Have you ever stumbled into the wrong neighbourhood?

ArtyM

I remember once in the early 80s I had a stopover in Hamburg that gave me a few hours to tour the city.
A local guide said St Pauli was a weird and unusual place so I headed there. Holy S**t that place was scary.

There were junkies everywhere (got offered everything), guys fighting, Hookers, sexshops, people being arrested.
A couple of very dodgy guys approached me and kinda surrounded me as they were talking ****e - they started edging me toward an alley/laneway.
I was dressed as a tourist and had 'easy pickings' written all over me (was also carrying quite a bit of money).
Thankfully a cop car pulls up and the guys back off and leave. Cops politely suggested I get the **** out of there for my own good. I concurred!
The wait for the subway felt like hours - there was a guy on the opposite platform sitting on a bench with a bottle of Vodka and what looked like a fresh stab wound in his abdomen - his sirt was literally turning red.
I was the only white guy.

---

Have you ever wandered into a bad neighbourhood or the wrong part of a town?

Sykk

Dundalk... I don't really want to talk about it, though..

thehairyelbow

I've often stumbled out of one. Never in.

hatrickpatrick

I did work experience in Cauldron Studious. Stayed too long on the bus (forget which bus) and somehow ended up in the middle of Summerhill, near Croker.

The place was almost deserted but I remembered absolute horror stories about it, and a previous experience there when we walked through it on the way back from a transition year tour of croke park and got harassed and threatened at every single street corner. To say I was scared sh!tless is an understatement. I looked around to get my bearings, saw the sign saying "Summerhill" and actually felt the colour drain from my face. Don't think I've ever wanted to get the hell out of a place faster.

Ironically enough, this second encounter there wasn't so bad, there was hardly anyone around

Buscuits

Has happened twice.
Once in Paris, got the metro and ended up in a Afro Euro area, there were scores of police everywhere looking worried and here we 2 white people come along with shopping bags.
Once in London, we stumbled across the May day riots by mistake.
Never thought or knew they were on until got to Trafalger square and riot police ready to charge. Some young dreadlock lad headbutted the pedestrian crossing button on a trafficlight and bust his head open. Once again standing there with shopping bags.

OutlawPete

Yup, many times, but I'm a black belt in Origami.

Herb Powell

Peckerwood

subway

ArtyM wrote: »

I remember once in the early 80s I had a stopover in Hamburg that gave me a few hours to tour the city.
A local guide said St Pauli was a weird and unusual place so I headed there. Holy S**t that place was scary.

There were junkies everywhere (got offered everything), guys fighting, Hookers, sexshops, people being arrested.
A couple of very dodgy guys approached me and kinda surrounded me as they were talking ****e - they started edging me toward an alley/laneway.
I was dressed as a tourist and had 'easy pickings' written all over me (was also carrying quite a bit of money).
Thankfully a copy car pulls up and the guys back off and leave. Cops politely suggested I get the **** out of there for my own good. I concurred!
The wait for the subway felt like hours - there was a guy on the opposite platform sitting on a bench with a bottle of Vodka and what looked like a fresh stab wound in his abdomen - his sirt was literally turning red.
I was the only white guy.

---

Have you ever wandered into a bad neighbourhood or the wrong part of a town?

thanks for the review OP, i'm going on holidays there.

chakotha

Got out at Tottenham tube station on a Saturday night when myself and a few chums were 18. Well dodgy.

blackalicious

hatrickpatrick wrote: »

I did work experience in Cauldron Studious. Stayed too long on the bus (forget which bus) and somehow ended up in the middle of Summerhill, near Croker.

The place was almost deserted but I remembered absolute horror stories about it, and a previous experience there when we walked through it on the way back from a transition year tour of croke park and got harassed and threatened at every single street corner. To say I was scared sh!tless is an understatement. I looked around to get my bearings, saw the sign saying "Summerhill" and actually felt the colour drain from my face. Don't think I've ever wanted to get the hell out of a place faster.

