Cities you'd never return to

Frank Lee Midere

eisenberg1 wrote: »

To be fair, its people giving their opinion, based on their experience, of a city they did not like and will not be returning to.....

Venturing off the beaten track a little......mmmm, that's an idea. I am sure most would not have thought of that;)

Seriously though, a lot of the opinions may be based on a 2-3 day weekend, in which case, most veer towards the tourist traps, unless you have been before. If you have more time, you will probably find some redeeming feature in a lot of places (maybe not Birmingham :eek:)

By the by, I enjoyed Las Ramblas.....................

The problem seems to me that people are not even giving the "tourist traps" a visit. It's worthwhile swallowing your pride and being a tourist. I recommend the "red buses" in all cities. In fact I've been on some more than once.

Frank Lee Midere

Tony EH wrote: »

Yeh, agree on San Francisco.

It's just fake. Fake atmosphere, fake positivity, fake everything...except for their homeless problem.

It was utterly depressing to see the sheer amount of homeless people on the streets of San Francisco. Going to work in the morning, looking at people in 10,000 dollar suits on Market street strolling by old Chinese ladies searching bins for a bit of food.

It was absolutely disgusting, and a striking symbol of everything that wrong with American society.

The vast majority of the homeless are there because they're mentally handicapped, but without the ability to pay for their care, they end up on the streets, left to die.

The only thing worth seeing in San Francisco is the USS Pampanito.

Oh For ****'s sake. Firstly San Francisco has a homeless problem because it is liberal towards the homeless, they are not moved on and/ or locked up. Unlike Texas. So you are blaming San Fran for the problems of harsher cities. Secondly of course there is more to see in San Francisco than a boat.

Captain Farrell

Dublin. After over a decade of living in Ireland, i have to say that now i live elsewhere the only city i would never visit again is Dublin. I have had the displeasure of working there, entertaining clients there and going to weddings etc there for ten years, in which time it has degenerated into a scum-filled hellhole, its soul ripped out by beggars, junkies and D4 arsëholes.

it is possibly the only city in Europe where i don't feel safe.

fricatus

fricatus wrote: »

... are not entitled to an opinion?

If their opinion is that Copenhagen is a kip, or that Berlin is boring - then no.

Of course different people can like different things but it's an odd habit in this country that we LOVE calling other cities and countries 'kips'. imo that is just insulting.

Particularly because objectively speaking we have one of the worst built environments you could imagine and the usual anglo-saxon 'nightlife' of an allotted 6 hours skulling pints on a Friday night before a fight and a taxi home.

I love Dublin but nobody who lives here should be calling Paris, Prague or Venice a 'kip', it's just laughable.

If you don't like somewhere then fine - nothing wrong with the posters above making valid points about San Francisco (a city I love), but the idiotic blanket dismissals just come across as ignorance.

whackjob

Captain Farrell I am not being a w...ker here but is it because you can realise a scumbag, i have probably drank and walked through real dodgy areas around the world but you just know a scumbag in Ireland, I live near Limerick and you just know them and cross the road and avoid eye contact, around the train station is lethal..worst places for signs of hard drugs Zurich and Copenhagen, surprisingly..it was a long time ago..Dublin is just too expensive to enjoy..

Tony EH

Frank Lee Midere wrote: »

Oh For ****'s sake. Firstly San Francisco has a homeless problem because it is liberal towards the homeless, they are not moved on and/ or locked up. Unlike Texas. So you are blaming San Fran for the problems of harsher cities. Secondly of course there is more to see in San Francisco than a boat.

Yeh. There's also Alcatraz. :pac:

Eponymous

Saarbrucken. If you can even call it a city. Shantytown is being kind.

I wasn't massively impressed by Rome. Don't know if I'd never return, but I find it highly unlikely that I'd feel any sort of desire to.

Birroc

dj jarvis wrote: »

LOL , will it now !!! an apology you say

So you are asking us to believe that ONE city has managed to wipe out the zombie and drunk infestation ? HALLELUJAH !!!
but , why dont the rest of the German city's just copy this panacea that Leipzig has managed , or maybe the reality is your talking out the top of your hat.

and really , even if ONE city did manage it , that makes your point more valid and mine less? ????

