Anonymous
Post 01/07/2026 15:59     Subject: Where did you absolutely hate?
Anonymous wrote:I’ve had to travel to some pretty rough places for work and by far the worst of all was Kinshasa….it was probably the 10th major African city I’ve visited and where I felt the most uncomfortable for my safety, have seen the worst poverty and people including children disfigured from war, missing limbs, etc. This is just people we passed on the street. I know I’m just fortunate I’ve never been to Goma.

In terms of places I’ve gone intentionally—a few years after stopping all the work-related travel we went to Disneyworld with the kids…spending way too much money, sweating like pigs and just dreaming for it to be over….



I hated Disney. Crowded, queues everywhere. We actually went to some small amusement park outside, and got all the rides out of the kids' system lol
Anonymous
Post 01/07/2026 15:55     Subject: Where did you absolutely hate?
Anonymous wrote:I was bored by Amsterdam. It’s okay for a quick visit, but I wouldn’t go back.


The charm of Amsterdam for me was wondering by the canals night after night. The Dutch were not into window treatment LOL Then I'd stop by a bar away from tourists and drink with locals who brought their kids; and sing alone with them. Not sure how crowded are the canal areas now.
Anonymous
Post 01/06/2026 11:50     Subject: Where did you absolutely hate?
Anonymous wrote:Cancun. Hated it. Don’t understand the appeal at all.


If you're referring to just the Cancun hotel strip rather than Cancun city proper, yes it is a tourist zone mostly for Americans. There are some nice hotels there, and lovely beaches, and it's great to get out of the airport and be at a hotel in 15 minutes, but it lacks charm.

But the Riviera Maya zone if you get a bit further away from Cancun has some spectacular beaches, charming towns, Mayan ruins and great nature sites. It's a lovely area.
Anonymous
Post 01/06/2026 10:41     Subject: Re:Where did you absolutely hate?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:

Upstate New York. Buffalo, Albany, Rochester & Syracuse are all crime ridden dumps and the whole area is depressing. Ithaca minus Cornell's campus is in the middle of nowhere and a bunch of hippie spots that aren't worth visiting. The weather is horrible- grey, cold, depressing


Well, no one vacations there.


Adirondack or finger lakes not count?
Anonymous
Post 01/06/2026 09:28     Subject: Where did you absolutely hate?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I didn’t hate it, but San Antonio was pretty dull to me. The Riverwalk is pretty and takes about an hour and there is the Alamo, but not much else. I am glad my trip there was for work and not on my own dime.


Completely agree. Went once with my spouse for his work trip, since it was over our anniversary and thought we could have a nice time away. Riverwalk was frankly a disappointment, and the Alamo was just ok. We know people who have retired there, and I don't understand the appeal.


Well if you go to a city and spend your time exclusively at the two main tourist attractions, yeah, it is likely to be disappointing. We went over Christmas last year and really enjoyed the winter weather, the huge old oak tree at the Alamo, the delicious Mexican food, and 6 Flags Fiesta. If I had more time I would have explored the Hill Country, tried more restaurants, and done a long bike ride along the extended Riverwalk to see the Missions.


Well, we were only there for a few days on his work schedule, so our ability to get out and about beyond the tourist areas was limited. But even then, 6 Flags would never be a reason to visit a place. We did get to a few restaurants, which were meh - their version of Mexican (Tex-Mex?) wasn't fantastic. The landscape was bleak. Overall it was just a disappointing experience, especially after hearing a lot of nice things about San Antonio.


I was also underwhelmed by San Antonio. We were only there for a couple days and restricted to the downtown area. Maybe my assessment isn’t fair, but I expected more.

I thought the food would be better too. For being so close to the border, having a large Mexican immigrant population, I had high hopes. Tex-Mex we had was pretty standard fare and nothing we couldn’t get at home.
Anonymous
Post 01/06/2026 00:54     Subject: Where did you absolutely hate?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I didn’t hate it, but San Antonio was pretty dull to me. The Riverwalk is pretty and takes about an hour and there is the Alamo, but not much else. I am glad my trip there was for work and not on my own dime.


