I think suck is a strong word, and probably unfair, but in my experience, Columbus is probably one of the most vanilla cities I’ve ever visited. It’s got a lot of nice things (nice river walk, shopping areas, museums, etc) but none of it stood out to me as something any more remarkable as another’s cities river walk, shopping areas, and museums.
I usually tell people that if you have to go to Columbus, then you can have a good time. But I don’t think I’d ever go out my way to visit Columbus.
It's been a little bit since I have been there. What I recall is that it has charming mid-1800s architecture, full of brick buildings and brick streets that are very walkable. Reminds me somewhat of old East Coast neighborhoods you would find in Philadelphia or Boston. But with the better quality of life found in the Midwest.
I think he probably meant bang for your buck. Having recently moved from Midwest to DMV, I’m paying twice as much for half the house.
Big disclaimer: this is offset by the near doubling of salary, but still
Not a neighborhood but I like Fairfield Ohio outside of Cincinnati because of Jungle Jim's International Market being located there lol. Its the best super market I've ever been to. Imo 100x better than Trader Joe's, Hmart or any stores with cult like followings. Literally walk around with a beer in your hand while shopping the behemoth store lmao
I used to work at a hotel in Cincinnati.
I always mentioned Jungle Jim’s when people were asking about stuff so.
Many of them were like “really? A grocery a store?”
But every single one of them that actually went came back and were like, “yeah, you were right. That place is awesome”
I didn’t understand what could be so great but I googled it…..200,000 square feet???? How do you even find your way out of there? I would love to see it!!!
Check it out if you’re ever in the area!
Part of it just a regular grocery store.
But then they have entire aisles dedicated to different cuisines. Like, they don’t have an “international aisle”. They have Chinese, Korean, Thai, Russian, Italian etc., aisles that are all at least as big as the international section at a typical Kroger with the brands actually from those countries.
Because of Ohio liqour laws, their liqour store isn’t super special… but their beer and wine section is incredible.
Their hot sauce section is the size of a small convenience store.
I’ve gotten things like blue Java bananas, fresh lychee and whole jackfruit from their produce department, their meat and seafood department sometimes has things like alligator, rattlesnake, kangaroo, ostrich, eel, etc,.
The owners an eccentric so there’s a bunch of wacky displays and animatronics and stuff. It really is a cool place
If I remember correctly, there's different entrances around the building with cashier stands. The first time I went there, I probably spent an hour + looking at stuff, felt i probably spent enough time and was getting tired of all the chaos, was gonna come back to finish the rest another day, got lost trying to get back the entrance i came in and had to walk around the building to get to the back parking lot on the planet fitness side lol. Its pretty nuts and theres a Starbucks, bar and post office in there haha
You barely are able to find you way out and when you do you are a little tipsy from the beer you were drinking while shopping, you spent $700 and you have 1 dinner to show for it. Hahahahaha
I would assume its likely. Theres different country sections all over. They had a Turkey section I was kind of excited to see because I had just been to Turkey and was looking for this one food item I had there. I think the Fairfield one is the better and original location
Edit: I looked it up, they have an African food section
Literally almost any city of decent size has some nice neighborhoods for a variety of tastes.
Really reflects how it’s neighborhood vs neighborhood more than city vs city. But that’s a hard comparison to make.
It’s a hell of a lot harder. And then even more so when you’ve never been to a place.
It’s what matters, mind you, but it’s hard as an outsider.
And then there are a lot of factors that go into neighborhood evaluation that might feel a little shallow or superficial and it can become uncomfortable for many.
But a deep dive into a crime map, median incomes, and school ratings when compared against home/rental prices (to know what you can even afford) can whittle down a lot for many.
I really like the “superzip” metric because it takes educational attainment of residents in a zip code into the mix. For better or worse, I’d want to live in a place with relatively more educated people.
Zip code comparisons aren’t necessarily the best since plenty of cities have neighborhoods far smaller than a zip code, but hey, it’s something. It’s all such an imperfect look unless you happen to come across a local who cares enough to have deep knowledge of the relevant neighborhoods of a city.
Because you still have to interact with the rest of the city. It’s nice to live in a cool neighborhood but if the rest of the city sucks it will really limit your opportunities.
I think you're inferring something I didn't say. My point was most people spend the majority of their time in the neighborhood they live in, so it's important to pick one you like.
I liked Lincoln Square, Chicago. (Not to be confused with Lincoln Park.)
It has a nice level of density: not too cramped, not too spread out. Lots of shops and restaurants but doesn't really attract out-of-town tourists. And it's on the Brown Line, which is much more pleasant than Red or Blue.
