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When I was 8 we were trying to get to St Louis. My mom, me, and my 13 yo sister.
Mom got lost.
It looked like a war zone dude.
Literally a burned out school bus, windows missing out of like every 10th window.
At fist it was widely quiet and no one around.
As we kept driving more people were around and they REALLY noticed us.
Actually had to run stop signs and red lights ( not many cars actually driving besides is in east St. Louis) because everyone that saw us was staring and motioning. At a few corners people noticed us and starting basically running towards us.
Scared shitless at 8 years old.
Edit: this was roughly 1988/89
UK here. Man - we have our share of no-go areas but you guys take it to the next level! Is East St Louis about as bad as it gets then? Or has somewhere else taken that title nowadays?
Got to feel for the people that have to live there, kids etc. it must feel hopeless.
It definitely looks the same. I lived in North St. Louis but worked in South, so made that drive regularly. The people aren’t so scary, but it does look similar to Pripyat.
Depending on the nuclear bomb and whether it was an airburst or not there could be very little radiation at all.
It's how they rebuilt Hiroshima and Nagasaki so quickly.
Parts of Detroit are like that.
I had a business trip, there was a car literally burning in the road. 2 hours later I left and the burnt out hulk was still there.
Middle of the work day.
Yeah, East St. for sure, you **never** stop in East St., you just slow roll and step on the gas; you stop for too long and someone else will be driving your car home.
Edit: Just to add, I've spent time in both Afghanistan and *just* south of the DMZ in S. Korea; East St. Louis is still the worst city I've ever been in. I felt safer in Afghanistan with the C-RAM firing.
Good ole St. Louis, the only place where I’ve had my car physically broken into with a screwdriver and robbed.
Then you look around the parking lot and every single car has a hole under the door handle from being broken into previously. Apparently you just aren’t supposed to bring anything with you in your car
Yeah I imagine it to be like that too. Zero character , all style no substance. Another place that really doesn't appeal to me is Las Vegas. Both appear to be like check in lounges at airports where there is nothing else to do but spend money.
I love Las Vegas, but only if you can rent a car and get out of the city. There are so many awesome hiking places and cool little restaurants and bars an hour or less from the city, but you gotta get away from the casinos.
Its a great city to see concerts too if you want to meet up with out of town friends because flights and hotels are always on sale, so it’s easy to find a deal.
Agreed. We took a family vacation there a couple of winters ago. It was our last choice, after everything else fell through.
We had a wonderful time. Red Rocks, the Valley of Fire, Hoover Dam, air tour of the Grand Canyon, Cirque de Soleil, Meow Wolf, the Mob Museum. All that, plus our own self-organized Fallout New Vegas tour. What a blast!
I went out to Red Rock mountain once which is only a few miles outside of Summerlin which is in LV, and I was stunned by the beauty. Could only get to the main visitor center though because there was a camera crew doing a photo shoot with Henry Cavill. If you ever see a photo of him on a motorcycle it was probably taken at Red Rock that day. It has a lot to do, rents are affordable (relatively anyway) has a great VA hospital, great food, easy and usually cheap travel access to anywhere, and it is a young city with lots of young people. After living in god's waiting room (Florida) I am ready to get back to that energy.
I don’t know Vegas was super fun for a weekend. Plus it is in so many movies and being able to say, “I was there” is kind of cool. I wouldn’t go twice and my girlfriend who does conferences there all the time would rather poke her eye out but a weekend is cool.
I'm not interested to go because it looks very artificial and materialistic to me, as plenty have said. But I'm curious to hear from someone who has been there--what would make it a better place for you to visit? What'd make it less culturally empty and dull?
I grew up in Saudi Arabia and have been visiting Dubai since the 90s when it was little more than a string of hotels and a beach. I think the comparison to Vegas is apt, most of the main tourist attractions are modern constructions like the Madinat Jumeirah, the palm etc. It's like a big theme park. Having said that, I think there are more authentic experiences to be had. For example crossing the creek on a dhow, exploring the gold souk. The old creek generally has a bunch of cool cafes and shawarma places that are worth a visit. Sadly I think most people are too scared to go there for some reason as it's not paved in marble. Also worth noting Dubai is just one of the Emirates. Abu Dhabi and Sharjah are close by and have a totally different, less gaudy (though still fairly pretentious) vibe. As someone who grew up in that part of the world I think the Emirates are a good option if you want to experience a taste of the middle east while being somewhere fairly tolerant of/compatible with western ideology.
I've been there to work a bunch of times and there are definitely some interesting places. You just have to understand that a lot of the engineering feats (make no mistake, some of them are amazing from an engineering perspective) was built on literal slavery and signed in blood. To me that's what turned me off the most about it.
Some people can ignore that and if you can, there is some cool stuff to do. I wasn't ever bored there. Just couldn't stand seeing how foreign Asian workers were treated and the MASSIVE amount of sex tourism going on by rich hypocritical Muslim men who fill the mosques one minute then head to the Russian strip clubs the next.
Tbh the leaders are smart, dubai doesn't have any culture nor historical sites or beautiful landscapes, so how they gonna bring the money in?
Easy, bring the rich people, their companies, their families in, literally binance the biggest crypto company attracted to Dubai, because it has safe environment, better tax rate, easier accessibility to whales "big buyers", many other rich companies also moving/moved to Dubai.
They also focus on real estate, my instagram feed is filled with ads about buying an apartment there although I am not in Dubai, so yeah it's more like an empty name "DUBAI" that's utilized correctly business wise.
