Nan

I am looking for advice from travelers: I would like to know what City is living off past glory as both a place to visit and live. What city has gone down hill the most in the last 10-15 years? My vote goes to LA and San Francisco, as a result of overpopulation. Your votes?

Mike

I vote for Jersey City, NJ. It just ain't what it used to be ...

Mets

Jersey City had room to get worse?

Kevin

Same category: Atlantic City
Bad 10 years ago, wretched now.

Nookie Monster

The bloom is off the rose in Eugene, Oregon if you ask me.

Max

Seattle.
Success has robbed it of much of its charm and former personality.
Like Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston.

Bruce

Austin, Texas. Used to be great. Now it's way overcrowded and traffic is a nightmare.

Patrick

I lived outside of Detroit over 30 years ago and thought it was bad then. But we passed through this summer on a east to west interstate that was worse than downtown Beirut. The whole city just seems to get worse and worse -- except for some of the suburbs.

Cindy

Phoenix. I think it has enough sprawl and stucco strip malls now. Time to stop, guys. No more Applebees. Thanks.

I wonder if there is any city that has improved dramatically over the last decade. NYC, maybe. Washington, D.C., definitely, but only over the last few years, not the last ten years.

I can't think of any others.

Liam

Cindy - I think most major cities have gotten a lot better in the past 10 years (not just NYC and DC). I've never been to Detroit or Phoenix, so I can't say anything about them. One unfortunate development has been the homogenization of so many cities. Everywhere you go, the same things - IMAX theatres, Niketown, The Body Shop, The Gap, and on and on and on ....

Carmella

I think Chicago has improved over the past 10 years. There are new theatres, great new restaurants, lots of flower boxes, street lights and trees.

Susan

San Jose, CA has improved greatly in the last 10 years, or maybe I should say 15 years. It was a horrible downtown, unsafe and seedy, but now it has become a lovely downtown with beautiful refurbished old buildings, restaurants, shops and small businesses. Of course, the "regional sprawl" known as San Jose hasn't fared as well as the downtown area...

DB

Atlanta-It's just getting slummier every day.

Dick

Susan,

I just new somebody would mention San Jose. San Jose is AWFUL!

I lived in San Jose and surrounding areas for 20+ years. I graduated from San Jose State. I now have to return 4 to 5 times a year for personal reasons. It is just awful.

Say what you want about down town--it still sucks. First Steet doesn't look much different than it did 20 years ago. Original Joe's is still there--only the prices have gone WAY up.

Out around 10th and Santa Clara has become little Viet Nam.

Enough said. If you want San Jose, you can have it. Just try manuvering (sp?)around the airport. Good luck.

Dick

Daniel Williams

Many cities I can think are ACTUALLY getting better in many ways: New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, DC...civic pride in these cities is high and they keep re-inventing themselves. I have no idea about other places.

Celeste

ORLANDO - they've cut down all the orange trees to build houses about ten feet apart from one another!

Gerry K

Scranton, Pa. It started at the bottom, and sunk. (More literally than you might think.)

GK

Gary

Definitely Seattle. Of all the major cities that I've encountered, the suburbs of Seattle drove me NUTS. One huge concrete & intertwined highway mess. Just finding something simple like a grocery store is a royal nightmare. Leave your home & you may never make it back to the house alive.

wendy

downhill and still sinking would have to be LA. In a word... YUK!!!
BTW I have to respond to Gary regarding Seattle (I know I will probably get slammed but oh well...) I live in town in Seattle Gary and there are 5 grocery stores by my house! And I'm never scared to leave but it's always fun being out in my gorgeous city! Just don't go on 2nd which I like to call crack road! O.k. that's my 2 cents- sorry for defending my home town all- please forgive!!

kam

Aside from an increase in the number of homeless which causes great concerns among tourists though not among natives, I think San Francisco is holding its own. Sure, we'd like to see it cleaner with fewer homeless, but it's not sinking into the Bay--not yet! Still a great destination.