OT: Most disappointing or surprisingly boring or bad cities you visited
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But Paco, what were you expecting out of Detroit? Honestly, I find Detroit actually better than its rep. It's rep is so poor, I am not sure how you can have expectations that disappoint.
I'll give a couple of more. Cincy. I didn't realize how rough of a city it is. Indianapolis. Indy is one of those rare places where the very downtown is nicer than the suburbs.
two pages in an no one has mentioned Orlando?
Poster child for sprawl with no identifiable character. Worst big city in America.
Poster child for sprawl with no identifiable character. Worst big city in America.
Phoenix. It feels like a massive suburban area, and so much of the population consists of transplants. Nothing wrong with transplants, obviously. But in my opinion, what makes a city like Pittsburgh great is all of the cultural touch points for those who grew up in and around the city. It's one of reasons why the city has been so resilient over the past few years.
Raleigh - Not much to see or do. It's Mayberry on steroids...
Columbia, SC - Boring. They have a nice zoo...but that's it
Little Rock, AR - The best part of Little Rock is when you leave...
Columbia, SC - Boring. They have a nice zoo...but that's it
Little Rock, AR - The best part of Little Rock is when you leave...
Boston. I thought it would be fun because of the history and college scene, but there was a very strong superiority complex there. That city has to have the highest douchebag per capita ratio in the developed world.
I second this. I like the attractions in and around Boston, but the people are intolerable.
Yeah I went to both of the Pitt bowl games in Detroit. My expectations were pretty low, but it was better than I thought. There is a ton of decay, but there is a gritty authenticity to what has survived. You just have to search it out a little. There didn’t seem to be some hip mixed-use redeveloped neighborhood that everyone goes to for nightlife or dining.
I’m lived there nearly 20 years ago. I thought it was fantastic. But I don’t like it now.
Some interesting plantation tours. Head west on I-10 towards New Iberia. Cool culture and food. I like the big easy.
I was there 2 years ago and it was disgusting. Garbage everywhere, homeless people and drug addicts passed out and lying in their urine. Sidewalks covered with tents and tarps with people living there. Never seen anything like it and I've been a lot of places.
I have zero interest in ever returning.
Yes on Jacksonville being a dump.
Monterrey, Mexico, has the best Mexican food I’ve ever eaten. Hoping to get to Mexico City to compare.
Columbus is a pretty underrated city and looks even better compared to my days going to school there. Adding the Blue Jackets helped based off my last time visiting.
The best part of Detroit is you can cross over into Windsor and gamble.
Monterrey, Mexico, has the best Mexican food I’ve ever eaten. Hoping to get to Mexico City to compare.
Columbus is a pretty underrated city and looks even better compared to my days going to school there. Adding the Blue Jackets helped based off my last time visiting.
The best part of Detroit is you can cross over into Windsor and gamble.
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Downtown Dallas disappoints. Very bland. No energy. Not walkable. But those other areas I mentioned are very walkable and hip and vibrant. I actually prefer the downtown area of Fort Worth. That’s where the West begins. It’s cow town. You can’t beat the stockyards for the experience.
Dallas tries to be LA and New York but fails to pull it off. And the cowboys don’t even play in Dallas. They never did actually.
pittdan77
Athletic Director
Charleston, SC - We always hear rave reviews about it, but the attractions were not as interesting as expected, the food scene was not as good as advertised, and we tapped out what it had to offer in 2 days (while spending a 4 day long-weekend there). Don't get me wrong, its not terrible. But it is highly overrated.
Seattle - I liked it, but I had high expectations and the actual city didn't quite live up to them.
Denver - Similarly, I had high expectations and thought it was "okay". It seemed that the best part of Denver were all of the great outdoor places to go outside of the city.
Tuscan, AZ - Way smaller than I thought. Not much going on.
Baltimore - Also not a fan, but wasn't much of a surprise. Great baseball stadium though.
Seattle - I liked it, but I had high expectations and the actual city didn't quite live up to them.
Denver - Similarly, I had high expectations and thought it was "okay". It seemed that the best part of Denver were all of the great outdoor places to go outside of the city.
Tuscan, AZ - Way smaller than I thought. Not much going on.
Baltimore - Also not a fan, but wasn't much of a surprise. Great baseball stadium though.
I'm with you. New Iberia is beautiful. The stretch from New Iberia to Breaux Bridge is very nice and the food is terrific.