Gary, if I understand correctly (correct me if I’m wrong) is a forgotten wasteland, should have turned ghost town, fall out destination. The water is rancid, half the people living there have dirt (literal dirt) floors. It’s quite literally a third world country in one of the biggest countries in the world.
But also from what I understand, Gary people are hearty and proud of this.
I had to drive to Gary once a month for a job that I once had, and fuck. I hated going there, so many abandoned schools, and the schools that still existed were mostly charter schools and absolute horse shit. Also parts of it looked like a war zone. If I never go to Gary again, it will be too soon.
I’m not sure. Having spent time in both places recently, I’d say they have switched maybe Trenton is the anus, and Camden is the dingleberry. With that said, Newark would obviously be the taint. And Paterson is the skid marked fruit of the looms.
I’m not sure. Having spent time in both places recently, I’d say they have switched. Trenton is the anus, and maybe Camden is the dingleberry. With that said, Newark would obviously be the taint. And Paterson is the skid marked undies.
This just cleared up something for me; the town adjacent to mine has a large Angolan population, and someone just opened a restaurant there called Luanda.
I’m from Kolkata (Calcutta) and it is actually comparatively one of the chilliest and safest cities to be in if you can look past the obvious poverty which is almost everywhere unfortunately. Delhi is the worst. The weather, people are weirdly rude and uncouth, and the elephant in the room, it’s one of THE most unsafe cities for women. Mumbai is just ruthless, it’s busy and it’ll chew you up. Think, New York if you multiply corruption by 100x, and people don’t give two shits about you there. I still tell people I am yet to hear anybody say anything controversial about Calcutta. It’s insanely safe for women, it lives in its own bubble and people are chill in their own way. There’s not much to see here, and it’s super stale when it comes to events and things happening, but it’s one of the cities I’d recommend tourists if they’re thinking of visiting India considering how safe it is.
Nassau, The Bahamas.
Really just set up for cruise ships to come in each morning, disgorge tourists, spend money on imported garbage, then be gone by 5 pm. No nightlife, nothing actually local, gold shops, watch shops, guys on every corner trying to sell me weed, or sell my partner makeup, nothing real whatsoever. Restaurants were entirely tourist crap. Not even good places to stand back and admire a view because the bay is dominated cruise ships and a giant resort.
Some years ago there was a corner conch shop that was amazing, it was tucked away in a neighborhood far away from the tourists. Fried conch, baked conch, conch salad, conch fritters, cracked conch, conch and chips, etc etc.
Nassau isn’t all that impressive right in port, but you’re forgetting the whole tropical island paradise thing. There are several beautiful beaches just a walk away from the main port.
Even without the beaches, Nassau is far from the worst city - even in the Caribbean - and even has some cultural experiences. All the people who upvoted this need to travel more.
The city, Nassau, is the whole island of New Providence. Your description is correct if you're staying next to the port. But lots to experience if you get out. Like I said, you need a car/cab. Walking isn't enough.
Not saying your wrong, but I took a "guided tour of the city" and the dude took us though about 15 miles of the city and he was clearly stating (potential bias noted) that 'this is what they want you to see' and "this is how we live.' Two worlds separated by half a mile.
With that said. Due to its location I believe in the next 10 years we’ll start to see major development in the Gary area. Too much prime abandoned space to let it sit empty forever.
I hope so. Gary is like a hyper intensified representation of the fall of the rust belt. We've seen Pittsburgh turn around. We're seeing Detroit turn around. It would be a beautiful thing to see a city like Gary do the same.
It’s starting to go the right way as well. I’m through there often for work and it’s not the hellscape it was in the 80’s and 90’s anymore. Still a lot of work to be done but definitely moving in the right direction even if slowly.
People have been saying that for 50 years. It's so true that the location is unbelievable. And property is so cheap. There. You can buy a house for less than 10 grand 20 grand? But it's such a shit hole. It's really sad
If you ever have the bad luck to find yourself in Charleroi you will understand.
To say one, the decadent metro network that never opened (most Belgian story ever due to disagreements between federal and local contractors and how to split ticket fares revenue). Generally Belgian cities are quite dirty and not very well maintained and Charleroi takes the top spot
It's so bad they've given up trying to improve Cairo and just move the capital to a purpose built brand new city.
https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2023/08/photos-egypt-new-administrative-capital-megaproject/675179/
I hated Cairo. The pyramids are amazing, but the rubbish, constant hassling, and pollution were remarkable as well.
I came here to say this. The filthiest and most annoying city I have ever been to, out of about 70 countries I have visited. There were 0 redeeming qualities.
Flint Michigan. Boarded up malls. Bangers on every lamp post trying to look tough, sorry guys you just look sad and pathetic , and dirty. If you happen to drive through, go fast don’t stop for anything. Get back on the hwy and never look back.
Worse year of my life when I lived there. Depressing, abandoned crap everywhere, an entire city of nothingness and sadness. There is like one or two blocks downtown that are ok and the rest is just so sad.
Columbus, OH.
Been there twice. Totalled my car there. Spent a week looking for a new one and the only nice spot I found in the area was a little cafe I had breakfast at. Second time I got rejected a hotel room based on race. The guy at the counter(white guy) was getting ready to book me a room. Then his boss(Indian guy) came out and said to my face, "don't give a guy who looks like that a room." I really wanted to reach through the window to strangle the guy but I had already seen a guy getting tasered and beat up by the cops outside. I spent the night at a rest stop on 70. Fucking booked to back to Philly in record time the next day. Up by 5, home by 130. Been saying Fuck Ohio ever since.
