My Worst Cities for Business Travel

If you love business travel and do it often, then part of the price you have to pay is going to those cities that are not so good. There is no way to avoid it. I tend to like more than I dislike, but there are some that I either like, but have issues with, or out and out dislike. Examples of the ones I like but have issues with would be Montreal, Charlotte, Orlando, Los Angeles, Boston, Dublin, and Lisbon. Montreal is really cool, but the Francophile thing is over the top. Charlotte is beautiful, although the transportation system is all but non-existent, and there is a palpable insular culture. A quick cab ride with the local radio on makes you feel like people are unaware there is a world outside of Charlotte. That is not universally true, but it's definitely part of the feeling. Orlando is really a big amusement park with hotels. It's like business done on a monopoly board. It can be fun, but really for conventions more than anything. Add in Las Vegas on that one, with the additional observation that it has weird ambiance to it that is surreal, and in the summer it's 120 degrees. Los Angeles has some awesome parts to it, but no transportation system, it is really spread out, and it often seems like one big movie set with everyone acting. I actually like it, but have a hard time giving it high marks for a place for business travel. Boston is awesome. By all rights, it should really make the top list, even if just an honorable mention. But Boston is spread out, and the transportation system is limited, and the city seems like it has been under construction since I started with Prime Computer in 1984. That said, I love Boston, so all disclaimers aside, it's great place. (Note to self.. it belongs on the good list). Dublin is good as well, but it has been really ripped apart from the financial crisis. There is a bit of a beaten up feel to it. Other than that, the people are nice, the transportation system is fair, the business climate was good, and is starting to rebound again. And then there is Lisbon. What incredibly nice people. Many don't speak English (and of course, most people in the US only speak English... or Spanish), but that doesn't seem to matter. Great food, great culture, great scenery. But the business climate is fair, at best. Decisions are slow in coming. The transportation is mainly by taxi. But I love going there, even if only one in a while.

My Five Worst Cities for Business Travel

5. Newark. This barely makes the list, for three reasons. One, it's proximity to New York is good. Two, it's transportation system is getting decent. And three, as a city, it's getting better. Kudos to Corey Booker. Still, the accommodation options are bad. The food is generally bad, except the Portuguese restaurants, which are authentic and great. It's dirty, although less so than it has been. It has a depressing feel to it, although less so than in the past. I had offices there with my last company. We moved. I would expect it to leave the list soon. Good luck on that.

4. Columbia, SC. I find Columbia to be a very strange place, although in fairness I stopped going there years ago. Perhaps it's changed. I thought the business climate was mediocre. No transportation system, although it's small. Not particularly pretty to me, although not ugly. Nothing about Columbia was overly bad or overly good.... except the culture. Perhaps this is just because my interaction was with government, but I have never seen so many people (who actually know each other) trying to impress each other about how important they are. It was like an ongoing Saturday Night Live skit. While I was doing business there, the FBI ran a sting operation into corruption in the state government. It was unbelievable. Like a place caught in time. The level of gaming and mistrust was enough to deter most people from wanting to spend much time there. Perhaps it's changed.

3. San Juan, PR. While it has a reputation as a vacation spot, even that is questionable in my mind. But for business, think again. It's dirty, hot, hard to get around, and people never make a decision. The first time I went there on business I thought it was going to be so cool. I got bitten by fleas in the taxi, met with people who were agonizing, via committee, about a deal too small to warrant the flight down, and meetings never, ever started on time.

2. Houston. I have a hard time not putting this first. My experience with Houston has been universally bad. I have had more exposure to unethical business dealings there than anywhere. (And in fairness to Houston, this happens everywhere, and I am not saying everyone in Houston is an unethical businessman, just that my own exposure has painted a horrible picture). It is also dirty, with heat and humidity that is tortuous. The city planning was non-existent. In my past (1990's) dealings there with employees, it had more sex-related HR violations that everywhere else I managed combined. The food can be good, and the accommodations can be good, but not good enough to make me want to go there. And last, some of the people I met that were originally from there and had moved "home" didn't even want to be there.

1. Mexico City. While I wanted to put Houston first, objectivity prevailed. One of the most populated places in the world, the poverty is everywhere. It is dirty, crime ridden, and extremely difficult to get around. When you do, you want to be sure you are using a trusted car service. I have had to commission audits on businesses that were cooking the books. I have flown four and a half hours to attend meetings that senior executives "forgot". Decisions that should take hours seem to take weeks. Projects that should take months take years. Crime was bad, and seems to be getting worse. All that said, there are some lovely parts of Mexico City. There are some truly wonderful people there. Really. But if you are looking for a place to do business, I would probably leave it off the list.

That's it.

Safe travels