States/Provinces/Cities you DON’T want to visit?

[Aesthetic Voyager]

I plan to explore all over the Western US, Canada and Mexico. I do want to visit Florida just to watch a SpaceX launch someday at Cape Canaveral. Other than that I prefer to go no farther east than East Texas.

 

[rm.w/aview]

That should keep you occupied for the rest of your days. Happy Trails!

 

[lenny flank]

In three years all over the country, I've never been in any state or city that I flat-out did not like.

Every place has a story.

 

[highdesertranger]

I agree with Lenny. however there are parts of most larger cities that I don't want to go back to. highdesertranger

 

[lenny flank]

In general I avoid the "bad" parts of town. There were some parts of Baltimore and Trenton that I would not go without an armed escort.

Some Walmarts are in parts of town that are..... to be avoided. Cracker Barrels on the other hand always seem to be in safe spots out in the burbs.

 

[Motrukdriver]

Downtown Detroit was pretty tough. We had to have an armed escort to protect us going from the parking lot to the Hostess facility. Then the same armed escort protected us when we went back to the rental car to go to lunch. Ended up at some bullet proof Taco Bell. Never seen one of them in my life. It even had more security cameras hanging off every side of the building than I could count. Then it was back to Hostess to see the armed escort again and once again going to back to the car after work before heading off to the hotel. Along the way I saw stripped and burned out police cars and wreckers that went in to rescue other stripped and burned out cars. It is safe to say I felt a tad uneasy about the whole trip. Dunno if it is still as bad.

 

[rvwandering]

I'm with Lenny on this - " I've never been in any state or city that I flat-out did not like" but the drive across west Texas is something that I don't enjoy. The same can be said for driving through the traffic in LA. But if you skip all of the states east of Texas you'll be missing tons of history and a beauty that is often more subtle than that of the west but still worth seeing.

 

[Annie W]

born & raised in Europe, have only been thru, or lived in a few US-states.
Arriving in the ne, the huge cities of NY, Philadelphia, Boston, Jersey city, & so many others totally overwhelmed ! me (the country girlie). And while Disney world was cool, Fla's non-stop humidity made me faint often. Next came New Mexico so bone-dry that awoke to nose-bleeds almost daily. SLC was much better, - but fortunately I found my way to the West-coast where the climate especially in W.Wa. is much like my childhood, & I found home here. - I would enjoy experiencing more of Oregon, agricultural areas of California, & Colorado too. - The United States is a blessed country with good people  everywhere & I am thankful for the opportunities here to grow & enjoy...

 

[BigT]

Gary, Indiana and Detroit, Michigan come to mind right away.

 

[waldenbound]

I-75 from Saginaw, through Flint, to Detroit is the most miserable 100 miles in the country.
For the best of Michigan, go to the Upper Peninsula, it's a different world up there.

 

[Aesthetic Voyager]

I'm with Lenny on this - " I've never been in any state or city that I flat-out did not like" but the drive across west Texas is something that I don't enjoy. The same can be said for driving through the traffic in LA. But if you skip all of the states east of Texas you'll be missing tons of history and a beauty that is often more subtle than that of the west but still worth seeing.

In my 50 years most of my travels have been on the East side of the continental divide so that’s why the west is where I’m planning to stay.

 

[lenny flank]

born & raised in Europe, have only been thru, or lived in a few US-states.

When I was in England, people would say to me, "The difference between the US and the UK is that in the US, you think 200 years is a long time, while in the UK, we think 200 miles is a long distance."

 

[lenny flank]

I haven't been to Detroit yet. But it's on my "to-visit" list. Some great museums there.

The drive from the Washita Battlefield in OK to Topeka KS was hours of empty boredom.

 

[Tiny Metal Tube]

New York City, and the entire state of Tennessee. Gun laws are too complex and inconsistent, so I carry a big knife. It's illegal to carry in those places. Anywhere else seems fine as long as I don't conceal it. And I'm not gonna have another place to put it when I'm travelling...

Besides, there's really nothing I want to see in NYC anyway.  Northern NY State, on the other hand...

 

[lenny flank]

Au contraire, NYC is a great place. Some of the very best museums in the world, two wonderful zoos, Central Park, Times Square, Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island, Chinatown ..... and the second-best street food in the USA.

I could easily spend two months there.

EDIT: I also liked upstate NY. Had a great time in Albany and Plattsburg.

 

[dawnann7]

I-75 from Saginaw, through Flint, to Detroit is the most miserable 100 miles in the country.

I can be a little fool hardy at times, but now I think I'm curious enough to go see this. (Though I may just go through as quickly as possible...)

 

[user 423]

... the drive across west Texas is something that I don't enjoy.

x2...recently drove from El Paso to Corpus Cristi and took the slower route through Big Spring and San Angelo. The wind was ferocious! There's a little looseness in my van's frontend so that made it worse. Pulling a trailer through there would be a real challenge.

 

[waldenbound]

I can be a little fool hardy at times, but now I think I'm curious enough to go see this. (Though I may just go through as quickly as possible...)

Saginaw, Flint , and Detroit are also very dangerous. Theres a thing called “ruin porn”, where photographers go around those cities photographing abandoned building. But it’s very dangerous hanging around those neighborhoods.

But, if anybody insists, don’t stop for gas at night, be watchful at traffic lights. Do not enter an abandoned building, they are good places to hide a body. If driving through a rough neighborhood, stay in your vehicle, and don’t stop and engage anyone. Do not drive around after dark.

 

[GeorgiePorgie]

Where is first best street food? New Orleans?

 

[MrNoodly]

I've been in 47 US states, five Canadian provinces and five Mexican states. I've lived in VA, NC, UT, CA, AB and SK. Some of the continent really speaks to me, and a lot of it doesn't. In the four-plus years I've been nomading, I've stuck to the West because it feels like home. Even though I was born and raised in the East, meh, it's not calling to me. I like open spaces but I like cities too. Both have some ugly, toxic, dangerous areas. I'd rather drive through Los Angeles during commute hours than through Grand Teton & Yellowstone during tourist season. For me, a place needs either natural beauty or engaging culture. Some places have both and some have neither.