Ironically enough, this second encounter there wasn't so bad, there was hardly anyone around

jesus a bit of an over-reaction no? my mate lives in summerhill and ive walked through it at all hours of the day and night for the last 10 years and never saw any hassle

biscuiteater

ArtyM wrote: »

There were junkies everywhere (got offered everything), guys fighting, Hookers, sexshops, people being arrested.


Have you ever wandered into a bad neighbourhood or the wrong part of a town?

it sounds like where i grew up, my daughter took me to harrods once and i felt out of place, that for me was the wrong neighbourhood

and how can anyone not like dundalk i love dundalk, feel so at home there

orourkeda

OutlawPete wrote: »

Yup, many times, but I'm a black belt in Origami.

I have a brown belt after orgasm

jimthemental

Was in Limerick one day last year and had to park in around Garryowen somewhere to walk to Specsavers. Took a wrong turn anyway in my Leinster jersey. That was the first time I was genuinely intimidated in Limerick and I had been there for the previous 4 years. Nothing happened but I could just tell by looking around that it was a serious kip, dirty looks from other pedestrians aside.

arybvtcw0eolkf

Yes, and the neighbourhood surrendered to me

The King of Moo

I heard this American tourist in Bunratty once...

Oops..wrong thread..

cruiser178

Yep remember it like yesterday(21 yrs ago) broad water farm,at night, in london,good god we were lucky to get out of that.
Picture high rise flats everywhere,no street lighting the only light i can remember was that coming from the flats above,gangs of knife weilding mother fcukers.
The broad water farm roits were still very very fresh on everyones minds http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadwater_Farm and for those who are intrested,pc blakelock who was killed in the roits http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=20276

iamwhoiam

We took the metro in Paris to a flea market on the outskirts of the city .No idea now where it was . I was so excited as I love local markets and all they have to offer . We got out of the metro and my husband clutched his wallet and my hand .We walked to the market , really looking forward to it and OMG it was so intimadating , rough and loud and people fighting and we felt so out of place .
We turned on our heels and escaped and back to safety again .,Oddly enough I found quite a bit of Paris to be rough , away from the main tourist areas and main streets it was not what I expected at all .

stovelid

I feel like I'm in the Buttery in Trinity in the 80s on the first day back after everybody has "gone travelling".

Sean Quagmire

Liverpool has the worst place I have ended up in. I shudder every time I think of it. An entire four days of being on edge is a weird feeling, their was a genuine threat every time you walked anywhere and thats not being paranoid!

I have also ended up in the Afro-neighborhood in Paris. Felt like a was walking through yonkers.

AntiRip

Myself and the OH were going up to the Bronx zoo one day and got off at the wrong stop. I knew straight away by the look of the subway station that we weren't in a good place at all.

As the station was empty (another bad sign) we decided to head down to the street to see exactly where we were.

When we went down an elderly black couple crossed the street and told us to get back up to the station quickly as we were in the wrong place. We did without question and went back to Manhattan. We never did visit the zoo

There are many scary places in New York

maglite

West Philadelphia,


at this point I feel like I should include lyrics, but it is quite an intimidating place.

yupyup7up

jimthemental wrote: »

Was in Limerick one day last year and had to park in around Garryowen somewhere to walk to Specsavers. Took a wrong turn anyway in my Leinster jersey. That was the first time I was genuinely intimidated in Limerick and I had been there for the previous 4 years. Nothing happened but I could just tell by looking around that it was a serious kip, dirty looks from other pedestrians aside.

Garryowen is ****hole. You could get your car bricked but any time ive driven through iev had no hassle. Leinster jerseys generally wouldnt ever go down well in Limerick full stop!!!

Sean Quagmire wrote: »

Liverpool has the worst place I have ended up in. I shudder every time I think of it. An entire four days of being on edge is a weird feeling, their was a genuine threat every time you walked anywhere and thats not being paranoid!

I have also ended up in the Afro-neighborhood in Paris. Felt like a was walking through yonkers.

Liverpool? Really? I've been there twice and it's great! Everyone was sound over there!

