Disappointing sights or not?
- Cheerleader
- Coach Level
- Posts: 2447
- Joined: Wed Jun 30, 2004 11:22 am
- Location: Destin, FL
Disappointing sights or not?
From a threadjack on another topic, posters started talking about their most disappointing sights of famous places, like Dealy Plaza or the Alamo. Hence, this new topic in a different forum.
I have done a lot of traveling and have made it a point to see as many famous places as I can while traveling. The Alamo struck me as much smaller than I imagined, but Red Square in Moscow was much larger than I had pictured. What are yours?
I have done a lot of traveling and have made it a point to see as many famous places as I can while traveling. The Alamo struck me as much smaller than I imagined, but Red Square in Moscow was much larger than I had pictured. What are yours?
- krewe of ham and eggs
- President's Circle
- Posts: 4997
- Joined: Fri Nov 28, 2008 4:13 pm
- Location: Virginia Beach, VA
Re: Disappointing sights or not?
I wasn't impressed when I saw the Mona Lisa at the Louvre.
AnY iMaGeS yOu PoRtRaY wIlL bE rEpReSeNtAtIvE oF tHe TeAm YoU sUpPoRt
Re: Disappointing sights or not?
The compound at the time of the battle was much larger, and obviously not in the city center:Cheerleader wrote: The Alamo struck me as much smaller than I imagined,
http://thealamo.org/remember/savetheala ... index.html
http://thealamo.org/remember/savetheala ... index.html
Victory is never permanent
Re: Disappointing sights or not?
Red Square is huge and a bit overwhelming; there are SO MANY amazing museums and sights around it that you can't possibly fit it all in unless you're there for a very long time. It's the best "tourist" spot I've ever visited.Cheerleader wrote:From a threadjack on another topic, posters started talking about their most disappointing sights of famous places, like Dealy Plaza or the Alamo. Hence, this new topic in a different forum.
I have done a lot of traveling and have made it a point to see as many famous places as I can while traveling. The Alamo struck me as much smaller than I imagined, but Red Square in Moscow was much larger than I had pictured. What are yours?
As for most disappointing, I don't know that I've got a great answer. I've been lucky in that the famous places I've visited have largely lived up to my expectations. If I had to answer, I would probably say Kyiv just because I expected a city so ancient to have more history (almost all of the historic sites were destroyed either by the Nazis in WWII or Stalin soon thereafter), but it's not really considered particularly famous or touristy anyway, so I don't know if that should count.
- Cheerleader
- Coach Level
- Posts: 2447
- Joined: Wed Jun 30, 2004 11:22 am
- Location: Destin, FL
Re: Disappointing sights or not?
It all counts. I agree with you about Red Square. Everything in Russia seems bigger than you imagine. Even the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, is much larger than I expected. I saw the Aswan Dam in Egypt, built by the Russians...the largest dirt dam in the world, I was told. Huge, but the electricity it generates is pitiful compared to American dams. Also, if in Moscow, you have to go into the Kremlin, again, much bigger than I imagined...twenty-one towers around the outside, three churches there and the Armory Museum with lots of Russian history...Peter the Great's clothes and Catherine the Great's dresses. Speaking of Catherine, one must go see her summer palace, with the Amber Room.
Last edited by Cheerleader on Fri Dec 21, 2018 11:15 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Disappointing sights or not?
Window shopping at the Red Light District in Amsterdam. Thought all the girls would be 10's - what a letdown.
Re: Disappointing sights or not?
I wholeheartedly agree with you that the Kremlin is also amazing, and has bunches of unexpected and very interesting publicly accessible things within. Moscow in general is my favorite city to have ever visited (I didn't get to St. Petersburg). We actually spent a lot of time at some more off the beaten path places away from Red Square, too, that were uniformly great. Heck, even the Metro stations are amazing to check out, and no two are the same.Cheerleader wrote:It all counts. I agree with you about Red Square. Everything in Russia seems bigger than you imagine. Even the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, is much larger than I expected. I saw the Aswan Dam in Egypt, built by the Russians...the largest dirt dam in the world, I was told. Huge, but the electricity it generates is pitiful compared to American dams. Also, if in Moscow, you have to go into the Kremlin, again, much bigger than I imagined...twenty-one towers around the outside, three churches there and the Armory Museum with lots of Russian history...Peter the Great's clothes and Catherine the Great's dresses. Speaking of Catherine, one must go see her summer palace, with the Amber Room.
