BootsnAll Travel Community

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Originally posted by Not the First Continental Op:

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Originally posted by Lastfullmeasure:
My vote for the worst US city: Portland, Oregon.

Oh Jebus. You've really stirred the shit now.

I suspect that may have been the point.

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Originally posted by jv:
I suspect that may have been the point.

I was thinking the same thing when I read it. Portland? Goodtimes, goodtimes...eh?

Anyway, most overrated place I've ever been...errrr.....I dunno. Oh! Good God, Costa del Sol. Yeesh. (Although I don't know if anyone rates it highly.)

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Originally posted by jv:
I suspect that may have been the point.

Aaahhhhhh...didn't check out the poster's profile before hand. Sigh.

Anywho, back on topic...

The most overrated place in the world is clearly Jerusalem.

2500 years of fighting over a set of large rocks built atop a somewhat larger rock strategically placed just 35 kilometers away from the earth's lowest body of water with views of brown, beige, and olive green from every hill crest? Oh, and all the river beds are dry. Not exactly prime real estate, people. I mean...come on. Put a Lowe's there and it could be Westminster, Colorado. And yet here we are, nearly a decade into the 21st century, and I'm still reading about it in Foreign Policy magazine.

Yahweh, it seems, has a Yiddish sense of humor.

I hate to say it, but Paris was a huge disappointment & highly overrated. I wanted to love Paris and I came with high expectations fed to me by family & friends, but I left with a very empty feeling. It seemed like just another big city with some cool monuments.

I do plan on returning to Paris one day - hopefully I will feel differently the 2nd time around.

Jen

Jen, it's just the expectations that will sink it every time. Go back and just enjoy whatever comes your way.

Jen, I am with you on this.

Most big cities end up being Big Cities. I think this of London and Paris and New York.....Many others, but those are the BIG BOYS.

I have, before, talked about how I think one of the three I mentioned is VASTLY overrated. I hold to that, on the whole. I also hold to Bratislava being the dullest capital I have ever seen.

However

I have started, only recently, to compartmentalize, and then find the joy in these places....Turn the big city into a neighbourhood, a small town in that big place. The core will always be a business place...But look at say The Bronx....and their weird camaraderie, or Greenwich and the friendliness there. Or Montparnasse and the fervid discourse you can find there.

The big cities have their downside...but the neighbourhoods have their up

I'm also with you! In Brooklyn I got to know te Korean grocer on the corner...and the tiny little cafes with terrific food and great bartenders. In Bangkok I know every nick and corner of Sukhumvit 22. The vendors all know me and smile and nod while I pass by. Hadn't been here for 2 years and when I went into the local sushi shop the waiter rushed to hug me. It all depends on what you are looking for. If you are looking for splash or to interact with the people and get to know them. Which of course gives you a feel for the character of a place. And they are the ones to tell you what to see and where to go.
Same for a place like LA where I lived for a couple years. If you just drive through there you aren't going to see much of anything. Got to look deeper which of course takes more than whipping through 6 countries in a month. Unless you are just looking for a party. Or as my husband says, "looking to explore the genitalia of the opposite (or same) sex!"

Piecar, you're so right. I plan on enjoying a smaller slice of Paris the next time around. Being my first time there, my friend thought we should hit all the biggies right away, and I didn't get a chance to savor the little gems tucked away in the city.

But I have to say, even though the city itself was overrated, the nicest part of Paris were the people - I met some genuinely nice Parisians, and the myths my grandfather told me were put to rest. (Just thinking about this lessons that empty feeling I had)

Jen

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I also hold to Bratislava being the dullest capital I have ever seen.

Mh. Nah, my vote here goes to Astana, Kazakhstan. Islamabad isn't very cool either (but, luckily it has a twin city which is great).

Machu Picchu

Nice stone constructions but the millions of tourists and high cost ruined it for me

I am currently living in Durango, CO and love it. But a few weeks ago, decided to drive up to Telluride to see what the hoopla is about. I hated it. I felt like I was on a Hollywood movie set and the building facades were all props. I saw some glitzy people in their BMWs and the token lost 'trustafarians' with their 6 month old dreadlocks. But no normal people except for us tourists. I had heard that a shack in downtown will sell for over a million. All I can say is "why??"