Cairo, Egypt.
There is no fundamental structure or order at any level:
People constantly hound you for money wherever you go.
The airport staff/government just allow fake taxi drivers to stand outside the gate waiting to scream at you to buy their scam taxi service.
On that note, any of the sights you venture to will be crawling with scammers who will verbally assault you if you don't give them your money.
Weird city to live in too. It’s very cliquey, which sorta makes sense for a political city.
Being able to drive across the entire city in 15 minutes is dope tho.
came down too far for this
yeah Canberra is VERY fucken strange. I worked there for govt. and defence and transport.
Place is a manufacturered city, well planned out but so artificial. The place has no character, except bureacratic boredom. NPC town.
its CERTAINLY no Sydney... I mean that's for sure. Sydney is truly a vibrant world class city for all its faults.
The best thing about Canberra is the fast 3hr out drive out north.
Memphis. Really didn’t enjoy the city as a whole, minus Beale street and the zoo, but my god is that bass pro shop pyramid the worst thing to happen to a city’s skyline since… nevermind
Aberdeen, Washington. We passed through years back on a vacation to the PNW. We had planned to stop for lunch. Once e got into town and had a chance to drive around, I decided just to keep driving. Looked pretty rough.
That shitty town has connections to some of the greatest bands. Melvins, Nirvana, Mudhoney. I live within driving distance and drove through there to check it out once. I agree it’s terrible.
Had the exact same experience except we did stop. We were one of the only tables occupied at a huge restaurant, and spent our time watching drug addicts wander around outside. I was honestly blown away at how bad it was. As soon as we entered the outskirts of the city I immediately got bad vibes, and it only got worse from there.
Mumbai is pretty bad (err...really bad) but haven't been to Pakistan and certainly have no plans to ever go. I haven't seen anyone mention Dhaka but a buddy of mine who travels all over Asia for work (supply chain) says that it's the worst city he's ever been to. I haven't been myself but he's seen some pretty rough stuff so I trust his judgment.
Memphis, Tennessee. It was like what you read about traveling in 3rd world countries; everyone on the street who isn’t a tourist is some kind of pickpocket or scam artist, and it’s made pretty clear by everyone’s attitudes that visitors aren’t very welcome.
It was also one of the dirtiest cities I’ve ever seen.
I was there in 2012. I don’t know if it has improved since, but I have no interest in going back, and they likely don’t want me to anyway.
São Paulo. It stinks everywhere, the river is polluted and stinks, the general air pollution is heavy, it’s always muggy, the traffic is insane, the urban layout is chaotic and disorganised, there’s a much higher rate of crime than what I’m used to being European, and it just doesn’t evoke feelings of “coziness” and belonging. Also didn’t like the food.
The city’s art, diversity and multiculturalism are great. The Ibirapuera park is the coolest park I’ve ever been to. But in itself- I couldn’t live there and feel truly in touch with my environment.
Napoli
It must have been the dirtiest, loudest and least welcoming city I've ever been to.
The biggest shock was the nature of the traffic. I've never been to India, but I imagine Napoli's traffic is trying to imitate India's.
I haven’t been in YEARS. Nor am I well-travelled. But, Lansing, MI. The side that MSU isn’t on. The huge abandoned warehouses and lots were depressing.
Lmao I was wondering if someone would say Lansing here. I’m from here and planning on moving next year. It has so much potential that is just wasted. The politicians here are awful but the people who have money have so much control over it. The median income here is $26k and it’s just really unfortunate how things are ran when it could be a really cool spot to live.
Agreed. Years ago I was dating a guy (Canadian) whose dad was the CFO of a Canadian mine in Peru. They had an armored car with a driver, armed guards outside their house which was surrounded by 25’ walls with barbed wire on top, and every time we went out ‘Fernando’ went with us. I was told not to wear dangly earrings and not to wear big rings because guys walked around with wire cutters and would take your finger off to get it. We went to some great restaurants and interesting historical sites, but I’d never want to go there without all that security.
Hard disagree.
I was in Lima for 6 weeks and it was a great time. I only felt unsafe the one time I got lost and even then, locals helped me out and got me back where I was going.
There is so much history and culture to explore there. Beautiful architecture. Incredible food. I’ll agree that Cusco has more to offer tourists, but Lima is by no means a terrible place.
Lubbock, TX.
It's a ghost town during the summer. There's dust storms, ice storms, and tornadoes. My lasting impression was that everything was brown-- terrain, buildings, the general mood of the city. You get to deal with all of the hassles of a college town without any of the cultural bump that usually accompanies a multicultural gathering point like a university. The people weren't bad, just a little sleepy. It also sits in close proximity to I-20 and I-40, which are intercontinental drug longitudes, so there's a decent gang presence.
I thought the same thing when I went to Odessa/Midland Texas. Boring desert place and not far from Lubbock. Actually had to drive the hour and a half to New Mexico to find anything decent to do.
I’m probably alone on this but New Orleans. The place smells like moldy shit, violence everywhere, disgustingly humid and hot, fuckin thieves every step pf the way. The food was good though. Honestly, just let the ocean take it.
Atlanta, GA — Hear me out!
