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It's needed as a major rail hub for Ft. Irwin, and all the military equipment that is shipped there from all across the U.S. for the military exercises taking place year round in the Mojave
Military units train there precisely because they have unlimited access to their own moonscape outside of Barstow.
Probably not even 2% of rail traffic moving through Barstow is military related. Most trains originate or terminate in one of the major California ports. Rest being general merchandise to/from various points in California that gets classified there, being it's a conveniently located junction point of main artery rail lines.
If you've ever heard the saying that just about any product you ever use or consume has at one point or another moved by rail, well Barstow is one of those places where it's likely gone through.
1/ Avenal, California: my car broke down once between the Bay Area and SoCal and I was stuck there for 3 hours, waiting to get it repaired. How can people live in a place like this? Felt outdated and backward.
2/ Oakland, California (parts): parts feel dilapidated and uncared for.
3/ Guangzhou China (parts): just awful. Third world feeling and unsafe.
1/ Avenal, California: my car broke down once between the Bay Area and SoCal and I was stuck there for 3 hours, waiting to get it repaired. How can people live in a place like this? Felt outdated and backward.
2/ Oakland, California (parts): parts feel dilapidated and uncared for.
3/ Guangzhou China (parts): just awful. Third world feeling and unsafe.
4/ El Paso, Texas: felt unsafe all over.
Which parts of Guangzhou? For me, it would be Johor Bahru, at the southern tip of peninsular malaysia.
Lagos, Nigeria, taught me that there are no bad places. When I was there (1976), it was reputed to be the worst place in the world. No effective phone service, traffic a 24-hour impossible snarl, electricity off more often than on. I was there for three days, and actually grew to quite like it. Everyone was in the same boat together, shrugging off the hardships, and I (as a white outsider) never once felt threatened nor treated inhospitably. There was a relaxed and easy-going air about the place, and in spite of the crowded crush, everyone just moved about in their own space, with friendly civility.
I spent a week in Idi Amin's Kampala and three months in Ceausescu's Bucharest, and came away with the feeling that hardship and adversity brings out the best in people.
Milan, (Italy)
beautiful cathedral.... NOTHING ELSE TO DO in a city of TWO MILLION PEOPLE!!
the people: cold, unfriendly, obsessed with fashion.
cultural activities: the duomo (cathedral)
nightlife: Go to generic bars that are almost empty and pay 200 euros for a bottle of wine and look at people dressed in prada sit and ignore everyone else
the best thing about Milan italy, is that you can hop on a train and go to some other city!
Boring cities are boring but they are not the worst if you take into account the decrepit nature of the cities or violence. Of course if you have not been to such places then boring cities might be the worst.
Fore me it is Gary, Indiana; Detroit; slum areas of Mumbai and Manila.
Milan, (Italy)
beautiful cathedral.... NOTHING ELSE TO DO in a city of TWO MILLION PEOPLE!!
the people: cold, unfriendly, obsessed with fashion.
cultural activities: the duomo (cathedral)
nightlife: Go to generic bars that are almost empty and pay 200 euros for a bottle of wine and look at people dressed in prada sit and ignore everyone else
the best thing about Milan italy, is that you can hop on a train and go to some other city!
I'm surprisedSeems like you either went in the wrong period (Mid-August) or to the wrong places. Did you go to the Navigli area or even Brera?
It isn't the best Italian city to visit for a tourists of the tourist centre have been destroyed during WW2, but it's wrong to claim there's no cultural activities other than the Duomo, you've got the Castello Sforzesco, the Last Supper, La Scala, countless churches with masterpieces, Pinacoteca di Brera, Museo Poldi Pezzoli, the Art Gallery close to La Scala, ecc.
Milan is a polycentric city, i think you stayed too much time in the area close to via Montenapoleone and the Duomo. You can also go to plenty of cheap bars, i think you didn't look enough for the right places.
The worst city i've been to is Taranto, went there on a school trip and there's nothing worthwhile doing there, the old city could be pretty but it seemed abandoned, nobody was around and the place is crumbling. Barely any nightlife or cultural life there and it's a city of 200000 people. It's also polluted as hell due to ILVA, a steel factory.
Colon, Panama and the bad parts of Bangkok, Thailand.
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