Video: My 10 Least Favorite Cities in the World
This is the first of what I hope will be many videos I do from around the world and of my views of the world. This one will likely be controversial but I don’t think I have a lot of readers in Indiana. Feel free to unleash your bile (or compliments) in the comments section below. I hope it at least entertains you. If not, others might. Stick around. There will be more.
March 20, 2025 @ 3:51 pm
No Corvallis? Come on!
March 20, 2025 @ 5:05 pm
Ha! Actually, when I last visited in 2012 Corvallis wasn’t that bad. I saw few few KKK klansmen. How’ve you been?
March 20, 2025 @ 4:31 pm
Great video! But I will unleash bile on Milano! I enjoyed my stay there and found the restaurants to be less likely to serve the tourists slop like they do in Rome (I remember in one place recommended by the hotel in Rome feeling like that scene in Animal house where Flounder & Pinto are seated with Jugdish and Mohammed. They put the tourists in one area and the locals in the front of the house who obviously received better service). Maybe I’m biased since I am a fan of Osso Bucco, but the pasta dishes were good also, and so was the Cotoletta. And it is a great base for trips to Lake Como, or Emilia-Romana.
Managua, as a baseball fan I know that as the place that Roberto Clemente died in the plane crash trying to deliver aid to earthquake victims back in the 1970’s
March 20, 2025 @ 5:07 pm
You’re right. I remember Clemente was headed to Managua, a very worthy cause. To be fair, I found the Milanese less rude in my last couple visits than first few. I just think it’s kind of a drab looking city in a country full of beautiful ones.
March 20, 2025 @ 5:06 pm
I loved that John and I am so glad you are doing videos!! Some of your comments were hilarious and spot on – “who puts a mall downtown?”…and I have heard Cancun has become a “vomitoreum ”. Thank you for the laughs and for going through some awful experiences so I don’t have to (think I’ll skip Haiti altogether)
March 21, 2025 @ 10:27 am
Thanks, Melissa. Good to hear from you. I left out that Port-au-Prince is even worse now. Since the fall of the government, gangs have overrun and control the city. Kidnappings are everywhere. They’re even kidnapping people whose families have no money. One guy in our Travelers’ Century Club visited last year on some peacekeeping mission or something. He wanted to visit the presidential palace, one of the few tourist sites. The hotel told him if he does, he won’t come back. Hell, back in ’82, I got in a fistfight my first day there. What’s new with you?
March 20, 2025 @ 5:40 pm
Hi John, congrats on your first of many videos. I agree with you that Milan is a total drab- it lacks the charm of other Italian cities and other than the Duomo, there really isn’t anything interesting to explore. While the Milanese cuisine is certainly not my favorite, I don’t mind an occasional risotto or Osso Bucco every now and then, just to switch things up. I can’t comment on the other cities, but I thought the information you have shared was quite interesting and helpful for unknowing travelers and what to expect.
March 21, 2025 @ 10:24 am
Thanks, Loren. I do also like risotto but it’s better in Piedmont.
March 20, 2025 @ 9:10 pm
I enjoyed your video John as it is great to finally see your enthusiasm although I have always heard it in your writing. We were in Milano a few years ago and the cathedral was pink and luminescent as it had recently been cleaned…plus in the piazza, there was a lovely opera singer who sang so beautifully, she brought all of us to tears. The city may not be as beautiful as others, but the emotional connection will always be wonderful!
Looking forward to more videos!
March 21, 2025 @ 10:23 am
Thanks, Rosanna. I have warmed to Milan more since visiting the Navigli. I REALLY hated Milan before. And I have met some nice people there. But in a beautiful country with that drab architectural city as the anchor for Northern Italy, it will never rank very high with me.
March 21, 2025 @ 2:12 am
Good list, but I enjoyed visiting Dubai. I’m an architecture buff, and the world’s largest skyscraper (the Burj Khalifa) was built by Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill, the same firm that built Brasilia and the US Air Force Academy, which was nice touch of home. Our suite at the JW Marriott was the nicest hotel room we’ve ever stayed in. Yes, there is no reason for the city to exist, it’s just a national showplace, and it was really hot and humid, and I’ve heard the water temp in the gulf hits 100 degrees. Haven’t been to Abu Dhabi so I can’t compare them. Will let you know after I’ve seen it. (By the way, Cyndy agrees with you–she doesn’t need to go back to Dubai.)
March 21, 2025 @ 10:22 am
I do like Dubai’s skyline but when you have to seek out culture in the middle of the UAE, something is wrong. I even read expats living there struggle with that. I left out that Dubai’s souk is really overrated. Very little variety. All gold shops. And the water parks were really expensive and packed.