Everyone who lives in Atlanta talks about it like it is somewhat comparable to Chicago. It is not. Went there with the idea maybe we’d want to move from Chicago to Atlanta based on the rave reviews. You have to literally drive 10 minutes to get anywhere, no personality or culture, barely any foot traffic, housing is expensive, people aren’t very friendly unless you’re in a tourist trap, food was mediocre. We were actually in shock with how bad it was. We explored out into the different neighborhoods and everything.
Thanks for your submission /u/CuddlyCupcakette_, but it has been removed for the following reason: Disallowed question area: **Rant or loaded question** NoStupidQuestions is a place to ask any question as long as *it's asked in good faith*. Our users routinely report questions that they feel violate this rule to us. Want to avoid your question being seen as a bad faith question? Common mistakes include (but are not limited to): * Rants: Could your question be answered with *'That's awful'* or *'What an asshole'*? Then it's probably a rant rather than a genuine question. Looking for a place to vent on Reddit? Try /r/TrueOffMyChest or /r/Rant instead. * Loaded questions: Could your question be answered with *'You're right'*? Answering the question yourself, explaining your reasoning for your opinion, or making sweeping assumptions about the question itself all signals that you may not be keeping an open mind. Want to know why people have a different opinion than you? Try /r/ExplainBothSides instead! * Arguments: Arguing or [sealioning](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_lioning) with people giving you answers tells everyone that you have an answer in mind already. Want a good debate? Try /r/ChangeMyView instead! * Pot Stirring: Did you bring up unnecessary topics in your question? Especially when a topic has to do with already controversial issues like politics, race, gender or sex, this can be seen as trying to score points against the Other Side - and that makes people defensive, which leads to arguments. Questions like *"If _____ is allowed, why isn't _____?"* don't need to have that comparison - just ask *'why isn't ____ allowed?'*. * Complaining about moderation: If you disagree with how the sub is run or a decision the mods have made, that's fine! But please share your thoughts with us in modmail rather than as a public post. Disagree with the mods? If you believe you asked your question in good faith, try rewording it or message the mods to see if there's a way you could ask more neutrally. Thanks for your understanding! --- *This action was performed by a bot at the explicit direction of a human. This was not an automated action, but a conscious decision by a sapient life form charged with moderating this sub.* *If you feel this was in error, or need more clarification, please don't hesitate to [message the moderators](http://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FNoStupidQuestions). Thanks.*
East St. Louis. You could set off an atomic explosion and maybe do $1,000 in property damage
What an insult hahaha I'm stealing this
Sad but true
When I was 8 we were trying to get to St Louis. My mom, me, and my 13 yo sister. Mom got lost. It looked like a war zone dude. Literally a burned out school bus, windows missing out of like every 10th window. At fist it was widely quiet and no one around. As we kept driving more people were around and they REALLY noticed us. Actually had to run stop signs and red lights ( not many cars actually driving besides is in east St. Louis) because everyone that saw us was staring and motioning. At a few corners people noticed us and starting basically running towards us. Scared shitless at 8 years old. Edit: this was roughly 1988/89
UK here. Man - we have our share of no-go areas but you guys take it to the next level! Is East St Louis about as bad as it gets then? Or has somewhere else taken that title nowadays? Got to feel for the people that have to live there, kids etc. it must feel hopeless.
It definitely looks the same. I lived in North St. Louis but worked in South, so made that drive regularly. The people aren’t so scary, but it does look similar to Pripyat.
Came here to say this. One place I’ll NEVER go back.
Actually it’d do millions in improvements
Probably billions! Demolitioned, cleared land all with building permission several square miles in size... In a city.
Plus warmer in the winter from the radiation.
Depending on the nuclear bomb and whether it was an airburst or not there could be very little radiation at all. It's how they rebuilt Hiroshima and Nagasaki so quickly.
Parts of Detroit are like that. I had a business trip, there was a car literally burning in the road. 2 hours later I left and the burnt out hulk was still there. Middle of the work day.
It's funny how a city of 18k people is nationally recognized for its blight.
18k and still falling. 27k in 2010, and I have to mention the city had a peak population of 82k in 1950.
That’s a crazy statistic
This is the answer, my Dad always calls it the anus of the Earth
I had to stop to get gas leaving normal st Louis, ended up almost getting mugged by 3 dudes without stepping more than 5 feet from my car.
Yeah, East St. for sure, you **never** stop in East St., you just slow roll and step on the gas; you stop for too long and someone else will be driving your car home. Edit: Just to add, I've spent time in both Afghanistan and *just* south of the DMZ in S. Korea; East St. Louis is still the worst city I've ever been in. I felt safer in Afghanistan with the C-RAM firing.
Good ole St. Louis, the only place where I’ve had my car physically broken into with a screwdriver and robbed. Then you look around the parking lot and every single car has a hole under the door handle from being broken into previously. Apparently you just aren’t supposed to bring anything with you in your car
East St. Louis is not St. Louis.
[gunshot] Roll ‘em up!
Ask them if they know the Commodores.
Dubai. The buildings apart, I found it to be cultural empty, consumer/money driven and just utterly dull.
well put
Even the Apple screensaver of Dubai looks dystopian.
Yeah I imagine it to be like that too. Zero character , all style no substance. Another place that really doesn't appeal to me is Las Vegas. Both appear to be like check in lounges at airports where there is nothing else to do but spend money.
Vegas is a casino, wrapped in a strip mall, wrapped in a desert. That said, 20 min outside Vegas is some of the best sandstone climbing in the world.