RRRIGGGHHHHTTTT BOSCO !!!!!

pedants - dont you just LOVE them , missing the bigger picture since forever

You asked for one example, SpringOnion gave you one, just admit it and stop spoofing. Unless you can prove that Leipsig is no different to every other major train station in Germany.

Eponymous

Eponymous wrote: »

Saarbrucken. If you can even call it a city. Shantytown is being kind.

lol?
I thought it was nice

I am pie

"it is possibly the only city in Europe where i don't feel safe...."

Either you haven't travelled so much despite your claims or you are prone to wild hyperbole.

Birroc

I am pie wrote: »

"it is possibly the only city in Europe where i don't feel safe...."

Either you haven't travelled so much despite your claims or you are prone to wild hyperbole.

where was that?

Captain Farrell

I am pie wrote: »

"it is possibly the only city in Europe where i don't feel safe...."

Either you haven't travelled so much despite your claims or you are prone to wild hyperbole.

Yes that must be it. Heaven forbid that any foreigner should have a bad word to say about Dublin. I'll just wait for the next dubs v culchies thread and let someone else say it for me, so as not to offend the Irish...

I am pie

Captain Farrell wrote: »

Yes that must be it. Heaven forbid that any foreigner should have a bad word to say about Dublin. I'll just wait for the next dubs v culchies thread and let someone else say it for me, so as not to offend the Irish...

I don't know where you are from nor does it interest me even slightly, i no longer live in Dublin (for 2 years) so I don't have a stake in the game. You may now untwist your knickers.

By all rational measures Dublin is not the only city in Europe where you should feel unsafe, I understand you may have some irrational fear not born out by actual experience but that's not the same as statistically being more prone to personal danger in Dublin as opposed to anywhere else in Europe. This is a peurile argument for another thread and it wouldn't take more than a few minutes google time to check out the crime stats yourself.

Don't be silly Captain.

I am pie

Birroc wrote: »

where was that?

Dublin.

More dangerous than everywhere.

Slattsy

david75 wrote: »

Las Vegas. Utterly pointless. You can feel your soul being sucked away. Never again.
Dallas. There is something so completely charmless about this town and its weird cos it should be lovely.
Little rock Arkansas. It's limerick. But in America. Nuff said.
Miami. Plastic hellhole full of plastic people. Though little Cuba was cool.
Birmingham. Truly the biggest sh!thole in Britain.. Oh wait
Manchester. Never ever ever again. Ever.
Rotterdam. Sad about this town. It was totally levelled in WWII and when rebuilt, it's just got no soul or center. It's like a deserted movie set of skyscrapers. Really strange.
Limerick. You know why.
Cork. Double dose of what's wrong with limerick.
Sligo. The worst town in Ireland?

Yup. Awful kip.

Slattsy

Manchester worst city i've ever been too. Dirty, rotten, dark place. And that accent - awful.
Also, the ugliest women i've ever seen. Vile.

Birroc

Slattsy wrote: »

Yup. Awful kip.

Sligo town isn't great but the county is fabulous.

dj jarvis

Birroc wrote: »

You asked for one example, SpringOnion gave you one, just admit it and stop spoofing. Unless you can prove that Leipsig is no different to every other major train station in Germany.

it was not me who offered it up as a shining example of Teutonic efficiency in the cleansing of the great unwashed , and as i pointed out , we have sprinonion's word on one station , we will have to take him at his word on it and its surroundings - one out of the rest - as i said everyone love a pedant , or in this case pedants :rolleyes:

ignoring the the original point , that the train stations around some of Europe's main train stations are much much worse than the abbey st/ eden quay are of Dublin , you know , the original point :rolleyes:

spoofing its not , its traveling to the country for over 2 decades , and working there for over 4 years , i have traveled the length and breath of Germany , and ALL the stations and surrounds are magnets for zombies - i don't give a **** what sprinoioion was on when he tripped the light fantastic while in Lipzig,
and i certainly dont give a fig for what you think , becasue I know what i have seen for myself

in fact do some digging on the site , i have posted about this very topic about a year ago , in full gory details ,

or i could just be spoofing to wind you up !!! whatever

Birroc

I am pie wrote: »

Dublin.

More dangerous than everywhere.

