Don't Go To US, Period? (London: gated, apartment, vacation)

[alienred]

I only joined this forum the other day to get some ideas about where to go in California as I will be visiting next month. I plan to drive around California and nearby states.

Alas, the more I read on this and other area forums the less I want to visit. I wonder if I will survive a visit to your country. I think I'll die.

If other nationalities stumble upon this forum before they visit your country I think they will choose not to go. And although some of your will be happy about that, you will lose valuable tourist revenue plus alienate even more people against the US. Bush+Iraq has already increased anti-US sentiment.

I am British and I don't know the good or bad areas of your country and I am very afraid that I will be in the wrong place at the wrong time surrounded by the wrong people.

Yaaaaaaaaaa! Run for the hills.

Paranoia Prevails,

Rob.

[Desertho]

Thank you for finally realizing that. "Little England"-er FTW!

[alienred]

What does "FTW!" mean?

It is probably something bad that you wouldn't say to your mother, yes?

[gizmo980]

Don't be scared or turned off by a few idiots... the US is a HUGE place, and there are plenty of good folks here. Sure, you have to be aware of your surroundings, but that can be said for any country - right? I've been to England, and while I absolutely loved my visits, I'm sure there are neighborhoods I'd have been stupid to visit alone!

[alienred]

I have been living in Bangkok for the past 18yrs. When I visit the UK I feel like a tourist. On my last but one trip I visited the area in London where I still have an apartment that I rent out. It was scary, it had changed so much. Outside major cities it is relatively safe but in the major cities you are right, be wary. My youngest brother moved to New Zealand from my apartment in London. He is bored but feels safer.

The thing is that so many of you are talking about how bad and dangerous just about every area is. Unless you are mega-rich and live in gated communities and are surrounded by bodyguards nowhere seems to be safe according to most of you.

What's a tourist to do?

By far the UK is safer than the U.S.

Thanks,

Rob.

[ferrisbueller]

The UK is flooded at the moment - I would prefer California any day !!!

[cynwldkat]

The US is a wonderful place for a great vacation. Yes, we have crime. And it sounds like it's all the time and everywhere by reading posts on this forum. It's not unlike any other country/cities with huge populations. The odds of having any problems are next to none. Come on and have a great time. I am sure you will not be visiting the slums of any of the states....most tourists don't. Many of the crime you hear about involves drug deals gone bad or gang-bangers. They basically stay in those kind of areas. I am a female and have traveled all over the US without any problems. I go out at night and have had no problems. I know problems can and sometimes do happen but that holds true anywhere there are other people. We have some of the most beautiful places to see and many terrific people here!!!

[TheRealAngelion]

You have to take what you read on the internet with a grain of salt. You don't know any of the people who are posting, where they live, what their political/social outlook is (conservative, liberal, anti this or anti that), what they have personally experienced in their life that has shaped their views and opinions, the state of their mental and emotional health and physical well being, what their educational background or level is, what kind of job they have, what income bracket they fall into, do they own a home or are they a renter, what race/ethnicity/religion they are, the extent to which they have traveled and seen other parts of the U.S. and world, their motivations, and on and on and on.......

My point being that all of these things influence one's outlook. And I suspect if you actually met many of the people who post here, you would have little in common with most of them and probably would not associate with or seek them out on a social level.

You have to experience things for yourself and draw conclusions based on your own experiences and observations. How could you otherwise explain two people talking about the same city, but having drastically different views of it. But this is the case with life in general, right? What may be your heaven may be someone else's hell. I think it's also important to point out that Americans are a very provincial people. Many have never left their state and most have never left the country. So the frame of reference and perspective is handicapped.

Afterall, you live in Bangkok, a place most Americans would not choose to live, and you have a flat in London. So you seem sophisticated enough in your travels to realize that there is good and bad everywhere.

[alienred]

Thanks, I will still go to the U.S. and if I die I die. Such is life. I don't expect to meet any trouble but there really are a lot of doom sayers on this site.

See you in L.A. and beyond.

[SandyCo]

I don't live in a gated community, and I feel pretty safe. Would I go out for a walk at 3:00 a.m.? Probably not. Most areas aren't that bad, seriously... Just avoid the ones that are. Enjoy your visit!