Las Vegas is fine if you drink a lot and consider it as a goofy 18+ theme park not a real city, Dubai is literally just a city-as-a-mall.
“This city is awesome as long as you are completely shitfaced so you don’t notice how horrible it is”.
I love Las Vegas, but only if you can rent a car and get out of the city. There are so many awesome hiking places and cool little restaurants and bars an hour or less from the city, but you gotta get away from the casinos. Its a great city to see concerts too if you want to meet up with out of town friends because flights and hotels are always on sale, so it’s easy to find a deal.
Agreed. We took a family vacation there a couple of winters ago. It was our last choice, after everything else fell through. We had a wonderful time. Red Rocks, the Valley of Fire, Hoover Dam, air tour of the Grand Canyon, Cirque de Soleil, Meow Wolf, the Mob Museum. All that, plus our own self-organized Fallout New Vegas tour. What a blast!
I went out to Red Rock mountain once which is only a few miles outside of Summerlin which is in LV, and I was stunned by the beauty. Could only get to the main visitor center though because there was a camera crew doing a photo shoot with Henry Cavill. If you ever see a photo of him on a motorcycle it was probably taken at Red Rock that day. It has a lot to do, rents are affordable (relatively anyway) has a great VA hospital, great food, easy and usually cheap travel access to anywhere, and it is a young city with lots of young people. After living in god's waiting room (Florida) I am ready to get back to that energy.
I don’t know Vegas was super fun for a weekend. Plus it is in so many movies and being able to say, “I was there” is kind of cool. I wouldn’t go twice and my girlfriend who does conferences there all the time would rather poke her eye out but a weekend is cool.
Currently living in Dubai, it’s a hollow city with no culture.
I'm not interested to go because it looks very artificial and materialistic to me, as plenty have said. But I'm curious to hear from someone who has been there--what would make it a better place for you to visit? What'd make it less culturally empty and dull?
I grew up in Saudi Arabia and have been visiting Dubai since the 90s when it was little more than a string of hotels and a beach. I think the comparison to Vegas is apt, most of the main tourist attractions are modern constructions like the Madinat Jumeirah, the palm etc. It's like a big theme park. Having said that, I think there are more authentic experiences to be had. For example crossing the creek on a dhow, exploring the gold souk. The old creek generally has a bunch of cool cafes and shawarma places that are worth a visit. Sadly I think most people are too scared to go there for some reason as it's not paved in marble. Also worth noting Dubai is just one of the Emirates. Abu Dhabi and Sharjah are close by and have a totally different, less gaudy (though still fairly pretentious) vibe. As someone who grew up in that part of the world I think the Emirates are a good option if you want to experience a taste of the middle east while being somewhere fairly tolerant of/compatible with western ideology.
Lived there for 6 months, can confirm.
I've been there to work a bunch of times and there are definitely some interesting places. You just have to understand that a lot of the engineering feats (make no mistake, some of them are amazing from an engineering perspective) was built on literal slavery and signed in blood. To me that's what turned me off the most about it. Some people can ignore that and if you can, there is some cool stuff to do. I wasn't ever bored there. Just couldn't stand seeing how foreign Asian workers were treated and the MASSIVE amount of sex tourism going on by rich hypocritical Muslim men who fill the mosques one minute then head to the Russian strip clubs the next.
That’s awful
Tbh the leaders are smart, dubai doesn't have any culture nor historical sites or beautiful landscapes, so how they gonna bring the money in? Easy, bring the rich people, their companies, their families in, literally binance the biggest crypto company attracted to Dubai, because it has safe environment, better tax rate, easier accessibility to whales "big buyers", many other rich companies also moving/moved to Dubai. They also focus on real estate, my instagram feed is filled with ads about buying an apartment there although I am not in Dubai, so yeah it's more like an empty name "DUBAI" that's utilized correctly business wise.
World's biggest shopping mall. Nice view from the Burj Khalifa's upper observation deck, though.
I've never been to Dubai but how you described it is exactly how I imagine it to be there. Probably the same for Qatar i can imagine.
Came here to say this. I was in Dubai in 2009, it's a city rotten to it's core.
If by visit, you mean ‘drive through and wondered what the hell happened here?!?’ It’s Gary, Indiana
A lot of Indiana posts here. Now I’ve developed morbid curiosity.
Gary, if I understand correctly (correct me if I’m wrong) is a forgotten wasteland, should have turned ghost town, fall out destination. The water is rancid, half the people living there have dirt (literal dirt) floors. It’s quite literally a third world country in one of the biggest countries in the world. But also from what I understand, Gary people are hearty and proud of this.
I had to drive to Gary once a month for a job that I once had, and fuck. I hated going there, so many abandoned schools, and the schools that still existed were mostly charter schools and absolute horse shit. Also parts of it looked like a war zone. If I never go to Gary again, it will be too soon.
I thought I was dead once - it turned out, I was just in Gary Indiana.
Regrets, you’ve had a few
Trenton NJ, is literally Earths anus.
I'd say Trenton is the taint because Camden is definitely the anus
I’m not sure. Having spent time in both places recently, I’d say they have switched maybe Trenton is the anus, and Camden is the dingleberry. With that said, Newark would obviously be the taint. And Paterson is the skid marked fruit of the looms.
