City of Odessa

My husband and I visit Odessa frequently. His family lives there and our son did as well for a couple of years.
Odessa looks like a city that has given up. Like someone woke up one day and said «we have no hills or mountains, no bodies of water, nothing to set us apart from the other places… I know! Let’s make it the ugliest place in the world!»
Other than this there is nothing unique about Odessa. Most homes are going to seed. I’m not talking about homeowners having to let their place go due to lack of money. I’m saying people purposefully leave their garbage on their porch, have emaciated, abused looking dogs tethered to their yards by a short rope, etc. I can only imagine how frustrating it must be to have the occasional nicer home on the block.
99% of the restaurants are chain ones and the food in general is terrible. Good luck trying to find fresh vegetables to eat at one of these establishments.
There are ways to make a city look good, even if it’s built in the desert.
The one saving grace is that most people we have interacted with seem really nice. Not that you would know it by the way they all drive.