Completely agree. Went once with my spouse for his work trip, since it was over our anniversary and thought we could have a nice time away. Riverwalk was frankly a disappointment, and the Alamo was just ok. We know people who have retired there, and I don't understand the appeal.


Well if you go to a city and spend your time exclusively at the two main tourist attractions, yeah, it is likely to be disappointing. We went over Christmas last year and really enjoyed the winter weather, the huge old oak tree at the Alamo, the delicious Mexican food, and 6 Flags Fiesta. If I had more time I would have explored the Hill Country, tried more restaurants, and done a long bike ride along the extended Riverwalk to see the Missions.


Well, we were only there for a few days on his work schedule, so our ability to get out and about beyond the tourist areas was limited. But even then, 6 Flags would never be a reason to visit a place. We did get to a few restaurants, which were meh - their version of Mexican (Tex-Mex?) wasn't fantastic. The landscape was bleak. Overall it was just a disappointing experience, especially after hearing a lot of nice things about San Antonio.
Anonymous
Post 01/05/2026 21:14     Subject: Where did you absolutely hate?
Anonymous wrote:I’ve had to travel to some pretty rough places for work and by far the worst of all was Kinshasa….it was probably the 10th major African city I’ve visited and where I felt the most uncomfortable for my safety, have seen the worst poverty and people including children disfigured from war, missing limbs, etc. This is just people we passed on the street. I know I’m just fortunate I’ve never been to Goma.

In terms of places I’ve gone intentionally—a few years after stopping all the work-related travel we went to Disneyworld with the kids…spending way too much money, sweating like pigs and just dreaming for it to be over….



A friend of mine who was in the foreign service said her time in the DRC was by far the worst of her career.
Anonymous
Post 01/05/2026 19:35     Subject: Where did you absolutely hate?
Many parts of Italy. So dirty
Anonymous
Post 01/05/2026 19:21     Subject: Where did you absolutely hate?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OBX is a tourist trap.


+1

OBX is terrible for so many reasons. Terrible.


Agree. I don’t get the appeal at all.


I hate the shops and the restaurants and most of the housing at OBX, but when the conditions are right, the beach is so lovely. And we’ve had a few truly adorable rentals in nice, calm neighborhoods. So if you like the beach and just hanging around in your beach house, it can be wonderful.
Anonymous
Post 01/05/2026 18:52     Subject: Where did you absolutely hate?
I’ve had to travel to some pretty rough places for work and by far the worst of all was Kinshasa….it was probably the 10th major African city I’ve visited and where I felt the most uncomfortable for my safety, have seen the worst poverty and people including children disfigured from war, missing limbs, etc. This is just people we passed on the street. I know I’m just fortunate I’ve never been to Goma.

In terms of places I’ve gone intentionally—a few years after stopping all the work-related travel we went to Disneyworld with the kids…spending way too much money, sweating like pigs and just dreaming for it to be over….

Anonymous
Post 01/05/2026 18:32     Subject: Where did you absolutely hate?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OBX is a tourist trap.


+1

OBX is terrible for so many reasons. Terrible.


Agree. I don’t get the appeal at all.
Anonymous
Post 01/05/2026 18:29     Subject: Where did you absolutely hate?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I didn't like New Orleans. Had a creepy strange vibe. Very unwelcoming.


I loved New Orleans. There was a communal spirit of friendliness there. Where were you that felt creepy?


The parade routes and the French Quarter during Mardi Gras.
Anonymous
Post 01/05/2026 18:25     Subject: Re:Where did you absolutely hate?
Anonymous wrote:

Upstate New York. Buffalo, Albany, Rochester & Syracuse are all crime ridden dumps and the whole area is depressing. Ithaca minus Cornell's campus is in the middle of nowhere and a bunch of hippie spots that aren't worth visiting. The weather is horrible- grey, cold, depressing


Well, no one vacations there.
Anonymous
Post 01/05/2026 18:25     Subject: Re:Where did you absolutely hate?
NYC
It was dirty and cramped and yucky.
Anonymous
Post 01/05/2026 18:23     Subject: Where did you absolutely hate?
Cancun. Hated it. Don’t understand the appeal at all.