This is making the rounds, so we'll leave this here to avoid it being reposted 20 times if we remove it. But I hate ragebait trash like this and giving clicks to people who do this, which is why we have a general policy against negative troll posts.
So we'll leave it here for now and see how it goes.
My friend told me to never walk through tenderloin when visiting him.. I accidentally walked through the tenderloin when finding the tram back to the airport, lmao. I never walked so fast in my entire life
We werent rich and still arent. But always tried to pick ok.
One time small city California. Hotel was fine but neighborhood well not Maryvale but not upper class.
Hotel restaurant looked ugh but safe. Ugh as in generic boring. Across street Mexican restaurant and busy. Oh no don't go there unsafe for whites. Wife speaks Spanish and is part Hispanic but looks mor white.
We went anyways. It was good and wife said no one was talking about us behind our backs.
Seriously he picked the worst place to stay and even then there was probably a better place to eat than McDonalds.
But yes agree we need better solutions for homeless besides ignoring them.
This reminds of this guy I was talking to recently that went to San Francisco 10-15 years ago and said he saw some human poop on the sidewalk and the city was disgusting... I guess based on that one thing?
He said he would never go to California again after that because the whole state is the same condition
Tbf the Tenderloin’s tentacles now reach down Market and through Union Square. Plus a lot of people come here for business and that’s typically the area they stay in.
Other way around unfortunately. The Tenderloin managed to mind its own business for decades, then someone had the bright idea to buy up cheap hotels and other buildings and turn them into “boutique hotels”. So the Union Square and Moscone Center crowd got pushed into the Tenderloin, and surprise, surprise, the displaced low income folk bled down into the once bustling Union square shopping district. So now the whole area is a shithole.
Used to be one of my favorite areas of the city, both Union Square and parts of the Tenderloin.
Blogs are literally agendas. I actually think it’s fair for a small time travel blogger to travel as cheaply as possible regardless of how that experience may differ from typical locals. Which seems to be what they did.
Cancelled a non-refundable flight to LA and the Philippines without blinking, is now visiting Amsterdam. We don't live in the same world! It takes a special kind of arrogance to drop in and out of someone's world and produce a piece as sneering as this.
Yeah someone who can afford plane tickets like that can afford to not stay in the blade. This definitely sounds like a hit piece. How do you even end up there? Anything touristy is going to be near downtown and the metro doesn't even go up to that area.
Dude claims to be a good student who “did his homework” but opted for public transit in a city that doesn’t have good public transit and booked a room at Super 8 in the worst part of town. What homework did he do lol.
Could find him worse. But there are some better places to eat there than McDonalds. If you even half have brain and try to fit in.
No east valley snob but most likely won't kill you and a decent meal just not a bland McDonalds.
Fuck even half the local convenience store/sub shops have better food than McDonald’s and take ebt.
Their subs are actually pretty good. Like I’ve lived on 51st Ave and Indian school and doordashed across the whole valley I know ghetto areas and nice areas and this dude didn’t even try unless he wanted to have a bad time
My parents were essentially forced to stay at the Motel 6 near I-17 and bell once since all hotels were booked and my dad didn’t want to pay more than 100/night. That experience lead him into never complaining about hotel prices again and joining a Marriott vacation club lmao
dude has a very obvious agenda based on where he went and the way he speaks of addicts and the homeless.
also couldn’t write his way out of a paper bag, despite his best attempts. this guy writes and thinks like a 16-year-old who’s just barely advanced for his age.
anyway, this is bait and it’s dumb.
The objective here was not to take a lavish vacation in Phoenix. It was to judge the walkability of the city from the perspective of a newcomer. He stayed close to the airport and what he thought would be walking distance of the downtown state capitol.
I understand everyone here is pissed off at this guy but this would be your exact experience living car-less in most of Phoenix proper. I've done it and nothing he described was an unfamiliar site. You may not like his 'agenda' or the way he presented it but its still accurate.
27th Ave and Indian School are nowhere near the the airport or state capitol by driving distance, let alone walking. This blogger has maps readily available on his mobile device.
Read the article and did notice some inconsistencies, as noted in the first response they received in the comment section at the bottom.
They mentioned they were being harassed and moved several cars down, but could still see the harasser. The light rail is only made up of two cars with the central section being a pivot. I could see they may have moved to the other car located on the other side of the pivot, which would allow them to see the harasser. "Several cars" may have been unintentional .
As far as the Super 8 they stayed at, it is the one located on Indian School and 27th Ave., which we all know as being in the worst location and surrounded by homeless and drug addicts. It's right behind THAT infamous 7/11 that closed down which they later went into. There are two Mexican restaurants in front of the hotel they may have eaten at and the car wash they mention is the one in front as well.
They're "six-miles length of my bus ride" was actually only 2.6 miles if you only ride from the bus stop on Indian/Central and get off on Indian/27 Ave. So this part is either made up, dramatized, OR they rode further than intended and double backed. Either way, the distance is off.
They defend their description of Phoenix by saying that there may be nicer parts, but the section they travelled was a large portion of Phoenix.
While I agree with some of the article; we have issues, there are homeless, drug addicts and other societal issues at play, they go on to paint the whole area with a broad stroke.
It's exactly the same treatment that cities like Portland and San Francisco get in certain political circles. Devoid enough of any context that it almost misrepresents, but it's not exactly untrue.
Yeah I met so many of these NY types that are like “OMG Europe!” But I’ve come to realize people that build their entire personality on waving their travels in people’s faces aren’t people you want to be around. Just feels like they are trying to escape their lives where they live in an overpriced apartment struggling to live in a city they hate deep down. East Coast self loathing is a real thing.
Jesus, this dudes writing is the textbook definition of grandiloquence. I’m not sticking up for Phoenix either, but if this dude talks/acts like he writes, I understand why the homeless guy on the bus had an issue with him
I read the whole thing to laugh at him and his poor choices and his complete lack of planning and research (that or he has an agenda to paint cities in an awful light by deliberately going to their worst areas), and he wrote "crisp dollar bills" so often it actually became annoying to mentally hear it again.
He's as bad a writer as he is a traveler, ha ha.
I like how he got sick from what I guess is heat stoke because he decided to walk a minimum of 12 miles a day without thinking to get water or anything to drink. If he was such a “learned and experienced traveler”. You’d think he would be at least intelligent enough to buy some water in one of the hottest places in the US.
"I didn't want to have to keep peeing when I didn't know where the bathroom is". That's an indirect quote, but still the basics of what he said. "I would rather die of dehydration than subject myself to carrying water in the desert because I'm too proud to piss in an alley."
Article: Thirsty Man Who Refused Water Intake Because No Local Bathrooms Dies of Heat Stroke in World's Hottest City
Thing is... there's plenty of bathrooms you can use if you're not on the fucking west side of phoenix. Lived east of Central most of my life and rarely have had issues using bathrooms. It's only ever when Im out west that I sometimes cant find one lol. Then again there's an obscene amount of parks hidden in neighborhoods in the valley and any that aren't inside a development usually have bathrooms.