Being from Limerick I'm not really bothered with dodgy neighbourhoods...
The worst I've seen are Weston and d'Island, Limerick, (Southill and moyross aren't near these 2!), Devanny Gardens in Dublin looks like a kip and the red light district(no sure which one) in Paris. looks like rape central... Weston is definitely the worst place I've ever been.

yupyup7up

maglite wrote: »

West Philadelphia,


at this point I feel like I should include lyrics, but it is quite an intimidating place.

was thinking about saying the same but decided against it

jimthemental

yupyup7up wrote: »

The worst I've seen are Weston and d'Island, Limerick, (Southill and moyross aren't near these 2!),

Oh I know that, but any time I was in any of them I wasn't alone, wasn't there accidentally and wasn't wearing a leinster jersey.

CrazyRabbit

Driving up north in a convoy of cars carrying Airsofters in full military clothing, we took a wrong turn and ended up in an estate covered in Union Jacks, and loyalist graffiti.

Think about it...several Irish-reg cars, with what appears to be soldiers sitting in them & carrrying rifle bags...in the middle of a staunchly loyalist estate. We didn't stop....feck the traffic lights!!!

Sean Quagmire

Sean Quagmire wrote: »

Liverpool has the worst place I have ended up in. I shudder every time I think of it. An entire four days of being on edge is a weird feeling, their was a genuine threat every time you walked anywhere and thats not being paranoid!

I have also ended up in the Afro-neighborhood in Paris. Felt like a was walking through yonkers.

Really? Was there at four times for weekends away, 3 times my ole lad who is 60 odd was with me. No problem anytime and we always get lost wandering around at night. Locals are salt of the Earth in my view, couldn't fault the place. Was it the city yor are on about?

hatrickpatrick

blackalicious wrote: »

jesus a bit of an over-reaction no? my mate lives in summerhill and ive walked through it at all hours of the day and night for the last 10 years and never saw any hassle

We possibly got it on a bad day. The trip was during school hours so most of the abuse we got was from drunken wasters who were clearly skipping school in the first place.

SeaFields

This only happened a few weeks ago.


Was up in Dublin with herself for a few days as she was graduating. On the sunday we wanted to go to Croke park to see the museum there. Got direction from where we were staying - just follow the canal and you cant go wrong.

Off we strolled on a sunny afternoon. There was a lovely walk a long the canal, a very well kept park and we could see croker in the distance. This nice stretch of canal ended and it became dreary and downbeat looking. But as we told follow the canal this is what we did. The girlfriend got very freaked out, said she had a terrible feeling about the place and wanted to get out of there. We hurried and got out of there and on to croker. Went home by a different route.

Then, shortly afterwards, on the telly was a documentary "killers: sisters". Yep, it was the spot where the scissor sister dumped that fella they had murdered and cut up into little pieces! Weird!

Riskymove

once...Belfast..before current times......wrong turn in my D Reg Car......Union Jacks, King Billy Murals, rough looking locals....


....a prompt U-turn and breaking of speed limit ensued until back on main road

arybvtcw0eolkf

AntiRip wrote: »

Myself and the OH were going up to the Bronx zoo one day and got off at the wrong stop. I knew straight away by the look of the subway station that we weren't in a good place at all.

As the station was empty (another bad sign) we decided to head down to the street to see exactly where we were.

When we went down an elderly black couple crossed the street and told us to get back up to the station quickly as we were in the wrong place. We did without question and went back to Manhattan. We never did visit the zoo

There are many scary places in New York

Something similar happened to me in the same area the first time I visited NYC.

I was taking photos of everything in NYC, and had a feeling I was probably off the beaten track.. Then a white lad pulled over and said "Buddy, get in the car your lost"..

He dropped me down to central park and told me that a big white Irish tourist with a big camera had a life expectancy of about 15 minutes up there!.

I was in Birkenhead, I think its outside of Liverpool (got a subway - I was lost).

Two big f*cks with Afro hair syles tried to mug me, gace one a swift kick up into the bollox and I took to my heels, it was an awful looking kip.

