One of the important things I need to learn about the cities I’m visiting this fall is where the bad areas are generally located, that way I can easily circumvent them altogether and go on to enjoy the better areas of town for funsies and tasty foodsies. After all, I rather doubt any traveler likes to see his car jacked and his clothes stolen because the carjacker also happened to have an exquisite taste in Calvin Klein.

The best source of intel would be the locals, but where could I find and seek their advice prior to visiting a city? I did some googling and after numerous searches I found this gem of a travel site called Virtual Tourist.

So far this is the only site I know of where info on travel destinations is fed directly by locals, including a “Warnings or Dangers” section that often offers a wealth of information to help you avoid pitfalls and wrong turns in unfamiliar cities. Since my first city stop will be Pittsburgh, I checked the dangers section for that city and now have an excellent idea of what districts to avoid. I can program my GPS accordingly and thus be confidently assured I will not be forced to leave the city without my stylish Calvin Klein boxer-briefs.

In addition to “Warnings or Dangers,” they also have an “Off The Beaten Path” section where locals offer sightseeing suggestions you might not normally find mentioned on conventional travel guides. Very helpful indeed, especially since I’m the kinda guy who likes to take the road less traveled. Which of course makes it all the more important that I learn enough about the area I’m in so I don’t wind up geocaching or otherwise exploring a spot where a ritual killing recently took place.

That’s just the sort of thing that would put a damper on a road trip too, ya know?

Update: I’ve since discovered WikiTravel, which also offers a plethora of information on cities and destinations, including suggested areas to avoid for safety reasons.