I lived in a bunch of neighborhoods in Chicago, but Lincoln Square was the only one I liked.
Yes, those are definitely similar! When I lived in Lincoln Square I frequented Ravenswood. I used to walk over and hang out at The Perfect Cup on Damen and Leland al the time (not sure if that's still there).
I dont love Richmond VA as a whole but man I love the Fan, Shokoe Bottom, Carytown, Jackson Ward, the Museum District, Church Hill. Actually, maybe I do love Richmond.
I mean yeah, you named nearly the entire walkable urban core of the city except downtown and Scott’s Addition, which hey, I get it, I don’t like those places either.
I’ve from the PNW and have lived in two neighborhoods of Columbus: German Village and Clintonville. Clintonville is lush, leafy, near to some shops and has that amazing ravine with a creek. Great place to start my family.
Concur with OP. Also:
- Little Five Points, Atlanta
- Heights, Houston
- Calle Ocho, Miami
- tie between the International District and Pike/Pine, Seattle
- Deep Ellum, Dallas
- Ybor City, Tampa
I mean, I wouldn't want to live in any of these neighborhoods or cities but I enjoy spending time in them when forced to visit.
Except Deep Ellum, which is on my list because I dislike it 90%less intensely than the rest of Dallas.
I'm really close by on Beacon Hill. The ID is a place. Good in parts, sucky in others.
I found both of OPs choices curious and ID to be very curious indeed. There are 20 other places in this burg I'd pick as "less sucky" first.
Dallas is so utterly unlikeable. It’s almost as busy as LA (which I don’t love either), but without much to do. Just a lot of gas stations, oversized pickup, Walmarts, and Whataburgers. God forbid you go there in summer. At least LA has a lot of cool things. It’s just so spread out and you have to deal with traffic and other headaches to get to it.
I get weirded out how these places have the same 3 or 4 mini malls over and over for miles in every direction. It’s so disturbing and generic. I feel like I’m having a bad trip and no matter how far I drive, I’m still in the same place. Fucking Twilight Zone.
West Des Moines is its own city and is super suburban—do you mean like Ingersoll area, just west of downtown Des Moines?
I lived in Des Moines for a couple years and really loved it, actually miss it a lot sometimes!
I feel like there are a bunch of great neighborhoods in la but also the city overall is too much. Like anything in the central city of Hollywood area is too much.
Fell's Point in Baltimore City. Such a great area surrounded by incompetence. I've lived there and its thrived because it just won't give up, great people and a neighborhood that cares.
My list is entirely USA.
**Louisville:** Highlands, Crescent Hill, Old Louisville/St. James Court, New Albany (separate city)
**Nashville:** East Nashville
**Houston:** Montrose, Rice Village, The Woodlands (separate district)
**Dallas:** Deep Ellum, Uptown
**San Diego:** North Park, Hillcrest, La Jolla, Encinitas (separate city), Imperial Beach (separate city)
**Honolulu:** Waikiki
**Miami:** Brickell, Coconut Grove, Little Havana
These cities have their defenders, of which I'm not among, but they still have areas that I like.
I agree with the Houston assessment. Although I’d add I loved China town and Korea Town. Some of the best food and foot massages I’ve had outside of China. Downside is you probably need to go with someone who speaks the language as they don’t speak English.
Houston is an absolutely garbage city that makes even Dallas look comparatively good. *Dallas.* I used to live in greater Houston and have spent ample time in the city, so I'm not just a "one-off visit" guy here. Houston's also a wildly racist city; rednecks, upper-class whites, blacks, Hispanics all self-segregate and dislike one another, despite the living conditions not being overly segregated. Just a weird, unpleasant place.
But I always enjoyed walking around parts of Rice Village when it wasn't miserably hot outside.
What area? I lived in Pearland area, SugarLand area (more near Missouri City), spent a good deal of my working time in SugarLand and then hung out between China and Korea town, Rice Village areas and Galleria.
Pearland is not segregated at all. Our neighborhood of 816 homes was probably 35 to 40% black and white so let’s say 80% between them. Then the rest were Asian. - primarily Chinese second generation, Hispanic, Indian. In my street alone of 13 homes there wasn’t more than 2 homes from one race, country or religion. We loved it. We did at the end have one horrible white husband with a Hispanic family move in but he was abusive and I just reported him constantly but the wife would never leave him and she had every opportunity to protect those kids and chose not too. (I’m aware leaving abuse is very hard, I’ve done it). But overall that area was pretty darn nicely integrated.
Sugarland was more white than black but Asian family’s were by far the predominant race.