Latchy

Sean Quagmire wrote: »

Liverpool has the worst place I have ended up in. I shudder every time I think of it. An entire four days of being on edge is a weird feeling, their was a genuine threat every time you walked anywhere and thats not being paranoid!

Jasus ,over sensitive is not the word ...where you walking around for in Liverpool for 4 days ... Walton jail ? :rolleyes:

You could walk around parts of any city like Manchester ,Birmingham ,London , Dublin ,Limerick and Liverpool and feel intimidated but to say anywhere you walked there was a genuine threat is not only exaggeration but ...well pretty stupid thing to say .

I spent a whole day at Liverpool FC last week doing the stadium tour and the people I met along the way that day were nothing but friendly, hospitable .The city is as friendly to vist as any and a joy to shop around in .


In my case it was getting lost in a neighborhood in Amsterdam because every neighborhood over there looks the fooking same

LenaClaire

I grew up in "the wrong neighborhood." One of my college friends came to visit and said it reminded her of Harlem.

arybvtcw0eolkf

SeaFields wrote: »

This only happened a few weeks ago.


Was up in Dublin with herself for a few days as she was graduating. On the sunday we wanted to go to Croke park to see the museum there. Got direction from where we were staying - just follow the canal and you cant go wrong.

Off we strolled on a sunny afternoon. There was a lovely walk a long the canal, a very well kept park and we could see croker in the distance. This nice stretch of canal ended and it became dreary and downbeat looking. But as we told follow the canal this is what we did. The girlfriend got very freaked out, said she had a terrible feeling about the place and wanted to get out of there. We hurried and got out of there and on to croker. Went home by a different route.

Then, shortly afterwards, on the telly was a documentary "killers: sisters". Yep, it was the spot where the scissor sister dumped that fella they had murdered and cut up into little pieces! Weird!

From Croker to the spot where the scissor sister's dumped your man is about 200 meters and almost in the shadow of The Canal End.

Maybe you were somewhere else.

Sefirah

I accidently stumbled into East Jerusalem last summer :S
Not a cool place to wander into on your own... especially as a clueless female who most people seemed to assume was an Israeli settler...
The teenage dudes just started screaming at me, and making obscene gestures, but I'll never forget one moment when an old man sitting outside a shop on a deck chair dropped a shekel and I picked it up and put it into his hand- not sure if it's just because I completely fooked their male/female etiquette or because he was wondering why the hell this redhead was in his neighbourhood, but he looked completely shocked before saying 'shukran'

Sean Quagmire

RoverJames wrote: »

Really? Was there at four times for weekends away, 3 times my ole lad who is 60 odd was with me. No problem anytime and we always get lost wandering around at night. Locals are salt of the Earth in my view, couldn't fault the place. Was it the city yor are on about?

Yes we we're in the city, group of 8 lads and can handle ourselves and are not exactly from bellair. I've never been so on edge in a place, and i've been is some bad situations.

We all agreed that liverpool was a rough dirty place, and i hate to put down areas. Woman getting boxed around the place, men pissing in the middle of pubs, fights, broken bottles and junkies everywhere we turned. we were actually being followed for an entire night by 3 dirty looking pick pockets. my mate got his phone nicked an all. never ever again.

SeaFields

Celine Creamy Banjo wrote: »

From Croker to the spot where the scissor sister's dumped your man is about 200 meters and almost in the shadow of The Canal End.

Maybe you were somewhere else.

No it was that spot alright. We were coming from Phibsborough and came along that lovely stretch a few hundred yards long. Then you go up on the road and back down another stretch of canal and then come up next to the Croke Park hotel. They showed the spot on the documentary and herself was saying "I told ya so, I told ya so!"

problemchimp

Sean Quagmire wrote: »

Liverpool has the worst place I have ended up in. I shudder every time I think of it. An entire four days of being on edge is a weird feeling, their was a genuine threat every time you walked anywhere and thats not being paranoid!

I have also ended up in the Afro-neighborhood in Paris. Felt like a was walking through yonkers.

You must have done a bit of acid that day,(paranoid) Liverpool is a great place and very safe.

