Have you ever stumbled into the wrong neighbourhood?

LenaClaire · 18-05-2011 05:15PM

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

arybvtcw0eolkf · 18-05-2011 05:16PM

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 · 18-05-2011 05:16PM

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 · 18-05-2011 05:18PM

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 · 18-05-2011 05:20PM

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 · 18-05-2011 05:21PM

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 · 18-05-2011 05:21PM

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 · 18-05-2011 05:21PM

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 · 18-05-2011 05:22PM

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 · 18-05-2011 05:22PM

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 · 18-05-2011 05:24PM

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 · 18-05-2011 05:24PM

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 · 18-05-2011 05:24PM

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 · 18-05-2011 05:25PM

Detroit.

/thread

theavenger · 18-05-2011 05:29PM

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 · 18-05-2011 05:31PM

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 · 18-05-2011 05:32PM

opinion guy wrote: »

Detroit.

/thread

Na, there is worse out there

df1985 · 18-05-2011 05:34PM

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 · 18-05-2011 05:38PM

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 · 18-05-2011 05:40PM

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.

Boxoffrogs · 18-05-2011 05:41PM

Sean Quagmire wrote: »

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.

Jeez, what type of boozers did you go to? I'd probably be fairly defensive of Liverpool as I lived there a long time and have great memories. There are some fantastic bars and great places to eat. In all my time there, I never once got into a scrape. I was however clued up on the places which should be avoided i.e. most of the Wetherspoons joints in the city centre are a magnet for trouble makers, probably not helped by the cheap booze on offer.

The only time I've ever felt intimidated was when I got off a train in Salford, when I should have been at Salford Quays to do an exam. I eventually found a friendly looking guy (from Eindhoven) to ask directions and he actually walked me all the way to the tram (fairly long walk) in the pissing rain. I guess I was probably fairly safe the whole time, it's just the place was unfamiliar.

df1985 · 18-05-2011 05:46PM

rebel10 wrote: »

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.

I would agree, didnt find compton or the stereotypical ones half as bad as east LA.

tfitzgerald · 18-05-2011 05:47PM

About four years ago in Belfast I turned a corner and there was this sign "you Re now entering loyalist shankill" it was just a few days after the 12th and ther were union jacks everywhere I got a few looks in my southern reg car but that's all .I have to say after the fright I got at the start everyone was very nice and I enjoyed my time in Belfast and would go again

starviewadams · 18-05-2011 05:49PM

Was in a pub in Drumcondra a few years ago and the local gangster walked in,think his name was Bertie...

Alter-Ego · 18-05-2011 05:51PM

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!

It gets pretty rough down there the closer you get to Ballybough, but i've never had trouble myself.

Wandered into an estate in Maynooth one Saturday night at 2am trying to find a mates house. There were a few guys sitting around in cars looking dodgy and "IRA" was crudely painted on the road.

greenybaby · 18-05-2011 05:53PM

Something similar to above

in belfast about 8 years ago for like my second time and went totally arseways, ended up driving down a street and seeing a phone box beside a bus stop, so in my southern reg car and celtic baby on board sign i stop to call friends to see how i got to the house, they asked me to look around and see what i could see to determine my whereabouts, so i looked and seen this mural on the wall with shankill something or other written on it as i was reading it out they were roaring on the phone to me to get out as fast as i could, so off i went 2 streets down and i was in my destination, the falls road lol

steddyeddy · 18-05-2011 05:54PM

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!

I love the canals around Dublin they are fantastic walks.

YFlyer · 18-05-2011 05:57PM

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.

Watergate flats?

Pauleta · 18-05-2011 05:59PM

Poplar Row around the Ballybough area near Croke Park. Was going home from a Shels match and decided to take a "Short Cut". Me and my mates got the head kicked off us and i was inches away from getting hit by a bus going at full speed whilst trying to get away. I was only around 14-15 but and the scummers were around the same age. If it was a few years later it could of been really nasty.

opinion guy · 18-05-2011 06:00PM

maglite wrote: »

Na, there is worse out there

I have two questions:
Have you been to Detroit ?
Have you been to worse places ?

Have you ever stumbled into the wrong neighbourhood?

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