If you're a Dateline NBC aficionado then you know that every hometown has it's secrets and issues. Those issues are the reasons we run as fast as we can to find new places to call home and, they can often be the reasons we stay... flaws and drama always add a bit of character and pastiche. But of course some issues are just to much to stick around for.
Redditor u/Jblaze908 wanted to know what towns maybe we should all skip to visit.... What is it that you hate the most about the city or town that you live in?
Unpure Flakes....
Giphy
Saint-Petersburg, Russia, weather.
It's a 6 million city at the latitude of Anchorage, Alaska. There's crappy, dirty snow everywhere from early November till late March or even April. PerepeL
Life needs options....
I live in a fairly small rural town and I love it and wouldn't trade it for the world but I do admit to missing the ability to go out for dinner later than 7 pm. I also miss options, it's really only the couple of pubs in town and that's it, there are more options if we pop over to one of the other surrounding towns but that means a bit of a drive.
I also miss going out for after dinner coffee. We used to do that a lot when we lived in the city, totally not an option out here. vivian_lake
Gurnee for the "NOT" win!
I live near a Six Flags and an outlet mall. The town is nothing but retail and chain restaurants. There is no downtown area outside all of that. Nits_rik
Gurnee, IL? sanchower
Yup.... Nits_rik
It's not terrible or anything. It's just... blah. It's in the dead zone in between Chicago and Milwaukee where you aren't really close to either city, but you're still kinda in the suburbs. But the Six Flags has some pretty legit coasters, and Mars Cheese Castle and the Ren Faire are right over the border. So you've got that going for you. sanchower
It's like a Survival game...
Potholes, road work that takes forever, combined with bad weather. Welcome to Montreal! gamecoder95
Recently drove from Toronto to Montreal. It's insane how noticeably crappy the road infrastructure is once you cross into Quebec. It's like the government doesn't give a f**k. No snow/ice removal, and oh my God the potholes. Reddit
Just watch "The Wire."
Giphy
Murder. Definitely the murder. Baltimore. mattz2015
Also drugs! Sorry, just finished watching "The Wire." ThePlayfulPython
People Suck!
I live in Plymouth, UK.
A few days ago a suicidal man was stood on top of a multi-story car park. Large groups of people just stood around with their phones out recording it. One woman yelled at him telling him to jump and called him a coward while the emergency services tried to help him. People around her laughed.
I really hate the people in my city. Jerry_Cola
Damn Tourists!
L.A. I work in downtown and it gets very annoying when influencers and/or people who just moved in get upset when you're "in their way." I'm sorry I ruined your photo; I just want to get home. nonilpadre
But we need water to live...
The water.
I moved here from another nearby city that had some of the best municipal water in the entire state and I miss it SO much. My current city's water is incredibly hard. We get calcium buildup on EVERYTHING. Pots, pans, glasses, showerheads, faucets, coffee maker. I feel like I need to buy stock in C.L.R. And in the summer, when the water levels get low like they always do, it takes on this weird "dirt-like" taste. Like the exact same taste you'd get if you fell face down in the dirt and got a mouthful.
Don't get me wrong, it's not Flint-level bad. The city assures us it's safe, meets all relevant health guidelines/codes, blah blah blah. But it's one of the most common complaints I see and hear from other people that live here, too. Apple2Geek
The list goes on....
I live in Austin, Texas. Every allergen known to man seems to be here. pielord599
Don't forget traffic that appears out of nowhere. You'll be moving right along on 35 outside of downtown when all of a sudden you're at a crawl for no reason whatsoever. lipp79
I'm so bored....
Giphy
My entire town shuts down at 8pm every night. Except for the self service gas pumps. It would be nice to be able to get food/snacks/Gatorade after I get off work but instead I have to drive 20 miles to the next town over.
Edit: Wow, my most upvoted comment on reddit. I'm in tears, I love you guys! Also the town I currently live in is Elk Horn, Iowa. Population of less than five hundred people. We do have a pretty kick a** pizza place here and the most interesting thing is how many people with Danish heritage there are here. Literally over 3/4 of the town I believe. alleng919
LEBRON!!!!
Cleveland, Ohio. Every one thinks it's an awful, terrible place. Our economy was based on Lebron James, who left.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysmLA5TqbIY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZzgAjjuqZM For people who want a taste of Cleveland, and a laugh.
Cheers to Weird!
