Neighborhoods in U.S. Cities the French Government Warns Its Traveling Citizens to Avoid

Just as [the] State [Department] warns Americans about dangerous places to travel, so too do foreign ministries in other countries — and some countries warn their citizens to avoid heading to certain cities in the U.S. France, in particular, warns travelers to be careful in a large number of specific cities.

The Washington Post has a list of 16 cities in the U.S. that France warns their citizens about, with reasons or advice to stay vigilant. The advice is generally to keep an eye out on your pocketbooks when in high-tourist areas like Times Square in New York, but it’s also about avoiding areas like Harlem in NYC, Anacostia in Washington D.C., the West Side of Chicago, and Inglewood in Los Angeles (see a trend here?).

The Wash Post story failed to note that the warning to French tourists on the site says that French people shouldn’t use credit cards in the U.S. because of credit card fraud, and that “police violence driven by racial considerations are sometimes reported.” [Thanks to Jon C. for the pointer.]

Support The Billfold

The Billfold continues to exist thanks to support from our readers. Help us continue to do our work by making a monthly pledge on Patreon or a one-time-only contribution through PayPal.