Naw, Dublin city centre is a bit of a cesspit but it's not overly dangerous. Maybe I think that cos I am Irish and reckon I can "handle" a scumbag but there are parts of many other capital cities in Europe that would be more dangerous.

Birroc

dj jarvis wrote: »

it was not me who offered it up as a shining example of Teutonic efficiency in the cleansing of the great unwashed , and as i pointed out , we have sprinonion's word on one station , we will have to take him at his word on it and its surroundings - one out of the rest - as i said everyone love a pedant , or in this case pedants :rolleyes:

ignoring the the original point , that the train stations around some of Europe's main train stations are much much worse than the abbey st/ eden quay are of Dublin , you know , the original point :rolleyes:

spoofing its not , its traveling to the country for over 2 decades , and working there for over 4 years , i have traveled the length and breath of Germany , and ALL the stations and surrounds are magnets for zombies - i don't give a **** what sprinoioion was on when he tripped the light fantastic while in Lipzig,
and i certainly dont give a fig for what you think , becasue I know what i have seen for myself

in fact do some digging on the site , i have posted about this very topic about a year ago , in full gory details ,

or i could just be spoofing to wind you up !!! whatever

I think we all got your point and I doubt you will admit you were wrong. But a quick google proves your arrogance.

http://www.raildude.com/en/leipzig-central-railway-station/leipzig/station/10471/529

The shopping in Leipzig central station is truly outstanding.
It was awarded as "Station of the Year". I think this station is truly deserving of this award!
For me it is the most beautiful station in Germany.


Leipzig Hauptbahnhof – Leipzig’s central train station – is an imposing building from 1915 that alludes to the much more populous Leipzig of yesteryear. It is the largest train station in Europe; yes it is bigger than any in London, Paris or Berlin.

Excellent reviews here;
http://www.tripadvisor.ie/ShowUserReviews-g187400-d456318-r141186984-Hauptbahnhof_Leipzig-Leipzig_Saxon.html

Someone from Denmark said this
"Usually, a central station is the last place you want to visit. Usually, it is filled with unsavory sights, sounds, and people. Not in Leipzig. The central station is a gorgeous 1905 grand building, which has been retrofitted as a sparkling shopping mall. A place you may want to linger in, even longer than necessary. "

Corkgirl18

Burgass in Bulgaia
Pure hole of a place. Sofia wasn't too great either actually

1stimpressions

anto9 wrote: »

You give directions ,without knowing what hotel I stay at .lol. Anyway another problem here is that some of the street dogs are very aggressive. When I was walking to the Thai Consulate this morning I came across a pack of 4 dogs who were going to attack even though I got a 2 by 4 piece of wood in hand .Only for the owner calling them back I would have been attacked .I never came across such aggressive street dogs in Thailand .(they are just laid back and sleepy there for the most part).

Yep, I presumed you were at that Vegas place which handles so many Visa runs from Thailand. Beer Laos is always a silver lining though.

JohnDx

My apartment is a kip., I want to move.

Naked Lepper

palermo in sicily
noisy and dirty and nothing really in it

i dont really like to go to the same place twice and prefer to explore new places but palermo stands out

sao paulo in brazil was not great either but the place is so big i am sure there are great experiences to be had there, just not where i stayed (there is nowhere that resembles a 'centre', place is just too big and the canals make the place fairly smelly, also lots of homeless and didnt feel very safe).

dj jarvis

Birroc wrote: »

Naw, Dublin city centre is a bit of a cesspit but it's not overly dangerous. Maybe I think that cos I am Irish and reckon I can "handle" a scumbag but there are parts of many other capital cities in Europe that would be more dangerous.

but that is just the thing , Dublin city ctr is 6 miles across , yet its "full of junkies " !!! really !!!

abbey st , Marlboro st , Christ church and parts of Thomas st can not be in ANYONE'S book all of Dublin , or representative of Dublin
and implying so makes the poster look like a fool

Dublin has loads to offer - both north and south side , like ALL Capitol city's , it has its issues , but according to some dopes on this thread , you would swear it was Lagos or Sodom and Gomorrah.

if you dont like it , great , say why and move on , but dont give this tired lack of imagination bull**** that its overly dangerous or has plagues of junkies all over the city , becasue its just not true in comparison to other European citys,

FFS , in this ( http://www.thetoptens.com/most-dangerous-cities-europe/ ) , Dublin is not even the worst irish city let alone even in the top ten :rolleyes:

jaffusmax

Shenzhen China its just across the border with Hong Kong. It is like they held a warped mirror up to Hong Kong!

dj jarvis

Birroc wrote: »

I think we all got your point and I doubt you will admit you were wrong. But a quick google proves your arrogance.

http://www.raildude.com/en/leipzig-central-railway-station/leipzig/station/10471/529

The shopping in Leipzig central station is truly outstanding.
It was awarded as "Station of the Year". I think this station is truly deserving of this award!
For me it is the most beautiful station in Germany.