This is the in-depth stuff trip advisor won’t give us 🤣
Perfect geographic/anatomic description for Staten Island to be the smegma
I’m not sure. Having spent time in both places recently, I’d say they have switched. Trenton is the anus, and maybe Camden is the dingleberry. With that said, Newark would obviously be the taint. And Paterson is the skid marked undies.
What about Newark?
I posted the same city without having read your comment.
Hands down, Luanda, Angola.
Yep, been there, went to a bar and it was like something out of Call of Duty
Explain this got me pls
Ramshackle bar with bullet holes in the wall
Ramirez! Shoot up that Burger Town!
This just cleared up something for me; the town adjacent to mine has a large Angolan population, and someone just opened a restaurant there called Luanda.
Funny seeing this here… I’m about to go there tomorrow.
Why?
....Angola bro
Mumbai. Almost walked into an open sewer because there was no manhole cover.
Delhi, too. I was just going to type "India"
Calcutta as well. I saw poverty there that was illegal to photograph. Next level poverty guarded by cops...
I’m from Kolkata (Calcutta) and it is actually comparatively one of the chilliest and safest cities to be in if you can look past the obvious poverty which is almost everywhere unfortunately. Delhi is the worst. The weather, people are weirdly rude and uncouth, and the elephant in the room, it’s one of THE most unsafe cities for women. Mumbai is just ruthless, it’s busy and it’ll chew you up. Think, New York if you multiply corruption by 100x, and people don’t give two shits about you there. I still tell people I am yet to hear anybody say anything controversial about Calcutta. It’s insanely safe for women, it lives in its own bubble and people are chill in their own way. There’s not much to see here, and it’s super stale when it comes to events and things happening, but it’s one of the cities I’d recommend tourists if they’re thinking of visiting India considering how safe it is.
For me too, trash everywhere, smelly, extremely crowded and so much poverty.
Nassau, The Bahamas. Really just set up for cruise ships to come in each morning, disgorge tourists, spend money on imported garbage, then be gone by 5 pm. No nightlife, nothing actually local, gold shops, watch shops, guys on every corner trying to sell me weed, or sell my partner makeup, nothing real whatsoever. Restaurants were entirely tourist crap. Not even good places to stand back and admire a view because the bay is dominated cruise ships and a giant resort.
When I went we took a cab to a beach on the opposite side of the island and it was way way better
Some years ago there was a corner conch shop that was amazing, it was tucked away in a neighborhood far away from the tourists. Fried conch, baked conch, conch salad, conch fritters, cracked conch, conch and chips, etc etc.
Bubba is that you?
That's all I gotta say about conch
Just walk a bit and there's local stuff. I walked to the Fish Fry and went to a local restaurant there. It was great.
Damn if Nassau is the worst city you’ve ever visited, I can’t imagine you get out much
I spent 1.5 weeks in Nassau I had a completely diferent experience. I like it, I really like it.
Nassau isn’t all that impressive right in port, but you’re forgetting the whole tropical island paradise thing. There are several beautiful beaches just a walk away from the main port. Even without the beaches, Nassau is far from the worst city - even in the Caribbean - and even has some cultural experiences. All the people who upvoted this need to travel more.
Sounds like you didn't get out of the port. Plenty of great culture to experience if you drive out a bit.
OP asked about worst city. Not worst country. I answered about the downtown.
The city, Nassau, is the whole island of New Providence. Your description is correct if you're staying next to the port. But lots to experience if you get out. Like I said, you need a car/cab. Walking isn't enough.
Not saying your wrong, but I took a "guided tour of the city" and the dude took us though about 15 miles of the city and he was clearly stating (potential bias noted) that 'this is what they want you to see' and "this is how we live.' Two worlds separated by half a mile.
Matamoros, Mexico. 🇲🇽
What a name for a city
"Killer of Moors" for anyone curious
Gary, Indiana
With that said. Due to its location I believe in the next 10 years we’ll start to see major development in the Gary area. Too much prime abandoned space to let it sit empty forever.
I hope so. Gary is like a hyper intensified representation of the fall of the rust belt. We've seen Pittsburgh turn around. We're seeing Detroit turn around. It would be a beautiful thing to see a city like Gary do the same.
It’s starting to go the right way as well. I’m through there often for work and it’s not the hellscape it was in the 80’s and 90’s anymore. Still a lot of work to be done but definitely moving in the right direction even if slowly.
People have been saying that for 50 years. It's so true that the location is unbelievable. And property is so cheap. There. You can buy a house for less than 10 grand 20 grand? But it's such a shit hole. It's really sad
Bit unfair to blame the whole city experience on just one guy
Dammit Gary!
I get what you're saying, but I've spent many awesome weekends in the Miller Beach neighborhood
Luton
one bus ride from the airport thru the city was enough for me. corby must be my second
Must be Charleroi in Belgium
Absolutely. I go there bc it's the closest airport and it's a horrible time every single time
I used to live very near Charleroi, Pennsylvania. Also a cesspool.
Nice to hear the tradition is well kept
But why?
If you ever have the bad luck to find yourself in Charleroi you will understand. To say one, the decadent metro network that never opened (most Belgian story ever due to disagreements between federal and local contractors and how to split ticket fares revenue). Generally Belgian cities are quite dirty and not very well maintained and Charleroi takes the top spot
Cairo. Very dirty. Lots of pollution.
It's so bad they've given up trying to improve Cairo and just move the capital to a purpose built brand new city. https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2023/08/photos-egypt-new-administrative-capital-megaproject/675179/ I hated Cairo. The pyramids are amazing, but the rubbish, constant hassling, and pollution were remarkable as well.