- WaveProf
- Cornerstone
- Posts: 25887
- Joined: Sun Sep 13, 2009 12:45 pm
- Location: Irish Channel, New Orleans
Re: Disappointing sights or not?
Disappointments: everywhere I've been in the nation of Germany (but I haven't been to enough) and the city of Chicago (but I haven't been since I was too young). I'm open to turning around on either. I've been perpetually disappointed by Austin TX, but I keep going back because Franklin BBQ is that good, so its hard to complain when I choose to keep going back. I'd also list the Louvre were I to go back there having been to the Hermitage in St Petersburg. Thankfully, I did the Louvre first so I wasn't disappointed.
Overall, thankfully, I haven't had tons of disappointments when I travel, but that might partially be I don't travel to see or do most of the things most people travel for. I don't much care for the "sights", I may go see them, but my trip wasn't planned around them and they therefore arent central to my expectations making it hard to exceed OR underwhelm.
Surprises: Jamaica and Poland both blew me away as far more complex and interesting than I had imagined. Thank goodness we were totally off the reservation for both, or else we wouldn't have enjoyed them nearly as much.
Overall, thankfully, I haven't had tons of disappointments when I travel, but that might partially be I don't travel to see or do most of the things most people travel for. I don't much care for the "sights", I may go see them, but my trip wasn't planned around them and they therefore arent central to my expectations making it hard to exceed OR underwhelm.
Surprises: Jamaica and Poland both blew me away as far more complex and interesting than I had imagined. Thank goodness we were totally off the reservation for both, or else we wouldn't have enjoyed them nearly as much.
“We will expect success in all endeavors and be prepared to assess and hold ourselves accountable when we aren't successful. Tulane is a top 40 academic institution and it should expect nothing less from its athletic department.” --Troy Dannen 11.5.16
- WaveProf
- Cornerstone
- Posts: 25887
- Joined: Sun Sep 13, 2009 12:45 pm
- Location: Irish Channel, New Orleans
Re: Disappointing sights or not?
Copying and pasting this here since it seems more appropriate here than where I first posted:
Made it to the Alamo last year and it actually exceeded expectations, but I think only because I've spent my childhood wanting to go followed by my adult life being told by everybody how it was tiny and didn't live up. It lowered the bar so much that it was easy to exceed.
Went to Dallas two years ago and forgot to drive by the JFK spot till we were an hour down the road headed to the Czech Stop and Franklin BBQ, I was sorry we forgot. So in a way it makes me feel better to realize we didn't miss a lot. Really enjoyed driving around the old Cotton Bowl. Beautiful stadium. Ranks alongside Rice's stadium for places I'd most like to see a game (I've been to Rice for games twice, but never the Cotton Bowl)
Made it to the Alamo last year and it actually exceeded expectations, but I think only because I've spent my childhood wanting to go followed by my adult life being told by everybody how it was tiny and didn't live up. It lowered the bar so much that it was easy to exceed.
Went to Dallas two years ago and forgot to drive by the JFK spot till we were an hour down the road headed to the Czech Stop and Franklin BBQ, I was sorry we forgot. So in a way it makes me feel better to realize we didn't miss a lot. Really enjoyed driving around the old Cotton Bowl. Beautiful stadium. Ranks alongside Rice's stadium for places I'd most like to see a game (I've been to Rice for games twice, but never the Cotton Bowl)
“We will expect success in all endeavors and be prepared to assess and hold ourselves accountable when we aren't successful. Tulane is a top 40 academic institution and it should expect nothing less from its athletic department.” --Troy Dannen 11.5.16
- Private Joker
- Coach Level
- Posts: 1516
- Joined: Thu Aug 26, 2004 3:50 pm
- Location: Bainbridge Island USA
Re: Disappointing sights or not?
The Fredericksburg battlefield was disappointing. I expected to see open ground in front of Mayre's Heights, but when I got there the Heights are in the town. Kind of like the Alamo, I guess.
