Lousy places to live

Places to live, or not.

David Gilmartin tells NPR that when he decided to write "The Absolutely Worst Places to Live in America," he envisioned a lot of travel being involved. But then, what the hell, he just did his research on a computer from his New York apartment.  Hey, it's good enough for the New York Times to cover Iraq, right?  Anyway, he wrote the book.  Sample. - Atlantic City, New Jersey—Come for the slots. Stay for the gang warfare and fourth-rate prostitutes. - Gary, Indiana—Like a sewer populated by 100,000 people. - Fairbanks, Alaska—Take the most horrible place you’ve ever been, then subtract the sun. - Jacksonville, Florida—Possibly the foulest-smelling city in the Western hemisphere. Never been to Fairbanks, but it's hard to argue with Atlantic City and Gary.  I've been to Jacksonville and don't remember any distinctive odor.  When we used to drive to Chicago a lot though, the kids knew we were almost there when they smelled Gary.  From 20 miles away on the Indiana Turnpike. I'm just saying.  West Point, Virginia has them all beat when it comes to smell. Also included are Seattle, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C.  Maybe ''left-wing canker blossoms'' was among the search criteria. I'd probably get a chuckle from it, but not enough to pay for it.