What’s the worst place you’ve ever been to?



Mandalay. I'd probably have got away with a week or two but unfortunately I took a job there. Polluted, noisy, and pretty much a building site in its entirety. There isn't a single park or quiet space in the entire city. Depressingly grim. And, in contradiction of the description, the job was a total disgrace to boot.

Before that it was Malta which I found barren, dull, and unfriendly for the most part. Just seemed from what I saw like a place that elderly ex-pats set up shop to while away their remaining days. I'll apologise in advance for the upset and gnashing of teeth that opinion will inevitably cause.
xmfd said:
Stone Town in Zanzibar. Was nice enough to look at but full of Muslims who like to sing death prayers at 5am every day over tannoys in the street.
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I forgot that I lived next to a mosque in Mandalay. That just exacerbated things on the noise front.
Titus said:
Went through some grim ghetto in LA and again in Vegas.

Edit: aforementioned are obviously runners up to Newcastle.
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LA is horrible for a place so popular with tourists, like. And everything is absolutely miles apart.
Locke's SAFC said:
Off the beaten track in New Orleans is genuine 3rd world existence. There's nothing in this country compares to that. It was sad in some respects but dangerous at the same time. I got there about 5 in the morning and it reminded me of '80s documentaries on New York with the addition of shanty towns up the back streets. It's the only place I've ever been that I've thought I need to get to my hotel quickly or I'm going to be in serious bother. Well, there and Istanbul.
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New Jersey was a bit like that for me. Station full of dodgy-looking homeless and ruffians. I never felt threatened in Istanbul surprisingly.
 
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Locke's SAFC said:
Off the beaten track in New Orleans is genuine 3rd world existence. There's nothing in this country compares to that. It was sad in some respects but dangerous at the same time. I got there about 5 in the morning and it reminded me of '80s documentaries on New York with the addition of shanty towns up the back streets. It's the only place I've ever been that I've thought I need to get to my hotel quickly or I'm going to be in serious bother. Well, there and Istanbul.
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Istanbul?!? Where were you in Istanbul that you felt unsafe??
 
peachbum said:
Nowhere near a cesspit.

?!!

I know a lot of Londoners but not many have been to Morocco. You sure it wasn't Londoners most popular cake was a macaroon?
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Yes, it sounded unlikely to me as I couldn't recall it coming up in conversations with London colleagues or family. Mind, the same article identified the Costa del Sol as the most popular destination with North-East holidaymakers which seems about right (probably because you can hardly fly anywhere else from NCL). Can't track down the article unfortunately.

Macaroons are far too sickly.
 
Grangetown, Redcar
Second was a hotel just off Broadway in New York. Think it was called ‘Carter’ and ran by the dirtiest, rudest, obnoxious Thai people of all time. Lasted 10 mins and tried to check out but it was late so had to endure a night there. Wouldn’t get under covers of bed, use shower etc. Wedged a chair up against the inside of hotel door as it was like something out of a horror film. First time in NYC too
 
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Pontins Southport. Left a day early from a football competition as soon as the last game was played. An absolute hole of a place .

I thought I’d have a few questions checking out, but I was at the back of a queue.
 
AB22 Easy Tiger said:
Ive seen some awful slum villages in China, no flush toilets, no running water, filthy streets. Almost medieval conditions. Very photogenic though.

Yep, both during and after.
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Some fantastic scenery in Romania but the villages and towns we went through were atrocious. When we left Bucharest we were travelling along the only motorway (all 12 miles of it) in the country when all of a sudden the coach swerved to avoid a local on his horse & cart going the wrong way. It was a relief to cross the border in to Hungary.
 
Lexingtongue said:
https://imgur.com/WkmsAeH

This was a few streets away from me in Mandalay. It's meant to be a lake but was used as an unofficial dumping ground. Sad, really.
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Aye, that's a winner there.
General Zod said:
Newark is pretty rough. I wasn't a fan of Turkey either though
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I stayed a couple of nights across the river in Harrison - was a few homeless types at street corners and a rat ran across the footpath in front of me, but even with that I never felt too edgy.
 
Harry Angstrom said:
Copșa Mică in Romania c1983. Waited in a train station for about 5 hours. Desperate for a shit walked into and out of the toilet. The site will remain forever on my memory.

Observer Magazine did an article a few years later saying exactly what I thought. Shithole.

Copşa Mică: Europe's Most Polluted Town
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Ive just spent an hour at at graft reading about f***ing Copsa Mica. And I was paid for doing it like.

Class 😎
 

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