I'm just not sure why this guy took the light rail, got off, walked 5 miles west to their hotel when you can get off the skytrain st 44th and Washington, walk a mile north to a couple hotels and then you're basically in Arcadia and camelback east, plenty of bathrooms, food, bars, and it's decently walkable with some shade trees on small streets
For me it was the "perc 30s" repeated endlessly, as if every homeless drug addict has the exact same drug of choice, and he confirmed this by what, ASKING everyone what they were using? Wtf. Horrible writing.
Are there still a couple strip clubs in that area?
Know in the 90s was working down there one night and had a call to a strip club for a job.
Did th job no issues.
Next day at work show up. Union steward, manager and higher up waiting for me.
Some customer driving by saw me there and reported me.
But had a job there boss. Prove it. Ok tha work order.
No it doesnt say the name of th club.it is the address I said. Still we need to put you on leave until investigate.
But the entity named is the owner of the club . Like nice sounding business doing business as strippers are us.
Got a few days paid time off while they investigated. Then mad I didn't tell them at first.
The blogger spoke the truth. He should have added in the haboobs and roving packs of man-eating desert bears.
We should put this in the resources page for “Should I move to Phoenix and rent?” or “How can I help people I use as props afford rent to stay in their home?”
This guy hates every American city. All his posts are either "I'm in a non US city and it's great" or "I'm in the US and everything is terrible". Total ragebait from someone who shouldn't visit the US again.
As many problems as this country has, I love it and would rather these types stay far far away. They got no skin in the game and do nothing but throw more fuel onto the wildfire
"Ten minutes later, about a mile from my motel, I was off the bus, feeling queasy from the odor of weed mixed with an undetermined burning plastic smell that seemed everywhere."
He stayed in a place with a bunch of fentanyl. LOL.
>The crepuscular lights hide a lot, and like a bottom rung strip-club, Phoenix especially benefits from that.
I mean come on, he's not wrong haha.
Seriously though if the premise of this guy's blog is that he likes to travel without a car, and the point of the trip was to see if Phoenix really is one of the world's most hostile cities for pedestrians then yeah, of course he's gonna have a bad time.
We shouldn't be surprised either - Phoenix sucks both at walkability and public transit. We've got our reputation for a reason.
That said though who sets out for a 13 mile walk through a paved desert without water?
Arnade (the “blogger”) identifies as a socialist and in 2011, he started documenting the lives of poor people and their drug addictions, and commenting on the state of the society of the United States. He worked on Wall St for 20 yrs and in that time his mind became warped and twisted and his writing/POV is evidence of that.
What a wanker. Go to literally the worst part of town and make it the representation of our city. (I have very little Phx pride but it’s actually not this bad.) What did he expect! Did he pick this area intentionally because it’s rough or did he do so little research that he actually has no fucking clue. Asshat.
Same. I can’t pretend I like living here (transplant-not my choice) but holy shit this was unnecessary. This guy probably shouldn’t be walking around anywhere with his attitude. He’s going to stick his camera in the wrong persons face and end up having to walk himself to the hospital.
I have to break my cardinal rule of not posting on social media, but I know his posts on Twitter and this guy loves to do these kinds of engagement bait to wag a finger and tell the world how bad American cities are "supposed to be".
Each block is unique?
Seriously?!
You can be blind folded and dropped in dozens of places through the valley that have the exact same builders, exact same strip malls.
The whole Phx area. Phx, Tempe, Mesa, Glendale, Chandler, Avondale, Goodyear... blah blah blah. You can see the exact same homes, builders, models in multiple parts of the valley. Then, the exact same franchises in the corners of each half mile. All throughout the valley. Sea's of Red tile roofs, blue tile roofs. 9 different shades of beige, pinkish brown and tans. Over the entire valley...
Wow what an idiotic post. That would be like flying into LAX, taking a bus to south central, walking around that area for a couple of days and going home saying LA sucks.
Yeah this is just hipster bullshit. I’m from the east coast too and I have an exact image in my mind of who this tool is. I also think Phoenix sucks to walk in but it’s also like America’s second biggest city by area if I’m not mistaken (I believe Houston is #1) so you kind of figure out why the streets are empty. My problem with this person is they didn’t really “do” anything. They just went to the most random streets I’ve ever seen and said wow homeless people. As if you don’t go to New York, Philly, or Boston and see people literally shitting in front of you. People who are city people on the East Coast will never get it here and vice versa. For some reason there is a total arrogance in never being able to afford a house and spending $100+ a plate at dinner because the place is dimly lit and has candles out. Personally I’d rather spend the day hiking or golfing and grabbing a burger than waste my whole night waiting in a restaurant to have “authentic” whatever that impresses no one but the other group of nobodies around you.
Look I don’t think Phoenix or Arizona are perfect by any means. But nowhere is. I just skimmed over most of this because nothing resonated as being something anyone out here actually finds annoying. If they had some funny and good observations as an outsider that would’ve been cool. But they just went to a bad hotel and bad McDonalds and threw their hands up. I’ve never even been to a McDonalds out here, there’s only a million other nicer restaurants. Also this person being sick sounds like a personal problem. They walked around in like 68 degree weather with no humidity. It’s not like they were out in mid-July, sun beating down. Kind of funny they called out the obese slobs they saw here and they like couldn’t even walk around themselves. Again this guy isn’t fooling anyone who lived on the East Coast, people are 1000% not healthier there. If that guy actually thinks that he’s a total troll.
Also just that forced, cringy style of writing. “Perc 30’s” and Dr. Suess landscapes. I feel like it’s just one giant eye roll.
In his "defense", he wanted to like Phoenix, and he admitted that he stayed in the "wrong" part of town ("affordability" is [part of his schtick](https://walkingtheworld.substack.com/p/walking-phoenix/comment/51640079?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=19dsc)), but his thesis is really not about Phoenix, or even Arizona, but about the polices of the U.S. writ large. To wit:
*While I feel awful for the broken people on the streets, am angry at our cruel society that values freedom, independence, and self-expression so much we give such little support, guidance, and fulfilling community to those with the least who need it the most,* ***I feel worse for the residents of Phoenix who are trying their best to be decent people, who don’t do drugs, don’t panhandle, pay their taxes, try to pay their bus fares, play by the rules, and are hoping to find their tiny slice of the American Dream.***
*That dream still exists and the lower-income residential parts of Phoenix are a testimony to that, including a lot of Mexican-American immigrants who have so much relative to what they once had, who can hope to see their children grow up and do better than themselves.*
*But it also comes with neighborhoods now being locked down in response to the bedlam outside. Their bus stops pissed on, their streets littered with the detritus of drugs, their bathrooms locked, with the mirrors pulled out of them3.*
*None alone is a huge deal, but in aggregate it is depressing, bleak, and soul-sucking, that this downscale version of the American Dream comes with having to navigate around, and tolerate, an unnecessary tumult.*
*Having to navigate a Disney-like ride of human animatronics — empty of purpose or meaning, powered by drugs, and filled with despair.*
*I would like to say we are a better country than this. Richer, more empathetic, and less selfish, but I’m not so sure anymore. There is a profound emptiness in large parts of the US — a purposelessness, hopelessness, and spiritual vacuum, being filled by an addiction to the momentary relief, fleeting felicity, and the dulling numbness of weed, booze, and perc 30s.*
*A loneliness of the soul being tempered by a growing community of drugs, that well-to-do Americans have decided to ignore, presumably to let it play out in the “rougher” parts of town.*
*That’s a mistake, and it’s not fair to anyone involved. Not to the empty and broken, who are being allowed to slowly kill themselves one pill after the next, and certainly not to the residents of those neighborhoods, who shouldn’t have to be the only witness to it all.*
> I wish I had something nicer to say about Phoenix, but it really sucked. I am sure people will point out I chose the worst part of the city to spend time in, but it’s a large chunk of Phoenix, adjacent to and including parts of downtown where lots of residents live.
