Have you ever been under- whelmed by a place that is great ,mine was Paris .How about you.

[Mary229]

Often we have been told we missed "the best, must see site". So we go back and yes, it is alright but it is not my interest.   I prefer American archeological sites to anything in Europe.  Why?  because I have deeper knowledge and more interest.   Just like food, I am not interested in eating my way through my vacation but I travel with siblings who absolutely adore culinary tours.  Whatever floats your boat

[whogo]

If I did not come away awed by London, Paris, or Rome I would blame myself.

[dolittle]

5 hours ago, whogo said:

If I did not come away awed by London, Paris, or Rome I would blame myself.

I was awed Rome and London .

[leavesofapple]

This discussion is really interesting. 
 

Someone mentioned Dubai for ex. My impression is quite different. So much to do!  Shopping, sure. But also the informative Dubai Museum, the beautiful Dubai Fountains, dhow boat cruises, the Miracle Garden and much more. 
 

In general, do you think your negative impression of a place could be influenced by things like bad weather, beeing overcharged for a cup of coffee, huge crowds or other negative experiences?

 

Sorry for any strange spelling. My phone tries to autocorrect everything into swedish. 

[Aquahound]

On 10/23/2020 at 12:45 PM, LocoLoco1 said:

I was referring to WHY San Francisco has lost it’s allure and descended into a mess. 1 Word: Dope. I Stepped over syringes in the Garribaldi Square area recently. I’m gone. 

 

Seattle has become the same way.  It' so unfortunate because it used to be such a beautiful city.  

[Joebucks]

Miami, especially South Beach. I don't hate it, but it's not what it was hyped up to be. Lots of overinflated egos, overpriced food, and trash.

[ilikeanswers]

5 hours ago, leavesofapple said:

In general, do you think your negative impression of a place could be influenced by things like bad weather, beeing overcharged for a cup of coffee, huge crowds or other negative experiences?

 

For me it is never one thing. In Barcelona I got ripped off in one place but that didn't make me not enjoy the rest of our time there. Plitvice Lakes was horribly crowded in the afternoon but I still think it is an amazing place. I mentioned Bled in my disappointing places before and feeling ripped off at the castle was more the straw that broke the camels back. Overall I didn't enjoy the visit because it just wasn't a type of place I particularly enjoy. I think it is the same for me with NYC. Nothing bad happened everything we wanted to do worked out and there were certain parts of the city I really did enjoy but overall I didn't enjoy my visit as much as I enjoyed visiting Sarajevo or Madrid. We all have our personal tastes and a destination is going to be in line with that or its not. 

[grozzy1]

I found Waikiki Beach underwhelming. Probably because we're spoilt for beaches in Australia, but it's just a narrow strip of sand with hardly any surf.

[Mary229]

2 hours ago, grozzy1 said:

I found Waikiki Beach underwhelming. Probably because we're spoilt for beaches in Australia, but it's just a narrow strip of sand with hardly any surf.

I have never been to Hawaii and probably will never unless dragged.  That is my impression from the nature videos and friends’ reports.   I much prefer the beaches in the Caribbean 

[ilikeanswers]

2 hours ago, grozzy1 said:

I found Waikiki Beach underwhelming. Probably because we're spoilt for beaches in Australia, but it's just a narrow strip of sand with hardly any surf.

 

I found Waikiki Beach disappointing too. There are much nicer beaches in other parts of Hawaii. For me the best one was Papohaku Beach in Molokai.

[Markanddonna]

I agree that Paris was underwhelming. I've seen so many great churches and cathedrals throughout Europe, so even Notre Dame was not that special to me. I almost tripped over a homeless person sprawled on the sidewalk.  The Eiffel Tower had smoke bombs going off with protestors. The Seine was just a river with lots of wooden shacks blocking the view.  The weather was perfect, so it should have been quite spectacular.  The people were not rude, so I think my feeling was valid.

 

Love London and Rome. Poland was the biggest surprise of a wonderful country. I was expecting WWII greyness.  The cities are beautiful, the people lovely and sophisticated, and the country is a great travel value.

 

I also agree that the Caribbean and Mexico all blur together. Nice if you want to lay out on the beach.

[Nebr.cruiser]

I've loved most places we have visited but some, I think, are so overly-hyped that people have unrealistic expectations.

