Most overrated/underrated tourist attraction

[lonely_john]

9 hours ago, Unicorn said:

Ridiculous. Chichén Itzá is one of the most spectacular archeological sites on the planet, and much larger than Tulum. Incidentally, it's pronounced chi-CHEN eats-AH, and does not rhyme with "chicken pizza," as said in the video. It's 740 acres, or 300 hectares in size, much larger than Tulum. So it's far from Cancun. There's an excellent tollway. Tulum can be seen quickly, 2 hours at most, and most people do, indeed, spend the rest of the day in either Xcaret or Xel-Ha. Xcaret has a great show which they perform in the evening. 

Chichen Itza might be larger and in better shape but I did it in 1h while Tulum took me close to 2, without counting the time at the beach and the water-parks. Chichen Itza is surrounded by a dense forest so no much ventilation and it really feels like you are in a sauna. Tulum is just by the beach so there is always this tropical wind acting as permanent A/C no matter how hot it is. Also there is no shortage of tourist guides who take their time to teach you about everything related to the site and the meaning of the structures. It makes it much more enjoyable to stay there even if they are smaller ruins. Sometimes size is not everything. That's exactly why I compared them against each other with Tulum as underrated. After leaving Chichen Itza I had to spend 2 to 3 more hours on the road back to the hotel. After leaving Tulum I was back to the hotel in 30 minutes and then spent great time at the water park for the rest of the day.

FOR ME, there's no way to compare.

 

Edited June 29, 2021 by lonely_john

[Bargara Leatherboy]

6 hours ago, mike carey said:

 

I haven't spent much time in Auckland, but it recently topped the Economist Intelligence Unit's most liveable cities list (the top 10 were all in Aotearoa, Australia, Japan and Switzerland). Being liveable isn't the same as interesting or exciting for tourists, so status on that list isn't relevant to the topic of this thread. Of the main cities in the country, I like Wellington the best (from what I've seen). Like Auckland, Wellington has a scenic harbour, but Auckland is pretty flat, while the capital is hilly, which I prefer (not the only reason, I hasten to add). Christchurch is nice too. Both cities are half the size of Auckland.

If you're retiring there and planning to travel internationally, long-haul flights from Aotearoa operate only from Auckland (Wellington and Christchurch have non-stop flights to Australian cities, and there was a direct Singapore Airlines fright from WLG-SIN via MEL).

Auckland is a bit like Sydney, once you get away from the harbour it’s just another city, hard to get around. The real gem of Auckland is the west coast black sand beaches of Piha and Buckells Beach, or the amazing gulf island of waiheke and Great Barrier, there are a couple of great villages, Parnell, Ponsonby and Devonport.

Pre Covid Christchurch had a lot of flight options, there were daily director  flights to Singapore on Singapore Airlines, Air NZ also had a one a few days a week, and some flights every week direct to Asia, (Tokyo, Osaka and maybe China,) driven by tourism so hopefully that will Return.  Air Asia flew to KL for a while but it was not profitable 

[mike carey]

7 minutes ago, westernsyd said:

Pre Covid Christchurch had a lot of flight options, there were daily director  flights to Singapore on Singapore Airlines, Air NZ also had a one a few days a week, and some flights every week direct to Asia, (Tokyo, Osaka and maybe China,) driven by tourism so hopefully that will Return.  Air Asia flew to KL for a while but it was not profitable 

I stand corrected. (Emirates also flew there, but via Sydney.) As a Canberran, having to take a domestic connecting flight is not something that worries me, but it does some people. I was aware of the WLG service as it replaced SQ's previous SIN-CBR-WLG flights.

[CuriousByNature]

7 hours ago, Unicorn said:

Ridiculous. Chichén Itzá is one of the most spectacular archeological sites on the planet, and much larger than Tulum. Incidentally, it's pronounced chi-CHEN eats-AH, and does not rhyme with "chicken pizza," as said in the video. It's 740 acres, or 300 hectares in size, much larger than Tulum. So it's far from Cancun. There's an excellent tollway. Tulum can be seen quickly, 2 hours at most, and most people do, indeed, spend the rest of the day in either Xcaret or Xel-Ha. Xcaret has a great show which they perform in the evening. 

I agree that Chichen Itza is more impressive as a complex, but I think the setting of Tulum is particularly awesome.  Walking around the more modest buildings at Tulum seemed elevated to me, given the location overlooking the Caribbean.

Edited June 29, 2021 by CuriousByNature

[Epigonos]

I totally agree CuriousByNature.  The physical setting of Tulum is gorgeous sitting as it does, on the cliff overlooking the Caribbean.  However, historically it is an insignificant site.  Chichen Itza, on the other hand, was along with Uxmal one of the two major Mayan cities in the Yucatan.   