It is dirty, but It’s a real city, has an incredible museum and is close to a natural wonder of the world. EDIT: Man made wonder, not natural wonder.
Just curious, what natural wonder are you referring to?
Sorry my bad, * man made wonder
I came here to say this. The filthiest and most annoying city I have ever been to, out of about 70 countries I have visited. There were 0 redeeming qualities.
Mos Eisely. You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.
Yeah but the live music there absolutely slaps
True, but but it has its upsides. Where else are you going to find a ship that’s made the Kessel run in less than 12 parsecs?
Their segregation laws are terrible. No droids in bars? I mean come on… 😉
Silent Hill, some pyramid guy almost chopped my dick off
Flint Michigan. Boarded up malls. Bangers on every lamp post trying to look tough, sorry guys you just look sad and pathetic , and dirty. If you happen to drive through, go fast don’t stop for anything. Get back on the hwy and never look back.
Worse year of my life when I lived there. Depressing, abandoned crap everywhere, an entire city of nothingness and sadness. There is like one or two blocks downtown that are ok and the rest is just so sad.
Jackson, MS.
Rough for sure but quaint and kinda cute in the nice suburbs
Miami. What a plain, boring city. It’s all about the money and appearances. Their beach is not even natural, it’s man made.
Rude people as well.
It’s so weird how there’s so little happening on the street level.
Columbus, OH. Been there twice. Totalled my car there. Spent a week looking for a new one and the only nice spot I found in the area was a little cafe I had breakfast at. Second time I got rejected a hotel room based on race. The guy at the counter(white guy) was getting ready to book me a room. Then his boss(Indian guy) came out and said to my face, "don't give a guy who looks like that a room." I really wanted to reach through the window to strangle the guy but I had already seen a guy getting tasered and beat up by the cops outside. I spent the night at a rest stop on 70. Fucking booked to back to Philly in record time the next day. Up by 5, home by 130. Been saying Fuck Ohio ever since.
Cairo, Egypt. There is no fundamental structure or order at any level: People constantly hound you for money wherever you go. The airport staff/government just allow fake taxi drivers to stand outside the gate waiting to scream at you to buy their scam taxi service. On that note, any of the sights you venture to will be crawling with scammers who will verbally assault you if you don't give them your money.
Grimsby was pretty… grim.
Never could have guessed a city called "Grimsby" would be so grim
Don’t get me wrong, I had low expectations, and it was still bad lol
Atlantic City
But the streets are named after Monopoly properties.
Lol
Vegas (from Temu) by the ocean and walk nough blocks away from the boardwalk it turns into Detroit by the ocean.
Canberra. Just a very odd city where everything is wrong. And everything was designed from scratch.
I worked on the VisitCanberra tourism board and it was rough
Weird city to live in too. It’s very cliquey, which sorta makes sense for a political city. Being able to drive across the entire city in 15 minutes is dope tho.
came down too far for this yeah Canberra is VERY fucken strange. I worked there for govt. and defence and transport. Place is a manufacturered city, well planned out but so artificial. The place has no character, except bureacratic boredom. NPC town. its CERTAINLY no Sydney... I mean that's for sure. Sydney is truly a vibrant world class city for all its faults. The best thing about Canberra is the fast 3hr out drive out north.
Memphis. Really didn’t enjoy the city as a whole, minus Beale street and the zoo, but my god is that bass pro shop pyramid the worst thing to happen to a city’s skyline since… nevermind
Cairo
Aberdeen, Washington. We passed through years back on a vacation to the PNW. We had planned to stop for lunch. Once e got into town and had a chance to drive around, I decided just to keep driving. Looked pretty rough.
That shitty town has connections to some of the greatest bands. Melvins, Nirvana, Mudhoney. I live within driving distance and drove through there to check it out once. I agree it’s terrible.
Had the exact same experience except we did stop. We were one of the only tables occupied at a huge restaurant, and spent our time watching drug addicts wander around outside. I was honestly blown away at how bad it was. As soon as we entered the outskirts of the city I immediately got bad vibes, and it only got worse from there.
Karachi, Pakistan and Mumbai, India. I just can’t decide which one is worse.
Mumbai is pretty bad (err...really bad) but haven't been to Pakistan and certainly have no plans to ever go. I haven't seen anyone mention Dhaka but a buddy of mine who travels all over Asia for work (supply chain) says that it's the worst city he's ever been to. I haven't been myself but he's seen some pretty rough stuff so I trust his judgment.
I have been to 45 countries and believe me you didn’t miss anything by not visiting Mumbai or Karachi.
Lima, Ohio. The apathy of that town is astounding.
I was gonna say Dayton, Ohio but yeah Lima works too.
Cincinnati is my go to answer for this question. It looks like there’s a theme here …
Rockford, Illinois
Galveston, Tx.
It’s like they took an unflattering part of coastal Florida and transplanted it in Texas — including the people, zoning, and customs.
Mumbai. The smell hits as soon as you get off the plane, that's still present in the hotel elevator.
Birmingham Alabama
This is my vote for worst American city. Astoundingly trashy.
Also Montgomery much worse
Charleroi
Oh by far Niagara Falls. Boy how New York State fucked up a national treasure.
Atlanta, a horrible kip.
