The Saturday Cities I Don’t Like
By NomadicMatt | Published: February 20, 2010Back in 2008, I wrote about some of the cities in the world I didn’t like. Since then I’ve been to a lot more places in the world. I liked about 99% of them. But, you can’t like everywhere. While I always try to look for the good in place and be fair my judgment, sometimes I just dislike a place. Places like these:
Auckland
Auckland isn’t a bad city. It’s just boring. Sure, it might be different if you live here or have a car but Auckland lacks a soul. It’s a sprawling city of buildings and suburbs where business gets done. It has very little character. It’s a nice place to spend a day but I’ll take Wellington or Queenstown over it any day.
Athens
Crowded, polluted, ugly, and prone to riots, I have no love for Athens. It’s just awful. Even my Athenian friends don’t like it. There is trash everywhere. It smells. And the Greeks could take a few lessons from the Italians on preserving ruins, which isn’t saying much since the Italians do a pretty bad job as it is. I just have nothing nice to say about Athens.
Berlin
I know- how can I not like Berlin right? I don’t hate Berlin but it doesn’t do anything special for me. I prefer Munich to Berlin. Berlin is too industrial. I’ll probably go back one day but I am no rush. A turtle will probably get there quicker than I will. After hearing so much about the city, I was extremely disappointed at how mediocre it was. I did enjoy it’s nightlife though. I bit too much.
Los Angeles
This sprawling megacity is polluted and filled with wannabe actors. After a few sights, there’s not much here. Los Angeles is a love it or hate it city and I hate it. I can’t love a city where with so little public transport, wannabee actors, vain rich people, and people who only care about looks and botox. The place is vapid and disingenuous. I’ll pass and head to San Francisco.
Phuket
People love Phuket and I won’t deny that on this large island there is more to it than Patong beach. But Phuket is the capital of Thailand’s island tourism and as such it is expensive and over developed. There are a million other islands in Thailand that are far more beautiful, pristine, and lack sex tourists. Give me Ko Taruatao in the south any day.
Siem Reap
Boring and overly built for tourists, the only good thing about Siem Reap is that Angkor Wat is right there. I find Siem Reap a city that exists only to serve Angkor Wat and as such, a city not worth spending time in. It lacks life. I loved Phnom Penh a lot more and would rather lose myself there. Siem Reap travel is just not worth it.
Belize City
No one stays in Belize City. People fly in and then get the first bus to anywhere but there. The city is ugly, dirty, and crime stricken. It’s one of the few places in the world I felt unsafe in…during the day. I would love to go back to Belize but I’ll never stay in Belize City.
The world is a big place and just like you don’t like all the people you meet, you don’t always like the places you go. Sometimes a place just rubs you the wrong way. I try to look for the best in every city but sometimes, there’s nothing I like. However, considering all the places I have been in the world, I think disliking so few is pretty impressive.
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I really gotta agree with you on Phuket and Siem Reap. Siem Reap especially – terrible place to hang out.
I agree with you on Los Angeles. As a California native, I’ve always hated it and refuse to go there although I did have to fly out of there on my last international trip. I disagree with you on Siem Reap. I loved it and thought it was full of life. Yes, it is very touristy but for obvious reasons. The people were super friendly and I found plenty to do. I chose not to go to Phuket knowing that I would probably hate it for the reasons you mentioned as well as a friend of mine telling me how horrible it was. As travelers, there will be places we love and places we don’t…
You mean as a “Northern California native.” No, you didn’t say so, but I can spot them from miles away. A guy who lived in my co-op when I went to Berkeley hated Los Angeles so much that his hatred extended to palm trees! (He did like Disneyland, though) Achh.
I’m actually from Boston!
I’d have to disagree on Los Angeles, though it can be a very off-putting place. You can (easily) avoid the actor types, if not all the driving. And there’s a lot to do, and with plenty of great places pretty nearby as well.
I TOTALLY agree with you on Phuket. Almost any other island in Thailand is better and I urge anyone that’s asks me about Phuket to go somewhere else. I haven’t been to Koh Taruatao yet though. I must check it out.
A recent cruise I took stopped at Belize City. I was terribly disappointed with this city. Just a run-down place with unfriendly people. I like Athens for the history and the food, but I couldn’t believe how bad the pollution is. I’m sorry to say that the artifacts from the Parthenon is better preserved at the Bristish Museum:-( Phuket is great for food, shopping and nightlife, perhaps for one day. It’s a great place to hop to other fabulous islands. I like Los Angeles for the Asian food. I’ll have to find out what else there is to do there?!!
i live in la and i have to say that you’re wrong. you just have to know where to look to find the jewels. obviously, it’s best with a car, but you can see the “real” la without bothering with the celeb culture and the vanity.