I did go to Antietam a few months ago. Not much has changed there from Sept. of '62. Very cool.
Kursk in southern Russia was also up to par. I expected -- for some delusional reason -- to see wrecked Soviet and German tanks out in the wheatfields. It's all been cleaned up, but there's a nice museum and memorial.
I did go to Antietam a few months ago. Not much has changed there from Sept. of '62. Very cool.
Kursk in southern Russia was also up to par. I expected -- for some delusional reason -- to see wrecked Soviet and German tanks out in the wheatfields. It's all been cleaned up, but there's a nice museum and memorial.
Last edited by Private Joker on Fri Dec 21, 2018 12:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Disappointing sights or not?
One of the more unusual places we went in Moscow was a working monastery with massive amounts of tanks and other World War II heavy equipment on the grounds. The story went that the monks donated tons of money and/or metal for the equipment, and when the war was over and it was no longer needed the government decided to give it back to them in the form of the actual equipment they financed. Very interesting and unique place to see churches and monks going about their duties around random tanks parked everywhere.Private Joker wrote:Kursk in southern Russia was also up to par. I expected -- for some delusional reason -- to see wrecked Soviet and German tanks out in the wheatfields. It's all been cleaned up, but there's a nice museum and memorial.
- WaveProf
- Cornerstone
- Posts: 25887
- Joined: Sun Sep 13, 2009 12:45 pm
- Location: Irish Channel, New Orleans
Re: Disappointing sights or not?
Antietam lives up. Especially if you go in the spring
“We will expect success in all endeavors and be prepared to assess and hold ourselves accountable when we aren't successful. Tulane is a top 40 academic institution and it should expect nothing less from its athletic department.” --Troy Dannen 11.5.16
Re: Disappointing sights or not?
I grew up watching The Masters with my father the first weekend in April. When I was a fellow at MCG I had a chance to go out to the Monday practice round. I remember walking down a path in, thinking I had come onto some carpet of sort until I realized I was on grass just outside the immense patrons' store. A few feet and I was along the first fairway; I started looking around and had to catch my breath. The azaleas in Amen corner, watching the pros try to skip their ball on the pond in front of the 16th green, simply amazing. I now maintain that if God were to start over, Eden could be on Washington Ave in Augusta.
Contrast that- this past summer my kids, who have been raised on regular trips to Walt Disney World, wanted to visit Disneyland for graduation. I had not been there since I lived in Long Beach for training; the castle at the end of Main Street is tiny compared to Cinderella's castle at the Magic Kingdom. While there are certain attractions I preferred at Disneyland (the Pirates and Thunder Mountain are better in California), the fact that Walt had a ton more room and could improve on some things when he designed the Magic Kingdom.
Contrast that- this past summer my kids, who have been raised on regular trips to Walt Disney World, wanted to visit Disneyland for graduation. I had not been there since I lived in Long Beach for training; the castle at the end of Main Street is tiny compared to Cinderella's castle at the Magic Kingdom. While there are certain attractions I preferred at Disneyland (the Pirates and Thunder Mountain are better in California), the fact that Walt had a ton more room and could improve on some things when he designed the Magic Kingdom.
What if the Hokey Pokey really is what it's all about?
- WaveProf
- Cornerstone
- Posts: 25887
- Joined: Sun Sep 13, 2009 12:45 pm
- Location: Irish Channel, New Orleans
Re: Disappointing sights or not?
Im markedly not a Disney person, So my opinion is only worth half a credit. But I much preferred Disneyland to Disney World. Fwiw
“We will expect success in all endeavors and be prepared to assess and hold ourselves accountable when we aren't successful. Tulane is a top 40 academic institution and it should expect nothing less from its athletic department.” --Troy Dannen 11.5.16
- TUPF
- Emerald Circle
- Posts: 21455
- Joined: Fri Jun 25, 2004 11:36 am
- Location: Maryland Eastern Shore & sometimes Philly
Re: Disappointing sights or not?
Overwhelmed:
- Great Wall of China. If you walk a mile or so away from the bazillions of tourists to where you are alone and the wall starts going up and down to match the jagged terrain it is spectacular.