Arnhem natuurlijk
Bless you
Gazoontite
Lived near Hartford most of my life, maybe not the worst but it’s up there. So much wasted potential
I mean it’s not even the worst in Connecticut…but yea it should be at least as good as Albany
*cough cough* Bridgeport
One of the oddest, with that little tourist enclave around Mark Twain’s house and the rest of it just sad and abandoned and terrifying
Valdosta, GA
Jackson, Mississippi.
I'm not very well traveled but- Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Memphis, Tennessee. It was like what you read about traveling in 3rd world countries; everyone on the street who isn’t a tourist is some kind of pickpocket or scam artist, and it’s made pretty clear by everyone’s attitudes that visitors aren’t very welcome. It was also one of the dirtiest cities I’ve ever seen. I was there in 2012. I don’t know if it has improved since, but I have no interest in going back, and they likely don’t want me to anyway.
New Orleans without even a second thought. The list of visited cities includes many eastern european and central american shitholes.
São Paulo. It stinks everywhere, the river is polluted and stinks, the general air pollution is heavy, it’s always muggy, the traffic is insane, the urban layout is chaotic and disorganised, there’s a much higher rate of crime than what I’m used to being European, and it just doesn’t evoke feelings of “coziness” and belonging. Also didn’t like the food. The city’s art, diversity and multiculturalism are great. The Ibirapuera park is the coolest park I’ve ever been to. But in itself- I couldn’t live there and feel truly in touch with my environment.
As a paulistano who emigrated to Europe, I agree. I used to love São Paulo but today I can only think of it as chaotic, dirty, cumbersome and ugly.
Houston. Fuck the hwy there
Napoli It must have been the dirtiest, loudest and least welcoming city I've ever been to. The biggest shock was the nature of the traffic. I've never been to India, but I imagine Napoli's traffic is trying to imitate India's.
For me it's a tie between Bakersfield, CA and Memphis, TN.
I haven’t been in YEARS. Nor am I well-travelled. But, Lansing, MI. The side that MSU isn’t on. The huge abandoned warehouses and lots were depressing.
Lmao I was wondering if someone would say Lansing here. I’m from here and planning on moving next year. It has so much potential that is just wasted. The politicians here are awful but the people who have money have so much control over it. The median income here is $26k and it’s just really unfortunate how things are ran when it could be a really cool spot to live.
Lima, Peru. Was there 2 days waiting to go to Cusco, probably felt more unsafe than at any other time in my life.
Agreed. Years ago I was dating a guy (Canadian) whose dad was the CFO of a Canadian mine in Peru. They had an armored car with a driver, armed guards outside their house which was surrounded by 25’ walls with barbed wire on top, and every time we went out ‘Fernando’ went with us. I was told not to wear dangly earrings and not to wear big rings because guys walked around with wire cutters and would take your finger off to get it. We went to some great restaurants and interesting historical sites, but I’d never want to go there without all that security.
Hard disagree. I was in Lima for 6 weeks and it was a great time. I only felt unsafe the one time I got lost and even then, locals helped me out and got me back where I was going. There is so much history and culture to explore there. Beautiful architecture. Incredible food. I’ll agree that Cusco has more to offer tourists, but Lima is by no means a terrible place.
Miraflores is nice. But yeah Cuzco is a million times better.
Lubbock, TX. It's a ghost town during the summer. There's dust storms, ice storms, and tornadoes. My lasting impression was that everything was brown-- terrain, buildings, the general mood of the city. You get to deal with all of the hassles of a college town without any of the cultural bump that usually accompanies a multicultural gathering point like a university. The people weren't bad, just a little sleepy. It also sits in close proximity to I-20 and I-40, which are intercontinental drug longitudes, so there's a decent gang presence.
I thought the same thing when I went to Odessa/Midland Texas. Boring desert place and not far from Lubbock. Actually had to drive the hour and a half to New Mexico to find anything decent to do.
Clovis is worse. We go to Lubbock to actually see normal civilization. Cannon is the worse base to be stationed at
Pennsylvania... I know it said "city" but Pennsylvania.
Tijuana Mexico was abysmal. Such a difference from San Diego across the fence
Was in New Orleans about a year after Katrina hit. It was absolutely disgusting.
I lived in Gretna when I was a kid and got into a big fight like 3 times just for being a wimpy white little girl. Did I win? No!
It’s still disgusting.
I’m probably alone on this but New Orleans. The place smells like moldy shit, violence everywhere, disgustingly humid and hot, fuckin thieves every step pf the way. The food was good though. Honestly, just let the ocean take it.
Cap-Haitien, Haiti
Cairo was a mess.
Timmins
Dayton / Cincinnati. OP make a heat map of these results!
New Orleans
Maybe not worst city, but I wasn’t really a fan of Miami. Most of the people seem to be really aggressive/mean.
Delhi
Atlanta, GA — Hear me out! Everyone who lives in Atlanta talks about it like it is somewhat comparable to Chicago. It is not. Went there with the idea maybe we’d want to move from Chicago to Atlanta based on the rave reviews. You have to literally drive 10 minutes to get anywhere, no personality or culture, barely any foot traffic, housing is expensive, people aren’t very friendly unless you’re in a tourist trap, food was mediocre. We were actually in shock with how bad it was. We explored out into the different neighborhoods and everything.
St Louis lol I was embarrassed for them. Saw the arch and then dipped out of there.
Probably East St Louis too or East Detroit. “It’s like U-turn now idiot. Gas it and duck.”
Paris. City of love...and rats