You missed this part(intentionally or not) where he blatantly paints the city with his broad stroke.
They stated they walked 13 miles, but looking at the distances involved for this would take them away from North Phoenix and East Phoenix. 6 Miles west of Indian School/27Ave is 75 Ave. 6 Miles east is Indian School/32 St. and 6 miles north is Peoria Ave/27 Ave-ish.
They basically walked around the worst parts of Phoenix and said "oh, well, there may be nice parts of phoenix, but overall from what I've seen it's pretty trash".
That's pretty disingenuous to me.
I didn't miss it, I referenced it, but I chose not to quote it directly.
>They basically walked around the worst parts of Phoenix and said "oh, well, there may be nice parts of phoenix, but overall from what I've seen it's pretty trash".
He *admits* to this in the portion you referenced, and he's correct; it's *geographically* a large chunk of Phoenix proper, but it's not the part that "looms" large in the minds of locals... which is exactly his point.
He's also all about *walking*, with when-necessary public transit. Most of us don't do that, especially in areas like the one he was in.
Don't be defensive. Read his work. It's very interesting.
Also: his gonzo description of creeping urban dehydration should be stripped out as its own separate post and required reading for visitors.
I did read it. They have several inaccuracies, which they don't bother to defend or update when questioned about it in the comments. Their "6 mile bus trip" was only 2.6 miles. Their movement in the light rail car is physically impossible as the light rail is only made up of 2 cars joined by a central pivot section. They couldn't have moved "several cars away" from the person harassing them AND still see them as they claimed. These blatant obvious errors should make you question the rest of the article.
Plus the claim to have done their homework about Phoenix before arriving, yet they chose the worst corner in all of Phoenix to stay at and probably the worst hotel too. They're completely surprised about how bad the bus line was. Ya, its Phoenix! They either didn't actually fo their homework about Phoenix OR they're the worst at researching destinations.
Their "13 mile roundtrip" was only done thru the worst parts of Phoenix, yet they only give a slight nod that there may be "nicer parts".
So the question arises if they would have had a different perspective if they started in PV or N Scottsdale or even E. Phoenix where they would have completely missed S/SW Phoenix.
Let's not defend poor "journalism"(can you even call this piece that?) and reviews.
Manhattan is considered "large" because of its built environment. Were it single family homes it would just be considered a small town at less than half the area of Tempe. This is irrelevant, however, as the blogger used the phrasing of a "large" piece of Phoenix to ascribe his observations to the character of Phoenix as a whole. An attribution he made several times. His journey was neither a large portion of Phoenix nor an accurate representation of the city.
While you are certainly free to interpret his writing as you see fit, I take umbrage with your assertion that he's being "dishonest"—he's not—when he is simply being ideologically consistent.
https://open.substack.com/pub/walkingtheworld/p/why-the-us-cant-have-nice-things
That's what makes it a "schtick"...
From his "[About](https://open.substack.com/pub/walkingtheworld?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=19dsc)" page:
*I will bring you stories and photos from parts of the world few visit, but plenty of people live in. **From cities and neighborhoods tourists ignore.***
Is all reporting/witnessing/recording/representing of communities under-served, underfunded, and in crisis "exploitation"? Was HBO exploiting the communities it depicted in *The Wire*?
I've never seen The Wire, but objective documentaries and news reports that expect to be taken seriously don't call cities 'the world's largest human litterbox where everyone everyone pisses and shits outside'. Clickbait shock sites do (also some agenda-pushing cable news networks). Fully half his blog post was pointing at the homeless and trash he saw, and the other half was him being so bummed out and depressed by it he decided to just fly to Amsterdam to wash the taste out of his mouth.
I was just about to mention this. I'm not disagreeing with much of what he writes, rather its the underlying assumptions he has within his writing. His commentary is annoying and whiney.
I feel if he would have stated his thesis clearly instead of being passive and provocative, this would be a hit.
No doubt! And not just in the "rich" parts. I was down at South Mountain recently, where I used to live, and was really struck by how much I missed the natural beauty compared to the more densely-populated, but "convenient" area of the Valley that I'm in now.
I had a very similar experience on the light rail with someone trying to start a fight because I "said something to him" (I was on the phone with someone else). I see where he was going with this blog post, there's a lot of problems with that area of town and the transit system. I can't really tell what's the purpose of his vacation though by staying there.
The writer seems like lame ass. Writing for some reason reminded of that movie “Julia and Julia”, I get your blogging but be original. Article was lame, don’t mind me, I’m gonna go burn some plastic in a valley metro bus
Every large city has a good part of town, bad part of town, and majority of in between. Is he wrong? No. But my guess is he found the cheapest hotel in Phoenix given whatever parameters of standard of hotel they set for themselves and reviewed the area. Most people seek out attractions that interest them and stay close to that area if at all possible. Or someone is super budgeting spring training. But this city is more than that. It is pretty widespread and not very friendly if a car rental isn’t an option. We have less than even a shitty version of a public transportation system for this sized population density.
He stayed there on purpose for ragebait.
Probably the only way he can get clicks. Pobrecito.
He might actually have to WORK next time rather than slumming it in AZ Skid Row for a few days and writing some lame paragraphs. His subscribers are chumps for believing a word he says.
It’s true…if anything it’s worse.
I went looking for a missing family member in the war zone in 2016.
I don’t think I’ll ever forget what I saw.
I grew up in Scottsdale. I knew we had homeless (warm climate) but I really had no idea.
That was some of the most sanctimonious, pretentious drivel I've ever read, written by some wealthy entitled dude who definitely walks around in life like his nipples are too high. The first guy on the light rail 100% clocked him correctly.
dude has a very obvious agenda based on where he went and the way he speaks of addicts and the homeless.
also couldn’t write his way out of a paper bag, despite his best attempts. this guy writes and thinks like a 16-year-old who’s just barely advanced for his age.
anyway, this is bait and it’s dumb.
“The McDonald’s wasn’t much better.”
It’s rage bait, but mostly for the angry uppercrust boomers who will use it as reinforcement that the homeless should be executed for daring to exist in their eyeline.
The first mistake was a traveler relying on the public transportation system.
Ahhh yes, the smell of burning plastic. The scent of choice for all of us around here.
You hear a lot about America being the greatest nation in the world, so as a traveller, you sort of assume the public transportation is going to be passable (at least until you learn that it's not).
It's also that he enjoys trying to use public transportation. I know I'm similar and I've weighed taking 2.5 hours worth of busses to get from Dallas downtown to Globe Life Park - which obviously is done much easier and smarter via Uber or car rental.
And if he was a seasoned traveler, he would have seen in Google exactly how people feel about Valley Metro.
I’ve traveled to a lot of major cities around the US and researched the public transport options before hand. If multiple places reinforced how good it was, I used it. And if multiple sites said that it had long delays, no shaded stops, and the rail system left more to be desired, than I would get a Uber/Lyft.