 

Being from a very rural area, I really do not like cities unless very iconic,  due to historical or scenic sights.  Just being in a city to experience city vibes--not for me.  On our last trip to New York City (for a transatlantic cruise) we arrived at our hotel in downtown about 2 o'clock and left the hotel for the dock about 9 the next day.

 

This was the perfect amount of time in NY for me! (we had been there previously and saw most of the 'sights').  Our hotel was a block from the Brooklyn Bridge, we walked to Wall Street and the 9-11 memorial,   a  historic church and  then had a just fine meal at a little place across from the hotel.  Was glad to leave the next morning

 

We greatly enjoyed Rome, Amsterdam, Istanbul, Athens, Egypt--most on day trips or 3-4 days, as well as longer trips.  I have to agree about Honolulu, but if you get off of Oahu you will enjoy Hawaii much more.

 

For some reason I just haven't been that interested in seeing Paris, altlhough we will sometime.  I really want to see Venice, but am scared of the crowds.  Mostly, I prefer the countryside and off the beaten path in any country.  Heck, I don't even like going to Omaha!  (Which is actually quite a nice city with a lot of sights and possibly the best zoo in the world.)

[capriccio]

On 10/21/2020 at 7:32 AM, John Bull said:

 

- and perhaps not world-renown, but the Blue Ridge Parkway thro' Virginia etc. Drove it one time in early spring - brilliant, mile after mile after mile of panoramic views both sides. Automatically repeated it a few years back - but in high summer, so the same problem as the Garden Route. Poor research 

C'est la Vie

 

JB 

 

JB - next time visit the Blue Ridge Parkway and/or Shenandoah National Park in mid-October.  The fall leaf color is lovely!

[capriccio]

On 10/23/2020 at 9:48 PM, navybankerteacher said:

Can you eat anything else than Brussels sprouts while drinking that Belgian beer?

 

Moules (mussels) and frites (fries).  Chocolate for dessert. 

Edited October 27, 2020 by capriccio

[John Bull]

7 hours ago, capriccio said:

 

JB - next time visit the Blue Ridge Parkway and/or Shenandoah National Park in mid-October.  The fall leaf color is lovely!

 

Thanks for that Capriccio.

But what about a little later?  Will trees along the road  at / near the top of the ridge have shed their leaves ?

It  was trees in full leaf that blocked the panoramic views 

 

JB 

PS - Belgian fries are great. But then they smother them with mayo. 

Edited October 27, 2020 by John Bull

[navybankerteacher]

8 hours ago, capriccio said:

 

Moules (mussels) and frites (fries).  Chocolate for dessert. 

Not so sure about the moules,  but chocolate goes without saying.

[navybankerteacher]

57 minutes ago, John Bull said:

 

Thanks for that Capriccio.

But what about a little later?  Will trees along the road  at / near the top of the ridge have shed their leaves ?

It  was trees in full leaf that blocked the panoramic views 

 

JB 

PS - Belgian fries are great. But then they smother them with mayo. 

The problem with autumn leaf peeking is the timing — prime color at any one area in the Northeast US can vary by six weeks or so depending upon how dry the Summer/early Fall has been and how early and hard the first frost is.

 

One thing people do not think about is the amazing early Spring palettes offered by North American hardwood forests. A mid-April to mid-May trip along the Blue Ridge Parkway can eclipse anything in the Autumn - especially with the meadows full of wildflower blossoms.

[sparks1093]

3 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

The problem with autumn leaf peeking is the timing — prime color at any one area in the Northeast US can vary by six weeks or so depending upon how dry the Summer/early Fall has been and how early and hard the first frost is.

 

 

Very true, and sometimes it doesn't last very long. One week the hill behind our house was awash with color, the next the trees were bare.

Edited October 27, 2020 by sparks1093

[capriccio]

2 hours ago, John Bull said:

 

But what about a little later?  Will trees along the road  at / near the top of the ridge have shed their leaves ?

It  was trees in full leaf that blocked the panoramic views 

 

Generally  the higher, cooler elevations color and then shed first while the leaves at the lower elevations start later and hold on longer making the panoramas from the ridge tops beautiful.  Additionally when the coloring starts depends upon the type of tree.

 

As far as timing, it obviously varies each year but right around mid October is usually peak in the northern Shenandoah Valley.  It may be slightly later as you drive south.

 

Here's a picture from a week ago of Massanutten Mountain (first Alleghany mountain ridge to the west of the Blue Ridge).  The oaks were just starting to turn yellow.

