Places to avoid

[The Blaatschapen]

While it's not a place to avoid per se, it is a quite boring and ugly place: Sofia, Bulgaria

[TaQud]

Los Angeles

[Pope Joan]

We here on NSG represent many RL nations, and many of us have travelled extensively. So please share some advice based on your experience: Which places you have lived in or visited are best avoided? No fair saying North Korea if you have never been there.

I was not fond of South Carolina. I found local people staring rigidly at us without blinking or smiling, like reptiles. We were denied service for no reason.

I also had park rangers and police in Oklahoma refuse to help me unless I paid them a bribe. They may be excused because they were grossly underpaid, so it is like the restaurant that expects waitstaff to earn their living from tips.

For me, SC is a tale of two states - inland is a hellhole for visitors, but the low country is nice. Old Charleston is pleasant to visit, down by the Battery and whatnot. Also, Gullah food is top-notch.

My contribution:

Gary, IN. Sometimes I worry about breathing the air when there's a wind from the east, lest I catch something nasty from that decrepit cesspool of crime and decay.

Yeah, we lived and worked in Chicago and had friends and colleagues in the south suburbs like Blue island and Harvey.

We all tried to avoid Gary and Hammond. Those places even had "parks" whose beaches were 100% black slag from the furnaces, and the water was black and greasy. People fished there, and ate the fish.

I did like the Jackson 5 however.

[L Ron Cupboard]

Wolverhampton, Northampton, Walsall, and Plymouth are places you won't lose anything by not visiting.

[Miasto Lodz]

Detroit
NYC
Cologne (Mülheim, Chorweiler)
Paris and the suburbs (St. Denis)
western districts of Southampton
Warsaw (Praga Północ, Bielany, Targówek)
Katowice (Szopienice, Os. Tysiąclecia)
Cracow (Nowa Huta)
Łódź (Bałuty, Retkinia)
Jerusalem (Mea Shearim and probably the Arab parts of the city)
Berlin (Neukoelln)
Luton
Marseilles
roughly a half of Rotterdam...

[Lochinver]

A lot of parts of Michigan are pretty fucked. Detroit and some parts of Lansing are pretty undesirable.

[Varijnland]

Knowle West- Avoid at all costs

[Ceannairceach]

Detroit
NYC
Cologne (Mülheim, Chorweiler)
Paris and the suburbs (St. Denis)
western districts of Southampton
Warsaw (Praga Północ, Bielany, Targówek)
Katowice (Szopienice, Os. Tysiąclecia)
Cracow (Nowa Huta)
Łódź (Bałuty, Retkinia)
Jerusalem (Mea Shearim and probably the Arab parts of the city)
Berlin (Neukoelln)
Luton
Marseilles
roughly a half of Rotterdam...

What's wrong with New York City? I go back roughly every month, money allowing, and it is pleasant enough.

[Lochinver]

Detroit
NYC
Cologne (Mülheim, Chorweiler)
Paris and the suburbs (St. Denis)
western districts of Southampton
Warsaw (Praga Północ, Bielany, Targówek)
Katowice (Szopienice, Os. Tysiąclecia)
Cracow (Nowa Huta)
Łódź (Bałuty, Retkinia)
Jerusalem (Mea Shearim and probably the Arab parts of the city)
Berlin (Neukoelln)
Luton
Marseilles
roughly a half of Rotterdam...

What's wrong with New York City? I go back roughly every month, money allowing, and it is pleasant enough.

Some of the residential areas have a reputation for being pretty rough

[Serrland]

For me, SC is a tale of two states - inland is a hellhole for visitors, but the low country is nice. Old Charleston is pleasant to visit, down by the Battery and whatnot. Also, Gullah food is top-notch.

My contribution:

Gary, IN. Sometimes I worry about breathing the air when there's a wind from the east, lest I catch something nasty from that decrepit cesspool of crime and decay.

Yeah, we lived and worked in Chicago and had friends and colleagues in the south suburbs like Blue island and Harvey.

We all tried to avoid Gary and Hammond. Those places even had "parks" whose beaches were 100% black slag from the furnaces, and the water was black and greasy. People fished there, and ate the fish.

I did like the Jackson 5 however.

Yeah, it's pretty disgusting. I've seen people fishing in the shipping canals, too. Now, I'm an avid fisherman, and there are few joys in life that compare to a nice day out on the water, but just being near enough to the canals to try to fish makes me uneasy. I can't imagine what gets into the heads of the people who kayak down the Chicago River. It's a lot cleaner now than it used to be, but still not somewhere I would ever want to just a few inches above the water.

[Muckistania]

It is good to know that most of the posters on Nation states are reasonable sensible and well traveled. The two leading places to avoid are the Africa and the Middle East and of course where these two places overlap, places like Egypt, Somalia, Libya, Sudan are absolutely to be avoided.

Africa's problem is that they are destitute and either due to this or because of this they have no law and order.

The Middle East's problem is that it is full of people that hate each other and they have enough money and loose enough laws that they can demonstrate their feelings to one and another. There is also the unholy merger between Marxism and Islam that has created a very toxic brew of faith in their backyard.

[Serrland]

It is good to know that most of the posters on Nation states are reasonable sensible and well traveled. The two leading places to avoid are the Africa and the Middle East and of course where these two places overlap, places like Egypt, Somalia, Libya, Sudan are absolutely to be avoided.

Africa's problem is that they are destitute and either due to this or because of this they have no law and order.