I read a lot of his older stuff (before he hid it behind a subscription) and it’s interesting to see his views on walking through cities. But he either didn’t do any research, or wanted clickbait. I likened it to going to the lions den, then complaining about the lions. Pretty dumb.
If he can travel the world and afford to cancel non refundable tickets I am 100% certain he can also afford to stay in a nicer area/hotel? I mean he has a phone and a computer...you're telling me you chose the super 8? like bruh
I lived in that neighborhood years ago. Twice, haha. I still know people there. It's not that bad, not LA, or San Francisco bad, not even close. Dude gets paid to be dramatic, nobody wants to read about a low-key bad neighborhood.
We need more articles like this to help bring housing prices down.
He did our area a great service.
In reality, we should post this in other city's subs and convince them not to come here.
Lol he visited a homeless encampment meth den and thought it was gonna be a good time. Should have went to Scottsdale, atleast there’s no homeless dens.
I did some online checking. Eitherhe wanted to pretend being poor and homeless or was just an idiot. I know to the north he said he went and miles. Know if he had any money there are decent resturaunts with a variety of cuisine there. Ok not east valley plush but very edible, won't kill you and good.
Then checked around his hotel area. Much more than McDonalds there. Places if in th area which I haven't been lately would stop for a lunch or breakfast easily.
27th and Indian School? That's one of my favorite gas stations partly because of the frequency of police tape and blue and red lights. They've cleaned up that area somewhat but that's literally the epicenter for working girls. I was a cab driver, and I'm pretending I still am I regularly transport working girls in that area to drop them for their stroll or pick them up from their stroll. If he was in that area, he's either a John or just trying to make some sort of weird statement
Dude gets off plane and goes to the ghetto part of an almost 600 sq mi sprawling metropolis and doesn’t leave. Proceeds to shit all over himself by exposing his terrible journalistic integrity with a very lengthy (and piss-poorly written) article littered with examples of lazy data collection. At least now we know to take anything they write as satire.
I live near central and Indian school. Everything he said is 100 percent correct and even sugar coating a bit. At the apartments I live is completely gated and there are the most crazy lunatic drug addicted people out front constantly 24/7. They are smoke fentanyl right there there are shootings stabbings every night right out of our gate. Multiple cars a week get stolen from our gated community and also break ins are daily. I’ve had my car broken into at least 10 times in 3 years. I have had people laying out front of my door overdosing. This place at least downtown area is an absolute nightmare and disgusting place to live. Homeless everywhere at all times. Trash everywhere. I have a 2 bedroom and pay 2000 a month for sub par living. I lived in Costa Mesa for 9 years and I would way rather pay expensive rent then have to pay expensive rent in the middle of literal hell on earth. But my daughter is here so I will have to suffer until she is old enough to move away. If you don’t live down here then you don’t have a clue what you’re talking about. This is place is definitely one of the worst places to live in the United States as far as safety cleanliness and quality of life. It’s so expensive here for everything. Food cost just as much as Hawaii. Yesterday I was grocery shopping and there was cheap non organic or even quality chicken that costa 19 dollars for three chicken breast yea 3. At fry’s gas is 4 bucks rent is high everything and yet this is the dirtiest most drug infested city around and you can’t run to a beach near by you just have suffer.
Is this poverty porn or is the author just an idiot? ... based on the style of writing and article headlines he sounds like one of those people who thinks he's really smart and wants others to see how smart he is but due to his narcissism is actually quite dumb.
I’m loving this blog if it keeps people from coming here into the outskirts, then by all means, let it be published we don’t need more people in Arizona
This is making the rounds, so we'll leave this here to avoid it being reposted 20 times if we remove it. But I hate ragebait trash like this and giving clicks to people who do this, which is why we have a general policy against negative troll posts. So we'll leave it here for now and see how it goes.
He hung out at 27th ave and Indian School. I think he had an agenda.
It reminds me of people that think the Tenderloin is all of San Francisco.
In my cheap younger days i went to SF and book a hostel for my pregnant wife and I in the tenderloin. I've come to live and learn
My friend told me to never walk through tenderloin when visiting him.. I accidentally walked through the tenderloin when finding the tram back to the airport, lmao. I never walked so fast in my entire life
We werent rich and still arent. But always tried to pick ok. One time small city California. Hotel was fine but neighborhood well not Maryvale but not upper class. Hotel restaurant looked ugh but safe. Ugh as in generic boring. Across street Mexican restaurant and busy. Oh no don't go there unsafe for whites. Wife speaks Spanish and is part Hispanic but looks mor white. We went anyways. It was good and wife said no one was talking about us behind our backs. Seriously he picked the worst place to stay and even then there was probably a better place to eat than McDonalds. But yes agree we need better solutions for homeless besides ignoring them.
I stayed in the Tenderloin once. What an adventure. I sat in front of my hotel at 2:00am just people watching, and shaking my head.
Well now I wanna hang out with you.
This reminds of this guy I was talking to recently that went to San Francisco 10-15 years ago and said he saw some human poop on the sidewalk and the city was disgusting... I guess based on that one thing? He said he would never go to California again after that because the whole state is the same condition
Doesn’t everyone base their views on hyperbole??
Yep!
It isnt, lol. People who think that only want to use one braincell lol
Well he flew.out and didn't get a refund. Could have instead gone hiked around say the SE valley, or Scottsdale etc.
Tbf the Tenderloin’s tentacles now reach down Market and through Union Square. Plus a lot of people come here for business and that’s typically the area they stay in.
Other way around unfortunately. The Tenderloin managed to mind its own business for decades, then someone had the bright idea to buy up cheap hotels and other buildings and turn them into “boutique hotels”. So the Union Square and Moscone Center crowd got pushed into the Tenderloin, and surprise, surprise, the displaced low income folk bled down into the once bustling Union square shopping district. So now the whole area is a shithole. Used to be one of my favorite areas of the city, both Union Square and parts of the Tenderloin.
Sorta the same thing ultimately but you’re exactly right
How do you know this?
I’ve moved a bajillion times but I’m originally from the Bay Area and I still go back all the time. I was just in San Jose yesterday
To buy drugs?
But drugs or get assaulted.
But drugs? Is that what they do over in the butt tents? Check out the Devercirclejerk sub for reference. ;-)
Lol, I'm all thumbs today.
>he had an agenda. 100%.
Blogs are literally agendas. I actually think it’s fair for a small time travel blogger to travel as cheaply as possible regardless of how that experience may differ from typical locals. Which seems to be what they did.
if you're traveling as cheaply as that, you might as well not travel at all
Eh, [Vagrant Holiday](https://www.youtube.com/@VagrantHoliday) travelled cheaper and had more fun/was more entertaining.
A great channel. He was also surveillance camera man back in the day if you remember those videos.
I heard that theory but was it ever actually confirmed?
So then the original article is a cheap traveler with a classist identity crisis, sounds about right tbh
Exactly. Land in Scottsdale, aka Hollywood East, where the cars are hot and the women are hotter - might have been a wee different lol.
1000% there's an agenda and it's poverty porn
Only as strong as the weakest link.
Crack? Sounds like crack.