- Tianenmen Square and the Forbidden City. I think the square is the largest public place on earth. Inside the Forbidden City is not done justice by the few movies it appears in.
- Sao Paolo only for the sheer size. Think Manhattan skyline times 3.
- St. Peter’s Basilica. Nothing compares, and I am a borderline atheist.
- The Vatican Museum. Think of every museum you have ever been in, cram them inside, and you’d still have half a day to go. A plundering church has its privileges.
- Ceiling paintings in Il Duomo, Florence. Depictions of heaven and hell. Gave me nightmares as a teenager and still a little disturbing as a retiree.
- Walking off the train in Venice to the Grand Canal. It’s as if Disney made a fairy water land.
- Pompeii. You go thinking it’s a pit in the ground and you are overwhelmed walking into a full size sports stadium and city which has only been half excavated. Casts of humans in mid terror are startling.
- Grand Fjord in Norway. Spectacular scenery out of a movie especially by train going down to Flamm.
- White cliffs of Dover, UK. Much more spectacular in person due to size and color.
- Flying into the old Hong Kong airport which has since been replaced. White knuckle approach a few feet over top of apartment buildings.
- Subic Bay and Olongapo City, Philippines back in the Marcos era. NSFW.
- Hagia Sofia, Istanbul. The sheer size is startling.
- The Temple of the Sun and the Temple of the Moon, near Mexico City
- The Hoover Dam, although my judgement may have been clouded by the 114 degree outside temp
- The Old Guard in its paces at The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I cried.
- Walking into the Superdome for the very first time as a Tulane sophomore
- Surfacing a submarine in the turquoise blue Caribbean and having a topside cookout and swim call, with riflemen in the sail watching for sharks. Not something a lot of people ever get to do.
- Watching your kid solo onstage at Stern Auditorium, Carnegie Hall for the first time and every time after
Underwhelmed:
- The Alamo
- Plymouth Rock
- The Las Vegas Strip
- Houston, Dallas, Indianapolis. For me, there is no there there
- Warsaw. What is there is not real. The old city is nothing but a Potemkin village set of building fronts. Only tiny fragments of the Warsaw Ghetto remain and the monument for it is in the middle of a field near apartment buildings.
- Great Wall of China. If you walk a mile or so away from the bazillions of tourists to where you are alone and the wall starts going up and down to match the jagged terrain it is spectacular.
- Tianenmen Square and the Forbidden City. I think the square is the largest public place on earth. Inside the Forbidden City is not done justice by the few movies it appears in.
- Sao Paolo only for the sheer size. Think Manhattan skyline times 3.
- St. Peter’s Basilica. Nothing compares, and I am a borderline atheist.
- The Vatican Museum. Think of every museum you have ever been in, cram them inside, and you’d still have half a day to go. A plundering church has its privileges.
- Ceiling paintings in Il Duomo, Florence. Depictions of heaven and hell. Gave me nightmares as a teenager and still a little disturbing as a retiree.
- Walking off the train in Venice to the Grand Canal. It’s as if Disney made a fairy water land.
- Pompeii. You go thinking it’s a pit in the ground and you are overwhelmed walking into a full size sports stadium and city which has only been half excavated. Casts of humans in mid terror are startling.
- Grand Fjord in Norway. Spectacular scenery out of a movie especially by train going down to Flamm.
- White cliffs of Dover, UK. Much more spectacular in person due to size and color.
- Flying into the old Hong Kong airport which has since been replaced. White knuckle approach a few feet over top of apartment buildings.
- Subic Bay and Olongapo City, Philippines back in the Marcos era. NSFW.
- Hagia Sofia, Istanbul. The sheer size is startling.
- The Temple of the Sun and the Temple of the Moon, near Mexico City
- The Hoover Dam, although my judgement may have been clouded by the 114 degree outside temp
- The Old Guard in its paces at The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I cried.
- Walking into the Superdome for the very first time as a Tulane sophomore
- Surfacing a submarine in the turquoise blue Caribbean and having a topside cookout and swim call, with riflemen in the sail watching for sharks. Not something a lot of people ever get to do.
