Least Favorite Major Cities

[Y.A.G Si Ye Nots]

What are your least favorite major cities in the country? Most of these lists get dominated by which cities have high crime rate, but I look at many other things than that. With any major city, you can find some things you don't like: crime, traffic, expensive, or whatever. But to make this list, you have to pretty much have nothing going for you.

1) Philly, by far, is the worst. For a huge city, it has no redeeming qualities. I've been to it around ten times, and I've never left thinking any of it was enjoyable. Its most popular area is South Street which is supposed to be an urban, edgy/hipster street with a mix of diverse people, restaurants, shopping, and bars. It's so popular and cool that half of the storefronts are vacant? It also just looks grimy to me . . . and I don't necessarily dislike grimy. Baltimore has plenty of grimy spots, but it also has a ton of cool/fun neighborhoods with a ton of character. Philly has none of it. All of their professional sports complexes are on the outskirts of the city away from anything else. Their best shopping is King of Prussia Mall which isn't even in the city. I guess they have the Liberty Bell, cheesesteaks, and an assortment of mostly average D1 teams (Temple, UPenn, Villanova, St. Joe's, La Salle), but that doesn't come close to being enough for what is a top 5 sized city in the country. The weather is miserable, there is no natural beauty, and Camden is a few miles away. No thanks.

2) Cleveland. I'll simply leave this blank, because there is nothing to say about Cleveland, and that's the problem.

3) Pittsburgh. In fairness to the city, I have only been to this dump a few times. And in fairness to me, I hope that doesn't change. The driving around there is miserable: not so much the traffic but just how the roads are mapped out. I haven't found a single nice area that people walk around, shop, eat, etc. Nothing against the overwhelmingly blue collar feel of the city, but the overwhelmingly blue collar feel of your city makes me feel like I constantly need a shower.

 

[-CarlHungus-]

Not a fan of Houston. Good ethnic food but it just feels like a sprawling concrete wasteland.

I actually like Pittsburgh - felt like last 10 years it seems improved.

I don’t love Atlanta (don’t hate it, just don’t like it a lot) - traffic and it feels like it lacks cohesion and a “feel” to me.

I think NYC is great. Chicago I love too, especially in warm months.

Cleveland is Cleveland.

 

[-CarlHungus-]

Orlando for anything other than Disney is worthless.

 

[ThunderCat98]

Cleveland. For obvious reasons.

Dallas. Too spread out and just boring. There's nothing about the downtown area that stands out, imo. Very little"character."

 

[wvkeeper(HN)]

It's kind of hard to make good roads in Pittsburgh when the entire city is built on the side of a hill and the banks of meandering rivers.

St. Louis is the worst big city I've been to. Whole place is a dump and for a city of its size the downtown is about the same space as Charleston, WV.

Charlotte isn't bad, but it isn't good either. A whole bunch of meh.

I really liked Los Angeles when I was there a couple years ago.

 

[Raoul Duke MU]

It's kind of hard to make good roads in Pittsburgh when the entire city is built on the side of a hill and the banks of meandering rivers.

St. Louis is the worst big city I've been to. Whole place is a dump and for a city of its size the downtown is about the same space as Charleston, WV..

Pittsburgh was a great natural place to build a fort. A major city, not so much.

St Louis has one of the best urban parks in the nation (Forest Park). I'll give it some points for that.

 

[ThunderCat98]

Charlotte isn't bad, but it isn't good either. A whole bunch of meh.

Charlotte went through a rough patch, but the last time I was there, it seemed like they had done a good job revitalizing some of the sh*ttier sections. Although that was before the current meth boom.

 

[Raoul Duke MU]

I don't care for Atlanta. I agree with that lack of feel, just too much sprawl.

Jacksonville doesn't have any feel or vibe. I don't know why it exists. How the fvck they get a NFL team?

Fvck Houston. It's hot, humid, and the traffic is beyond miserable.

Cleveland....there is this beautiful area on the lake west of downtown, with large, older, stately homes. I spent a Fourth of July there once, and it was great. There is an area just outside of downtown that reminded me of Dresden after the firebombing, and that's one of the few times I have been driving and wished I had a sub-machine-gun.

