Odd Travel Hotspots: i.e. Skuzzy and/or Equally Random Travel Spots

It's an oxymoron!

Yes...the casinos are cool...from far away. But anyone under the age of 70 can attest to the fact that A.C. is really quite the senior draw. All those bus loads with senior citizens, their social security checks (ready to be lost at the slots...the penny slots that is) and their oxygen tanks is somewhat of a turnoff. And if that's not enough...the Billy's Bargain Basement level prostitutes who stake out for customers in the hotel/casino lobby lounges just seem to add the cherry on top.

Bottom Line: Don't go to AC unless it's you and your crew...otherwise...you might not enjoy it as much as you would like.

On the few road trips I took to and from college and my hometown (Indianapolis), we always had to pass through West Virginia. Anyone who's taken this route knows that there's this weird rest stop called Tamarack, but you only get there when you're almost about to pass into North Carolina (or VA...my geography on Western NC is a bit patchy). But the minute you cross into W.VA from Ohio, the mileage billboards tick off how far you are from Tamarack.

At the "almost W. VA" border, you're trek is rewarded with this massive tent-like facade which is a rest stop slash American Indian museum-esque spot. Yeah...it's just as wierd to see it in person.

This is home to my alma mater Duke...but geeze if Durham isn't a scuzzy town outside of the university! Random homeless people wandering onto the freshman campus from 9th street, people getting robbed in the Duke Gardens, and the random crack houses a couple blocks away from the freshman campus...

Ivy League education at its best! FYI (in case you're curious) that's a picture of West Campus (for upperclassmen). Freshman have their own (East Campus) which sits smack dab in the middle of some sketchy parts of Durham.

Yes, I do love NYC, but there are parts that are definitely sketchy, and I'm just talking about Manhattan. (Let's not delve into the other 4 boroughs) The LES for one...

Yes, some of the best clubs are down there, but go below Houston over into Alphabet City...and you feel like even in a crowd you might not be safe. :-\

My home state, not my home town! I'm from Indianapolis...just had to clarify that there. Yes, it's home to the Jackson family, but it's also probably one of the most depressing (and dangerous) towns in Indiana. All I remember about Gary is from the drives my family used to make to Chicago. Being a mere 3 hours from Chicago, it's nearly impossible to get there without passing through Gary. I can still remember my mother saying "roll the windows up and drive fast to the border!"...

Don't get me wrong, there are definitely nice parts of Baltimore. But it's also a spot that in the words of Dave Chapelle "looks bombed out and depleted" in certain areas. I've driven through it many times to and from school and I've had the luxury of actually taking the scenic train down to DC...both times, it went through some highly depressed looking areas of Baltimore. :(

Yes it really does exist! And there really was a person named Ichabod Crane...yikes. And yes, people do think that there really is a headless horseman. And FYI...it's darker than anything should you drive by the exit for this town at night on your way home. Creepy...

No guessing this one...Salem witch trials...way too spooky for a girl like me who can't stand the black smoke from "Lost". I actually have no desire to visit this town (haven't so far...and not really planning on it unless money is involved!).

Why?! Why? Why would you name a town "Kill Devil [insert anything]"?! Well, the accepted lore is that an old school kind of rum was produced here that was so strong that it would kill the Devil...if only. Poorly chosen names aside, this town is actually quite the hotspot for vacationistas. Maybe the name shall change? ;-)