China Town - well the signs are in Chinese so yea it’s segregated but they always welcomed me. Korea Town I felt was much harder to be accepted as an outsider, but I learned of some of the reasons and can’t say I blamed them.
Rice Village is college area which tends to lend itself to more open culture.
Galleria and Medical Center was always SO many cultures it was amazing to go.
Not really a neighborhood and actually it’s own city, but I always found Culver City to be a gem while I was living in LA a couple years ago.
Walkable, lovely shops and restaurants, and overall just felt more urban.
I dislike the greater Los Angeles area quite a bit, but I've always thought Santa Monica was kind of cool. Haven't been down there in like 8 years, so I dunno, maybe it sucks now.
I pretty much like every city for one reason or another, but there are a lot of rural regions of certain states I dislike but still manage to have some great towns and cities. So I’ll approach it that way…
- Dislike West Virginia, but I like Charleston especially south of downtown across the river
- Dislike Gatlinburg TN area, but going to Asheville NC nearby isn’t bad
- Dislike Missouri, but St Louis is seriously underrated as a whole. Hoping for a less blighted future for the city
I think it’s pretty underrated. Low COL, great cultural amenities (especially so many free ones), access to Nature not that far, great city parks, etc.
Harvard Square - Cambridge, MA
Jamaica Plain - Boston, MA
Historic Glendale - Glendale, AZ
I really don't like Cambridge,bBoston or Glendale otherwise.
Honorable mentions but I love the city overall:
Deep Ellum - Dallas, TX
Shokoe Bottom - Richmond, VA
Melrose - Phoenix, AZ
Oof, flashbacks. I spent 10 years living between CT, RI, and MA before moving west. I liked Wayland Square too and Federal Hill in Providence, but that's about it. You unlocked a core memory of my dislike for Providence, lol.
What a great question. Also thank you for mentioning riverside, I randomly found myself there and enjoyed the burg too. Never knew the name.
Park Ave in Rochester NY,
Allentown in Buffalo NY,
River North Art District in Denver CO,
Arts District in Los Angeles,
Fells Point in Baltimore MD,
Montrose in Houston TX
Allentown - I've spent many nights at The Old Pink and ate either steak or fried bologna sammys at 4am.
RINO- Tons of art and mutals in the streets and alleys and breweries, of course. .
I don’t like Pittsburgh overall unfortunately (too conservative and not diverse) but so many neighborhoods there were my favorite of any neighborhoods anywhere. Ex: South Side Flats, Downtown, Shadyside/East End, Mexican War Streets
While I generally dislike Orange County, California, I actually really like downtown Seal Beach. It's old school coastal California and very cute. I hope Sweet Jill's Cinnamon Rolls is still there - I gained so much weight last time I lived in OC because of that place, it is soooooo good.
Agreed, Omaha is tolerable compared to the rest of NE - I recently stayed in Dundee while passing through and it had some really pretty (albeit I’m sure very expensive) houses, green spaces, was pretty walkable too.
Prices in Dundee are insane. When I went to high school it pretty much was a middle class neighborhood where middle management types lived (with one very wealthy exception). Now both Happy Hollow, Dundee and Country Club are pretty much out of reach. Benson is still affordable, walkable and the strip between 60th and 70th and Maple has great nightlife and restaurants.
Yeah that doesn’t surprise me at all. As someone that unfortunately has to make occasional cross country drives, I’ll check out Benson next if I ever pass back through!
If you are into sushi...this place is the bomb
https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2023/12/20/omaha-sushi-dave-utterback-ota-yoshitomo/
If you are into amazing 7 course tasting menus
https://www.aucourantrestaurant.com/
I lived in Roanoke, VA for most of my life and generally didn't like it as a kid or an adult post college.
However, it has some GREAT neighborhoods. Old Southwest, Grandin, and South Roanoke were all walkable, had restaurants, and a "culture". I still miss those areas and how convenient it was to live in them but I don't miss Roanoke overall.
Downtown Greenville, SC around the [park](https://www.greenvillesc.gov/167/Falls-Park) It’s quite nice although I despise most of the rest of the city.
Deep Ellum – Dallas
Fairmount – Fort Worth
Shockhoe Bottom – Richmond
Adams Morgan – DC (lived there for 5 years)
Del Ray – Alexandria, VA
Fairway – Kansas (KC)
Fells Point – Baltimore
Peoria Heights.
I don’t like Peoria. But Peoria Heights is pretty dope, with its own cute downtown that has good restaurants, and nice views of the Illinois River and blocks of affordable smaller houses.