 

[ThunderCat98]

Pittsburgh is getting a lot of hate in this thread, but I didn't think it was terrible. More like a better version of Cincinnati, which is terrible.

 

[ggmike1992]

I used to enjoy going to Atlanta in my younger days to take in some Braves games and tittie bars. Not so much now. Unless I’m hitting the city at 4:00 am I avoid it like the plauge when traveling back and forth from Tallahassee to Huntington. The by-pass around Atlanta is worse than taking 75 through the heart of the city.

 

[i am herdman]

Las Vegas is the worst city, IMO.

Dirty, too many visitors, too much of what is wrong with America, and just a downright nasty place. I hate that place. Drunkards, foreigners, too many bright lights all the time, depressing, can't stand it.

 

[WV-FAN]

petersburg's a decent city. not mu....nothing to do, two stop lights, a couple decent places to eat, used car dealerships, churches, minimum of an hour from any small city like winchester, harrisonburg, or cumberland, and 2 hours from any major city. plus, the purple fiddle isn't too bad of a drive. my kind of place.

 

[Raoul Duke MU]

too much of what is wrong with America

That is exactly why I like Vegas. I would not want to live there, but visiting is a goddamn trip.

 

[ggmike1992]

Las Vegas is the worst city, IMO.

Dirty, too many visitors, too much of what is wrong with America, and just a downright nasty place. I hate that place. Drunkards, foreigners, too many bright lights all the time, depressing, can't stand it.

I enjoy the Las Vegas experience. Headed there again late January. Wouldn’t want to live there but I enjoy visiting.

 

[i am herdman]

I enjoy the Las Vegas experience. Headed there again late January. Wouldn’t want to live there but I enjoy visiting.

I hate it. Been there about 8 times. I dread it every time. Hotels are nasty germ infested places. Smoke filled. Streets are dirty. Constant lights and noise. Just trashy. Get sick every time I go.

 

[wvkeeper(HN)]

I lived in Pittsburgh for 6 years. I liked it and it has a culture and a lot of upside.

I've never actually spent any time in Atlanta other than driving through.

Charlotte is meh because it lacks the same kind of thing Raoul notes about Jacksonville. No identity, a whole bunch of Northerners and transplants, and it still doesn't act like a big city. It is amazing to me how few big concerts and acts come through, going to Greensboro and Columbia instead, totally skipping Charlotte.

A city which is completely undervalued is Richmond. I've dug it the few times I've been.

Also, really like Kansas City.

 

[i am herdman]

I lived in Pittsburgh for 6 years. I liked it and it has a culture and a lot of upside.

I've never actually spent any time in Atlanta other than driving through.

Charlotte is meh because it lacks the same kind of thing Raoul notes about Jacksonville. No identity, a whole bunch of Northerners and transplants, and it still doesn't act like a big city. It is amazing to me how few big concerts and acts come through, going to Greensboro and Columbia instead, totally skipping Charlotte.

A city which is completely undervalued is Richmond. I've dug it the few times I've been.

Also, really like Kansas City.

A lot of big concerts do go to Greensboro. I think it is location because they can draw from Charlotte, Raleigh, and southern VA(even WV). Also, the big arenas in Charlotte and Raleigh have occupants most of the time. Hornets in Charlotte, Hurricanes(NHL) and NC State in Raleigh. Greensboro Coliseum doesn't have a full time occupant. And, my guess is Greensboro is a cheaper venue to rent that Raleigh or Charlotte. That being said Raleigh has a large outdoor concert venue at Walnut Creek along with the RBC center. Charlotte has the same.

 

[NKY_HerdFan]

Miami, outside of South Beach is a shithole. Hated going there for work. Except for the weather

 

[-CarlHungus-]

Miami, outside of South Beach is a shithole. Hated going there for work. Except for the weather

Agree. I've been a few times and really was unimpressed.

===

Couldn't agree more on the lack of "feel" you seem to get with Charlotte and Jacksonville. I don't think they're bad places, just not my favorites. Even though there may be a "dirty/grimy" feel at place like Pittsburgh, at least it's something I guess. I like to feel like there's character or uniqueness and not just some ubiquitous "city" you get with Charlotte, Jacksonville, or "downtown" Orlando.