Edited July 1, 2021 by Epigonos

[marylander1940]

Underrated and surprisingly unknown to most Americans. 

Homepage | The Gateway Arch

[+ E.T.Bass]

Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum

 

The Richard Nixon Library & Museum

 

I enjoyed both of the above a lot.

 

Has anyone seen the WWI Museum in KC or the Cowboy Museum in Oklahoma City?  They sound interesting but I never hear them praised much.

[Alex93108]

On 4/7/2021 at 4:58 PM, tassojunior said:

I gave up on a Russian visa after a month. You almost have to hire a professional. You have to prove your grandfathers' nationalities among other things.

There is a loophole to StPete from Helsinki on a ferry where you can stay, I think 48 hours w/o visa.

I've been to Russia more times than I can count. .  When I first went 10 years ago, the signs in Moscow were all in cyrillic - I actually learned Russian so I could move about, read street signs, order food etc. The visa is a pain, but one of the benefits of living in New York is that you have the embassy of every country in the world at your doorstep ( thanks to the United Nations) . I would say the same thing exists in Washington DC also. 

If you love Slavic men, there is no better place. I also love Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky…. Love is love. Lately my tastes have have diverged into Brazilian + Latino + Western Europeans of all sorts ( English / French / Italian). Love is love and there is beauty in all of that. 

If you get a Russian visa its possible for Americans to get the 3 year multiple entry one - at the same cost at the single entry one . Its not cheap, i think it runs around 300-500 US. That will deter some people I'm sure. 

Its very much worth visiting. Please respect local laws, even though you may not agree with them ( and you'll be fine).

Edited November 13, 2021 by jetlow

[Guest]

55 minutes ago, marylander1940 said:

Underrated and surprisingly unknown to most Americans. 

Homepage | The Gateway Arch

The fascinating "elevator pod" trip up to the top is amazing!

 

[+ WilliamM]

As a long time St Louis Cardinals fan,  the  ball park is close to the arch.  So I very much doubt people who live  in the Mid West and South are not aware of the arch.

Edited November 13, 2021 by WilliamM

[mike carey]

2 hours ago, Unicorn said:

The fascinating "elevator pod" trip up to the top is amazing!

I wasn't aware of that feature of the arch. If I had been I would have been tempted to take the ride. I admit I hadn't researched it and didn't look closely, and just thought of it as an interesting landmark. Now I'll know if I'm ever back in the area.

[BSR]

3 hours ago, E.T.Bass said:

Has anyone seen the WWI Museum in KC or the Cowboy Museum in Oklahoma City?  They sound interesting but I never hear them praised much.

The official name is the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.  I think they included "Western Heritage" because Native American exhibits are prominently featured.  Yes, it is definitely worth going, so much to see and learn.  My favorite exhibit was the Navajo silver & turquoise jewelry, wow, stunning pieces.  Gotta confess, I kinda had this fantasy that some sexy aw shucks cowboys would be the museum guides & ushers, but no such luck.

[+ bigjoey]

4 hours ago, E.T.Bass said:

 

 

Has anyone seen the WWI Museum in KC or the Cowboy Museum in Oklahoma City?  They sound interesting but I never hear them praised much.

The World War I Museum is absolutely amazing.  Not just the artifacts but also the presentation and interactive displays.  When I have visitors and we go there, we usually spend about 3 hours.  Well worth the time👍

https://www.theworldwar.org/
 

[Luv2play]

On 6/28/2021 at 7:17 PM, marylander1940 said:

Food of Galicia: Percebes (Goose Barnacles) | Travel Blog | DriveSpain

 

 

Wow, what a way to harvest! I can see why they are expensive delicacies.

[marylander1940]

1 minute ago, Luv2play said:

Wow, what a way to harvest! I can see why they are expensive delicacies.

and like so many delicacies they used to be discarded as food for peasants. 

Edited November 13, 2021 by marylander1940

[Luv2play]

1 minute ago, marylander1940 said:

and like so many delicacies they used to be discarded as food for peasants. 

Yeah, during WWII lobsters were hard to sell abroad so Nova Scotia fishermen fed them to their families. The children would go to school with lobster sandwiches and trade them for something better like peanut butter sandwiches. Lol.

[+ tassojunior]

11 hours ago, jetlow said:

I've been to Russia more times than I can count. .  When I first went 10 years ago, the signs in Moscow were all in cyrillic - I actually learned Russian so I could move about, read street signs, order food etc. The visa is a pain, but one of the benefits of living in New York is that you have the embassy of every country in the world at your doorstep ( thanks to the United Nations) . I would say the same thing exists in Washington DC also. 

