What's your least favourite city in the world?

[blueflamenco]

Another vote for LA. Yuck.

 

[dajop]

Wow LA gets quite the bad wrap doesn't it? I've only spent 16 hours there (outside of time spent at LAX), and didn't think it was as bad as I'd previously heard, OK I only got to the chance to see Santa Monica, Venice Beach, West Hollywood and Beverley Hills - probably the good bits. All relative I guess.

 

[drron]

And I have no problems with LA.Though the first time we visited in 1981 and being novices we did wander in to an area that obviously was not for us.
In Australia I would go along with Medhead-
Rockhampton
Port Pirie
Rest of the world-
El Paso
Tijuana
Kingston,Jamaica
POM
Suva
And one surprise-Vancouver-very nearly got mugged there.
But dont hate them and would go back to most.

 

[TanyaGordon]

Orlando, FL

 

[straitman]

Orlando, FL

The obvious question here is, WHY :?:

 

[medhead]

In Australia I would go along with Medhead-
Rockhampton
Port Pirie
Rest of the world-

I must have limited international travel and couldn't think of any cities I dislike more than those mentioned. Besides Melbourne. That is just because the first time I went to live there I went from a surfing safari in Queensland one weekend to be freezing in bed watching sleet out the window the next. Culture shock.

 

[munitalP]

LOL, I dont think Port Pirie qualifies as a city :shock: but I agree, what a ****hole!

LA is taking a bash, but just up the road is Sacramento - hmmmm

I think CA would be the A Hole of the US

Least fav place I have been? Batan, now theres a dump where everyone is going to mug you, kill you or just generally be nasty to you, then theres the crims!

munitalP

 

[medhead]

LOL, I dont think Port Pirie qualifies as a city :shock: but I agree, what a ****hole!

munitalP

I'm not sure the port pirie city council would agree with you there

As South Australia's first proclaimed provincial city, Port Pirie.....

www.pirie.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm

Having done a bit of research on the question of what is a city, recently, it turns out to be incredibly fuzzy. Basically boils down to has someone called it a city, without any fixed size/population criteria.

 

[simongr]

Hmm - tough one. Poznan in POland was rank, I will never go to BKK again (and will try to avoid transits through there), BOM was horrid and Dusselldorf was nothing to write home about...

 

[11sjw]

For mine if you throw around LA then you toss Sydney in as well. At least LA shows some form of planning took place, Sydney just grew and now can't deal with itself. It's roads, sewer and stormwater systems are just cough and can't handle the population.

Away from the harbour Sydney is a very tired, old and dirty looking place. I used to be proud to say I grew up there now I'm just happy to leave the place.

I guess you can find good and bad in every city. Reykjavic and Tokyo are great to visit but very expensive so that puts me off going to either of those cities again. I really enjoyed a short stint in DC but the locals there tell me it's a boring place.

 

[Keith009]

Am tempted to say San Francisco, just because in all my time working here - there isn't a single decently-dressed individual (ok except for a single co-worker, then again she isn't originally from SF so she doesn't count). But I'm reminded of many worse cities so can't exactly consider SF the worst - Muscat for instance doesn't even have a Prada store, or Brussels which is full of dog poo, or Barcelona where you'd only go for gaudy (*cough* sorry Gaudi), pretentious run down architecture masquerading as "modernism."

Everyone knows I love LA - I know it has its (many) detractors, but for me, it's the epitome of glamour, style and unashamed self-belief.

 

[NYCguy]

Everyone knows I love LA... It's the epitome of glamour, style and unashamed self-belief.

Funny, that's why I love Paris!

 

[Keith009]

Funny, that's why I love Paris!

Love it too, though would be much better without the Parisians. And, sales in Paris are legally restricted to approx 3 months of the year, eww.

 

[777]

I can't believe that no one else has nominated Johannesburg. That's a big, violent, ugly hole of a place with no redeeming features that i've discovered.

 

[blueflamenco]

Am tempted to say San Francisco, just because in all my time working here - there isn't a single decently-dressed individual (ok except for a single co-worker, then again she isn't originally from SF so she doesn't count). But I'm reminded of many worse cities so can't exactly consider SF the worst - Muscat for instance doesn't even have a Prada store, or Brussels which is full of dog poo, or Barcelona where you'd only go for gaudy (*cough* sorry Gaudi), pretentious run down architecture masquerading as "modernism."

Everyone knows I love LA - I know it has its (many) detractors, but for me, it's the epitome of glamour, style and unashamed self-belief.

Your post made me think about how we weigh up a city and why we judge a certain city as our least favourite.

I would have never thought to judge a city solely by the way people dress or by the lack of a ... Prada store.

 

[NYCguy]

... Sales in Paris are legally restricted to approx 3 months of the year, eww.

I've never found sales to be that essential to the process.

I've never really judged a city by the style of dress of the inhabitants. I think it has a lot to do with the area of the city that one spends most of their time in. For instance, when I lived in NYC, I rarely found it necessary to go south of about 50th street or west of CPW, unless I was going to an airport. If you spend your life in the Upper East side, it's a lot different to living in the Village, and so is the general standard of personal presentation.

 

[david870mdg]

Los Angeles.
Americas Toilet Bowl.

AKL.
New Zealands answer to Los Angeles; with shocking infastructure and no redeeming features.

 

[haydensydney]

AKL.

I disagree - Auckland is actually a very liveable city with beautiful scenery.

My list:

3. Toronto... got quite sick there on my last trip
2. Christchurch... senior citizen capital of NZ
1. Maryborough... is that a city? Hideous place

 

[browski]

1. Cairo, Egypt - the complete absence of altruism
2. Lagos, Nigeria - 18,000,000 people, 8 sealed roads
3. Papeete, Tahiti - the orifice of obesity
4. Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei - spend a day, bored by lunch.
5. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - the opposite of fun

Those people that have nominated LA, Johannesburg and Bombay are perhaps trying to use humour.

 

[NYCguy]

Those people that have nominated LA, Johannesburg and Bombay are perhaps trying to use humour.

There is absolutely nothing even vaguely humorous about LA. Jo'burg I haven't visited. Mumbai is absolutely amazing, although I wouldn't want to live there.