 

[wvkeeper(HN)]

I had a job opportunity in the area due south of Orlando and due east of Tampa and it was not in any way pleasant.

 

[i am herdman]

Cities like Charlotte and Raleigh do lack a "feel". I think it is because they have grown so fast and probably lost their identity and there is such an influx of people from everywhere else they lose a sense of who they are.

There is no identity. Go to a Panthers game and it is honestly to me a snooze fest. Not even like it a real NFL team to me. I hate the Steelers but at least they are a real team, IMO. Like Green Bay, the Chiefs, Bears, etc. The Panthers? It is like ok, who wakes up born a Panthers fan. Panthers till the day I die? OKKKKK.

Kind of hard to explain, but I think it is because they have grown so fast.

 

[GreenDuke]

Boston Yes
San Francisco Yes
New York Yes
Denver Yes

Houston No
Atlanta No

Miami Meh
Chicago Meh

 

[MarshallManiac]

Philadelphia - I like visiting but after you've done the touristy things there's not much to it.

Cleveland - See above

Cincinnati - I personally enjoy Cincinnati. It's probably the nostalgia of it though. Always loved spending a day on the riverfront going to a Reds game. The food scene has become much better there the last several years as well.

Columbus - Never spent much time there outside of going to Easton once or twice per year. Been to a few OSU games which were nothing to write home about.

St. Louis - I haven't spent much time here but I did have the best Italian food ever over on The Hill.

Houston - Lots of concrete. Not much to look at but it seems to be getting better.

Austin - Probably in my Top 3. Lots of good restaurants...good music and all of the parks and everything are beautiful. I wouldn't mind moving to this area one day.

San Antonio - All of the above.

Tampa - My favorite part about Tampa is St. Petersburg and Clearwater

Miami - Outside of South Beach, there is no reason to visit.

Washington DC - I love visiting Washington...mostly for the touristy stuff but I like finding some of the hole-in-the-wall restaurants as well. Especially love the Georgetown area.

Chicago - Easily my favorite city in the US...except between the months of November-April.

Atlanta - Other than Chicago, I visit Atlanta more than most other cities. Once you're in the downtown area or over in Buckhead it's not bad. The traffic though is stupid.

Outside the US - I've spent a lot of time in Monterrey & Mexico City. Love both of them. People would be surprised how nice the downtown areas of these cities are. Monterrey is one of my favorite places in the world.

London - Probably my second favorite city.

Cardiff - Like a mini London. Really wish Rugby was bigger in the US. There is nothing like watching the Welsh national team play in Cardiff.

 

[sistersville]

St Paul Minneapolis, Minnesota- spent 2 summers there. Cleanest city I ever was in. Charlotte North Carolina is a city my wife loves staying in. All in all big cities suck. Nobody looks you in the eye. Everybody is in a hurry and usually not very friendly. Plus city folk love waiting in lines for hrs to eat food the dog won't eat. Want to spend some time in New York City to check out the music scene. It has to be one of the best cities to see live music.

 

[imherdfan]

Detroit

Houston

Atlanta

 

[Bankerreturns]

I don't care for Atlanta. I agree with that lack of feel, just too much sprawl.

Jacksonville doesn't have any feel or vibe. I don't know why it exists. How the fvck they get a NFL team?

Fvck Houston. It's hot, humid, and the traffic is beyond miserable.

Cleveland....there is this beautiful area on the lake west of downtown, with large, older, stately homes. I spent a Fourth of July there once, and it was great. There is an area just outside of downtown that reminded me of Dresden after the firebombing, and that's one of the few times I have been driving and wished I had a sub-machine-gun.

Have you ever driven up Vine Street in Cincinnati heading toward UC? It looks like it was built as a movie set for what a hood should look like and you are in the middle of the movie.

 

[Raoul Duke MU]

Have you ever driven up Vine Street in Cincinnati heading toward UC? It looks like it was built as a movie set for what a hood should look like and you are in the middle of the movie.

It's been a long time.

