FarthestEdge Posted February 6, 2009 Posted February 6, 2009 I saw an article the other day on Tourist Traps that ARE worth it (the line-ups, the overpriced entry, the cliche pictures). So I am wondering. What "tourist trap" have you seen, that was actually worth the hype? I think for me, the Louvre tops the list. I could spend a week in there and not get bored. Maybe I don't go to museums often enough, but it was just amazing and peaceful to walk around that historic building with my headphones on, listening to the history behind the works that interested me, and the critique and deconstruction offered in the audio..(LOVE those headphones- SO totally worth the 5 Euros to rent) Also- what has been your biggest letdown? I mean what site/museum/city were you so totally pumped about going to, but once there found yourself completely disappointed? I was really letdown by the plantations of New Orleans. Not so much the buildings themselves, but the fact that they were sitting in the middle of barren oil fields. I didn't expect that. Even Oak Alley (named for the Oak trees lining the drive) was barren except for the aforementioned trees. It was just so hard to enjoy the buildings and the grounds and let myself be taken back in time, when all around the properties was this massive industrial equipment...
hers Posted February 6, 2009 Posted February 6, 2009 Times Square in NYC. It was cool seeing all the lights and stuff, but really it's nothing but crowds and garbage. I love NYC though. Favorite place ever. I just don't go to Times Square.
pace of ace Posted February 6, 2009 Posted February 6, 2009 Favorite toursit trap - The Great Wall of China and the Taj Mahal lived up to all the hype for me. I'll never forget either for as long as i live. Truly jaw dropping. Biggest letdown - Hollywood. Was just really bored there. LOL.
hers Posted February 6, 2009 Posted February 6, 2009 Oh I listed the let down but not my favorite. Central Park in nyc is really beautiful. They really put a lot of effort into keeping it clean & pretty. Another thing I liked doing was snorkeling in Cozumel, Mexico. It was just gorgeous.
Scorpion Fury Posted February 6, 2009 Posted February 6, 2009 Favorite toursit trap - The Great Wall of China and the Taj Mahal lived up to all the hype for me. I'll never forget either for as long as i live. Truly jaw dropping. Biggest letdown - Hollywood. Was just really bored there. LOL. A lot of people think Hollywood is just glitz and glamour because they think that's where all the movie stars hang out. I've been there tons of times. The reality is, most of it is pretty dirty and gross. Lots of crackheads and homeless people and prostitutes. I like the original Frederick's there because it's big, Roscoe's and a couple other places and that's about it.
Cognitive_Canine Posted February 6, 2009 Posted February 6, 2009 Best place to go was rockefeller center in NYC. It's one of my favourite places.
jettison Posted February 6, 2009 Posted February 6, 2009 Well, you can't call the Louvre a tourist trap. No one would ever refer to it as such. A Tourist Trap refers to a place where tourists would go and where most locals wouldn't dare to set foot in. It's a place that has no redeeming qualities. A wax museum, for example, is a tourist trap. In my City, Fisherman's Wharf is a tourist trap. As far as tourist's traps go, I guess that any place I've ever been where the gift store has been larger then the actual attraction itself I would consider a waste of my time.
Clementine orange Posted February 6, 2009 Posted February 6, 2009 Well, you can't call the Louvre a tourist trap. No one would ever refer to it as such. A Tourist Trap refers to a place where tourists would go and where most locals wouldn't dare to set foot in. It's a place that has no redeeming qualities. A wax museum, for example, is a tourist trap. In my City, Fisherman's Wharf is a tourist trap. As far as tourist's traps go, I guess that any place I've ever been where the gift store has been larger then the actual attraction itself I would consider a waste of my time. Or where the gift store IS the attraction. I've seen those too. What about Loch Ness - like where's the monster already!!!!!
