Shithole Cities

[Borderland]

My son was in LV in March 22, said that he enjoyed that area much more than the strip... Apparently they've been rehabbing Fremont St.. ? Some of the pictures he sent looked better than the last time I was up that way... Still full of hookers, he said.

Hookers. Nothing has changed.

My dad and step mom lived in LV late 60's-early 80's. Then they moved to the Abilene area and retired. LV was just too fast for them I guess.

[Totem Polar]

For a city to qualify as a shithole, it needs no redeeming quality. Every city has generally increased crime levels and bad neighborhoods; that doesn't mean they're shitholes, that means they're cities. For those of you who live in a bubble, welcome to the world.

If a city has a nice area where people can go to enjoy their time, it's probably not a shithole city regardless of the fact you've never crossed the river to leave town and are afraid of human contact.

My metric is if there are still nice places within the central, historic downtown core where people can go to enjoy their time. Any P-F’er that wants to come to Spokanistan is welcome to #1, take a driving tour of the skell petting zoo with me, and #2, is welcome to go a few city blocks away to have *fantastic* craft cocktails and eats and a walk through the park along the river afterwards—without even keeping a hand on the primary, even.

I’ll leave it to others to let me know if Portland proper still makes the cut.

[Le Français]

For a city to qualify as a shithole, it needs no redeeming quality. Every city has generally increased crime levels and bad neighborhoods; that doesn't mean they're shitholes, that means they're cities. For those of you who live in a bubble, welcome to the world.

If a city has a nice area where people can go to enjoy their time, it's probably not a shithole city regardless of the fact you've never crossed the river to leave town and are afraid of human contact.

The problem with the idea of "cities as shitholes" is that it's just as much of a "I live in a bubble mindset" as the people in those cities have about "flyover country."

Every major city I've been to across the world had shithole parts and awesome parts. Some are certainly worse than others, but "XYZ is a shithole" because there are some bums pissing downtown is a smooth-brain take

Very true. If you never venture into big cities due to fear-mongering media panic, you're entirely free to do that, just as the rest of us (that is, the majority) are entirely free to consider that as strange and unfortunate a self-limitation as it would be to never go hiking or boating.

Sure, there are parts of New York/Paris/Rome/New Haven/Los Angeles/San Francisco/DFW/Miami/Washington DC/Cincinnati where you might not feel safe in an Abrams surrounded by USSS agents. But I have somehow had enjoyable, completely crime-free visits to all of those cities in recent memory. (Except for the crime I was specifically there to address, where applicable.)

I love rural America and enjoy my time there, but if your overall impression of any of the cities I listed is "this is a shithole", then you might be a rube. Just sayin'.

[Joe in PNG]

I'd put it this way: if the good parts of a city are basically holding their own, or are actually expanding, the city isn't really a shitehole.

But, if the bad parts are expanding and the good parts shrinking, it's a shitehole.

[Jakus]

I would suggest that instead of naming all the cities nearing 1M of population we consider the metric of a cities Narcan budget relative to that cities highest paid municipal employee.

[Cheap Shot]

Very true. If you never venture into big cities due to fear-mongering media panic, you're entirely free to do that, just as the rest of us (that is, the majority) are entirely free to consider that as strange and unfortunate a self-limitation as it would be to never go hiking or boating.

Sure, there are parts of New York/Paris/Rome/New Haven/Los Angeles/San Francisco/DFW/Miami/Washington DC/Cincinnati where you might not feel safe in an Abrams surrounded by USSS agents. But I have somehow had enjoyable, completely crime-free visits to all of those cities in recent memory. (Except for the crime I was specifically there to address, where applicable.)

I love rural America and enjoy my time there, but if your overall impression of any of the cities I listed is "this is a shithole", then you might be a rube. Just sayin'.

Respectfully disagree. "venturing" into the city is superficial. IMHO Just another type of virtue signalling and woke tolerance tourism (this isnt a slam at anyone especially Le F, but more a limitation of my thought process). Maybe we should define what a "shithole city" is?. Again IMHO, The real question is would you live there, raise and send your kids to the neighborhood public schools, live in a home without bars on the doors and windows, take your dog for a walk in the neighborhood after dark? If not, IMHO its a shithole city.

Im trying to sort this out in my head, and value challenges to my comments.

Signed

A Rube formerly from Detroit

[Le Français]

Respectfully disagree. "venturing" into the city is superficial. IMHO Just another type of virtue signalling and woke tolerance tourism (this isnt a slam at anyone especially Le F, but more a limitation of my thought process). Maybe we should define what a "shithole city" is?. Again IMHO, The real question is would you live there, raise and send your kids to the neighborhood public schools, live in a home without bars on the doors and windows, take your dog for a walk in the neighborhood after dark? If not, IMHO its a shithole city.

Im trying to sort this out in my head, and value challenges to my comments.

Signed

A Rube formerly from Detroit

I think I see what you're saying, and fair enough. But, many people just visit cities and don't live in them for various reasons. Why isn't it ok to judge a city based on how pleasant it is to visit? I certainly wouldn't live on a mountain in Chile or in a desert in North Africa, but those are very cool places to visit.

"This place is a shithole" and "I would gladly spend time and money visiting this place" are just not compatible to me.

[Totem Polar]

I would suggest that instead of naming all the cities nearing 1M of population we consider the metric of a cities Narcan budget relative to that cities highest paid municipal employee.

Ooooh! If all the local coffeehouses I saw in an urban area have customer-accessable Narcan bolted to the walls, does that make the area a #shithole?

Asking for my Portland friends…

[Borderland]

I think I see what you're saying, and fair enough. But, many people just visit cities and don't live in them for various reasons. Why isn't it ok to judge a city based on how pleasant it is to visit? I certainly wouldn't live on a mountain in Chile or in a desert in North Africa, but those are very cool places to visit.

"This place is a shithole" and "I would gladly spend time and money visiting this place" are just not compatible to me.

Why isn't it ok to judge a city based on how pleasant it is to visit?

LV would fall in that category. LV is a great city if you want to be entertained, want a good restaurant, looking for a hooker or do some casino gaming. If I'm not mistaken NV is the only state where prostitution is legal. There are a few Mormon towns where it isn't however. You've probably never heard of them.

I guess it depends on how one defines pleasant. i know a couple that vacation there every year. I'm afraid to ask why.

[Clusterfrack]

Ooooh! If all the local coffeehouses I saw in an urban area have customer-accessable Narcan bolted to the walls, does that make the area a #shithole?

Asking for my Portland friends…

Yes.