- Watching your kid solo onstage at Stern Auditorium, Carnegie Hall for the first time and every time after
Underwhelmed:
- The Alamo
- Plymouth Rock
- The Las Vegas Strip
- Houston, Dallas, Indianapolis. For me, there is no there there
- Warsaw. What is there is not real. The old city is nothing but a Potemkin village set of building fronts. Only tiny fragments of the Warsaw Ghetto remain and the monument for it is in the middle of a field near apartment buildings.
Last edited by TUPF on Fri Dec 21, 2018 3:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Fan since 1974 living in Phelps seeing the upper bowl of Tulane Stadium
- Rotorooter
- President's Circle
- Posts: 4933
- Joined: Sat Jun 26, 2004 7:33 pm
- Location: Marietta, GA
Re: Disappointing sights or not?
I think it was Tennessee Williams who proclaimed: "There are only three cities in the United States: San Francisco, New York and New Orleans. All the rest are Cleveland."TUPF wrote: Underwhelmed:
- Houston, Dallas, Indianapolis. For me, there is no there there
Plan your work, work your plan.
- WaveProf
- Cornerstone
- Posts: 25887
- Joined: Sun Sep 13, 2009 12:45 pm
- Location: Irish Channel, New Orleans
Re: Disappointing sights or not?
TUPF— Agree with your comments about Warsaw In spite of my positive comments about Poland earlier. We were only in town four hours between landing at the airport and waiting for our train. That was all the time I needed or desired.
Houston isn’t great but I’ve found more “there there” every time I’ve gone. Anthony Bourdain’s last episode on it does it good justice.
Dallas has no soul
Houston isn’t great but I’ve found more “there there” every time I’ve gone. Anthony Bourdain’s last episode on it does it good justice.
Dallas has no soul
“We will expect success in all endeavors and be prepared to assess and hold ourselves accountable when we aren't successful. Tulane is a top 40 academic institution and it should expect nothing less from its athletic department.” --Troy Dannen 11.5.16
- Private Joker
- Coach Level
- Posts: 1516
- Joined: Thu Aug 26, 2004 3:50 pm
- Location: Bainbridge Island USA
Re: Disappointing sights or not?
I was at Antietam in late March. The entire battlefield was covered in snow.WaveProf wrote:Antietam lives up. Especially if you go in the spring
Re: Disappointing sights or not?
European Beaches
Using big words is not a personal attack
#cousins don't count
#cousins don't count
- Cheerleader
- Coach Level
- Posts: 2447
- Joined: Wed Jun 30, 2004 11:22 am
- Location: Destin, FL
Re: Disappointing sights or not?
Overwhelming:
Ramses II temple in Abu Simbal, Egypt. 4 120 ft. high statues of Ramses outside his temple that was carved out of side of a mountain. Even more amazing, the temple was raised 250 ft. years ago when the Aswan Dam was built because original site was going to go under water. This temple in many ways was more impressive than the Pyramids.
Nuremberg, Germany. The birthplace of the Nazi Party, you can go to stadium and parade grounds designed by Zeppelin. Close your eyes and you can see what you have seen on TV many times...thousands of Germans and flags. Also, Nazi museum nearby pulls no punches, finishes with films of trials.
Octoberfest in Munich...not what I expected at all. In the middle of a gigantic amusement park, they set up about a dozen huge tents, all full of tables, food, beer and music. And all of them full of people.
Gibraltar...Didn't know its incredible history...occupied by many countries over the years. Natives are really descendants of sailors who stayed there. Rock is huge and honeycombed with 40 miles of tunnels which hid armor and munitions.
Pamana Canal...read the history before you go. Marvelous work of engineering. Overcame disease and political strife.
Ramses II temple in Abu Simbal, Egypt. 4 120 ft. high statues of Ramses outside his temple that was carved out of side of a mountain. Even more amazing, the temple was raised 250 ft. years ago when the Aswan Dam was built because original site was going to go under water. This temple in many ways was more impressive than the Pyramids.
Nuremberg, Germany. The birthplace of the Nazi Party, you can go to stadium and parade grounds designed by Zeppelin. Close your eyes and you can see what you have seen on TV many times...thousands of Germans and flags. Also, Nazi museum nearby pulls no punches, finishes with films of trials.