Had pretty much the same experience, was told by multiple people that the change in the city was relatively recent and that a decade ago it was nothing like that.
Not much positive to say about Augusta, i mentioned in the other thread how much we enjoy Aiken, SC less than a half hour way. Any time I go to the Masters moving forward will always stay in Aiken.
Dallas definitely is a “status” place. Even people making $30,000 a year don’t drive anything less than an Audi. It’s incredible how superficial everyone is there, while being relatively nice and hospitable at the same time.
Detroit has changed a lot over the past 10 years, especially over the last 4-5. It’s never gonna be Chicago or San Francisco and it will never have great residential neighborhoods within the city limits, the schools are a lost cause, but downtown and some of the inner ring areas near downtown have improved immensely. A great deal of money has been pumped into the place as well as a lot of incentives to attract and keep businesses, young residents etc. With that has come hip hotels, bars and restaurants.
I wouldn’t go out of my way to travel to Detroit but if you have a reason to go I think you’ll find downtown and its surrounds very different from the urban hellhole of 10 years ago as Paco describes. .
Augusta, reminds me of South Bend. Everyone thinks Notre Dame and Rudy and how beautiful it is, but that is the campus of ND which is separate from South Bend. Same with Augusta. Augusta National has nothing in common with Augusta. Akron, Erie, Youngstown are good comparisons.
US - San Diego. I guess I expected a lot of beaches and beautiful scenery but you don't get much of that feel when you're walking around downtown. Lots of homeless people, which I don't really have a problem with but it was pretty pervasive. One guy was just walking around completely nude expect for his shoes. Extremely gorgeous women but overall I didn't find much else to love about it.
International - Canberra, Australia. It's a planned city and capitol of Australia. They built it out on this huge plain in the interior and the only thing there is the government and museums. I went for 1 day and it was freezing compared to Sydney/Melbourne and the entire city closed at 5pm. I felt like I was in Harrisburg.
International - Canberra, Australia. It's a planned city and capitol of Australia. They built it out on this huge plain in the interior and the only thing there is the government and museums. I went for 1 day and it was freezing compared to Sydney/Melbourne and the entire city closed at 5pm. I felt like I was in Harrisburg.
Mexico City has great Mexican food. Well, mostly because it is Mexico. However, be careful. Street tacos in DF put me on the floor for 2 days.
Oakland, CA. A blot on the Bay.... Baltimore is Jekyll/Hyde. Fine at the Harbor, but if you visit, stay IN the Harbor area proper. My wife and I went down to see the Red Sox a few years ago and stayed at a hotel south of the Ravens' stadium... from the Orioles' park it was no longer a walk than from downtown Pittsburgh to Heinz Field. But a highway overpass broke up the street and the walk through alleys was scary in the dark.
We’ve done a few weekend stays in Baltimore (live closer to DC on the MD side so not too far). Have learned to be pretty careful about the places we stay at... but yes, generally the closer to the water you are, the better off you are. Last 2 times stayed at the Hyatt Place near Harbor East/Fells. Love Camden Yards though.
Portland reminded me of Pittsburgh with a more hipster vibe. Houses built into hillsides...the city bisected with a river. Good beer, good food. That was before all the Antifa dopes did their magic.
Portland had problems long before any protests. It became a haven for homeless and drugs. Is was definitely a different city 15 years ago.
Yeah, I was only there once and only for 2 nights, one day. And one of those we went to Cannon Beach for dinner. I ate at Pok Pok, and some bar downtown. It's a shame though how these great cities like Seattle, Portland and especially San Fran have become almost a South Park caricature of themselves with some really poor civic leadership.
I'd like to hear your reasons as I've always had that place on my list to see someday
and speaking of cities, think we will be able to attend the game in Knoxville this fall? Is staying in Nashville and driving to Knoxville on gameday feasible -- where is our resident expert of Tennessee at, TD, to assist here?
man, strongly disagree about San Diego. By the coast, beautiful weather year round. Great food, the beach, big city.
I have to imagine Mexico City is much like Sao Paulo. Sao Paulo is the largest city in the southern hemisphere. I loved it. But I also had natives and an expense account so it was great. But it just so mammoth, as is Mexico City and those type of huge cities in countries like that, you have such extremes. Extreme poverty and really nice places.
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