Brussels and hate from the Belgians

I don't think comparing cities like Ypres and Poperinge to Brussels is a fair comparison. Would you not expect a very small city to be different from a large one? Is a small city in upstate new york the same as NYC (maybe not the best comparison either since NYC dwarfs Brussels in size)? Brussels has nice areas, they just don't happen to be that close to places like Cantillon and Moeder Lambic. Not saying I disagree with you about Brussels being generally dirtier, and I don't mean to direct these questions at you, just more of a general statement.

 

Correct.

 

I didn't find Gent that much cleaner than Brussels. We regretted deciding to walk from Gent-Sint-Pieters to the city center after a few blocks.

 

In some way, it sounds a lot like what people the world over say about the "big city" on their horizon -- and Brussels has its full share of urban problems. But there's the added twist that Brussels is one of those capitals that gets less love, rather than more, due to a prevailing ambivalence if not hostility toward the role of the federal government. And of course there's something of a cultural clash for those Flemish who feel less than enthusiastically welcomed in the mainly francophone island that is Brussels. I don't mean to open up to political comments -- let's keep that door firmly shut, in this forum -- but I think that explains a lot of where the comments come from. I'm not discounting them, just sayin'...

 

To be honest, allot of the so called hate I have seen about Brussels has been from tourists as opposed to natives. My own opinion as stated previously is that allot of the negative comments are exaggerated. No it's not pristine but it's far from the dump it is described as. I've seen people on BA making out that the walk from the city to Cantillon is like crossing a mine field!

OP - Very similar contrasts could made about California as you well know!

 

I have never had issues in Brussels, ever!

Yes the abandoned property in front of Cantillon is usually covered with trash and dog shit and sometimes some of the locals get a little pissy about parking spaces, but that's no different than Boston or New York.

I usually walk everywhere and have never felt threatened or out of my element. This hate by locals may be well supported by facts none of us are privy to. I will continue to go to Brussels, but enjoy some of the surrounding cities much more.

 

We had a great time in Brussels two summers back, but I can see where the negativity comes from.

I never felt unsafe, even with our two girls in tow, but we did witness a brazen, middle-of-the-day bike robbery on the street outside the flat we were staying in. And I've never, ever seen as much trash just piled up in the streets as I've seen in Brussels in a big city anywhere in the world. Not even close.

That said, I'd go back in a heartbeat! The food, the beer, the architecture, the block-square flea market, so many other things. Every big city has its drawbacks. The trash though...I don't get that.

 

Ha, that sounds like it was trash collection day. Yep, we just put our bags on the street. I didn't think about how that would look if you just show up in town and see bags piled up by the curb. But miraculously we don't have animal/pest problems, and in fact pickup is twice a week and it works surprisingly well, with less mess left behind than I remember in DC. Or if you meant at the market, it gets swept up a few hours after business winds down. I can certainly think of cities with more illegal dumping... Rest assured, that bit of chaos is organized. You don't need me to chime in twice on this thread but I wouldn't want a visitor to be put off.

 

Arrived in Brussels today. It's rough around the edges (especially coming out of the Eurostar station) but I often find that the places that are like that have the most character. I'll report back in a few days if I'm still alive...

 

fuck, you guys...
serious...
like you've never stepped out of your apartments before.

 

Just got back from 5 days in Brussels. Saw some dirt, some garbage, two arrests. But far less of each than I used to see in the area of London I used to live in. I can understand some people not liking cities, and if so, Brussels may not be for you. I have always been more a city dweller though so Brussels really appealed to me. Stunning architecture, fantastically multi-cultural, friendly people (for the most part) and of course, the best beer experiences of my life. What's not to love?

On my next visit, I hope to visit some more rural parts of Belgium too (only managed Brussels and Bruges this time) but Brussels will always be on my list of favourite cities to visit.

 

Waaaay more beggars in Brussels than Brugge. At least that was true yesterday.

 

Central Bruges isn't exactly a real city -- no offense to a great place, and I might mean that as a compliment -- but it's a bit like comparing, say, Boston to Mayberry. (Just to avoid dating myself, I insist that I've only ever seen that in very old reruns.) The observation is valid, of course.

Like most non-museum-piece cities of auld Yerp, Brussels has its fair share of property crime and the like. (Note: if you see/hear something unusual or disruptive in a station, on a bus, on a tram, around the touristy parts of town, be on guardfor it to be a pickpocket's diversionary tactic. Don't live paranoid but be aware. And look down for dog crap wherever you walk.) I wish we had it better on general street cleanliness and especially graffiti. Another element of that ambivalence/hostility mentioned above is that the surrounding regions aren't invested in Brussels as a whole -- other than some pet projects like regional-affiliated cultural centers, most of the city is someone else's problem. The federal government has less and less of a role as power has devolved to the regions. And the overall city (the 19 communes, not just historic, central Bruxelles/Brussel) has little overarching authority. There's no one mayor to make the whole thing work. It's a bit sad, but then, residents are attached to their districts and not eager to shares each other's problems. All that makes it hard to do things like spruce up around the city's "welcoming" areas, especially south station, where Anderlecht abuts Brussels commune.

Alright, I've over-"contributed" to this tread, someone else take the last word/s...

 

Thanks for this insight, in particular the bit about how city government (or lack of it) is organized. It helps me a past visitor sort out and make sense of a few of the things I encountered there during a stay long enough to get out and wander about.

As for the surrounding regions not being invested in the city, that's actually pretty common lots of cities in my experience.

Big cities each have their own flavor and I personally didn't find wandering about central Bruxelles to be more threatening that many of the other cities I've had the opportunity to visit.

 

I've been there many times and never felt threatened or uncomfortable. Great city to explore.

 

Yep. But I also must confess, that its the only city I've ever wandered about in where I got lost enough that I had to hail a cab to get back to my hotel. That particular walk about offered so much richness in things to see, etc. that my "inertial guidance" system was totally disoriented.... Even in London I've not gotten so astray.

 

Odd, I actually found it to be one of the easier cities to navigate. We got lost once looking for clothes stores in Anspach.

 

It was only on one on-foot excursion following some routes outside of the central district and I wasn't actually paying close enough attention to the landmarks (and didn't carry a map as back up). Most of my rambles were similar to your description...