Octoberfest in Munich...not what I expected at all. In the middle of a gigantic amusement park, they set up about a dozen huge tents, all full of tables, food, beer and music. And all of them full of people.
Gibraltar...Didn't know its incredible history...occupied by many countries over the years. Natives are really descendants of sailors who stayed there. Rock is huge and honeycombed with 40 miles of tunnels which hid armor and munitions.
Pamana Canal...read the history before you go. Marvelous work of engineering. Overcame disease and political strife.
- Rotorooter
- President's Circle
- Posts: 4933
- Joined: Sat Jun 26, 2004 7:33 pm
- Location: Marietta, GA
Re: Disappointing sights or not?
I know you probably didn't mean these, but I have been to Omaha and Juno beaches. If you like studying WWII, these beaches are a must see. Many bunkers are still intact. Did not get to see Point du Hoc or Utah beach, but Normandy and Caen is a great side trip from Paris. I also highly encourage people to go to the WWII Museum in NOLA. Very well done.windywave wrote:European Beaches
The ruins of Rome are worth the price of admission, too, as is all of Italy. The only other country I would consider living in.
Plan your work, work your plan.
- Cheerleader
- Coach Level
- Posts: 2447
- Joined: Wed Jun 30, 2004 11:22 am
- Location: Destin, FL
Re: Disappointing sights or not?
I agree with everything Rotorooter said. Especially Omaha beach and Point du Hoc.
- gerryb323
- Regent's Circle
- Posts: 9661
- Joined: Thu Jul 01, 2010 11:18 am
- Location: There's no place like home
Re: Disappointing sights or not?
The Normandy beaches are awesome and the American cemetery there is amazingCheerleader wrote:I agree with everything Rotorooter said. Especially Omaha beach and Point du Hoc.
Wandering around somewhere in a matchup zone
Re: Disappointing sights or not?
Cheerleader, the National Socialist German Workers' Party held is annual conventions in Nuremberg, but it was not the "birthplace" of the NAZI party. The folks in Nuremberg do not hesitate to tell you that! I agree with you that it is very much worth a visit. And so too is the Octoberfest!Cheerleader wrote:Overwhelming:
Ramses II temple in Abu Simbal, Egypt. 4 120 ft. high statues of Ramses outside his temple that was carved out of side of a mountain. Even more amazing, the temple was raised 250 ft. years ago when the Aswan Dam was built because original site was going to go under water. This temple in many ways was more impressive than the Pyramids.
Nuremberg, Germany. The birthplace of the Nazi Party, you can go to stadium and parade grounds designed by Zeppelin. Close your eyes and you can see what you have seen on TV many times...thousands of Germans and flags. Also, Nazi museum nearby pulls no punches, finishes with films of trials.
Octoberfest in Munich...not what I expected at all. In the middle of a gigantic amusement park, they set up about a dozen huge tents, all full of tables, food, beer and music. And all of them full of people.
Gibraltar...Didn't know its incredible history...occupied by many countries over the years. Natives are really descendants of sailors who stayed there. Rock is huge and honeycombed with 40 miles of tunnels which hid armor and munitions.
Pamana Canal...read the history before you go. Marvelous work of engineering. Overcame disease and political strife.
"You're not here on scholarship to lose. I didn't recruit you to lose. Losing is abnormal; losing is unusual; losing is unacceptable. That's not what we're here for."
Bob Knight
Bob Knight
- tulaneoutlaw
- Regent's Circle
- Posts: 8894
- Joined: Wed Dec 01, 2010 10:49 pm
- Location: Greeneville, TN
Re: Disappointing sights or not?
Omaha, pointe du hoc and Utah are all worth seeing. I think it should be mandatory for every American to visit the cemetary above Omaha. Really puts things into perspective.
I'm partial to Slovenia. Ljubljana is a hidden gem and Lake Bled is straight out of a fairy tale. I ended up proposing in Bled because I knew I would never find a more picturesque locale.
I'm partial to Slovenia. Ljubljana is a hidden gem and Lake Bled is straight out of a fairy tale. I ended up proposing in Bled because I knew I would never find a more picturesque locale.