Anonymous
Post 01/27/2022 20:25     Subject: Place that didn't live up to expectations
I thought people knew there aren't really natural beaches in the Keys. Saying you were disappointed by the Keys because it doesn't have nice beaches seems like saying you were disappointed by new york city because bit didn't have farms. The Keys is far south and warm with beautiful views of the water but it doesn't have natural beaches.

I was disappointed by Prague (the crowds!!) and Rome (dirty and bad traffic).
Anonymous
Post 01/27/2022 20:23     Subject: Re:Place that didn't live up to expectations
Anonymous wrote:New Orleans - what a disgusting pit. I felt like I needed to delouse after visiting. Gross half dead addicts everywhere.


+1

Also, the food and the weather, both horrible. I cannot imagine living there.
Anonymous
Post 01/27/2022 20:21     Subject: Place that didn't live up to expectations
Anonymous wrote:I realize this is a DC message board, but as a tourist visiting, I’m sad to say DC. There was just such a dead vibe to the place, such a lack of energy compared with other cities like NY and Boston. Sorry guys.

My children absolutely loved old town Alexandria though, where we stayed - the cobblestones, restaurants, shopping, waterfront.


I agree with this. DC is perhaps the most bland city in the country.
Anonymous
Post 01/27/2022 20:20     Subject: Place that didn't live up to expectations
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Egypt. Disgusting. McDonald’s by the pyramids. Blegh

Buenos Aires. Never been so bored in my life and I don’t eat red meat

Munich. So boring. I just can’t.

Geneva. I just fell asleep remembering when I lived there and have never been so bored in my entire life

Monaco. Why bother.


Could you give an example of a place where you had fun and explain why? I'm not trying to be snarky. Just curious.


+1

And which was more boring, Buenos Aires or Geneva? Confusing.
Anonymous
Post 01/27/2022 20:19     Subject: Place that didn't live up to expectations
Bethlehem
Anonymous
Post 01/27/2022 20:16     Subject: Place that didn't live up to expectations
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I love the coast of Ireland - like all around the edges... but Dublin was just meh. I have family there and I enjoy them but I wouldn't do more than 2 days there without them. My expectations were probably too high. There's actually not that much to see.

I had no expectations of St Louis, MO but I absolutely hated every minute I was there.


Haha, Dublin was a place that I had absolutely no expectations for and I was blown away by how much I loved it!


Galway is so much better. Though I loved the Guiness Storehouse. The big history museum was good too it had a lot of ancient artifacts.

I also don't like seeing any of the British colonizer stuff. So Dublin Castle was a no for me. In fact many of the castles that tourists enjoy in Ireland are English. Basically if it looks nice and you can stay there- it's probably English. My family Castle has been rebuilt to a certain extent but the original was destroyed in the 1600s.


Was your family English?
Anonymous
Post 01/27/2022 20:15     Subject: Place that didn't live up to expectations
Malta
Anonymous
Post 01/27/2022 20:13     Subject: Re:Place that didn't live up to expectations
Key west - sucky beaches
Budapest- outside the center everything is run down and people are not nice
Anonymous
Post 01/27/2022 20:12     Subject: Place that didn't live up to expectations
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I was underwhelmed with Portugal. We were there in late summer 2019 and while it is beautiful, I found it much less interesting and welcoming than most other western or southern European countries, and the food was extremely disappointing. We love good, fresh and interesting cuisine and the bland and heavy food we encountered seemed so odd to us. We went to good places on recommendations from people whose advice on food we generally trust, and were really surprised by how mediocre it was. Yes, there was some very fresh seafood, but it had little flavor, there were almost no vegetables served anywhere, and the bread and pastries were heavy and dense.


I have never heard anyone say this about Portugal. We loved the food and found the people so friendly. A local actually dashed over to me in the rain to pay a parking meter that we were struggling with one day.


^^^ forgot my entire point was to ask: where in Portugal did you go?
Anonymous
Post 01/27/2022 20:12     Subject: Place that didn't live up to expectations
Anonymous wrote:I was underwhelmed with Portugal. We were there in late summer 2019 and while it is beautiful, I found it much less interesting and welcoming than most other western or southern European countries, and the food was extremely disappointing. We love good, fresh and interesting cuisine and the bland and heavy food we encountered seemed so odd to us. We went to good places on recommendations from people whose advice on food we generally trust, and were really surprised by how mediocre it was. Yes, there was some very fresh seafood, but it had little flavor, there were almost no vegetables served anywhere, and the bread and pastries were heavy and dense.


I have never heard anyone say this about Portugal. We loved the food and found the people so friendly. A local actually dashed over to me in the rain to pay a parking meter that we were struggling with one day.
Anonymous
Post 01/27/2022 20:04     Subject: Re:Place that didn't live up to expectations
San Francisco, Seattle, Venice.
Anonymous
Post 01/27/2022 19:53     Subject: Place that didn't live up to expectations
Santorini is one of the most beautiful places on earth, but yeah it does get crowded.

And someone said Spain doesn't have good food, that can't be for real.
Anonymous
Post 01/27/2022 19:45     Subject: Place that didn't live up to expectations
The tourist section of Savannah is definitely charmless and underwhelming, but the residential streets farther from the water are beautiful. I love just walking around and taking it in, and there are some good restaurants. I agree with others about the Outer Banks--don't get the appeal. Also don't love Key West--so touristy and the beaches are weedy and unpleasant. Ditto the Dominican Republic, it felt like, well, Florida. It's not that I don't like beaches--I've loved Belize, Costa Rica and much of the Caribbean.
Anonymous
Post 01/27/2022 19:30     Subject: Place that didn't live up to expectations
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I love the coast of Ireland - like all around the edges... but Dublin was just meh. I have family there and I enjoy them but I wouldn't do more than 2 days there without them. My expectations were probably too high. There's actually not that much to see.

I had no expectations of St Louis, MO but I absolutely hated every minute I was there.


Haha, Dublin was a place that I had absolutely no expectations for and I was blown away by how much I loved it!


LOL. I agree that Dublin isn't the most exciting. But my in-laws live in the Irish countryside, so after a week or two sitting around drinking tea and eating old-fashioned, traditional Irish food, I am always SO happy to spend a few days in Dublin. Bring on some vegetarian meals and glasses of wine!


I feel that so hard- too much old fashioned food makes me crave spicy food more than usual.
Anonymous
Post 01/27/2022 19:16     Subject: Place that didn't live up to expectations
Anonymous wrote:St. Lucia
Zion Natl Park
Santorini (didn't live up to the hype)

Wasn't surprised to see Athens on this list, but Athens is amazing IMO. Maybe it's bc I went in with low expectations?


Curious--what did you dislike about St. Lucia? We've been considering a trip.