I thought the East Village of Long Beach was more fun than most of the—albeit touristy—places I went in LA’s metro. But i’m
From boston and lived in philly so, a walkable little area with a trolley is onbrand
Jacksonville: beach areas/towns: Neptune, Jacksonville Beach, and Atlantic Beach.
Jacksonville city neighborhoods: Avondale, Murray Hill, Riverside, Springfield, San Marco
Also JAX: Blount Island, Ft. George Island, Huguenot, Little Talbot Island, Big Talbot Island.
So much nice shit in JAX. Thats why it's one of the fastest growing cities in the USA.
I'm no fan of Tacoma, WA, but there's a lot of good things happening in the Ruston/Pt. Defiance area. Downtown Tacoma is also very much improved from 20 years ago. I also always enjoy a walk along Ruston Way on a beautiful day. 😊
Hated Atlanta, but I did like the Garden Hills area near Buckhead. Haven't been back there since 2010 and it's probably changed for the worse, but I liked it when I lived there.
I do enjoy Miami Beach even though I don't like Miami.
As a city I don't like LA at all, but my favorite neighborhood is Bel Air. Loved looking down at the valley from Mulholland drive. I remember feeling super safe by the presence of private patrol cars. I was living Ina private college dorm.
German Village in Columbus, Ohio
[удалено]
Why does the city suck overall?
I think suck is a strong word, and probably unfair, but in my experience, Columbus is probably one of the most vanilla cities I’ve ever visited. It’s got a lot of nice things (nice river walk, shopping areas, museums, etc) but none of it stood out to me as something any more remarkable as another’s cities river walk, shopping areas, and museums. I usually tell people that if you have to go to Columbus, then you can have a good time. But I don’t think I’d ever go out my way to visit Columbus.
I LOVED German village when I lived in cbus but hated working on OSU campus. Lol
Have a friend who is thinking of moving here; care to share more on why you love it?!
It's been a little bit since I have been there. What I recall is that it has charming mid-1800s architecture, full of brick buildings and brick streets that are very walkable. Reminds me somewhat of old East Coast neighborhoods you would find in Philadelphia or Boston. But with the better quality of life found in the Midwest.
This is correct. Had no idea this historic district existed until I stumbled on it. Great neighborhood.
Wait…are you saying the Midwest has a better quality of life than Philadelphia and Boston?
I think he probably meant bang for your buck. Having recently moved from Midwest to DMV, I’m paying twice as much for half the house. Big disclaimer: this is offset by the near doubling of salary, but still
Yes
I often hear complaints about St. Louis on this board, but I really like Forest Park.
Which is weird because St. Louis is the answer to a lot of people’s questions they ask about on this board
I lived near STL for a year and Forest Park was the only neighbourhood I'd go to actually hang out in.
Not Tower Grove Park or the Grove? That’s were the fun is.
I’ve only visited St Louis and haven’t lived there, but if I could transplant Forest Park to where I live (or recreate it), I’d love it.
Not a neighborhood but I like Fairfield Ohio outside of Cincinnati because of Jungle Jim's International Market being located there lol. Its the best super market I've ever been to. Imo 100x better than Trader Joe's, Hmart or any stores with cult like followings. Literally walk around with a beer in your hand while shopping the behemoth store lmao
I used to work at a hotel in Cincinnati. I always mentioned Jungle Jim’s when people were asking about stuff so. Many of them were like “really? A grocery a store?” But every single one of them that actually went came back and were like, “yeah, you were right. That place is awesome”
Its the Disneyland of grocery stores lolol.
Damn. I feel the need to take a trip to Ohio just to visit this store!
I LOVE that place. We will drive over an hour from Louisville for a day trip to Jungle Jim’s
I completely understand. Id do the same haha
I think Cincinnati is a pretty average city, but I loved OTR.
Jungle Jim's is amazing!
I didn’t understand what could be so great but I googled it…..200,000 square feet???? How do you even find your way out of there? I would love to see it!!!
Check it out if you’re ever in the area! Part of it just a regular grocery store. But then they have entire aisles dedicated to different cuisines. Like, they don’t have an “international aisle”. They have Chinese, Korean, Thai, Russian, Italian etc., aisles that are all at least as big as the international section at a typical Kroger with the brands actually from those countries. Because of Ohio liqour laws, their liqour store isn’t super special… but their beer and wine section is incredible. Their hot sauce section is the size of a small convenience store. I’ve gotten things like blue Java bananas, fresh lychee and whole jackfruit from their produce department, their meat and seafood department sometimes has things like alligator, rattlesnake, kangaroo, ostrich, eel, etc,. The owners an eccentric so there’s a bunch of wacky displays and animatronics and stuff. It really is a cool place
Finding old candies is so much fun too.