Leipzig Hauptbahnhof – Leipzig’s central train station – is an imposing building from 1915 that alludes to the much more populous Leipzig of yesteryear. It is the largest train station in Europe; yes it is bigger than any in London, Paris or Berlin.

*** SLOW CLAP ***

one station out of HUNDREDS , so no i am not wrong , you are just missing the point

as for awards - Tallaght won loads of awards from the EEC when it was built , so did shankill , and that worked out well didn't it

so it got an award for architecture and this magically cleans all the filth away !!! LOL laughable

I am pie

Naked Lepper wrote: »

palermo in sicily
noisy and dirty and nothing really in it

i dont really like to go to the same place twice and prefer to explore new places but palermo stands out

sao paulo in brazil was not great either but the place is so big i am sure there are great experiences to be had there, just not where i stayed.

Sao Paulo is a mixed bag alright, i go with work and stay in Brooklin/Villa Olimpa which are pretty upmarket. I really enjoy it although the trip in from the airport is an eye opener and I wouldn't consider travelling around too much as I would feel unsafe.

Similar with Bogota, when i work there, it's grand, nice hotel, nice area but its noticeable that the army are on the streets with machine guns in hand! Not the sort of place for getting lamped and wandering about.

Rory Gallagher

Galway city annoys me to no end.
Constantly overrated as some sort of area with poetic beauty galore with overly kind citizen who could do no wrong.

Bollocksology.By far the most boring place I've ever been,Citizens have a dire look plastered all over they're face, And I will go mad if I hear the word ''sheeple''(in a fake american accent no doubt)one more time by some twats attempt at loudly speaking pseudo-politics in order to appear intelligent.
Give me Limerick or Derry any day over Galway, However I speak only of the city itself as the rural areas have really nice scenery.

Birroc

Rory Gallagher wrote: »

Galway city annoys me to no end.
Constantly overrated as some sort of area with poetic beauty galore with overly kind citizen who could do no wrong.

Rory Gallagher wrote: »

Galway is easily the most boring waste of space I've ever had the misfortune to visit.

Rory, Rory, Rory, that's twice now in the same thread. Jealousy isn't an opinion. You clearly have a chip on your shoulder cos you are talking through your hoop :pac:

Olive8585

Deleted User wrote: »

If their opinion is that Copenhagen is a kip, or that Berlin is boring - then no.

Of course different people can like different things but it's an odd habit in this country that we LOVE calling other cities and countries 'kips'. imo that is just insulting.

Particularly because objectively speaking we have one of the worst built environments you could imagine and the usual anglo-saxon 'nightlife' of an allotted 6 hours skulling pints on a Friday night before a fight and a taxi home.

I love Dublin but nobody who lives here should be calling Paris, Prague or Venice a 'kip', it's just laughable.

If you don't like somewhere then fine - nothing wrong with the posters above making valid points about San Francisco (a city I love), but the idiotic blanket dismissals just come across as ignorance.

But by implying that someone who lives in Ireland has no right to call somewhere else a kip and that the nightlife only consists of what you wrote above, you're being equally ignorant.

John_Rambo

Captain Farrell wrote: »

it is possibly the only city in Europe where i don't feel safe.

1- You haven't been to every city in Europe.

2- You will be back.

10 years living somewhere you hated? You must have been paid €200k a year.

Captain Farrell

John_Rambo wrote: »

1- You haven't been to every city in Europe.

2- You will be back.

10 years living somewhere you hated? You must have been paid €200k a year.

I wouldn't have stayed for 200k...