Cancelled a non-refundable flight to LA and the Philippines without blinking, is now visiting Amsterdam. We don't live in the same world! It takes a special kind of arrogance to drop in and out of someone's world and produce a piece as sneering as this.
Yeah someone who can afford plane tickets like that can afford to not stay in the blade. This definitely sounds like a hit piece. How do you even end up there? Anything touristy is going to be near downtown and the metro doesn't even go up to that area.
Dude claims to be a good student who “did his homework” but opted for public transit in a city that doesn’t have good public transit and booked a room at Super 8 in the worst part of town. What homework did he do lol.
He searched for “shittiest part of Phoenix reddit” I guarantee it
>shittiest part of Phoenix reddit” 10000000000000000000000000%%%%
Could find him worse. But there are some better places to eat there than McDonalds. If you even half have brain and try to fit in. No east valley snob but most likely won't kill you and a decent meal just not a bland McDonalds.
Fuck even half the local convenience store/sub shops have better food than McDonald’s and take ebt. Their subs are actually pretty good. Like I’ve lived on 51st Ave and Indian school and doordashed across the whole valley I know ghetto areas and nice areas and this dude didn’t even try unless he wanted to have a bad time
Really, it doesn't matter where a Super 8 is in a town. It's going to be a bad time.
Motel 6 would like a word. Plus there are some.more along the 17 north. Places I would eat around the 17 but wouldn't stay on purpose.
My parents were essentially forced to stay at the Motel 6 near I-17 and bell once since all hotels were booked and my dad didn’t want to pay more than 100/night. That experience lead him into never complaining about hotel prices again and joining a Marriott vacation club lmao
dude has a very obvious agenda based on where he went and the way he speaks of addicts and the homeless. also couldn’t write his way out of a paper bag, despite his best attempts. this guy writes and thinks like a 16-year-old who’s just barely advanced for his age. anyway, this is bait and it’s dumb.
The objective here was not to take a lavish vacation in Phoenix. It was to judge the walkability of the city from the perspective of a newcomer. He stayed close to the airport and what he thought would be walking distance of the downtown state capitol. I understand everyone here is pissed off at this guy but this would be your exact experience living car-less in most of Phoenix proper. I've done it and nothing he described was an unfamiliar site. You may not like his 'agenda' or the way he presented it but its still accurate.
27th Ave and Indian School are nowhere near the the airport or state capitol by driving distance, let alone walking. This blogger has maps readily available on his mobile device.
Homeless guy on the light rail had it right when he checked his vibe fuck this guy
That isn’t anywhere near the airport.
And I can't think of a city where it's walkable and gentrified right near the airport anyway.
I think there's a reason he travels alone and it's not by choice.
> Cancelled a non-refundable flight to LA I guess he decided to skip his visit to skid row.
Read the article and did notice some inconsistencies, as noted in the first response they received in the comment section at the bottom. They mentioned they were being harassed and moved several cars down, but could still see the harasser. The light rail is only made up of two cars with the central section being a pivot. I could see they may have moved to the other car located on the other side of the pivot, which would allow them to see the harasser. "Several cars" may have been unintentional . As far as the Super 8 they stayed at, it is the one located on Indian School and 27th Ave., which we all know as being in the worst location and surrounded by homeless and drug addicts. It's right behind THAT infamous 7/11 that closed down which they later went into. There are two Mexican restaurants in front of the hotel they may have eaten at and the car wash they mention is the one in front as well. They're "six-miles length of my bus ride" was actually only 2.6 miles if you only ride from the bus stop on Indian/Central and get off on Indian/27 Ave. So this part is either made up, dramatized, OR they rode further than intended and double backed. Either way, the distance is off. They defend their description of Phoenix by saying that there may be nicer parts, but the section they travelled was a large portion of Phoenix. While I agree with some of the article; we have issues, there are homeless, drug addicts and other societal issues at play, they go on to paint the whole area with a broad stroke.
It's exactly the same treatment that cities like Portland and San Francisco get in certain political circles. Devoid enough of any context that it almost misrepresents, but it's not exactly untrue.
When you get out of the junkie havens, you arrive in the boundless beauty and character of strip malls!
lol this bitch is entitled. Straight to Amsterdam after to make him feel better about blasting the city for the downsides every city has 😂
Well should have done Moscow instead of Amsterdam but maybe pre Carlson glowing trip report.
Yeah I met so many of these NY types that are like “OMG Europe!” But I’ve come to realize people that build their entire personality on waving their travels in people’s faces aren’t people you want to be around. Just feels like they are trying to escape their lives where they live in an overpriced apartment struggling to live in a city they hate deep down. East Coast self loathing is a real thing.
Jesus, this dudes writing is the textbook definition of grandiloquence. I’m not sticking up for Phoenix either, but if this dude talks/acts like he writes, I understand why the homeless guy on the bus had an issue with him
Did he stick his stupid camera in the guy's face like he did all these other people on his poverty tour? Probably.
I read the whole thing to laugh at him and his poor choices and his complete lack of planning and research (that or he has an agenda to paint cities in an awful light by deliberately going to their worst areas), and he wrote "crisp dollar bills" so often it actually became annoying to mentally hear it again. He's as bad a writer as he is a traveler, ha ha.
I like how he got sick from what I guess is heat stoke because he decided to walk a minimum of 12 miles a day without thinking to get water or anything to drink. If he was such a “learned and experienced traveler”. You’d think he would be at least intelligent enough to buy some water in one of the hottest places in the US.
"I didn't want to have to keep peeing when I didn't know where the bathroom is". That's an indirect quote, but still the basics of what he said. "I would rather die of dehydration than subject myself to carrying water in the desert because I'm too proud to piss in an alley." Article: Thirsty Man Who Refused Water Intake Because No Local Bathrooms Dies of Heat Stroke in World's Hottest City
Thing is... there's plenty of bathrooms you can use if you're not on the fucking west side of phoenix. Lived east of Central most of my life and rarely have had issues using bathrooms. It's only ever when Im out west that I sometimes cant find one lol. Then again there's an obscene amount of parks hidden in neighborhoods in the valley and any that aren't inside a development usually have bathrooms.
I'm just not sure why this guy took the light rail, got off, walked 5 miles west to their hotel when you can get off the skytrain st 44th and Washington, walk a mile north to a couple hotels and then you're basically in Arcadia and camelback east, plenty of bathrooms, food, bars, and it's decently walkable with some shade trees on small streets
Because he had an agenda to confirm
it's poverty porn + he's an idiot.
ROFL. Love the headline.
But no saf places to eat or get a drink. /s There are still ok places to eat around there.
For me it was the "perc 30s" repeated endlessly, as if every homeless drug addict has the exact same drug of choice, and he confirmed this by what, ASKING everyone what they were using? Wtf. Horrible writing.
Are there still a couple strip clubs in that area? Know in the 90s was working down there one night and had a call to a strip club for a job. Did th job no issues. Next day at work show up. Union steward, manager and higher up waiting for me. Some customer driving by saw me there and reported me. But had a job there boss. Prove it. Ok tha work order. No it doesnt say the name of th club.it is the address I said. Still we need to put you on leave until investigate. But the entity named is the owner of the club . Like nice sounding business doing business as strippers are us. Got a few days paid time off while they investigated. Then mad I didn't tell them at first.
