Must-visit awful U.S. cities

New Orleans is the perfect example for this thread title.

 

Not sure if has been mentioned or not or even if this counts, but any town by the Salton Sea in California.

 

Detroit was an awesome place to visit as a kid -- Boblo Island, Detroit Zoo, Stroh's Brewery tour, Belle Isle, River Rouge steel mill tour, not mention Tiger Stadium and the Olympia. Not sure I'd venture down Grand River Blvd. in the daytime as an adult, let alone after dark.

Two places we've gone through in the motorhome: Cairo, Ill., and Portsmouth, Ohio. Cairo is filled with incredibly creepy old abandoned buildings (and huge flood gates) from its heyday as a major port on the Mississippi. The stadium that hosted the Portsmouth Spartans is still in use, but you look at that town and wonder why on earth someone put an NFL team there. Apparently it was a huge manufacturer of paving bricks or something.

 

Love Detroit! I have really enjoyed my visits there.

 

Attended college about 50 miles from Cairo and passed through the area a few times. Sadly, I believe the poverty rate there now is close to 50 percent. Here's an interesting article on the town:

The sad story of Cairo, Illinois' abandoned downtown | Roadtrippers

 

I'm not sure I've ever been as disappointed as I was when I went to Galveston.

 

Should have eaten at Gaido's

 

Or got drunk at the Poop Deck.

 

Reminded me of Atlantic City, except the beach was cleaner and the panhandlers were more respectful and polite.

 

Pre- or post-Ike?

 

Atlantic City has been a cesspool for decades.