And I didn't live in Dublin

Fox_In_Socks

dj jarvis wrote: »

*** SLOW CLAP ***

one station out of HUNDREDS , so no i am not wrong , you are just missing the point

as for awards - Tallaght won loads of awards from the EEC when it was built , so did shankill , and that worked out well didn't it

so it got an award for architecture and this magically cleans all the filth away !!! LOL laughable

Come on, you have to admit. That's a sweet looking train station.

John_Rambo

Captain Farrell wrote: »

I wouldn't have stayed for 200k..

I'm pretty sure you would. You won't admit it, but you would.

Whatever about the chances of that happening, I can promise you, you will be back to Dublin , you lot always come back, the warmth of the city, the culture, the atmosphere, the gigs, the games, the food, the things you have in Dublin that you just can't have anywhere else always brings you back. You will enjoy yourself, revel in the capital, go home to where ever you are from, sit in front of your computer where you have nothing good to say about anything and piss and moan all over again!!

Frank Lee Midere

John_Rambo wrote: »

I'm pretty sure you would. You won't admit it, but you would.

Whatever about the chances of that happening, I can promise you, you will be back to Dublin , you lot always come back, the warmth of the city, the culture, the atmosphere, the gigs, the games, the food, the things you have in Dublin that you just can't have anywhere else always brings you back. You will enjoy yourself, revel in the capital, go home to where ever you are from, sit in front of your computer where you have nothing good to say about anything and piss and moan all over again!!

I think the guy you are taking to is from England.

I am pie

Frank Lee Midere wrote: »

I think the guy you are taking to is from England.

Sounds like he didn't get the ride when he was in Dublin.....

dj jarvis

Fox_In_Socks wrote: »

Come on, you have to admit. That's a sweet looking train station.

it is !!!! im sure its really really nice ,
but also i know that it has the the teams of 4 paramilitary style "security " patrolling inside and out, these guys look like SWAT team , they have these guys for a reason - to try keep the junkies at bay
maybe the guys at Leipzig are just really effective

only reason i mentioned German train stations is they are notorious for junkies and drunks , so proving for one poster , its not just Dublin that has an issue,
and Dublin would be far from the worst i have been to visit.

martingriff

Daveysil15 wrote: »

Atlanta. Nice city overall but there are an awful lot of homeless people there trying to get money off ya.

Brother lived there was there for a week did not see the homeless problem and walked quite a lot plus was very wheelchair friendly. Would love to go back. There was 1 guy my brother pointed out who goes around with a sign a bit mentally ill but he says he is more of a celb now and harmless

Captain Farrell

I am pie wrote: »

Sounds like he didn't get the ride when he was in Dublin.....

I was a married man each and every time i went to Dublin...

So of course I never got the fúcking ride!


Love other parts of Ireland, that's why I lived there. Hate Dublin. And all the things Rambo waxed lyrical about in Dublin are things you can get in almost any city. Dublin isn't this wonderland of "craic" it seems to think it is.

It's an overpriced dump.

Birroc

John_Rambo wrote: »

I can promise you, you will be back to Dublin , you lot always come back, the warmth of the city, the culture, the atmosphere, the gigs, the games, the food, the things you have in Dublin that you just can't have anywhere else always brings you back. You will enjoy yourself, revel in the capital

Indeed! Mr Rambo, I think you have spent way too much time at war!

jester77

I am pie wrote: »

Agree with all the above, except Hamburg and Germany outside of Berlin in general. Having been in almost every country in the EU, many in south america, a handful in africa and asia I can safely say that I do not like Hamburg or the personality of the city and it's inhabitants!...so there.

I've too much love for chaos and spontaneity to really take to it, it's me, not Hamburg I accept but I found it very conservative and structured as opposed to the wild abandon of Berlin.

Hamburg, conservative and structured? Did you just hang out in the Rathaus?

I am pie

Captain Farrell wrote: »

I was a married man each and every time i went to Dublin...

So of course I never got the fúcking ride!


Love other parts of Ireland, that's why I lived there. Hate Dublin. And all the things Rambo waxed lyrical about in Dublin are things you can get in almost any city. Dublin isn't this wonderland of "craic" it seems to think it is.

It's an overpriced dump.

I see Dublin has gone from being the only place in Europe you don't feel safe (laughable, statistically speaking) to not being a craic wonderland.