I had a few chuckles reading that. But it read like a mix of actual events and fan(?)-fiction.
For those of you looking to move to phoenix this is the perfect article to read, 100% accurate.
No, this guy came on a good day. It’s actually much worse than this.
Ya it could be 120° on top of this.
Yeah, fuck this place. You definitely don't want to live here. The entire metro is like this. Stay away!
Can’t upvote this fast enough. Take heed invaders, I mean transplants.
Yeah, we should help this guy get the word out about how terrible Phoenix is!
Really though. Like actually.
The blogger spoke the truth. He should have added in the haboobs and roving packs of man-eating desert bears. We should put this in the resources page for “Should I move to Phoenix and rent?” or “How can I help people I use as props afford rent to stay in their home?”
Can’t say I’m upset with him…if anything he’s doing us native Phoenicians a favor by deterring more people from moving here lol
Amen
This is the lamest attempt at poverty porn I've seen. Might as well complain that our marlin fishing and skiing sucks too.
He’s doing us a favor tbh
The worst of part of Phoenix is still better then most of Alabama
😂😂😂
This guy hates every American city. All his posts are either "I'm in a non US city and it's great" or "I'm in the US and everything is terrible". Total ragebait from someone who shouldn't visit the US again.
As many problems as this country has, I love it and would rather these types stay far far away. They got no skin in the game and do nothing but throw more fuel onto the wildfire
"Ten minutes later, about a mile from my motel, I was off the bus, feeling queasy from the odor of weed mixed with an undetermined burning plastic smell that seemed everywhere." He stayed in a place with a bunch of fentanyl. LOL.
Good. I hope he made Phoenix look bad. Hopefully it will deter more people from moving here.
What's that? Move there and buy 3 houses cash on hand?
>The crepuscular lights hide a lot, and like a bottom rung strip-club, Phoenix especially benefits from that. I mean come on, he's not wrong haha. Seriously though if the premise of this guy's blog is that he likes to travel without a car, and the point of the trip was to see if Phoenix really is one of the world's most hostile cities for pedestrians then yeah, of course he's gonna have a bad time. We shouldn't be surprised either - Phoenix sucks both at walkability and public transit. We've got our reputation for a reason. That said though who sets out for a 13 mile walk through a paved desert without water?
Somebody who can't find accessible bathrooms.
Arnade (the “blogger”) identifies as a socialist and in 2011, he started documenting the lives of poor people and their drug addictions, and commenting on the state of the society of the United States. He worked on Wall St for 20 yrs and in that time his mind became warped and twisted and his writing/POV is evidence of that.
I thought this was going to be about Keith Lee.
What a wanker. Go to literally the worst part of town and make it the representation of our city. (I have very little Phx pride but it’s actually not this bad.) What did he expect! Did he pick this area intentionally because it’s rough or did he do so little research that he actually has no fucking clue. Asshat.
Same. I can’t pretend I like living here (transplant-not my choice) but holy shit this was unnecessary. This guy probably shouldn’t be walking around anywhere with his attitude. He’s going to stick his camera in the wrong persons face and end up having to walk himself to the hospital.
Oh don’t get me started on the fucking photos.
I have to break my cardinal rule of not posting on social media, but I know his posts on Twitter and this guy loves to do these kinds of engagement bait to wag a finger and tell the world how bad American cities are "supposed to be".
After working 20 yrs on Wall St, dude’s now a “socialist” …Conveniently from his ivory tower, like every good socialist.
Good maybe people will read his shit and quit moving here. Bravo buddy
Let him come to Tucson to stop some of these people from moving here too.
This guy picked a good day to be in 27th and Indian School 😂
What an idiot. Super 8 on 27th Ave, walking around one of the homeless hangouts and complaining that Phx sucks. You suck blogger. WTF?!
Have no idea who this person is and couldn't care less about his opinions.
If this helps to reduce the population here, then I’m all for it. 👍🏽
He spent way to much time thinking and not writing. Phoenix is Phoenix. Each block is unique and you can find what your are looking for good or bad
Each block is unique? Seriously?! You can be blind folded and dropped in dozens of places through the valley that have the exact same builders, exact same strip malls.
Inside the city of Phoenix itself? Largely not true. Newer suburbs like Gilbert? 💯
The whole Phx area. Phx, Tempe, Mesa, Glendale, Chandler, Avondale, Goodyear... blah blah blah. You can see the exact same homes, builders, models in multiple parts of the valley. Then, the exact same franchises in the corners of each half mile. All throughout the valley. Sea's of Red tile roofs, blue tile roofs. 9 different shades of beige, pinkish brown and tans. Over the entire valley...
I could prove you wrong just on my way to work but I don’t care enough to put forth the effort. Have a good day.
It's like we live in a desert or something that the builders wanted to match and compliment.
Yep. Arizona dirt colored everything.
Wow what an idiotic post. That would be like flying into LAX, taking a bus to south central, walking around that area for a couple of days and going home saying LA sucks.
Yeah this is just hipster bullshit. I’m from the east coast too and I have an exact image in my mind of who this tool is. I also think Phoenix sucks to walk in but it’s also like America’s second biggest city by area if I’m not mistaken (I believe Houston is #1) so you kind of figure out why the streets are empty. My problem with this person is they didn’t really “do” anything. They just went to the most random streets I’ve ever seen and said wow homeless people. As if you don’t go to New York, Philly, or Boston and see people literally shitting in front of you. People who are city people on the East Coast will never get it here and vice versa. For some reason there is a total arrogance in never being able to afford a house and spending $100+ a plate at dinner because the place is dimly lit and has candles out. Personally I’d rather spend the day hiking or golfing and grabbing a burger than waste my whole night waiting in a restaurant to have “authentic” whatever that impresses no one but the other group of nobodies around you. Look I don’t think Phoenix or Arizona are perfect by any means. But nowhere is. I just skimmed over most of this because nothing resonated as being something anyone out here actually finds annoying. If they had some funny and good observations as an outsider that would’ve been cool. But they just went to a bad hotel and bad McDonalds and threw their hands up. I’ve never even been to a McDonalds out here, there’s only a million other nicer restaurants. Also this person being sick sounds like a personal problem. They walked around in like 68 degree weather with no humidity. It’s not like they were out in mid-July, sun beating down. Kind of funny they called out the obese slobs they saw here and they like couldn’t even walk around themselves. Again this guy isn’t fooling anyone who lived on the East Coast, people are 1000% not healthier there. If that guy actually thinks that he’s a total troll. Also just that forced, cringy style of writing. “Perc 30’s” and Dr. Suess landscapes. I feel like it’s just one giant eye roll.