 

[capriccio]

2 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

One thing people do not think about is the amazing early Spring palettes offered by North American hardwood forests. A mid-April to mid-May trip along the Blue Ridge Parkway can eclipse anything in the Autumn - especially with the meadows full of wildflower blossoms.

 

I agree.  My absolute favorite is the sequence of blooming trees (redbuds followed by dogwoods) and then blankets of bluebell flowers in the woods.  Those are the signs that spring is here even if the temperatures might not necessarily reflect that.  It makes my heart happy.

[dolittle]

22 hours ago, Markanddonna said:

I agree that Paris was underwhelming. I've seen so many great churches and cathedrals throughout Europe, so even Notre Dame was not that special to me. I almost tripped over a homeless person sprawled on the sidewalk.  The Eiffel Tower had smoke bombs going off with protestors. The Seine was just a river with lots of wooden shacks blocking the view.  The weather was perfect, so it should have been quite spectacular.  The people were not rude, so I think my feeling was valid.

 

Love London and Rome. Poland was the biggest surprise of a wonderful country. I was expecting WWII greyness.  The cities are beautiful, the people lovely and sophisticated, and the country is a great travel value.

 

I also agree that the Caribbean and Mexico all blur together. Nice if you want to lay out on the beach.

Agree on Notre Dame it was the end of a long day but did not do much for me .It maybe unfair but the Vatican Or Saint Paul's (London) are so much better.

[Hlitner]

When DW's long time hairdresser went to Paris for his first visit he told us he did not like Paris because "everything is so old."  After a lifetime of extensive travel we have found that some cities that disappointed on our first visit later became among our favorites once we truly go to know the place.  One such city was Florence which we first visited over thirty years ago on a typical one day cruise excursion from Livorno.  A few years later, during an extended driving trip in Italy we went back to Florence for a few days and fell in love with the city.  As to Paris, DW considers it her favorite city in the world and we have been to over 130 countries and numerous cities.  But where we stay and go in Paris is not where most tourists go on their first or even second visit.  

 

We also can think of some cities that used to be among our favorites but is now very low on our list.  San Francisco falls into this category as that city has driven us away because of their homeless problem.   Seattle is also quickly putting itself on our "avoid" list because of similar issues.  Another city that has fallen far down our list is Arles, France.  It no longer feels like the France we know and love and we actually suggest that travelers avoid Arles.  

 

Hank

[navybankerteacher]

20 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

When DW's long time hairdresser went to Paris for his first visit he told us he did not like Paris because "everything is so old."  After a lifetime of extensive travel we have found that some cities that disappointed on our first visit later became among our favorites once we truly go to know the place.  One such city was Florence which we first visited over thirty years ago on a typical one day cruise excursion from Livorno.  A few years later, during an extended driving trip in Italy we went back to Florence for a few days and fell in love with the city.  As to Paris, DW considers it her favorite city in the world and we have been to over 130 countries and numerous cities.  But where we stay and go in Paris is not where most tourists go on their first or even second visit.  

 

We also can think of some cities that used to be among our favorites but is now very low on our list.  San Francisco falls into this category as that city has driven us away because of their homeless problem.   Seattle is also quickly putting itself on our "avoid" list because of similar issues.  Another city that has fallen far down our list is Arles, France.  It no longer feels like the France we know and love and we actually suggest that travelers avoid Arles.  

 

Hank

Agreed - it is tragic what irresponsible local governments have done to once-wonderful cities in the presence of being “progressive”.  Allowing accumulations of homeless drifters to reach critical masses serves neither the long term residents nor the homeless.

[SelectSys]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

One such city was Florence which we first visited over thirty years ago on a typical one day cruise excursion from Livorno.

 

That is why I never try and draw too many conclusions from port visits - not that Florence is a cruise port.

 

Edited October 27, 2020 by SelectSys

[navybankerteacher]

16 hours ago, SelectSys said:

 

That is why I never try and draw too many conclusions from port visits - not that Florence is a cruise port.

 

Drawing any conclusion from a port visit is chancy:  if there is little to see, you will see little - if there is a lot to see, you will be among a lot of others trying to see it —- and it is likely that the more there is to see, the more you will feel frustrated by not being able to see it all in the few hours available.   

 

That is why, for example, I would suggest that a first timer getting off the ship in Livorno should go to Lucca - which can be fairly experienced in the time available - than spend more travel time and come back frustrated  by a mobbed, too-faint taste of Florence.