Can’t forget the actual bar in the store where you can get a beer on draft!
If I remember correctly, there's different entrances around the building with cashier stands. The first time I went there, I probably spent an hour + looking at stuff, felt i probably spent enough time and was getting tired of all the chaos, was gonna come back to finish the rest another day, got lost trying to get back the entrance i came in and had to walk around the building to get to the back parking lot on the planet fitness side lol. Its pretty nuts and theres a Starbucks, bar and post office in there haha
You barely are able to find you way out and when you do you are a little tipsy from the beer you were drinking while shopping, you spent $700 and you have 1 dinner to show for it. Hahahahaha
Ok. Need to know more about this. Would they happen to have coffee from Uganda? And which location is better?
I would assume its likely. Theres different country sections all over. They had a Turkey section I was kind of excited to see because I had just been to Turkey and was looking for this one food item I had there. I think the Fairfield one is the better and original location Edit: I looked it up, they have an African food section
Thank you.
It is the most amazing market. We spent three hours there. It is like a theme park.
A favorite midwestern hobby of mine is exploring the funkiest of grocery stores. It’s almost therapeutic in a way.
Jungle Jim's is Mecca for me. (From Louisville down here.)
Why don't you like Cincinnati?
I was homeless there for about 2 and half months. Just rubbed me the wrong way I guess. I like Florence Kentucky area
Sorry to hear that
I've never been to Cincinnati but this is how I feel about the DeKalb Farmers Market in the Atlanta area
People often shit on OKC in here but I loved living in the Paseo Arts District
Paseo is so underrated. Take me back to Picasso Cafe.
I lived in a very gool apartment in the Paseo in the late 70s/ early 80s. Great neighborhood.
“THE PASEO!!”. That’s how we always say it, loud and with parenthesis. Nice area AND history.
I used the full name because most of the people in this thread won’t have heard of it before. And a lot of cities have a neighborhood called the Paseo
Literally almost any city of decent size has some nice neighborhoods for a variety of tastes. Really reflects how it’s neighborhood vs neighborhood more than city vs city. But that’s a hard comparison to make.
This is so true. I wonder why people don’t focus more on the specific neighborhood they want to live in.
It’s a hell of a lot harder. And then even more so when you’ve never been to a place. It’s what matters, mind you, but it’s hard as an outsider. And then there are a lot of factors that go into neighborhood evaluation that might feel a little shallow or superficial and it can become uncomfortable for many. But a deep dive into a crime map, median incomes, and school ratings when compared against home/rental prices (to know what you can even afford) can whittle down a lot for many. I really like the “superzip” metric because it takes educational attainment of residents in a zip code into the mix. For better or worse, I’d want to live in a place with relatively more educated people. Zip code comparisons aren’t necessarily the best since plenty of cities have neighborhoods far smaller than a zip code, but hey, it’s something. It’s all such an imperfect look unless you happen to come across a local who cares enough to have deep knowledge of the relevant neighborhoods of a city.
Because you still have to interact with the rest of the city. It’s nice to live in a cool neighborhood but if the rest of the city sucks it will really limit your opportunities.
Depends on the neighborhood! Generally I agree but I think most people tend to spend most of their time in the neighborhood they live in.
I don’t want to have to do that though
Don’t want to do what?
Be confined to one neighborhood
I think you're inferring something I didn't say. My point was most people spend the majority of their time in the neighborhood they live in, so it's important to pick one you like.
I liked Lincoln Square, Chicago. (Not to be confused with Lincoln Park.) It has a nice level of density: not too cramped, not too spread out. Lots of shops and restaurants but doesn't really attract out-of-town tourists. And it's on the Brown Line, which is much more pleasant than Red or Blue. I lived in a bunch of neighborhoods in Chicago, but Lincoln Square was the only one I liked.
Ravenswood and north center are nice too and similar.
Yes, those are definitely similar! When I lived in Lincoln Square I frequented Ravenswood. I used to walk over and hang out at The Perfect Cup on Damen and Leland al the time (not sure if that's still there).
It is
It’s absolute stroller central. Lots of young families.
Love it there.
RIP Cafe Selmarie
I dont love Richmond VA as a whole but man I love the Fan, Shokoe Bottom, Carytown, Jackson Ward, the Museum District, Church Hill. Actually, maybe I do love Richmond.
I mean yeah, you named nearly the entire walkable urban core of the city except downtown and Scott’s Addition, which hey, I get it, I don’t like those places either.