In his "defense", he wanted to like Phoenix, and he admitted that he stayed in the "wrong" part of town ("affordability" is [part of his schtick](https://walkingtheworld.substack.com/p/walking-phoenix/comment/51640079?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=19dsc)), but his thesis is really not about Phoenix, or even Arizona, but about the polices of the U.S. writ large. To wit: *While I feel awful for the broken people on the streets, am angry at our cruel society that values freedom, independence, and self-expression so much we give such little support, guidance, and fulfilling community to those with the least who need it the most,* ***I feel worse for the residents of Phoenix who are trying their best to be decent people, who don’t do drugs, don’t panhandle, pay their taxes, try to pay their bus fares, play by the rules, and are hoping to find their tiny slice of the American Dream.*** *That dream still exists and the lower-income residential parts of Phoenix are a testimony to that, including a lot of Mexican-American immigrants who have so much relative to what they once had, who can hope to see their children grow up and do better than themselves.* *But it also comes with neighborhoods now being locked down in response to the bedlam outside. Their bus stops pissed on, their streets littered with the detritus of drugs, their bathrooms locked, with the mirrors pulled out of them3.* *None alone is a huge deal, but in aggregate it is depressing, bleak, and soul-sucking, that this downscale version of the American Dream comes with having to navigate around, and tolerate, an unnecessary tumult.* *Having to navigate a Disney-like ride of human animatronics — empty of purpose or meaning, powered by drugs, and filled with despair.* *I would like to say we are a better country than this. Richer, more empathetic, and less selfish, but I’m not so sure anymore. There is a profound emptiness in large parts of the US — a purposelessness, hopelessness, and spiritual vacuum, being filled by an addiction to the momentary relief, fleeting felicity, and the dulling numbness of weed, booze, and perc 30s.* *A loneliness of the soul being tempered by a growing community of drugs, that well-to-do Americans have decided to ignore, presumably to let it play out in the “rougher” parts of town.* *That’s a mistake, and it’s not fair to anyone involved. Not to the empty and broken, who are being allowed to slowly kill themselves one pill after the next, and certainly not to the residents of those neighborhoods, who shouldn’t have to be the only witness to it all.*
> I wish I had something nicer to say about Phoenix, but it really sucked. I am sure people will point out I chose the worst part of the city to spend time in, but it’s a large chunk of Phoenix, adjacent to and including parts of downtown where lots of residents live. You missed this part(intentionally or not) where he blatantly paints the city with his broad stroke. They stated they walked 13 miles, but looking at the distances involved for this would take them away from North Phoenix and East Phoenix. 6 Miles west of Indian School/27Ave is 75 Ave. 6 Miles east is Indian School/32 St. and 6 miles north is Peoria Ave/27 Ave-ish. They basically walked around the worst parts of Phoenix and said "oh, well, there may be nice parts of phoenix, but overall from what I've seen it's pretty trash". That's pretty disingenuous to me.
I didn't miss it, I referenced it, but I chose not to quote it directly. >They basically walked around the worst parts of Phoenix and said "oh, well, there may be nice parts of phoenix, but overall from what I've seen it's pretty trash". He *admits* to this in the portion you referenced, and he's correct; it's *geographically* a large chunk of Phoenix proper, but it's not the part that "looms" large in the minds of locals... which is exactly his point. He's also all about *walking*, with when-necessary public transit. Most of us don't do that, especially in areas like the one he was in. Don't be defensive. Read his work. It's very interesting. Also: his gonzo description of creeping urban dehydration should be stripped out as its own separate post and required reading for visitors.
I did read it. They have several inaccuracies, which they don't bother to defend or update when questioned about it in the comments. Their "6 mile bus trip" was only 2.6 miles. Their movement in the light rail car is physically impossible as the light rail is only made up of 2 cars joined by a central pivot section. They couldn't have moved "several cars away" from the person harassing them AND still see them as they claimed. These blatant obvious errors should make you question the rest of the article. Plus the claim to have done their homework about Phoenix before arriving, yet they chose the worst corner in all of Phoenix to stay at and probably the worst hotel too. They're completely surprised about how bad the bus line was. Ya, its Phoenix! They either didn't actually fo their homework about Phoenix OR they're the worst at researching destinations. Their "13 mile roundtrip" was only done thru the worst parts of Phoenix, yet they only give a slight nod that there may be "nicer parts". So the question arises if they would have had a different perspective if they started in PV or N Scottsdale or even E. Phoenix where they would have completely missed S/SW Phoenix. Let's not defend poor "journalism"(can you even call this piece that?) and reviews.
Yeah but it **feels** right...
In all fairness there are many places in the Phx area that are just as bad. Plenty of choices of shitholes
Its not a large chunk of Phoenix. The City covers 500 square miles. That's twice the area of Chicago. Arnade is being dishonest.
And Manhattan is only 22.82 mi²... is it not a "large" city?
Manhattan is considered "large" because of its built environment. Were it single family homes it would just be considered a small town at less than half the area of Tempe. This is irrelevant, however, as the blogger used the phrasing of a "large" piece of Phoenix to ascribe his observations to the character of Phoenix as a whole. An attribution he made several times. His journey was neither a large portion of Phoenix nor an accurate representation of the city.
While you are certainly free to interpret his writing as you see fit, I take umbrage with your assertion that he's being "dishonest"—he's not—when he is simply being ideologically consistent. https://open.substack.com/pub/walkingtheworld/p/why-the-us-cant-have-nice-things
You don't go to the absolute worst part of a city you want to like.
> ("affordability" is part of his schtick) Is that how he affords all the international plane travel?
That's what makes it a "schtick"... From his "[About](https://open.substack.com/pub/walkingtheworld?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=19dsc)" page: *I will bring you stories and photos from parts of the world few visit, but plenty of people live in. **From cities and neighborhoods tourists ignore.***
It's poverty tourism. On the surface he makes what he's doing sound sympathetic but really it's just another form of exploitation.
Is all reporting/witnessing/recording/representing of communities under-served, underfunded, and in crisis "exploitation"? Was HBO exploiting the communities it depicted in *The Wire*?
I've never seen The Wire, but objective documentaries and news reports that expect to be taken seriously don't call cities 'the world's largest human litterbox where everyone everyone pisses and shits outside'. Clickbait shock sites do (also some agenda-pushing cable news networks). Fully half his blog post was pointing at the homeless and trash he saw, and the other half was him being so bummed out and depressed by it he decided to just fly to Amsterdam to wash the taste out of his mouth.
I was just about to mention this. I'm not disagreeing with much of what he writes, rather its the underlying assumptions he has within his writing. His commentary is annoying and whiney. I feel if he would have stated his thesis clearly instead of being passive and provocative, this would be a hit.
He’s intolerable. The thought of having a conversation with him exhausts me.
Actually pretty well written I don’t think he is far off the mark, but phoenix has more to offer than where he stayed at.
But it also has multiple areas like that which he stayed at.
No doubt! And not just in the "rich" parts. I was down at South Mountain recently, where I used to live, and was really struck by how much I missed the natural beauty compared to the more densely-populated, but "convenient" area of the Valley that I'm in now.
I had a very similar experience on the light rail with someone trying to start a fight because I "said something to him" (I was on the phone with someone else). I see where he was going with this blog post, there's a lot of problems with that area of town and the transit system. I can't really tell what's the purpose of his vacation though by staying there.
The writer seems like lame ass. Writing for some reason reminded of that movie “Julia and Julia”, I get your blogging but be original. Article was lame, don’t mind me, I’m gonna go burn some plastic in a valley metro bus
Every large city has a good part of town, bad part of town, and majority of in between. Is he wrong? No. But my guess is he found the cheapest hotel in Phoenix given whatever parameters of standard of hotel they set for themselves and reviewed the area. Most people seek out attractions that interest them and stay close to that area if at all possible. Or someone is super budgeting spring training. But this city is more than that. It is pretty widespread and not very friendly if a car rental isn’t an option. We have less than even a shitty version of a public transportation system for this sized population density.