Kess73

yupyup7up wrote: »

Garryowen is ****hole. You could get your car bricked but any time ive driven through iev had no hassle. Leinster jerseys generally wouldnt ever go down well in Limerick full stop!!!



Liverpool? Really? I've been there twice and it's great! Everyone was sound over there!

Being from Limerick I'm not really bothered with dodgy neighbourhoods...
The worst I've seen are Weston and d'Island, Limerick, (Southill and moyross aren't near these 2!), Devanny Gardens in Dublin looks like a kip and the red light district(no sure which one) in Paris. looks like rape central... Weston is definitely the worst place I've ever been.

Don't know about Weston being the worst tbh. It has some really really "special" parts, but there are parts of Southill that top it imho.

My opinion might be swayed by the fact that there are more roads to get out of Weston, that there are out of Southill.:)

Then again Weston probably wins in terms of the amount of dangerous nutjobs that live there. Must be crappy for the decent folk in those areas to have to put up with having the various gangs and scumbags living near them 24/7.


As for Liverpool, I would be biased as I grew up there


But between growing up in Liverpool, and living in Limerick I can safely say that I am used to seeing rough areas.

Limerick is quite funny though, as it is probably the only city where I have gotten verbal abuse for a scouse accent from guys in Liverpool and Everton tops.:D

Sean Quagmire

Latchy wrote: »

Jasus ,over sensitive is not the word ...where you walking around for in Liverpool for 4 days ... Walton jail ? :rolleyes:

You could walk around parts of any city like Manchester ,Birmingham ,London , Dublin ,Limerick and Liverpool and feel intimidated but to say anywhere you walked there was a genuine threat is not only exaggeration but ...well pretty stupid thing to say .

Hardly over sensitive, i've been all over the UK in rough spots like the one you mentioned, and grew up in one in dublin. Im well exposed to nasty situations.

Im sure people have had a different experience but we know what we seen. KIP

Fozzie Bear

Riskymove wrote: »

once...Belfast..before current times......wrong turn in my D Reg Car......Union Jacks, King Billy Murals, rough looking locals....


....a prompt U-turn and breaking of speed limit ensued until back on main road

Exact same thing. The Belfast marathon was on and a load of streets were closed off so several times when the SatNav told us to take a turn we could not. Ended up very lost and trying to turn around in the scummiest sink estate you can imagine plastered with Unionist flags, bunting and murals. We realised we were in the wrong place long before some of the locals started screaming Taig and Fenian slurs in our southern reg cars direction.

My uncle drove me through some seriously dodgy areas of South Boston years ago when I was over for a visit. Holy hell it was rough!:eek:

Mongarra

Like AntiRip New York was where I felt it. There with my brother for USA World Cup 1994 and staying in Manhattan across the road from Madison Square Garden Stadium. Took one turn too early and although we were on a parallel street to the right one it was completely different. Plenty of junkies and drunks and we couldn't wait to get to the end of the street. Didn't like to run in case we attracted attention but afraid to walk at normal pace.

Made it safely but can understand why New Yorkers drive or get a taxi everywhere.

And that was supposedly safer Manhattan.

seamus

Celine Creamy Banjo wrote: »

I was taking photos of everything in NYC, and had a feeling I was probably off the beaten track.. Then a white lad pulled over and said "Buddy, get in the car your lost"..

Yeah, happen to my MIL as well, though she'd been in NYC lots of times. She was looking for some outlet mall, got off the subway to an almost empty station. Small white, blonde Irish woman who looks like she has some cash. She asked a guy standing on the platform how she'd get to X, and he told her not to leave the station, just jump on whatever next train comes along and don't get off till she's back in Manhattan.

Kess73

Sean Quagmire wrote: »

Hardly over sensitive, i've been all over the UK in rough spots like the one you mentioned, and grew up in one in dublin. Im well exposed to nasty situations.

Im sure people have had a different experience but we know what we seen. KIP

Shame you did not have a good time when over. Mind saying what parts of the city you were in?

mcmoustache

Celine Creamy Banjo wrote: »

I was in Birkenhead, I think its outside of Liverpool (got a subway - I was lost).