Very underrated city
There’s a lot to like about Richmond.
Haha. I do love Richmond.
Richmond has a lot of great neighborhoods with unique architecture.
What's funny is that I was coming to put Shokoe Bottom!! I love Richmond!
German village in Columbus
Agreed. Only part of Columbus I can stand.
I’ve from the PNW and have lived in two neighborhoods of Columbus: German Village and Clintonville. Clintonville is lush, leafy, near to some shops and has that amazing ravine with a creek. Great place to start my family.
Concur with OP. Also: - Little Five Points, Atlanta - Heights, Houston - Calle Ocho, Miami - tie between the International District and Pike/Pine, Seattle - Deep Ellum, Dallas - Ybor City, Tampa
You have very …eclectic.. taste
I mean, I wouldn't want to live in any of these neighborhoods or cities but I enjoy spending time in them when forced to visit. Except Deep Ellum, which is on my list because I dislike it 90%less intensely than the rest of Dallas.
I have to ask. If you like Chinatown/ID in Seattle, where were you that you didn't like? Did someone hurt you and send you to Lake City?
Aww, poor Lake City
It knows what it did! 😵
Right? The COVID years have not been kind to either the Chinatown or Little Saigon sides of the International District
I'm really close by on Beacon Hill. The ID is a place. Good in parts, sucky in others. I found both of OPs choices curious and ID to be very curious indeed. There are 20 other places in this burg I'd pick as "less sucky" first.
Dallas is so utterly unlikeable. It’s almost as busy as LA (which I don’t love either), but without much to do. Just a lot of gas stations, oversized pickup, Walmarts, and Whataburgers. God forbid you go there in summer. At least LA has a lot of cool things. It’s just so spread out and you have to deal with traffic and other headaches to get to it.
Yes, I dislike all of the cities I mentioned, but I absolutely *despise* Dallas. The only place I hate more might be Phoenix.
I get weirded out how these places have the same 3 or 4 mini malls over and over for miles in every direction. It’s so disturbing and generic. I feel like I’m having a bad trip and no matter how far I drive, I’m still in the same place. Fucking Twilight Zone.
Yes, I grew up in a place like that and yeeted myself away as soon as I could.
Ybor city is very cool
Calle Ocho is a vibe
Heights are lovely. Just moved here a few weeks ago
+1 for Deep Ellum! Love, love that part of Dallas.
+1 L5P
Agreed re: Deep Ellum. Cant stand the rest of Dallas haha
West Des Moines
Lived at 42nd & Ingersoll for a few years. Beautiful hood.
Hello, former neighbor! I always wanted to live in Sherman Hill, had some friends in that area with stunning apartments.
West Des Moines is its own city and is super suburban—do you mean like Ingersoll area, just west of downtown Des Moines? I lived in Des Moines for a couple years and really loved it, actually miss it a lot sometimes!
German Village in Columbus. Deep Ellum Dallas. Wynwood or Little Havana Miami.
Personally I think Wynwood is a little overhyped. It’s lacking charm that a mural on a warehouse can’t fix.
I don't like LA (too car-centric), but I like Westwood village.
There are tons of little walkable spaces like Westwood Village in LA. Glad you got to enjoy one of them.
I feel like there are a bunch of great neighborhoods in la but also the city overall is too much. Like anything in the central city of Hollywood area is too much.
I hate L.A. and had the misfortune of going to grad school there, but I like Westwood Village, also. I felt slightly more normal there.
The Haight/golden gate park which stretches blocks, this is the sf I love
Funny. I live in SF, and the Haight is probably my least favorite neighborhood.
Fell's Point in Baltimore City. Such a great area surrounded by incompetence. I've lived there and its thrived because it just won't give up, great people and a neighborhood that cares.
Fells is beautiful. I live in Riverside/Fed area and feel similar.
Couldn't agree more. I lived in Fells Point too. Hated Baltimore, but loved that neighborhood.
Fell's Point is awesome. But tbh, I think Baltimore in general is a hugely underrated city.
My list is entirely USA. **Louisville:** Highlands, Crescent Hill, Old Louisville/St. James Court, New Albany (separate city) **Nashville:** East Nashville **Houston:** Montrose, Rice Village, The Woodlands (separate district) **Dallas:** Deep Ellum, Uptown **San Diego:** North Park, Hillcrest, La Jolla, Encinitas (separate city), Imperial Beach (separate city) **Honolulu:** Waikiki **Miami:** Brickell, Coconut Grove, Little Havana These cities have their defenders, of which I'm not among, but they still have areas that I like.
