, Ohio (if it counts as a city); otherwise Atlantic City, NJ. Both were shattered towns with lots of dark, seaminess.
Manchester. When I go to a cash point, I don’t want people begging in front of it. I want to be able to walk at night without the worry of being mugged, or worse. Oh, and no town needs that many Starbucks!
I’ve heard a reasonable explanation for why homeless people sleep by the cash machines in Manchester - they’re the only places where they know the CCTV cameras are functioning, so they feel marginally safer.
Ok, this comment caught my eye. Why would homeless people feel that they need to be watched by camera all the time to feel safe? I have thought and thought but I just can’t possibly think of why this would be attractive to them. I would have thought that they wanted to avoid cameras.
Bangkok - I have come to love, but I didn’t like it on my first visit, even though it was not my first Asian Metropolis. I’d go there at the drop of a hat, any day, anytime. (and, no, I am not into hookers!)
Kuta Beach, Bali - think of Fort Lauderdale at spring break only with Auzzie’s. I was sort of forced to go there to hook up with Freight forwarders etc, I came to very much enjoy it. It had it’s own charms after all.
New Delhi - oh yeah, I could so see what you’re saying, but it didn’t bother me, I kinda liked it and would have no problem going back there.
But then I love to travel, so that is no doubt part of it. That said, there are two cities I will never willingly return to, they are;
Surabaya, Java (Indonesia) the only thing worse than this city is the all third class train ride out. It smelled of urine, the populace seemed to be nothing but surly and rude, it was noisy. The bus dropped us in a muddy field on the edge of town at 4 am. and everything went down hill from there. The morning call to prayer was broadcast over wretchedly horrid speakers at dawn too obnoxious for words truly, the hotel was impossible to sleep in and the food sucked.
Also;
Lima, Peru
Dirty, dangerous, unfriendly in the extreme. I’ve been a lot a places and seen a lot of things but this city took my breath away it was just that awful. For all the world it reminded me of a movie set for some thing like Mad Max, yikes. Other parts of Peru were not to be missed but it’s a shame about having to start in Lima.
In the Syracuse vain…I grew up in a place I wish I never visted: Rome, NY
Which is just a bit worse than it’s neighbor: Utica, NY
Compared to these places, Syracuse is “Courasant”. We used to get so excited to for trips to Syracuse or Buffalo…but we never went to Rochester. Even though it is closer than Buffalo. They did open an indian casion in the Utica/Rome area that now gives the area a grand total of one thing to do.
On a road trip, I spent an afternoon and stayed overnight in Oklahoma City. I realize that is not enough time to form an accurate opinion of a city, but I wish I had planned an alternative route. Aesthetically challenged, not much to do, and not very friendly.
And I wish I had not spent a week in Matazlan, Mexico. Ten years ago it was about 30 years past its prime. I don’t need to things be pristine, or perfect. Quite the contrary. A walk on the wild side would have been great. But it was just run down and dirty.
I visited Seattle this year at the end of July. During the course of one day, I saw at least ten swastikas on newspaper boxes, walls, the ground, etc. A railing at the edge of an overhang had the phrase “nigger hang zone” written on it. There were some other things, too, but I can’t recall specifics now.
Los Angeles. I’ve only been to four metropolitan areas in my life, and lived the better part of it here so far. If I had any say in it retroactively, I can think of at least a few hundred cities that would be better.
I’ve enjoyed most of the places I’ve seen, including London (probably the only foreign city I’ve been to that I would really like to see again), Jerusalem (where the ancient sites are fascinating but waiters, clerks and other people in service jobs are almost universally surly), San Francisco (I like Victorian archetecture), New York (only a brief visit there, but I’d go back), and Los Angeles (if you know where to look there is a lot to see and do in the greater Los Angeles area).
The one place I’d just as soon never have seen is Barstow, California. I’ve heard that the birds fly upside-down over Barstow because there’s nothing there worth crapping on. Probably the best thing there is the huge McDonalds where all the busses stop on the way to Las Vegas. As far as I’ve ever been able to determine, there is no place to eat in Barstow that is better than McDonalds. That’s really sad.
I just assumed that went without saying. Since no one who’s ever been there was happy about it, I think we can reasonably assume that all people who’ve been to Gary, Indiana regret their trips there.
Even if they weren’t my favorite cities, I’ve always enjoyed visiting new places and never regretted experiencing them (even if I knew I’d never go back).
The one exception is Crescent City, CA. On a family vacation, my dad accidentally jumped a curb and dragged the car over a metal sewer grating, so we were stuck there for a week. Terrible, terrible place, with nothing to do (we watched HBO in our motel all week) and nowhere to eat (fast food was our best option). We were stuck there over the 4th of July and they didn’t even have fireworks!
It took a while but I realized that El Centro, California is my less-than-garden-spot. Aside from passing through on trips from San Diego and Tucson I only had to spend a total of a month there on deployments to NAF El Sweato. The less than zero elevation made for some hot times working on airplanes during gunnery exercises.
Has anyone else had this experience? Peru is one of those “before I die I’m going there” places for me. Now I’m not so sure. Especially being American.
Buffalo and Baltimore are the two ugliest places I’ve ever spent time in.
Las Vegas also sucked. I was there in May and it was 108 in the shade with not a real patch of grass in sight. My family kept saying “But it’s a DRY heat.” Yeah, so’s hell.