Austin-
Austin is known for "keeping it weird" and being a fun, cooky place. Recently, the whole place is being developed, and all of the places that the transplants move here for are being bulldozed for condos. The city is slowly getting unaffordable, and losing the parts about it that are special. Everyone I know is getting scattered to the wins and a lot of my favorite places to hang out have been closed. A lot of people chalk it up to progress, but I'm terrified of becoming the next SF where regular people can't live in the city and rich people live like poor people. On top of everything I am pretty sure we have whole neighborhoods of nothing but rentals - which makes the housing issue worse.
The city is already insanely segregated- you can't live west at all unless you have money. Like the whole west side save a small strip. imhereforthemeta
The Company....
Seattle. Amazon, Microsoft, and other big IT companies have HQs here, resulting in lots of people moving here suddenly, rents and house prices skyrocketed as a result, and you feel poor all the time as software developers woosh by in their Tesla's and BMWs. I feel like if I'm ever going to want to own a house I'm going to have to move away. Which is a shame: I love the area apart from the damn expenses. typicalrowerlad
Too Much....
Giphy
I live in a small city in the UK called Bath.
We're one of the main tourist cities of the country and we have 2 of the top universities, but we're too small to accommodate so many people. It's always crowded, always expensive, and there aren't enough well paying jobs for students or graduates to be able to afford to live here. Everything closes at 11pm, we have an insane amount of traffic, and literally one of the busiest roads in the nation. Massive drug problem, no police station (only aiding the drug problem), and the worst clubs I've ever seen.
But it's beautiful as hell so. SmashMetal
ATL for Life...
Atlanta traffic, has to be the worst iv ever experienced or ever will. oliyonion
One time I was driving through Atlanta (never been before) and my dumba** was going like 75-ish on the highway and was getting blown past by every single car including cops... only to later learn that everyone goes at least 90. RuthRuthRuthBabyRuth
Grand Ole Country.....
Nashville,Tn
It is getting way too expensive to live here. Your choices now for affordable housing is either Antioch which is almost an hour drive or Ashland City which is backwoods good old boy country. FxDriver
Orlando!
In Orlando, that means you get to share the road with the following drivers: lost tourists who drive like crap in the first place, foreigners who drive like they're still in their homeland, yuppie-a**holes who are the most "important people in the world," gangsta' wannabees who have seen "Fast & Furious" way too many times, and elderly retirees who should have had their licenses revoked long ago.
We also have some of the highest car insurance rates in the US. scottiebass
Blame Ontario...
- people can't drive for crap
- major inferiority complex as a city
- too many old nimbys preventing progress
- a city council that is a barely literate group of bickering children who only grow up long enough to give themselves a pay raise, again
- old people complaining about the university and kids just doing what people do at that age
good old London ontario. uncle-tacitus
Maine for the Win....
Giphy
I live in a moderately sized town in Maine. What drives me up a wall is how annoyingly comfortable these people are. It's almost as they feel they're entitled to everything. What's even crazier is if someone is minding their own business on the freeway and you go to pass them, that person will make it their mission to make sure you don't. Then once you do pass them they go back to the same speed they were before. TheRealPizzaPope
Case in point...
Redditor rallfreedom wanted us to update Santa's deliveries for the children on the naughty list, they asked:
"Since Santa is old, and coal was considered worthless back in the day, what new worthless item could Santa give to naughty children in 2021?"
If you really wanted to set me off on Christmas morning, then you should leave me something personalized. Something you how I'd hate. Like a cassette tape of 80's Christian soft rock. That would make a statement of just how naughty I've been.
What a Difference
Blockbuster GIF by Big Potato GamesGiphy"Blockbuster gift cards." ~ GamerOfGods33
"And still no one will shop at the one franchise location still open." ~ pesto_trap_god
Discs
"AOL Internet discs... (actually getting rare these days)." ~ whorton59
"After collecting enough of those AOL discs, I just open a bottle of Tennessee whiskey and make AOL disc fish wall art." ~ ExRockstar
"I wish I still had the picture, but my friend passed onto me a photo of a chair (more like a throne, if I recall) made entirely of AOL discs." ~ PM_MeYourSmilingFace
Discharge
"Outdated phone chargers." ~ TheBrotherhoods
"A correct phone charger for the device, but it only works in one very specific angle and charges the phone super slow." ~ Karl_the_stingray
"People rave about how good old Nokias were but they forget that if you went up a version like you got upgraded to a 3310 from a 3210 then all your chargers were now something like 0.25mm too small and you had to buy all new ones." ~ erroneousbosh
Interpretations...