I see that you don’t like huge sprawling metropolis. It is a matter of taste and lifestyle. I do agree that you can’t like all the places you go to.
Jerusalem on a Saturday. If you’re not religious, welcome to the most boring place on earth on a Saturday. No public transit, no cars on the road, nothing to do but walk around.
You forgot to mention that if you go through a particularly religious neighborhood (by car or on foot), you’ll have stuff thrown at you — dirt clods, trash, etc. I live in Israel and I completely avoid Jerusalem on Saturdays. I like the north much better!
Totally agree with you about Athens. I was shocked at how dirty it was, and outside the acropolis area there wasn’t much to do. The food was good buy didn’t make up for the fact we could hear rioters chanting all night and had armed police outside our hotel. It was bad.
As a Northern Californian I have always hated LA just on principle but although I still don’t like the traffic there are some interesting things in the city that have grown on me. I now feel that if you don’t like LA you need a better guide.
How could you not like Berlin? When you go back, go back in December when the Christmas markets are everywhere.
Good information here, but I am surprised to see Los Angeles and Berlin on your list. I’ve been to L.A. twice and I loved it (but mainly for Santa Monica and Venice Beach which are not technically in L.A.). Never been to Berlin, but planning to stay there on my trip to Europe this Spring, I’m expecting it to be very industrial so maybe I will like it.
I like the outskirts of LA – Santa Monica, Venice, etc.
Disagree about Athens. I didn’t expect to like it, and I don’t love it, but I was pleasantly surprised – but I was there in April with not too many tourists and good weather. Several very good museums, nice side trip to Cape Sounion, some good food, very good metro. Coffee was pretty bad, but that was true all over Greece.
I was last in Siem Reap in ‘04, and while I preferred other places in Cambodia I didn’t think it was that bad, but I suspect it’s gotten a lot worse since then.
Can’t think of anything good to say about L.A., though!
Thanks for the insight because I am just planning to start my wanderlust lifestyle at the end of the year. Some of the cities you mentioned does surprise me but I have no personal reference, so thanks again for yours.
I do live in Los Angeles, and have been here for four years. I love it here mostly because it a place where you see any lifestyle is possible. However, I do agree with many of the things that you said. Most of the people here are very superficial, and not friendly. I have met a few celebs and I find those that I have met quite nice and gracious. I am glad that I have not met the others. I do agree with one of your commentors, that you may have had the wrong guide. Santa Monica/Venice Beach/ Marina del Ray are my favorite areas.
It’s hard for me to defend LA, though I love living here. As a destination for travelers, it does suck in a lot of ways – too hard to get places and the places that are considered “must-sees” are on par with “largest ball of twine” in trying to fish money out of your pocket.
There are a lot of hidden gems in a city this size, but you need to live here for a while or have a very savvy local as a guide. I have a post coming soon on the unknown must-sees! Mariachi Square, Watts Towers, Portal of the Folded Wings and the Mexican Rodeo are a few of the cool cultural experiences of LA’s (non-actor) communities.
It was the reverse for me on Berlin and Munich. Love Berlin. So-so on Munich. It’s probably due to the fact I spend a whole week in Berlin while I have only been to Munich during the weekends and on day trips.
I went to school in L.A. for four years and I was ready to go leave after I graduated. Maybe it’s because I’m an S.F. native but I think I gave it a shot. I just don’t think there are that many genuine down-to-earth people there. I like the fact that you put together a list of places you don’t like because we can’t always assume we will like everywhere we go.
I’m not sure I can agree with most of your selections, but Belize City definitely deserves to be on the list. It’s one of many large cities in the area (e.g. Guatemala City, San Pedro Sula, Managua) that belong on the list.
Travel is an individual experience
I spent a month-and-a-half living in Athens last year and while I did not enjoy my first few weeks there, the city really began to grow on me after a while. Of course, being in the center of the city where most everything is taking place helps the situation. If I had only been there for a couple days I don’t think I would have enjoyed it nearly as much. My first impression of Athens, however, was that it looked more like Los Angeles than any other place I have ever visited in Europe. So if you don’t like LA, you probably won’t like Athens either.
