We were at the Smithsonian today so I’ll say the Hope Diamond. It’s fine, I guess, but it’s at a size where it kind of just looks like costume jewelry rather than “Holy wow”. A lot of the other gems and crystals were much neater to look at. Fortunately, there was no crowd around it and plenty of other cool stuff but certainly wouldn’t be worth going out of your way just to see it on its own merits.
The one Philly cheesesteak I had was men but I’m willing to blame the establishment. The one horseshoe I had left me feeling like it was just a dumb idea for a sandwich.
Since you mentioned best-selling books, I’m going to add that “The Deep End of the Ocean” was the second worst book I ever finished, the worst being “The Handmaid’s Tale”. I figured out all the plot twists 50 pages before they happened.
I also finished “Where The Crawdads Sing” but its success puzzled me. I made it a couple chapters into “The Life of Pi” before giving up out of sheer boredom.
I was also a bit underwhelmed by Pompeii. I think it would have been more interesting to visit before they removed a bunch of historically important items (like mosaics and other art) and moved them into a separate museum.
One museum that underwhelmed me was the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. It seemed kind of dusty and run-down when I visited, and I can’t remember a single exhibit (I know people have mentioned a submarine, but it made no impression on me whatsoever).
Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen has a new line of vodka, and he’s going to be in my city in a few weeks to sign bottles. (I’ll use mine, if I go, to make vanilla.) Anyway, I had long heard that they put on a spectacular live show, but the one I did see was, yeah, underwhelming. I had the same experience with Van Halen.
Poutine. I figured that since it is so popular that it rises above the humble ingredients. It does not. Gravy makes the fries soggy and those whatever they are chunks did not taste like any kind of cheese I am familiar.
I imagine New Orleans as Vegas with 90% humidity, bad smells (see Mighty Mouse’s post above) and flying cockroaches. I’m pretty sure I don’t want any part of it.
A lot of Flemish towns and villages are eerily quiet. I went biking through some of them and they felt deserted in the middle of the afternoon. Almost ghostly.
And I think I’ve written about this, but I rate Ghent higher than Bruges. You get the exact same things (canals, medieval buildings) but also an impressive alignment of three towers, a cool restaurant/bar area on the river (Graslei) and a bona fide castle right in the centre. Plus, it’s also much more dynamic since it’s a university town.
A friend gave me a bottle of very expensive Scotch to celebrate on an important occasion. I’m unsure of the price, but I do know that it was in the hundreds of dollars. Naturally, I thanked him, and we toasted the occasion with it, two glasses for each of us actually, and I put the rest away.
It was underwhelming. Hell, it was Scotch, that much was true, but it wasn’t much different from my more moderately-priced favourites. It wasn’t noticeably smoother, or with an aroma that made it stand out, or anything that really differentiated it from less-expensive Scotches, and could justify the cost.
I’ve only touched it a few times since. Not because I’m saving it for another special occasion, but because I much prefer my more moderately-priced favourites.
And God help you if you wander down any side streets, which seem to all be unlit on purpose. My friend who lived in NOLA a few years referred to the area around the FQ as “the darkness,” and it really is legit dark and super sketchy once you’re off the main streets.
Cafe du Monde is kind of gross. The entire place is literally covered in powdered sugar. Your table just gets wiped off with the same damp towel the servers have been wiping off every table with all day long.
The Las Vegas strip. I spent a good deal of time trying to copy the iconic photographs one sees in the magazines and movies. It’s extremely difficult to get the crap and dirt out of frame to grab the shot. I took wide and narrow views of all of them, and planned to do a montage display. Then a mail-order developer lost all my film. Argh! I did like the Chihulys and Van Goghs on display at Mirage.
Rockefeller center. I had always dreamed of ice skating there under that huge Christmas tree. In reality, it was tiny, crowded, and chintzy. Nothing at all compared to the National Christmas tree on the mall in DC. Really, NYC in general has always smelled like urine and failed to impress. There are small corners of really interesting and creative stuff, but no more so than in DC.
Flying first class. The seat was comfy, sure, but if you don’t drink alcohol you are not going to get too much for your money. Even then you are just going to get wholesale sparkling wine; they are not pouring Plenitude Brut. It slays me that people spend thousands more for it. If I were on a really long haul flight, and they had the first class seats that turn into a bed, I could understand doing it. Or if they offer a $75 upgrade. Otherwise, you can keep it.
CEOs in general. Most of the ones I have met turned out to be up-jumped salesmen. In fact, most salesmen have a better technical understanding of their products and business. Not at all impressive.
That totally describes Bourbon Street itself. And every street that crosses Bourbon for about 50 feet each way up that side street. Other than that, the rest of the FQ is actually pretty nice. Which is to say about 90% of the totality of FQ. Just avoid Bourbon street and it’s a nice time.
But yes, overall, NO is another victim of excess tourism success. What made it gret has been turned ersatz and mass market. And what can’t be increased in size (some fancy eateries) just gets priced into the stratosphere.
Lisbon is the spot to visit? Major yawn from me. This sounds bougie but Lisbon was just another large European city. However, get about an hour away and Portugal is gorgeous and fado music is phenomenal.
Yes, it’s crazy expensive. But as a tall person it’s worth it. Economy is torture. The free drinks are nice, the service is better and the food is actually much improved over the years.
I just think of it as starting the vacation right when you get on the plane.
Coworker and I were driving through Memphis on our way to Louisiana, and decided to stop by at the last minute. Neither of us had been there before, and neither of us are Elvis fans, but wanted to check it out because it was so famous.
Wow, what a letdown. The house is not much bigger than your typical McMansion. And you’re being shuffled through in a long line. The racquetball court in the backyard was interesting, but still sorta blah. Will not be going back.
