Anonymous wrote:Costa Rica. Its not as safe as it use to be now. I heard a lot of people are now opting out of Costa Rica and instead traveling to El Salvador.

Most of the new tourists coming back to El Salvador are really just natives of the country. Its only because the insane crackdown of gangs there that made the country safer and easy to travel through. I enjoyed ES but I am not sure if its equally the same as Costa Rica.

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Anonymous wrote:Can’t say I hated it, we enjoyed Prague, but the crowds were exhausting. It was like being in Disney. I also got a Prague card, thinking it would save me from standing in the long ticket line. Well, guess what? I had to stand in the equally long line to convert Prague ticket to a paper Prague castle ticket.

I just read Dan Brown’s “Secret of Secrets,” which is based in Prague. Not my favorite Dan Brown book, but his descriptions of Prague were captivating.

Added to the will read list. I've been to Prague twice - 1998 and again in 2017 and enjoyed it both times. There are pretty large crowds, but didn't find them overwhelming. 2nd time we were there with my kids who were 9 and 11. They got a bit bored on some of the walking tours that we did, but overall it wasn't bad. Someone said Vienna - was only there for a short time during my last Prague visit and I thought it was ok. We walked around a bit and went to the Hapsburg Palace (Hofburg) which I thought was interesting. Kids were most excited since we stayed a Marriott hotel which was the only chain place we stayed during the trip - ahh, to have USB chargers and a Sports Bar that served hamburgers!

I'm trying to think if I've been to place that I've absolutely hated and can't say that I have. I will say though that the last time I was in Ocean City Maryland, I thought that is was getting pretty played out. I went there every year as a kid growing up and loved it. Went back a few times as an adult and each time, the luster was just less and less.

I also went to OC every year as a kid. I haven’t been there in a couple years, but it’s very nostalgic for me whenever I return. I can only do a night or two there- used to go for a week when I was a kid, and loved it.

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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

That’s a pretty big swath of state you covered there. I have family up that way and while I agree it’s not an action packed vacation destination, upstate NY actually has a lot going for it for summer visits. Lakes, breweries, caverns, museums, Native American sites, etc. And great hiking.

Hated Vegas. Probably would have enjoyed it in its Rat Pack/Elvis heyday, but it really just struck me as trashy and sad. And stupid expensive.The worst America has to offer. Can’t see the appeal at all.

At least Atlantic City has 150+ years of history - you can imagine what it was like in its glory days by touring some of the older hotels and boarding houses.

I’ve heard Vegas is a nice enough place to live and wouldn’t be opposed to visiting any friends that move there but will not be returning as a tourist.

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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.

You went to the wrong restaurants! And if you have a kid who likes roller coasters 6 Flags Fiesta over then winter is amazing. But moreover I think we are talking about travel v tourism. I can find any place interesting as long as I have a comfortable place to sleep and the weather is decent enough for walking.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can’t say I hated it, we enjoyed Prague, but the crowds were exhausting. It was like being in Disney. I also got a Prague card, thinking it would save me from standing in the long ticket line. Well, guess what? I had to stand in the equally long line to convert Prague ticket to a paper Prague castle ticket.

I just read Dan Brown’s “Secret of Secrets,” which is based in Prague. Not my favorite Dan Brown book, but his descriptions of Prague were captivating.

Added to the will read list. I've been to Prague twice - 1998 and again in 2017 and enjoyed it both times. There are pretty large crowds, but didn't find them overwhelming. 2nd time we were there with my kids who were 9 and 11. They got a bit bored on some of the walking tours that we did, but overall it wasn't bad. Someone said Vienna - was only there for a short time during my last Prague visit and I thought it was ok. We walked around a bit and went to the Hapsburg Palace (Hofburg) which I thought was interesting. Kids were most excited since we stayed a Marriott hotel which was the only chain place we stayed during the trip - ahh, to have USB chargers and a Sports Bar that served hamburgers!

I'm trying to think if I've been to place that I've absolutely hated and can't say that I have. I will say though that the last time I was in Ocean City Maryland, I thought that is was getting pretty played out. I went there every year as a kid growing up and loved it. Went back a few times as an adult and each time, the luster was just less and less.

Anonymous wrote:Many parts of Italy. So dirty

Also lots of pickpocketing and property crime. I realize this is a reality of a lot of places, but it's especially bad in Italy.

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Anonymous wrote:I didn't love New Orleans. Have been a few times and it was hot and trashy.

Virginia Beach was REALLY boring.

Have had some awful vacations in the Poconos (along with some okay ones)

Belize City was filthy and scary, though that was a while ago so it may be better now.