 

[-CarlHungus-]

Have you ever driven up Vine Street in Cincinnati heading toward UC? It looks like it was built as a movie set for what a hood should look like and you are in the middle of the movie.

The street is a disaster. Liquor stores with bars on the windows, prostitutes, people walking through the middle of the street....it really is like The Wire and an episode of Cops...though it’s much better now than it was 10-15 years ago.

 

[Chevy1]

Agree with Herdman about Vegas. Had to stay a month there one year.....not at one time, but a couple of conventions, shows, events - I logged 30 days there one year - an overload of sleeze.

 

[HerdBuckeye]

Have you ever driven up Vine Street in Cincinnati heading toward UC? It looks like it was built as a movie set for what a hood should look like and you are in the middle of the movie.

That’s Over the Rhine and it looks nothing like that anymore. Lots of investments in the last 10 years.

 

[i am herdman]

Agree with Herdman about Vegas. Had to stay a month there one year.....not at one time, but a couple of conventions, shows, events - I logged 30 days there one year - an overload of sleeze.

I feel for your. I get sick every time I go there as well. It is a horrible place. 30 days would be like prison.

 

[i am herdman]

I actually like Atlanta. Not the bad parts, but I really like the area. I know several people who live there or who have lived there. They really like(d) it.

I like Georgia very much.

 

[HerdBuckeye]

Buffalo
Kansas City
Louisville
Memphis

 

[MarshallManiac]

I forgot about Las Vegas....it was cool for about 2 days. After that it just felt like somebody was standing in front of me pointing a hair dryer in my face. The best part about Las Vegas is that it's a nice launching point to see other cool things like the Grand Canyon, Painted Dessert, Death Valley, Joshua Tree and my favorite, Zion National Park

 

[Raoul Duke MU]

Louisville

The best city in America to drink in. If you don't like Louisville, you are a pussy.

 

[ggmike1992]

The best city in America to drink in. If you don't like Louisville, you are a pussy.

I enjoyed hanging out at 4th Street Live when I visited over the summer. Spent a few nights at the Galt House taking in the area.

 

[Y.A.G Si Ye Nots]

I've made claims in the past about how I don't like Vegas. A lot of that has to do with me not drinking/clubbing. But it does offer something of value for those knowing what to expect - you can find great shopping, great weather, great food, great entertainment, and gambling.

I don't like it more than two days at a time, but it definitely has some high value to offer.

Those who claim Miami is garbage besides South Beach would be like people claiming NYC sucks except for Manhattan or that LA sucks besides Beverly Hills/Hollywood Hills. If you take away a huge part of a city - especially the biggest draw - then a lot of cities would drop. South Beach is far more than just a beach. It has world-class shopping, world-class food, world-class nightlife, great theaters/art, beautiful people from around the world, great hotels, great entertainment. Claiming South Beach is the only thing Miami has going for it shows you guys haven't spent much time there. Bal Harbour is beautiful. Coconut Grove is nice. Biscayne has phenomenal views. North Beach is the same as South Beach without all of the crowds.

Same thing with Atlanta. As I said in the opening post, almost all major cities have bad traffic. Claiming that Atlanta is blah without acknowledging everything that Buckhead and Midtown offer is absurd. Atlanta is a great city with just as great suburbs very close to the city. It is the capital for urban black entertainment. It really brings a lot to the table.

I don't understand anyone liking Kansas City. I spent two years flying to Kansas City at least once a month. It really has nothing. The plaza is a cute place to walk around, but it offers nothing out of the ordinary. You can finish eating and shopping there in half of a day. The Negro League Museum is interesting but probably only to certain sector of people. The baseball and football stadiums are on a highway many miles outside of the city. The airport is quite a hike from the city. Downtown doesn't offer anything.