The Middle East's problem is that it is full of people that hate each other and they have enough money and loose enough laws that they can demonstrate their feelings to one and another. There is also the unholy merger between Marxism and Islam that has created a very toxic brew of faith in their backyard.

I would disagree on the Middle East. I travelled to Syria a few years back (before the violence) and it was one of the best trips I've ever taken. Obviously if there is violence and a security threat don't go, but if you've got your wits about you there are places in the Middle East that are absolutely wonderful. I wouldn't recommend strolling through Sadr City or Sanaa or Homs, but Muscat, Amman, Beirut, Haifa, etc are, from what I understand, quite nice. I've heard Beirut in particular is awesome, and that rural Lebanon is beautiful.

[Euroslavia]

Detroit, only if you have 0 street smarts. The downtown area is in quite a nice revival phase and it's looking beautiful. Straying away from that though, not a good idea.

[Hippostania]

Harlesden, Harlem and Hervanta. I've visited all those places and.. let's just say they're far from nice.

[Euroslavia]

It is good to know that most of the posters on Nation states are reasonable sensible and well traveled. The two leading places to avoid are the Africa and the Middle East and of course where these two places overlap, places like Egypt, Somalia, Libya, Sudan are absolutely to be avoided.

Africa's problem is that they are destitute and either due to this or because of this they have no law and order.

The Middle East's problem is that it is full of people that hate each other and they have enough money and loose enough laws that they can demonstrate their feelings to one and another. There is also the unholy merger between Marxism and Islam that has created a very toxic brew of faith in their backyard.

I would disagree on the Middle East. I travelled to Syria a few years back (before the violence) and it was one of the best trips I've ever taken. Obviously if there is violence and a security threat don't go, but if you've got your wits about you there are places in the Middle East that are absolutely wonderful. I wouldn't recommend strolling through Sadr City or Sanaa or Homs, but Muscat, Amman, Beirut, Haifa, etc are, from what I understand, quite nice. I've heard Beirut in particular is awesome, and that rural Lebanon is beautiful.

I had a friend who visited Lebanon a few months ago with the violence going on in Syria. He said that Beirut was safe, but near the border with Syria was somewhere that you shouldn't go at all. Bombings and murders were quite frequent when he was there.

[Williamson]

the middle east if your from America you be dead

[Pope Joan]

Yeah, we lived and worked in Chicago and had friends and colleagues in the south suburbs like Blue island and Harvey.

We all tried to avoid Gary and Hammond. Those places even had "parks" whose beaches were 100% black slag from the furnaces, and the water was black and greasy. People fished there, and ate the fish.

I did like the Jackson 5 however.

Yeah, it's pretty disgusting. I've seen people fishing in the shipping canals, too. Now, I'm an avid fisherman, and there are few joys in life that compare to a nice day out on the water, but just being near enough to the canals to try to fish makes me uneasy. I can't imagine what gets into the heads of the people who kayak down the Chicago River. It's a lot cleaner now than it used to be, but still not somewhere I would ever want to just a few inches above the water.

My friends and I used to catch and eat smelt out of the Chicago River during that annual smelt run.

[Ceannairceach]

What's wrong with New York City? I go back roughly every month, money allowing, and it is pleasant enough.

Some of the residential areas have a reputation for being pretty rough

I suppose, but no more rough than any other city of its size.

[Dong Wu]

Tenderloin in San Francisco. The only place I have ever been where I legitimately did not feel safe.

Then stay away from East LA, mate. The Tenderloin is tame by comparison. I hung around Little Saigon in San Francisco's Tenderloin District and it was fine.

[Yewhohohopia]

Doncaster. Hull. Teeside.

Actually, most of northern England outside of Manchester, Leeds, York, Beverley, and Harrogate.

As someone who lives in York and has been to all of the other places many times barring Manchester, I generally try to avoid them, too. Full of pretentious dicks.

Anyway, places to avoid:

- A dark alley
- The gutter
- Anywhere without phone reception
- Anywhere without clean drinking water out of a tap

[Vudnia]

Stay away from the US-Mexico border. It’s a very, VERY depressing place.

[TaQud]

The downtown area is in quite a nice revival phase and it's looking beautiful. Straying away from that though, not a good idea.

at least Cleveland is better then Motown

[The Blaatschapen]

Doncaster. Hull. Teeside.

Actually, most of northern England outside of Manchester, Leeds, York, Beverley, and Harrogate.

As someone who lives in York and has been to all of the other places many times barring Manchester, I generally try to avoid them, too. Full of pretentious dicks.

Anyway, places to avoid:

- A dark alley
- The gutter
- Anywhere without phone reception
- Anywhere without clean drinking water out of a tap

Avoiding the gutter?

But my mind is there all the time.

[Euroslavia]

The downtown area is in quite a nice revival phase and it's looking beautiful. Straying away from that though, not a good idea.

at least Cleveland is better then Motown

I'm actually going to be visiting Cleveland on Memorial Day weekend for a softball tournament, so I'll get to see it soon!

[Euroslavia]

As someone who lives in York and has been to all of the other places many times barring Manchester, I generally try to avoid them, too. Full of pretentious dicks.

Anyway, places to avoid:

- A dark alley
- The gutter
- Anywhere without phone reception
- Anywhere without clean drinking water out of a tap

Avoiding the gutter?

But my mind is there all the time.

This is why everyone else should avoid being in your dirty mind!