Unlike everyone else, I have some affection for Vegas. Had a fun girls weekend there seeing Cirque de Soleil, lounging in a pool, and going on a fantastic hike in Red Rocks. None of us gambled beyond $20 in the slot machines. I think it's a decent place for a 2 day getaway if you set your expectations right.

I love New Orleans, but can definitely see why it’s not for everyone.

I didn’t like VA Beach at all. We probably stayed in the wrong part- main tourist strip by boardwalk. As some would say, it was “lit” at night. Too lit for me.

VA Beach is an acquired taste. Living in Richmond, it's super easy to get there. The main drag along the boardwalk is definitely fits the typical beach tourist description. If you head north, there are some nice hotel options - the Cavalier is really great. If we are going, we'd rather drive a bit longer and go to Sandbridge which is pretty much all houses with a couple of condo complexes. Can still do some of the VA Beach boardwalk stuff if you want to drive up for the day.

Anonymous wrote:I didn't love New Orleans. Have been a few times and it was hot and trashy.

Virginia Beach was REALLY boring.

Have had some awful vacations in the Poconos (along with some okay ones)

Belize City was filthy and scary, though that was a while ago so it may be better now.

Unlike everyone else, I have some affection for Vegas. Had a fun girls weekend there seeing Cirque de Soleil, lounging in a pool, and going on a fantastic hike in Red Rocks. None of us gambled beyond $20 in the slot machines. I think it's a decent place for a 2 day getaway if you set your expectations right.

I love New Orleans, but can definitely see why it’s not for everyone.

I didn’t like VA Beach at all. We probably stayed in the wrong part- main tourist strip by boardwalk. As some would say, it was “lit” at night. Too lit for me.

I didn't love New Orleans. Have been a few times and it was hot and trashy.

Virginia Beach was REALLY boring.

Have had some awful vacations in the Poconos (along with some okay ones)

Belize City was filthy and scary, though that was a while ago so it may be better now.

Unlike everyone else, I have some affection for Vegas. Had a fun girls weekend there seeing Cirque de Soleil, lounging in a pool, and going on a fantastic hike in Red Rocks. None of us gambled beyond $20 in the slot machines. I think it's a decent place for a 2 day getaway if you set your expectations right.

Yeah, I'm a little puzzled by the dislike of Helsinki. It's a place I've rather enjoyed. Been there twice, but not recently (1993 and 2000).

It's always seemed to me a place where there's a cool party going on that I didn't know about or couldn't get into if I did.

- It's great for those interested in architecture or urban planning. Odd mishmash of styles in the city center, then whole neighborhoods of art nouveau period buildings. They make dense apartment blocks stylish and functional. OG Saarinen (the father, not the son), OG Aalto stuff that got replicated (poorly) throughout the US.
- Saunas.
- Marimekko, Iittala everywhere. Everything is so stylish and thoughtfully designed.
- A Finnish colleague laughed at me when I mentioned seeing a TV report about the Finnish obsession with tango and said "That's not real." So I come out of random Helsinki subway station around 5 in the evening and see about a dozen couples taking a tango lesson and dancing all over the city square.

So my turn for hate: Vienna. Visited one year between Christmas and New Year's. Cold city with nasty people. Soviet-level rudeness from service staff. Hideous architecture -- solidified my dislike of everything baroque.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I strongly disliked Helsinki and would never go back. It was boring and locals were outwardly rude to tourists.

That’s discouraging. I was randomly born there and I’ve always wanted to visit as an adult, but this is a little offputting.

Not pp. but I enjoyed Helsinki, though was there on a conference and did some sightseeing on the side. It has fun stuff to do. I visited in June. Combine with one of the Baltic states for diversity.

Anonymous wrote:I strongly disliked Helsinki and would never go back. It was boring and locals were outwardly rude to tourists.

That’s discouraging. I was randomly born there and I’ve always wanted to visit as an adult, but this is a little offputting.

Costa Rica. Its not as safe as it use to be now. I heard a lot of people are now opting out of Costa Rica and instead traveling to El Salvador.

Anonymous wrote:Can’t say I hated it, we enjoyed Prague, but the crowds were exhausting. It was like being in Disney. I also got a Prague card, thinking it would save me from standing in the long ticket line. Well, guess what? I had to stand in the equally long line to convert Prague ticket to a paper Prague castle ticket.

I just read Dan Brown’s “Secret of Secrets,” which is based in Prague. Not my favorite Dan Brown book, but his descriptions of Prague were captivating.