I love posts like this. Everyone can’t love everything and it is always fun to read what people don’t like. We were in Belize City in 2003 and read all the warnings about it. We ended up staying for 2 nights and really did like it. We were carting our diving gear with us and were a little paranoid on arrival, but then a man yelled at us while walking through a back street to look up. We thought we were going to be ambushed or something but he was pointing out thousands of birds circling overhead…he then yelled, “welcome to my city” After that we felt right at home and everyone was so nice to us during out time. We had chats at the waterfront and laughed about how both our countries have the queen on our currency.
However, I know that a lot can change in time and 7 years is a long time. Everything is probably different now. So I don’t think that we will go back to Belize and we will keep our beautiful memories.
My trip to NZ instantly got 100% better when I got out of Auckland.
HA! I agree
I never been to any of those places, but they do NOT look interesting at all. I live in New Jersey and I extremely hate it with a passion. I do not like New York City nor Philadelphia. I also hate Atlanta.
I also did not like Las Vegas as well.
With Athens a person needs to look beyond the pollution and the shifty neighborhoods. The problem is the increase of foreigners, however the Greeks treat them poorly which adds to the problem
But, beyond that, Athens filled with nice girls. I think of it as Babe City. If you can find the right neighborhoods, there is good food and lots of friendliness. It helps to couch-surf in Athens to get a better picture of the city.
I stayed a total of about two weeks and I came to like the city, but that is looking beyond the pollution and ghetto streets. By the way one street can be like a ghetto and the next street can be very pleasant, it is really weird how that works in Athens
But for a quick in and out tourist, basically that is what they will see.
Oh yeah, the subway rocks.
Auckland is beyond dull – am sure it is ok to live there, but there is nothing for tourists at all. Also agree about LA – although a essentially gateway to California for most people.
Not sure Siem Reap deserves to be here – I don’t think it ever tried to pretend that anyone would ever go there for anything other than Angkor Wat…
I just don’t like “gateway” cities- places the exist solely as a way station to go somewhere else and that’s what Siem Reap is.
I once felt the way you do about L.A., but it’s a very, ahem, superficial take on the city I must say. Perhaps, as others say, you have to live their to learn about the hidden gems. I wonder if the same is true of the other cities on this list? I’ve come to the state of mind that it’s much better to find what’s great about a place than spend energy tearing it down. So much more rewarding.
But I do agree that, for the traveling visitor, not sure how interesting L.A. can be. I’d rather spend one week in many other places.
I specifically avoided Phuket and agree completely on Siem Reap. However, I’ve heard the opposite about Munich/Berlin. Goes to show, everyone is individual, entitled their opinion.
I’d love to see your extended list by continent. On my list would be Kuta, Bali. It’s not bad necessarily, but the locals at night throw too many child “purchase” requests at you to feel clean for long. It really makes you feel dirty.
LA – I have to agree with you 100%. A HOLE if there every was one.
I think one’s experience depends also on the people you meet or the people you’re with and also the weather can totally alter your experience.
I find that some places are very over-crowded, like Rome was when we visited and that Munich was very expensive compared to Berlin , plus as we were there at Christmas it was also very cold. As I’m allergic to crowds & prefer to go to places where I feel like a princess rather than a pauper, this coloured my experience, although I’ll go back to both and probably find some magic next time.
Matt – I agree with almost all of what you said. It is crazy to me that so many people will see Belize City when the cruise drops them off, and think the rest of the country is like that. I always tell people to avoid Belize City!
Haha,
I lived in Auckland for one year. I HATED it there. It is a pretty city, yes, but with horrendous infrastructure. To be in a city of less than one and a half million, yet take over an hour to drive 2-3 ks is horrendous. Yet this is combined with horrendously expensive public transport. I don’t miss it for a second!
Also, I have to second L.A. – its just not nice. I do like Berlin though!
Totally agree about Auckland and Siem Reap, couldn’t have put it better myself.
Totally agree on Auckland, such a dull city… And the fact that they brag about that tower being the biggest tourist attraction just makes it so sad…
It’s an unimpressive tower.
Yup I agree with you on Siem reap. without angkor Wat, I don think I will even bother visiting it. My Europe-based sis who visited Athens left for Pragueasap only after spending a day photographing Athens ruins. She doesnt like Athens. She also thinks that Rome is over-rated
Thank goodness there is someone else who is not in love with Berlin! I honestly thought I was the only person. I love Germany for it’s green and tranquility and thought Berlin was a huge disappointment. I couldn’t wait to leave, it was that mediocre and boring to me. I absolutely also loved Munich and wanted to return as soon as I left. I also suggest Stuttgart…talk about natural beauty.