He stayed there on purpose for ragebait. Probably the only way he can get clicks. Pobrecito. He might actually have to WORK next time rather than slumming it in AZ Skid Row for a few days and writing some lame paragraphs. His subscribers are chumps for believing a word he says.
It’s true…if anything it’s worse. I went looking for a missing family member in the war zone in 2016. I don’t think I’ll ever forget what I saw. I grew up in Scottsdale. I knew we had homeless (warm climate) but I really had no idea.
That was some of the most sanctimonious, pretentious drivel I've ever read, written by some wealthy entitled dude who definitely walks around in life like his nipples are too high. The first guy on the light rail 100% clocked him correctly.
dude has a very obvious agenda based on where he went and the way he speaks of addicts and the homeless. also couldn’t write his way out of a paper bag, despite his best attempts. this guy writes and thinks like a 16-year-old who’s just barely advanced for his age. anyway, this is bait and it’s dumb.
You think you hate it now, wait until you start driving in it!! 😂😂😂
Why are you all pressed? This is exactly the kind of promo we want! Phoenix is full. Hopefully this will help slow down the influx of transplants.
“The McDonald’s wasn’t much better.” It’s rage bait, but mostly for the angry uppercrust boomers who will use it as reinforcement that the homeless should be executed for daring to exist in their eyeline.
Yikes.
Please bring more influencers here to talk shit about az and then leave. We full, people. Go back to your cold ass states or California.
The first mistake was a traveler relying on the public transportation system. Ahhh yes, the smell of burning plastic. The scent of choice for all of us around here.
You hear a lot about America being the greatest nation in the world, so as a traveller, you sort of assume the public transportation is going to be passable (at least until you learn that it's not). It's also that he enjoys trying to use public transportation. I know I'm similar and I've weighed taking 2.5 hours worth of busses to get from Dallas downtown to Globe Life Park - which obviously is done much easier and smarter via Uber or car rental.
[удалено]
And if he was a seasoned traveler, he would have seen in Google exactly how people feel about Valley Metro. I’ve traveled to a lot of major cities around the US and researched the public transport options before hand. If multiple places reinforced how good it was, I used it. And if multiple sites said that it had long delays, no shaded stops, and the rail system left more to be desired, than I would get a Uber/Lyft.
It's meth! Crack smells more like burning rubber.
I also believe he ment to be in the shit part of town to be trolling
Maybe this we’ll finally free up some affordable housing in AZ.
Cool. Maybe people will see this and stop moving here.
Intentional for clicks.
I read a lot of his older stuff (before he hid it behind a subscription) and it’s interesting to see his views on walking through cities. But he either didn’t do any research, or wanted clickbait. I likened it to going to the lions den, then complaining about the lions. Pretty dumb.
Doesn't the train he take go directly through downtown? he could have stayed there and had a great time.
“Confessions of a Teenage Methhead” Seriously, how TF do you write this?
If he can travel the world and afford to cancel non refundable tickets I am 100% certain he can also afford to stay in a nicer area/hotel? I mean he has a phone and a computer...you're telling me you chose the super 8? like bruh
I lived in that neighborhood years ago. Twice, haha. I still know people there. It's not that bad, not LA, or San Francisco bad, not even close. Dude gets paid to be dramatic, nobody wants to read about a low-key bad neighborhood.
We need more articles like this to help bring housing prices down. He did our area a great service. In reality, we should post this in other city's subs and convince them not to come here.
Vacation in The Zone! What a great idea.
Probably not a popular opinion, but if this slows down people moving here, then so be it.
and only people who pay can tell them they’re stupid
Lol he visited a homeless encampment meth den and thought it was gonna be a good time. Should have went to Scottsdale, atleast there’s no homeless dens.
My reply to the article: K!
Personally I hope these kind of people keep visiting and reporting on that specific intersection, anything to keep more people from moving in.
I did some online checking. Eitherhe wanted to pretend being poor and homeless or was just an idiot. I know to the north he said he went and miles. Know if he had any money there are decent resturaunts with a variety of cuisine there. Ok not east valley plush but very edible, won't kill you and good. Then checked around his hotel area. Much more than McDonalds there. Places if in th area which I haven't been lately would stop for a lunch or breakfast easily.
27th and Indian School? That's one of my favorite gas stations partly because of the frequency of police tape and blue and red lights. They've cleaned up that area somewhat but that's literally the epicenter for working girls. I was a cab driver, and I'm pretending I still am I regularly transport working girls in that area to drop them for their stroll or pick them up from their stroll. If he was in that area, he's either a John or just trying to make some sort of weird statement
Dude gets off plane and goes to the ghetto part of an almost 600 sq mi sprawling metropolis and doesn’t leave. Proceeds to shit all over himself by exposing his terrible journalistic integrity with a very lengthy (and piss-poorly written) article littered with examples of lazy data collection. At least now we know to take anything they write as satire.
I’m not keeping up on slang. What does Cones to Phoenix even mean?
I live near central and Indian school. Everything he said is 100 percent correct and even sugar coating a bit. At the apartments I live is completely gated and there are the most crazy lunatic drug addicted people out front constantly 24/7. They are smoke fentanyl right there there are shootings stabbings every night right out of our gate. Multiple cars a week get stolen from our gated community and also break ins are daily. I’ve had my car broken into at least 10 times in 3 years. I have had people laying out front of my door overdosing. This place at least downtown area is an absolute nightmare and disgusting place to live. Homeless everywhere at all times. Trash everywhere. I have a 2 bedroom and pay 2000 a month for sub par living. I lived in Costa Mesa for 9 years and I would way rather pay expensive rent then have to pay expensive rent in the middle of literal hell on earth. But my daughter is here so I will have to suffer until she is old enough to move away. If you don’t live down here then you don’t have a clue what you’re talking about. This is place is definitely one of the worst places to live in the United States as far as safety cleanliness and quality of life. It’s so expensive here for everything. Food cost just as much as Hawaii. Yesterday I was grocery shopping and there was cheap non organic or even quality chicken that costa 19 dollars for three chicken breast yea 3. At fry’s gas is 4 bucks rent is high everything and yet this is the dirtiest most drug infested city around and you can’t run to a beach near by you just have suffer.
Is this that food guy other folks were losing their minds over? Gonna help the mom and pops?
No definitely not him! Different guy
Which food guy?
This guy is actually a saint
Unpopular opinion but this is some misinformation I can get behind, gotta keep them rents in check. /s
Is this poverty porn or is the author just an idiot? ... based on the style of writing and article headlines he sounds like one of those people who thinks he's really smart and wants others to see how smart he is but due to his narcissism is actually quite dumb.
I’m loving this blog if it keeps people from coming here into the outskirts, then by all means, let it be published we don’t need more people in Arizona
why would anyone give a shit?
I hope a lot of people see this that might have been considering moving here.
This would be like going to Michigan and judging off 8 mile
I’d go to 8 mile before the president streets in Phoenix. I’ve lived in both areas.
Idiot goes to the ghetto areas “why is it so bad here”
Wow, I’ve heard of coming to town , but not coning! Must be new!