Two big f*cks with Afro hair syles tried to mug me, gace one a swift kick up into the bollox and I took to my heels, it was an awful looking kip.

Were they blind or on crack?

opinion guy

Detroit.

/thread

theavenger

Was interailing last summer, few dodgy areas alright. Got off a train one stop to early in east Berlin, think it was the ostabannhof station or something similar, wow v dodge also most of Budapest

Kess73

Celine Creamy Banjo wrote: »

Something similar happened to me in the same area the first time I visited NYC.

I was taking photos of everything in NYC, and had a feeling I was probably off the beaten track.. Then a white lad pulled over and said "Buddy, get in the car your lost"..

He dropped me down to central park and told me that a big white Irish tourist with a big camera had a life expectancy of about 15 minutes up there!.

I was in Birkenhead, I think its outside of Liverpool (got a subway - I was lost).

Two big f*cks with Afro hair syles tried to mug me, gace one a swift kick up into the bollox and I took to my heels, it was an awful looking kip.

Would piss myself laughing if it was Purple Aki that tried it on with you. He had an afro at one point.

Were you in a tshirt at the time with your arms exposed?

I ask because he used to hang around gyms and boxing clubs on a regular basis and had a fetish for biceps. I sh1t you not. He would harrass anyone who was in good shape and often tried to mug them if they tolerated him.

He was a right nuisance outside the ABC were I used to box, and generally made a beeline for those of us in the heavyweight or superheavyweight bracket.

He is a big enough bloke but trying to feel up large boxers and martial artists never went well for him .

maglite

opinion guy wrote: »

Detroit.

/thread

Na, there is worse out there

df1985

Went down to Rosarito from san diego with american friends for a night out, got down pretty late and needed somewhere to stay, pulled into a hotel and a few mexicans were just standing there with guns in their hands......reverse, reverse!!!!

Same American friends brought us to L.A and thought it d be fun to drive through some of the LA ghettos,(they were clearly trying to scare us looking back) Straight into bloods/crypts gangland, absolutely bricking it the whole time. The they took us to east LA, more of the same. Gangs of latin americans everywhere.

Makes dodgy parts of Irish cities look like monte carlo.

neil_hosey

visiting family up in belfast last year, brought a friend of mine up to show him around the city.

Well, we got there in my car and parked it up in the city centre. Headed straight to the pub with our bags.. noticed he was carrying a gaa bag and told him to not be flashing it around. Any way he also booked the hostel. Cant remember the name, and i didnt actually know the street it was on.. which kinda worried me.

Anyway went to the pub and later on that night with our bags we headed back to the hostel at about 12 by taxi. Complete dodgy area with UVF murals everywhere and my buddy with his GAA bag! we got out and the hostel was locked!! standing outside this ropey ****in area with ppl looking at us and we couldnt get in! there was no cars around but lads drinking across the road. Quickly covered up the GAA bag and headed for the one taxi we could see about 100 yards up the road.

We got in the taxi and i said can you take us into the europa hotel... he said "get outa the fúckin car!" i said ... "wat?"...lol.. again he said get outta the fúcking car now!

so we got out and legged it, walkin for ages in who knows what direction through a loyalist area with a GAA bag.. eventually got a taxi (well 2), headed back to the falls road to where my family lived..

funny looking back now.:)

rebel10

df1985 wrote: »

Same American friends brought us to L.A and thought it d be fun to drive through some of the LA ghettos,(they were clearly trying to scare us looking back) Straight into bloods/crypts gangland, absolutely bricking it the whole time. The they took us to east LA, more of the same. Gangs of latin americans everywhere.

Makes dodgy parts of Irish cities look like monte carlo.

Funnily enough, when I visited parts of Compton and Inglewood, those parts that are seemingly infamous, I thought were genuinely quite tame in comparison with other places I have visited. Kids out playing, the elderly walking the streets. Nobody batted an eyelid as I walked past.


Mine would be a toss up between the "Tenderloin" in San Francisco or St. Ann's (Birthplace of Bob Marley) in Jamaica. Very scary experience.