"We currently misinterpreted what 'naughty kids get coal' originally meant. For a poor family in December, coal was the difference between warmth and freezing, hot food and not. 'Coal' was not something mean. It was like socks, now." ~ adaza
"Exactly. If the child was selfless, they would get a personal gift as a reward. If the child was selfish, they instead would get a gift to be shared with the family, forcing them to be more altruistic." ~ MoobyTheGoldenSock
Necessities...
toilet paper help GIFGiphy"Toilet paper. Just like coal, it's something the whole house needs and will use but is going to be bought anyway. It's also consumable and practical just like coal." ~ NeverGetaSpaceship
I could still use toilet paper. You never know when society is gonna go off into the deep end again and buy it all up. Remember the beginning of Covid?
Spin
fidget GIF by Future GenerationsGiphy"Idk why but I feel like fidget spinners would be pretty infuriating to the masses of children as something that still counts as a gift but is for sure a let down & past trend." ~ mmaster42
Way back when...
"An "Introduction to Windows 95" book." ~ Actual_grass
"There's one of those package shipping stores near me that sells all kinds of miscellaneous stuff. Anything to make a buck. They have a carousel stand with laminated sheets containing tips on how to use various computer programs. Still for sale as of last week: 'Shortcut keys for Windows XP' and 'Tips for using Microsoft Word 2010.'" ~ dartdoug
All Yours...
"He could give kids one of the old cables that was collected over the years but wasn't thrown away because it could need it at some point." ~ CaptWeirdBeard
"I have a tupperware tote full of those things. I'll sell it to Santa for scap value of the copper. You hear that Santa? $5 and it's all yours." ~ GreatJanitor
Dial Up
"A rotary phone." ~ cannotbefaded
"My Grandma had a rotary phone she kept(still worked so why not) as well as having a cordless phone. Had a relative that wanted to use the rotary phone the one time just to use it instead, decided they didn't want to do that again." ~ golden_fli
"Okay, I actually like rotary phones. I was young enough to remember using rotary phones and preferred using them to touch tone phones. Only because it was fun to spin the dial and watch it spin back into place." ~ GreatJanitor
So close...
ronald mcdonald mcdonalds GIFGiphy"McDonald's toys from 2 years ago. Old enough to not be popular trends, but new enough to not be collector's items." ~ GavinSnowe
McDonald's still has toys? Who knew? And those fidget spinners, how did anyone ever enjoy those? That would set me off as well.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
They say your 30's hits different, like one day you're young a hopeful and the next day you're just WAY too old for this.
What is the "this" you're suddenly too old for?
No idea. It's different for everyone, but make no mistake, it'll happen to you too.
Maybe it already has?
Reddit user BMA1500 asked:
"What sh*t are you too old for?"
Let's take a look at how "too old" hit these Reddit users.
Internet Arguments
"Arguing with ignorant people on the internet."
- Brundleflyftw
"Amen!"
"I have no patience or bandwidth to argue with random a-holes on social. Learned that lesson a long time ago."
"Too many fakes and bots now anyway. I am pretty much a 'read only' user of other platforms and only share opinions in person on polarizing issues."
- grumpybaldguy
Games
"Petty games while talking to a potential partner."
"Just be straight up and real with me. Tricks are for kids."
- Squanch42069
"I've always felt this way."
"I remember when one of my girls explained the concept of 'playing hard to get' to me and I was annoyed just hearing it."
"If I have to chase you, that means you’re running away, and I don’t have time for that. If you seem uninterested, I’ll take it on the chin and leave you alone."
"If you like me just say that. If you don’t like me just say that. It’s not hard and moves the process along much faster."
"If you text me and I’m free, I’m going to text back. I’m not going to wait three hours for aesthetic purposes."
"The list goes on."
- -helpwanted
GiphyCut That Out
"This sounds like some Instagram motivational sh*t, but spending time around people that I genuinely don't like or who make me unhappy and uncomfortable."
"There's so short of a time we have on this Earth and it just hit me right before I turned 30 that I spent a ton of that time with people who I thought sucked."
"I cut that out and I'm much happier."
- PrairieBunny91
"BOOM!"
"I realized this at my cousins wedding. I had a family member walk up to me flat out call me ugly, fat and say that I wasn’t the “good” family guy anymore."
"What!?!? Why would you even say that?? And they said it with a smile on their face the whole time..."
"After that night I haven’t spoken to them in 2 years and I’m super happy! I’m too f*cking old to be dealing with that nonsense for the rest of my life."
- MuffinTrucker
GiphyExistential Crisis
"Drinking heavily."
"It takes days to recover now, and most bad hangovers come with an existential crisis attached."