We seem to have the same sort of tastes in travel so thanks for the tip about L.A.. A friend and I are trying to pick our next U.S. place to visit and it was up there but now, not so much…at all. I think it will be either Boston or San Fran.. Also, I thought Vegas SUCKED! What a crock of boring, overcommercial, too much in your face crap!
I like how objective you are in this post. we can´t love every place, for sure.
Hahaha what a weird post? Going round judging which cities you don’t like. I was expecting some inspiring stuff from Nomadic matt seen as I’ve heard so much about this blog but you just slating a city is a bit short sighted. There are many beautiful parts to Athens and whilst you may have had a bad experience while you were there it is not to say the whole city is “crap”. Same with Berlin and Siem Riep. (Can’t comment on all the places as I’ve not visited them all).
Headed to LA in two weeks and like any good Washington, DC area resident I don’t have much respect for a place where you get ahead by getting plastic surgery. However, I’m hoping to have my mind changed. Looking for sun, good restaurants, and a relaxed atmosphere. Thinking LA can handle that.
Having lived in both LA and Auckland, I can see your opinion from a tourist point of view. Both cities suck from a tourist point of view (esp. AKL) but it takes living in both of them to discover the hidden gems.
At least all your least favorite cities have something in common: gateway cities that are huge, sprawling and have horrible public transport.
How about a flip-side post of your favs from the last year?
As a Kiwi I agree Auckland is a dump – and you couldn’t pay me enough to live there – because the wages are no higher but rents/ houses are insane – on the news tonight – NZ$250/week for a 20m2 apartment – we paid the same for a large 1 bed within 5km of Wellington;s CBD with a car park.
LA – is dire – but Iworked their for months and finally found the original Spanish pueblo- really nice – so long as you speak Spanish
Siem Reap, wasn’t IMHO as bad as Vientaine in Laos – but it certainly wasn’t like being in Cambodia!
Athens I didn’t mind – but we staying walking distance to the acropolis and not for long.
Berlin still on my must do list LOL
Pretty much agree on Siem Reap, but we had a friend living there, and she took us to some very cool places that are definitely unknown to most tourists. I wouldn’t make it a destination though, except for Angkor Wat being right there.
I understand where you’re coming from on Athens, as it does not give good first impressions at all. But having lived there for a year, I have to say that I love it. It’s one of those cities that makes you work really hard but once you get to know it, you come to love and appreciate it. Lots of fabulous neighborhoods and cool people, but you’ve got to give it time, which understandably most people don’t or aren’t able to do.
Love, love, love Berlin. I’d happily move there. But having a degree in German and a strong interest in history, it’s an easy fit for me.
Some people love it, I absolutely despised being in this city and couldn’t wait to leave: Ankara, Turkey
We had to wait for a friend to fly in and meet us to continue the rest of our trip Westward. It was dirty, polluted, had terrible urban sprawl, was difficult to navigate, and – according to Lonely Planet – the area we were staying was dangerous.
Can we add ‘Shanghai” to a poor Saturday city? let’s do it.
Ha! I always say that I love Berlin so much. Now when I think about it after reading this, it is only for it’s nightlife.. Yes, that thing can be too much sometimes especially there – but I will keep loving that city just because of that. Perfect weekend get away when I need to mess up my brain a bit.
And I do agree on Phuket. Terrible compared to what you really can get out of Thailand.
xx
I’ll admit- I did like the nightlife in Berlin but that was about it!
I’m surprised about Berlin. I was planning a few days there on an upcoming trip to Europe … maybe I’ll reconsider spending so much time there. I’m a person who’d take the countryside over a city any day anyway.
You should give it a try. This is just my thoughts.
Matt, I’m completely with you on Phuket. We were just on vacation at Kata Beach for a week and it was decidely un-lovely. I’ve been in Thailand for eight months now and I’ve never encountered such aggressive vendors or such tacky surroundings. Also, the food was way TOO expensive.
I can recommend Cape Panwa on Phuket (a much quieter beach) from a previous visit but we stayed at a high-end place so that wouldn’t work for pack-backers.
There are some great beaches on Koh Samed… just a quick taxi ride and boat trip from BKK… you can be there in three hours.
Agreed. Ko Samet is way better. I go there quite often.
A well known tourist destination is always well developed and quite costly as well. I would rather visit unknown places without any fear, as what you get there is not “Developed only for Tourism” , such places may make a little scare but, It may get you to a place which is far better and close to the reality and real people.
By the way thanks for your gr8 writeup..