I also don't understand Carl's dislike about Orlando. There aren't a lot of cities who will shut down major parts of the downtown every weekend so only pedestrians will use it. Orlando does that, much like Austin, and it leads to a great nightlife experience encompassing many blocks of a major downtown area. He excluded Disney, but again, that's like taking Manhattan away from NYC. Disney offers so much more than just the major parks. Disney Springs is great entertainment. The resorts offer quality eating destinations. Shopping, both in their premium, high-end shopping mall and their outlets is well above what a city the size of Orlando usually offers. Universal Studios? SeaWorld? Legoland (35 minutes away)? Great beaches 40 minutes away? Another major city (Tampa) with even more great beaches 70 minutes away? A large, D1 college with solid athletics (UCF)? Great concerts and an NBA arena downtown which is walkable from the business/entertainment district? I'd be content living in or around Orlando.

I've mentioned Jacksonville before. Jacksonville is full of rednecks and full of ghetto blacks (no, that's not redundant, Dreh). Those are the only two types of people there. The city leaves a lot to be desired, but it is saved by having phenomenal beaches to both the north and the south, as well as one of the coolest and nicest beach towns (Ponte Vedra) very close.

 

[Raoul Duke MU]

I enjoyed hanging out at 4th Street Live when I visited over the summer. Spent a few nights at the Galt House taking in the area.

4th St Live is like the worst ever place to drink/hang out. I could write an entire book about better places than that tourist trap.

 

[i am herdman]

I've made claims in the past about how I don't like Vegas. A lot of that has to do with me not drinking/clubbing. But it does offer something of value for those knowing what to expect - you can find great shopping, great weather, great food, great entertainment, and gambling.

I don't like it more than two days at a time, but it definitely has some high value to offer.

Those who claim Miami is garbage besides South Beach would be like people claiming NYC sucks except for Manhattan or that LA sucks besides Beverly Hills/Hollywood Hills. If you take away a huge part of a city - especially the biggest draw - then a lot of cities would drop. South Beach is far more than just a beach. It has world-class shopping, world-class food, world-class nightlife, great theaters/art, beautiful people from around the world, great hotels, great entertainment. Claiming South Beach is the only thing Miami has going for it shows you guys haven't spent much time there. Bal Harbour is beautiful. Coconut Grove is nice. Biscayne has phenomenal views. North Beach is the same as South Beach without all of the crowds.

Same thing with Atlanta. As I said in the opening post, almost all major cities have bad traffic. Claiming that Atlanta is blah without acknowledging everything that Buckhead and Midtown offer is absurd. Atlanta is a great city with just as great suburbs very close to the city. It is the capital for urban black entertainment. It really brings a lot to the table.

I don't understand anyone liking Kansas City. I spent two years flying to Kansas City at least once a month. It really has nothing. The plaza is a cute place to walk around, but it offers nothing out of the ordinary. You can finish eating and shopping there in half of a day. The Negro League Museum is interesting but probably only to certain sector of people. The baseball and football stadiums are on a highway many miles outside of the city. The airport is quite a hike from the city. Downtown doesn't offer anything.

I also don't understand Carl's dislike about Orlando. There aren't a lot of cities who will shut down major parts of the downtown every weekend so only pedestrians will use it. Orlando does that, much like Austin, and it leads to a great nightlife experience encompassing many blocks of a major downtown area. He excluded Disney, but again, that's like taking Manhattan away from NYC. Disney offers so much more than just the major parks. Disney Springs is great entertainment. The resorts offer quality eating destinations. Shopping, both in their premium, high-end shopping mall and their outlets is well above what a city the size of Orlando usually offers. Universal Studios? SeaWorld? Legoland (35 minutes away)? Great beaches 40 minutes away? Another major city (Tampa) with even more great beaches 70 minutes away? A large, D1 college with solid athletics (UCF)? Great concerts and an NBA arena downtown which is walkable from the business/entertainment district? I'd be content living in or around Orlando.

I've mentioned Jacksonville before. Jacksonville is full of rednecks and full of ghetto blacks (no, that's not redundant, Dreh). Those are the only two types of people there. The city leaves a lot to be desired, but it is saved by having phenomenal beaches to both the north and the south, as well as one of the coolest and nicest beach towns (Ponte Vedra) very close.

I like Atlanta and Orlando as well. You would never guess that from me, but I do.

 

[ggmike1992]

4th St Live is like the worst ever place to drink/hang out. I could write an entire book about better places than that tourist trap.

Regardless, we had a good time.