FarthestEdge Posted February 6, 2009 Author Posted February 6, 2009 Well, you can't call the Louvre a tourist trap. No one would ever refer to it as such. A Tourist Trap refers to a place where tourists would go and where most locals wouldn't dare to set foot in. It's a place that has no redeeming qualities. A wax museum, for example, is a tourist trap. In my City, Fisherman's Wharf is a tourist trap. . I suppose- I was using the term in a general way- The "You Gotta Go" places. I have a friend who thinks Paris, as a whole, is a tourist trap. I disagree, but I digress.... If you disallow the Louvre, then I will say Versailles. You can't possibly deny that it's a tourist trap! Still, I have never seen so much opulence, on such an enormous scale. I have never been visually saturated before, but about 3/4 way through the tour, I stopped taking pictures, and practically stopped looking. I couldn't absorb anymore- the gilding, the frescoes, the marble, every direction you looked it was so much over the top. I can't imagine that anyone ever lived that way....
hers Posted February 6, 2009 Posted February 6, 2009 Someone told me she went to the Egyptian pyramids & it lost all of it's history b/c of the way they treat it--as just one big tourist trap with souvenir shops & fast food places within a football field of them. She said it was so disappointing.
Cognitive_Canine Posted February 6, 2009 Posted February 6, 2009 Salem village was a pretty big tourist trap. There was some really corny things like a cut out historical version of the trials complete with "animitronic" cows and people. It was ridiculous. I could have made a better model in my basement and we payed like 15 bucks a person! Some of the best touring is the bus tours I have taken in chicago and D.C. complete with tourguide and double decker bus. You can ride it first day and learn all the great places in the city to visit later in the trip.
FarthestEdge Posted February 6, 2009 Author Posted February 6, 2009 Someone told me she went to the Egyptian pyramids & it lost all of it's history b/c of the way they treat it--as just one big tourist trap with souvenir shops & fast food places within a football field of them. She said it was so disappointing. That totally disappoints me to hear. It's on my to do list in a HUGE way (well, not just the pyramids..Egypt as a whole...) I climbed a pyramid at Coba in Mexico. It was beautiful. It's still in the jungle and the site was only about 5% excavated, so when I got to the top of the pyramid, the view was just over the top of the jungle, with another pyramid top poking out. Breathtaking....
hers Posted February 6, 2009 Posted February 6, 2009 That totally disappoints me to hear. It's on my to do list in a HUGE way (well, not just the pyramids..Egypt as a whole...) I climbed a pyramid at Coba in Mexico. It was beautiful. It's still in the jungle and the site was only about 5% excavated, so when I got to the top of the pyramid, the view was just over the top of the jungle, with another pyramid top poking out. Breathtaking.... I climbed a pyramid in Progresso, Mexico, that was used for Mayan sacrifices. It was huge & so hard to climb but it was incredible. I looked it up on the website recently & saw you can no longer climb it so I was so glad I was able to do it when I was there a few years ago.
thejigsup Posted February 6, 2009 Posted February 6, 2009 NYC looked very dirty and old to me. Big letdown. Animal feces everywhere in Central Park, but it's been a few years, so maybe it's cleaner now. Best ever? HAWAII!!! Everything it is hyped to be and so, so, so, much more! My hometown of L.A. can be either. I agree about Hollywood, no one from out here ever goes there is they can help it. Total tourists. Try Griffith Park or the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (home of the Los Angeles Symphony, Wow! The La Brea Tar Pits and the Farmers Market are the best bets on the Westside.
Ixtapa Posted February 7, 2009 Posted February 7, 2009 Someone told me she went to the Egyptian pyramids & it lost all of it's history b/c of the way they treat it--as just one big tourist trap with souvenir shops & fast food places within a football field of them. She said it was so disappointing. Not sure what you are talking about. Just spent 3 months in Cairo and went to the Pyramids...didnt see fast food places or souvenir shops there ?! You will find people trying to sell you souvenirs, but not overwhelmingly so in my opinion. Weird. Anyway....I love Egypt
shikashika Posted February 8, 2009 Posted February 8, 2009 Someone told me she went to the Egyptian pyramids & it lost all of it's history b/c of the way they treat it--as just one big tourist trap with souvenir shops & fast food places within a football field of them. She said it was so disappointing. There is also a KFC about 200 meters away from the Sphynx!
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