I understand perfectly not everyone liking Dublin, it's not for everyone of course, Irish or otherwise. That said a bit of perspective is always useful.

Olive8585

I am pie wrote: »

I see Dublin has gone from being the only place in Europe you don't feel safe (laughable, statistically speaking) to not being a craic wonderland.

I understand perfectly not everyone liking Dublin, it's not for everyone of course, Irish or otherwise. That said a bit of perspective is always useful.

How can the way someone feels be laughable? Not feeling safe is a big deal, regardless of your chances of becoming a victim of crime. I don't really feel safe in Dublin either, and have been targeted on several occasions. There is plenty to like about it, but I wouldn't be rushing back to live there.

Captain Farrell

I am pie wrote: »

I see Dublin has gone from being the only place in Europe you don't feel safe (laughable, statistically speaking) to not being a craic wonderland.

I understand perfectly not everyone liking Dublin, it's not for everyone of course, Irish or otherwise. That said a bit of perspective is always useful.

Perhaps, just perhaps, I was over-zealous with my aspersions on the safety of Dublin. Though my wife is a Dub and she's as dangerous as it gets...

Its still a fúcking dump though.

I am pie

jester77 wrote: »

Hamburg, conservative and structured? Did you just hang out in the Rathaus?

I spent 4 miserable days looking for something to do that I enjoyed, again, the only place I ever enjoyed in Germany was Berlin. I wasn't gone on Munich, disliked Hannover, would pay not to return to Frankfurt and didn't get much out of Stuttgart.

So I'm sure it's not Germany, it's me.

I just never warmed to the people and found social interaction quite difficult there. I had a much much better time anywhere in Austria and anywhere in Bern. Across the border I also much prefer Poland where I have always had great craic with the locals.

mosstin

nm wrote: »

Darwin

Place is crazy

But I like how it's evolved over the years.

jester77

I am pie wrote: »

I spent 4 miserable days looking for something to do that I enjoyed, again, the only place I ever enjoyed in Germany was Berlin. I wasn't gone on Munich, disliked Hannover, would pay not to return to Frankfurt and didn't get much out of Stuttgart.

So I'm sure it's not Germany, it's me.

I just never warmed to the people and found social interaction quite difficult there. I had a much much better time anywhere in Austria and anywhere in Bern. Across the border I also much prefer Poland where I have always had great craic with the locals.

What are you into, there is an endless list of things to do in Hamburg?

Maritime museums, art museums, large planetarium, opera, live gigs, lots of theatre (only New York & London have more), old warehouse district, canal tours, one of the largest harbours in the world, great restaurants and nightlife (Schanze, Ottensen, Eppendorf), one of largest model railway exhibitions in Europe - these are a few of the things to do. Then there is the Reeoerbahn of that's your thing.

losthorizon

I am pie wrote: »

I spent 4 miserable days looking for something to do that I enjoyed, again, the only place I ever enjoyed in Germany was Berlin. I wasn't gone on Munich, disliked Hannover, would pay not to return to Frankfurt and didn't get much out of Stuttgart.

So I'm sure it's not Germany, it's me.

I just never warmed to the people and found social interaction quite difficult there. I had a much much better time anywhere in Austria and anywhere in Bern. Across the border I also much prefer Poland where I have always had great craic with the locals.

Funnily enough I have been to Germany four times and really enjoyed it. Never been to any of the cities you have been to to. Only had one small bad experience with a local who asked me not to tie my shoelace outside his door!! But thats really trivial.
Been to Austria as well. Vienna is really interesting and been around the rest of the country a bit but they tend to be more reserved than the Germans imo.

I am pie

I am pie wrote: »

I spent 4 miserable days looking for something to do that I enjoyed, again, the only place I ever enjoyed in Germany was Berlin. I wasn't gone on Munich, disliked Hannover, would pay not to return to Frankfurt and didn't get much out of Stuttgart.

So I'm sure it's not Germany, it's me.

I just never warmed to the people and found social interaction quite difficult there. I had a much much better time anywhere in Austria and anywhere in Bern. Across the border I also much prefer Poland where I have always had great craic with the locals.

Aw hannover is great
We were at some dodgy grungy looking place in hannover with 2 euro glasses of sekt and gypsy night music and talking pure sh1te with the lovely locals, best time ever