If you love Slavic men, there is no better place. I also love Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky…. Love is love. Lately my tastes have have diverged into Brazilian + Latino + Western Europeans of all sorts ( English / French / Italian). Love is love and there is beauty in all of that. 

If you get a Russian visa its possible for Americans to get the 3 year multiple entry one - at the same cost at the single entry one . Its not cheap, i think it runs around 300-500 US. That will deter some people I'm sure. 

Its very much worth visiting. Please respect local laws, even though you may not agree with them ( and you'll be fine).

The Russian consulate here in DC is a throwback to 1960. They still had typewriters clicking when I was there 3 years ago and mid-century furniture that would bring a fortune in an antiques auction. What finally threw me off was needing to prove my paternal grandfather's nationality. Ridiculous. 

[marylander1940]

50 minutes ago, tassojunior said:

The Russian consulate here in DC is a throwback to 1960. They still had typewriters clicking when I was there 3 years ago and mid-century furniture that would bring a fortune in an antiques auction. What finally threw me off was needing to prove my paternal grandfather's nationality. Ridiculous. 

That's what you saw... I'm sure they have up to date technology that's not visible to visitors like you. 

Unfortunately we don't live in a world where we can trust each others without showing documents, ID, etc. 

I wish one day they would open the old embassy to tourists, unfortunately since is also the Ambassador's residence that's unlikely to happen. 

Embassy of Russia, Washington, D.C. - Wikipedia

Edited November 13, 2021 by marylander1940

[marylander1940]

Overrated 

Exorcist steps - Wikipedia

 

Underrated or simply so unknown not even the tourists bus stops there:

Au pied du cochon

Vitaly Yurchenko - Wikipedia

[Guest]

9 hours ago, mike carey said:

I wasn't aware of that feature of the arch. If I had been I would have been tempted to take the ride. I admit I hadn't researched it and didn't look closely, and just thought of it as an interesting landmark. Now I'll know if I'm ever back in the area.

[Guest]

I apologize for being confusing to @mike carey. I should have known he couldn't be expected to get the reference for the NBC public service announcements in the US. Well, at least I got him back for confusing those us who couldn't get the reference to the "Overton Window"... 😏

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_More_You_Know

"The campaign has been widely parodied, with references in Will & Grace, 30 Rock, American Dad!, Family Guy, Drawn Together, Scrubs, recurring parodies on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, a running segment on The Daily Show called "The Less You Know," and an April 2006 series of NBC-produced mock PSAs starring the cast of The Office. A sketch on Saturday Night Live portrayed the sometimes-fatal effects of CPR. A parody was also shown on MADtv, mentioning the "[nonexistent] danger of conga lines", and another one that spouted random obvious facts. Spliced has a parody of public-service announcements in general (and The More You Know in particular), in brief segments called "Knowing is Growing".[citation needed]

During the Super Bowl XLIX halftime show (which itself was broadcast by NBC), Katy Perry closed her performance with a rendition of "Firework" while riding on a shooting star; following the show, comparisons were drawn to the former logo of The More You Know, as captured by user-created edits of photos from the scene"...

This was just my unicorn parody. The reference is well-known in the US, but I'm sure quizzical to those down under.

Edited November 14, 2021 by Unicorn

[Luv2play]

14 hours ago, Luv2play said:

Yeah, during WWII lobsters were hard to sell abroad so Nova Scotia fishermen fed them to their families. The children would go to school with lobster sandwiches and trade them for something better like peanut butter sandwiches. Lol.

Why confused? Today a lobster roll will cost you $30 or more in a decent restaurant. A peanut butter sandwich, well peanuts.

[mike carey]

6 minutes ago, Luv2play said:

Why confused? Today a lobster roll will cost you $30 or more in a decent restaurant. A peanut butter sandwich, well peanuts.

At least I figured that one out, lol.

[Guest]

7 minutes ago, Luv2play said:

Why confused? Today a lobster roll will cost you $30 or more in a decent restaurant. A peanut butter sandwich, well peanuts.

That's what makes me confused. Only a crazy Canadian would trade a lobster roll for a peanut butter sandwich! 😁

[mike carey]

The sandwich thing reflects something that is shared in immigrant communities. There are often stories of Italian or Asian students from immigrant families in this country trading their lunches, of items common in their cuisine (think of salami and pickled vegetables for people from Mediterranean countries) for mundane and dare I say boring Anglo food like processed cheese, peanut butter or Vegemite sandwiches. What you eat three tines a day is less attractive, particularly for children, than something that is rare or uncommon. Even lobster for every meal could become boring. I suspect for me it could take quite a while for that to happen, though!