Waco, Texas sucked sweaty donkey balls.

Anonymous wrote:Agree with Orlando; was at UCF for a conference. Never been to the Florida coast but didn't like this area.

All of Arizona, but especially Tucson. Drove around most of the state. Some beautiful forest and cacti but all the cities and towns were depressing and too freaking hot. Seemed like a place where people's dreams have gone to die for generations. Route 66 is a monument to failed businesses left to decay in the sun; they were never nice architecture so it's dreary and sad. Abandoned hotels, restaurants and RV parks and then nothing for miles till the next one. People take great photos of these places but seeing them in person is different. Creepy vibe to the whole state. I've been there several times and always want to leave.

Very far northern California and small town Oregon are also creepy in a different way. Like you could disappear and no one would care. Also had the same vibe in rural western Pennsylvania.

Haha, I grew up in the Pacific Northwest and my East Coast friends who have gone there to visit come back not having enjoyed it. I think it feels too "Twin Peaks remote" to them. There is a lot of empty space between towns and cities out there, lots of wooded areas. The gray, misting skies don't help, I suppose. And the people are...very pale, lol. It doesn't bother me because I was raised in it. I used to jog on logging roads as a stupid teen, go three miles in and back, and not see a soul. That was just dumb. It's a beautiful, rugged, remote part of the country. The isolation can rub off on the people. I always felt growing up there that the rest of the country forgot about us, didn't understand us, we were just a junk drawer up in the corner.

also, yes, Kansas City was pretty unimpressive. Aside from the Nelson Atkins.
Las Vegas was a trip, though I'd not return.

Stuttgart was not that great, and while I enjoyed Munich, once was enough.

Anonymous wrote:I've enjoyed every place I've ever visited, except for one: Massanutten. Virginia. I still don't know why the place sort of unsettled me, but it did. We were not there in the winter, maybe that's why? I still cannot pinpoint exactly why. Everyone else had a fine enough time, and I went along, but it felt off. Low vibration strange. I've never felt like that anywhere else. And I grew up rural.

At the resort?

orlando! I took my kids for a weekend in winter (we were in the boston area) and everything sucked. The best part was just hanging at the pool by the hotel, but they actually wanted to leave disney by mid day---hot crowded gross food etc. We had been to disneyland in california once and had a lovely time--this wsa different. And downtown orlando is just a fake ass weird strip mall.

The other terrible vacation we had was in sarasota. It was so hot even the ocean felt like a bathtub and there wasn't much to do.

I have liked miami well enough and lauderdale by the sea and the keys as well as parts of the panhandle (A1A) so I'm not totally against florida.

Otherwise I think I've always found something interesting, though there are places where I was fine but have no desire to return (tybee island, ga comes to mind).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We didn't like Vienna in August. It was basically a big tourist trap with all the locals out of town. Actors in Mozart costumes, Sound of Music tour hawkers, and bad schnitzel at tourist traps. The local restaurants were closed for summer vacation.

I didn't like Vienna between Christmas and New Year's! Maybe Baroque architecture is just not my thing?

A travel forum I used to be on years ago had numerous Vienna fans, and they were always promoting the place -- if someone asked a vague "where to go in Europe?" they'd always recommend Vienna. I didn't hate it, but I'd never go out of my way to go back.

I didn’t like Vienna and I know a lot of other people who didn’t. It felt cold and dull, especially after we’d just experienced the charm and liveliness of Prague.

Brussels. Didn't hate it but also didn't love it and have no interest in going back. The only redeeming thing was a trip to the Tintin museum.

Kansas City. Only been for work (several times) and maybe it is a nice place to live but the downtown is kind of depressing.

Portland, OR. Spent one day there on my way to somewhere else and it was horrible. Even in the more expensive areas, there were people literally shooting up on the side walk. And I saw multiple adult men defecating out in the open. I’m not a prudish type, but I was super uncomfortable with the amount of high people wandering around, yelling and screaming, people peeing, and so many homeless people sleeping all over everywhere. I’ve lived in cities before and certainly have seen all of the above on a regular basis, but never nearly the extent to which I saw it in Portland.

I've enjoyed every place I've ever visited, except for one: Massanutten. Virginia. I still don't know why the place sort of unsettled me, but it did. We were not there in the winter, maybe that's why? I still cannot pinpoint exactly why. Everyone else had a fine enough time, and I went along, but it felt off. Low vibration strange. I've never felt like that anywhere else. And I grew up rural.

Agree with Orlando; was at UCF for a conference. Never been to the Florida coast but didn't like this area.

All of Arizona, but especially Tucson. Drove around most of the state. Some beautiful forest and cacti but all the cities and towns were depressing and too freaking hot. Seemed like a place where people's dreams have gone to die for generations. Route 66 is a monument to failed businesses left to decay in the sun; they were never nice architecture so it's dreary and sad. Abandoned hotels, restaurants and RV parks and then nothing for miles till the next one. People take great photos of these places but seeing them in person is different. Creepy vibe to the whole state. I've been there several times and always want to leave.

Very far northern California and small town Oregon are also creepy in a different way. Like you could disappear and no one would care. Also had the same vibe in rural western Pennsylvania.

Anonymous wrote:
3- Las Vegas. I had to go for work for 4 days and struggled to find anything I wanted to do in my free time. I don't like gambling, or shopping, and have no real interest in seeing shows. The pool was too crowded, the food was either terrible or wildly expensive, or both.

I don't drink or gamble, but I managed to cobble together a fairly fun couple days in Las Vegas added on to a work trip there (25 some years ago). I rode all the roller coasters, did the Star Trek experience (no longer there) repeatedly, and went to two small but outstanding temporary art exhibits (one on Impressionist paintings and the other on Alexander Calder toys and small sculptures).

I didn’t hate Costa Rica, but I have zero desire to ever return. I’d give it a 4/10. It felt like dirty Temu version Hawaii. I’d rather spend a little more or go for less time and do Hawaii on repeat.

Anonymous wrote:I don't think I've hated anywhere, but I wouldn't return to Bali.

I also found Bali to be hit or miss. There are nice parts but they are harder to find.

Other observations:

Romans are exceptionally rude; Parisians friendlier than expected.

Egypt is a mess and horrible for tourists, a result of dealing with tourist hordes for millennia.

Don’t travel solo as a woman in India and you will be fine, with the exception of Varanasi, I’m still creeped out thinking about it nearly a decade after visiting.

Anonymous wrote:My husband has a friend who lives in Phoenix and we went and visited him for a few days and I hated it. The entire place just seemed like a giant suburb. No neighborhoods, no history. It was so dry and dusty. Scorpions? No thank you. I can't even imagine being there in the heat.

Phoenix/Scottsdale is a nice place to visit if you like golf, tennis, resort swimming pools, and late night dinners. really nice to get relief from DMV humidity levels. Very few flying insects. But, if not staying at a resort, then it could be a miserable place to vacation.

Anonymous wrote:We didn't like Vienna in August. It was basically a big tourist trap with all the locals out of town. Actors in Mozart costumes, Sound of Music tour hawkers, and bad schnitzel at tourist traps. The local restaurants were closed for summer vacation.

I didn't like Vienna between Christmas and New Year's! Maybe Baroque architecture is just not my thing?

A travel forum I used to be on years ago had numerous Vienna fans, and they were always promoting the place -- if someone asked a vague "where to go in Europe?" they'd always recommend Vienna. I didn't hate it, but I'd never go out of my way to go back.