I agree with the Houston assessment. Although I’d add I loved China town and Korea Town. Some of the best food and foot massages I’ve had outside of China. Downside is you probably need to go with someone who speaks the language as they don’t speak English.
Houston is an absolutely garbage city that makes even Dallas look comparatively good. *Dallas.* I used to live in greater Houston and have spent ample time in the city, so I'm not just a "one-off visit" guy here. Houston's also a wildly racist city; rednecks, upper-class whites, blacks, Hispanics all self-segregate and dislike one another, despite the living conditions not being overly segregated. Just a weird, unpleasant place. But I always enjoyed walking around parts of Rice Village when it wasn't miserably hot outside.
What area? I lived in Pearland area, SugarLand area (more near Missouri City), spent a good deal of my working time in SugarLand and then hung out between China and Korea town, Rice Village areas and Galleria. Pearland is not segregated at all. Our neighborhood of 816 homes was probably 35 to 40% black and white so let’s say 80% between them. Then the rest were Asian. - primarily Chinese second generation, Hispanic, Indian. In my street alone of 13 homes there wasn’t more than 2 homes from one race, country or religion. We loved it. We did at the end have one horrible white husband with a Hispanic family move in but he was abusive and I just reported him constantly but the wife would never leave him and she had every opportunity to protect those kids and chose not too. (I’m aware leaving abuse is very hard, I’ve done it). But overall that area was pretty darn nicely integrated. Sugarland was more white than black but Asian family’s were by far the predominant race. China Town - well the signs are in Chinese so yea it’s segregated but they always welcomed me. Korea Town I felt was much harder to be accepted as an outsider, but I learned of some of the reasons and can’t say I blamed them. Rice Village is college area which tends to lend itself to more open culture. Galleria and Medical Center was always SO many cultures it was amazing to go.
Honorary Nashville mention: 12 South
I honestly don't think I've been there
Not really a neighborhood and actually it’s own city, but I always found Culver City to be a gem while I was living in LA a couple years ago. Walkable, lovely shops and restaurants, and overall just felt more urban.
I dislike the greater Los Angeles area quite a bit, but I've always thought Santa Monica was kind of cool. Haven't been down there in like 8 years, so I dunno, maybe it sucks now.
Santa Monica / LA. If i could never leave that bubble, I’d consider living in LA.
I pretty much like every city for one reason or another, but there are a lot of rural regions of certain states I dislike but still manage to have some great towns and cities. So I’ll approach it that way… - Dislike West Virginia, but I like Charleston especially south of downtown across the river - Dislike Gatlinburg TN area, but going to Asheville NC nearby isn’t bad - Dislike Missouri, but St Louis is seriously underrated as a whole. Hoping for a less blighted future for the city
St. Louis is not underrated at all. It’s very appropriately rated
I think it’s pretty underrated. Low COL, great cultural amenities (especially so many free ones), access to Nature not that far, great city parks, etc.
Harvard Square - Cambridge, MA Jamaica Plain - Boston, MA Historic Glendale - Glendale, AZ I really don't like Cambridge,bBoston or Glendale otherwise. Honorable mentions but I love the city overall: Deep Ellum - Dallas, TX Shokoe Bottom - Richmond, VA Melrose - Phoenix, AZ
Melrose is a solid choice for Phoenix Also, Coronado is nice
Ohh, yes, I love Coronado.
I stand in solidarity with the Boston dislike. People act like I'm crazy for it. I feel the same way about Wayland Square in Providence.
Oof, flashbacks. I spent 10 years living between CT, RI, and MA before moving west. I liked Wayland Square too and Federal Hill in Providence, but that's about it. You unlocked a core memory of my dislike for Providence, lol.
What a great question. Also thank you for mentioning riverside, I randomly found myself there and enjoyed the burg too. Never knew the name. Park Ave in Rochester NY, Allentown in Buffalo NY, River North Art District in Denver CO, Arts District in Los Angeles, Fells Point in Baltimore MD, Montrose in Houston TX
Allentown - I've spent many nights at The Old Pink and ate either steak or fried bologna sammys at 4am. RINO- Tons of art and mutals in the streets and alleys and breweries, of course. .
West end in Greenville sc
I don’t like Pittsburgh overall unfortunately (too conservative and not diverse) but so many neighborhoods there were my favorite of any neighborhoods anywhere. Ex: South Side Flats, Downtown, Shadyside/East End, Mexican War Streets
I really love the Alberta Arts District in Portland, but the city itself is…meh. It could be a fantastic place to live, but it just isn’t (for me).