- TheOptimumLemon
"Same."
"When I was young I remember times I'd have a day off from work and be like 'Hell yeah, I'm gonna get trashed and play video games all night it's gonna be great!' "
"Now it's like "Great, I'm 3 drinks in and I'm just tired & have heart burn.' "
"It's not the same."
- dont_panic21
"I used to work 12-9pm, party the entire night. And then be back to work like a pro."
"If this was a Friday, partying used to resume Saturday afternoon. That was my early 20s."
"In my 30s now, and I wait for Fridays so that I can be dead on my bed the entire Saturday."
- youngOldMonk
"The existential crisis is the worst. Just lying there wondering what the hell you are doing with your life, what came to this and when you are going to grow out of it."
"Then it passes and life goes on."
- Noggin-a-Floggin
GiphyNothing "General"
"General admission tickets. My old ass requires a reserved seat."
- sunflakie
"Hahaha… last gen admission show I went to I had to find a 'comfortable' wall to lean on."
- jmmorart317
"When it comes to music festivals, the wife and I go for VIP just so we can get fancier washrooms and shorter lines at the food trucks."
- VanillaGorilla
"I agree but, man, it makes feel like I’m a spectator at at a concert and not part of the real party down on the floor."
- MudIsland
GiphyAsk Yourself
"Facebook."
"There comes an age when you have to consider... 'Do I really care what kind of clickbait sh*t my high school friends who I never talk to and never will see, likes?' "
"I only had Facebook because it helped with socializing in college/high school, but afterwards it's really hard to want to add new friends because they can see your history, and you can too."
- chupalaw
"Honestly, the only reason why I have a Facebook is because I still have my mom as my friend and she passed 4 years ago."
"Every time I go on there, I'm tired now."
- mxnstrs
"I deleted Facebook three years ago."
"Found out all my Marine Corps buddies were either total idiots, painfully stereotypical post-9/11 veterans, ill-informed political junkies, and mostly people I haven't had anything to do with in years."
- combativewaifu
GiphyMoving
"Moving or helping other people move. Just no."
- Hasenpfeffer_
"I've moved a lot of times and have helped many people move."
"One of the best decisions I've ever made was hiring movers. 300 bucks for the big stuff is money extremely well spent."
- aigheadish
"I've broken my body helping people move because I'm the 'young and strong guy' in the friend group. Way too many times now. F*ck that sh*t, hire movers."
- Disastrous_Budget_11
"I can agree with this."
"I used to work as a mover for a couple summers and I don't even want to move myself lmao."
- bigelmn8r
GiphyNot The Cool Old Guy
"Tik Tok."
"I told myself when I get older I need to be open minded and not the close minded grumpy old man..."
"Then I see all these obviously staged videos and corny dancing/lip syncing stuff and realize it’s inevitable I am not gonna be the cool old guy."
- traws06
"I have this exact same process with TikTok."
"I think to myself, 'I’m really the bitter old woman I said I would never be, aren’t I?' Lol"
- moothemost
"I’ve downloaded TikTok at least 3 times and deleted it almost immediately."
"I am drawing a line at TikTok. I’m old."
- theslother
GiphySince We're Talking About TikTok...
"When Macy's Thanksgiving Parade performers are introduced as "TikTok sensation" without any other credentials worth mentioning."
- Foxhound199
"I think the only performer I knew yesterday was Kelly Rowland because of Destiny’s Child."
"My google search history is full of my confusion."
- independencedaffodil
"Oh man I’m so glad we missed the parade then. Maybe I’m just too old but that would’ve been cringe."
- takeoutthewitch
GiphyWhy Are We Screaming?
"People (mainly young girls) who scream for no reason."
"I understand if you're terrified of something, but screaming when you meet up with your friends or just when the situation does not call for it makes me SO mad. I find it so infuriating."
"Just shut up. Lol."
- CatReal7672
"My kids learned a very long time ago not to scream like that. I hate excessive loud noise in any environment, but it’s especially nerve wracking in close quarters."
"My Mother-in-Law will have a dinner every so often for the family to get together. My husbands brother’s kids are so freaking annoying like this."
"We’re having pizza? Scream."
"We’re baking cookies? Scream."
"Someone found you in hide and seek? Scream."
- bluegrassmommy
"I’ve been too old for that since I was 6. Shit was ALWAYS annoying."
- Zombifi3r
GiphyReal talk, apparently I'm *very* old going by the stuff on this list.
I'm gonna need to go sit with that for a bit... let me go turn on the seat warmer so my bones aren't stiff when I stand up later.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.