Hunglish.orgThoughts and meanderings centered on Budapest's 8th district, a.k.a. Jozsefváros, a.k.a. Nyócker. It's a bit of the most dangerous area of Hungary combined with Mayberry RFD. Except with more prostitutes...
Budapest’s 8th district, a.k.a. Jozsefváros, isn’t on a lot of tourist maps. It is a former gypsy (Roma) ghetto and is reputed to be one of Budapest worst neighborhoods. Perhaps the worst.
This means in turn the 8th district is perhaps the worst neighborhood in all of Hungary. The odd thing is that, by American standards, Budapest’s district VIII is like Mayberry RFD.
OK, so instead of Otis the drunk you have, say, Olah the drunk.
And perhaps Mayberry doesnt have so many hookers. But the hookers in Budapest are mostly harmless. They employ very low-pressure tactics and don’t force their wares on anyone. (Thank God.) Hiring one could be hazardous to one’s health, however.
In general, though, I would say that Jozsefváros is no more dangerous than a small- to
medium-sized town in the US. This means you could get stomped if you were to anger the wrong steroid-addled thug, but it could happen anywhere.
Most inner cities in the US are no-go areas in broad daylight, let alone after dark.
Ironically, the area around Blaha Lujza square is well-trafficked and -patrolled and therefore is probably one of the safest areas on a weekend night due to the bars and clubs (i.e. Vittula, Corvin tető) in the area.
Besides the bars and hookers, the nyolcadik kerület offers other entertainment possibilities not found in Mayberry. For example, there are peep shows for 100 forints. With the cost of taking a family of four to the movies nowadays, who can beat that price?