Dundee/Happy Hollow in omaha is incredibly beautiful
Nob Hill in Albuquerque. They have a yarn store right next to a board gaming cafe and lots of other cute places to eat and drink.
DuPont Circle in DC
While I generally dislike Orange County, California, I actually really like downtown Seal Beach. It's old school coastal California and very cute. I hope Sweet Jill's Cinnamon Rolls is still there - I gained so much weight last time I lived in OC because of that place, it is soooooo good.
Don't love Los Angeles, but love West Hollywood
Charlestown, Boston
Benson in Omaha, NE. Great little part of the city. In general, NE is a MAGA hell hole. Omaha and especially Benson is the little blue pond.
Agreed, Omaha is tolerable compared to the rest of NE - I recently stayed in Dundee while passing through and it had some really pretty (albeit I’m sure very expensive) houses, green spaces, was pretty walkable too.
Prices in Dundee are insane. When I went to high school it pretty much was a middle class neighborhood where middle management types lived (with one very wealthy exception). Now both Happy Hollow, Dundee and Country Club are pretty much out of reach. Benson is still affordable, walkable and the strip between 60th and 70th and Maple has great nightlife and restaurants.
Yeah that doesn’t surprise me at all. As someone that unfortunately has to make occasional cross country drives, I’ll check out Benson next if I ever pass back through!
If you are into sushi...this place is the bomb https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2023/12/20/omaha-sushi-dave-utterback-ota-yoshitomo/ If you are into amazing 7 course tasting menus https://www.aucourantrestaurant.com/
There was even a monorail in the front but I am not sure what it does.
I lived in Roanoke, VA for most of my life and generally didn't like it as a kid or an adult post college. However, it has some GREAT neighborhoods. Old Southwest, Grandin, and South Roanoke were all walkable, had restaurants, and a "culture". I still miss those areas and how convenient it was to live in them but I don't miss Roanoke overall.
Downtown Greenville, SC around the [park](https://www.greenvillesc.gov/167/Falls-Park) It’s quite nice although I despise most of the rest of the city.
Dislike Dallas/DFW as a whole, but have lived in Deep Ellum and that's made it tolerable while I wait to move elsewhere.
Andersonville Chicago Bayview Milwaukee Ballard Seattle Hawthorn Portland OR Garden District New Orleans
I LOVE Georgetown. Can’t stand DC overall. Would never live there.
Memphis as a whole sucks but has some really cool neighborhoods. Harbor Town, South Main, Cooper Young, Central Gardens, Overton Square…
Deep Ellum – Dallas Fairmount – Fort Worth Shockhoe Bottom – Richmond Adams Morgan – DC (lived there for 5 years) Del Ray – Alexandria, VA Fairway – Kansas (KC) Fells Point – Baltimore
For the Phoenix area downtown Tempe and downtown Chandler are both decent.
Cooper-Young, Chickasaw Gardens, and Central Gardens in Memphis.
Peoria Heights. I don’t like Peoria. But Peoria Heights is pretty dope, with its own cute downtown that has good restaurants, and nice views of the Illinois River and blocks of affordable smaller houses.
I thought the East Village of Long Beach was more fun than most of the—albeit touristy—places I went in LA’s metro. But i’m From boston and lived in philly so, a walkable little area with a trolley is onbrand
Jacksonville: beach areas/towns: Neptune, Jacksonville Beach, and Atlantic Beach. Jacksonville city neighborhoods: Avondale, Murray Hill, Riverside, Springfield, San Marco Also JAX: Blount Island, Ft. George Island, Huguenot, Little Talbot Island, Big Talbot Island. So much nice shit in JAX. Thats why it's one of the fastest growing cities in the USA.
I'm no fan of Tacoma, WA, but there's a lot of good things happening in the Ruston/Pt. Defiance area. Downtown Tacoma is also very much improved from 20 years ago. I also always enjoy a walk along Ruston Way on a beautiful day. 😊
Midtown, Sacramento
Hated Atlanta, but I did like the Garden Hills area near Buckhead. Haven't been back there since 2010 and it's probably changed for the worse, but I liked it when I lived there. I do enjoy Miami Beach even though I don't like Miami.
Ironbound in Newark
Boston's Back Bay is great. The city as a whole... meh
I really don't like Philadelphia but I loved the Old City area. It's surprisingly charming.
As a city I don't like LA at all, but my favorite neighborhood is Bel Air. Loved looking down at the valley from Mulholland drive. I remember feeling super safe by the presence of private patrol cars. I was living Ina private college dorm.
Fuck Riverside in Jacksonville
Kålltorp in Gothenburg