# Things Equally or More Impressive In Person **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 21, 2008, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-equally-or-more-impressive-in-person/478235 "2008-12-21T21:57:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-equally-or-more-impressive-in-person/478235/61 "2008-12-22T16:18:02Z")
Angkor Wat The Cliffs of Antrim in Northern Ireland Colosseum Canterbury Cathedral Crater Lake Golden Gate Bridge Himachal Pradesh Varanasi Hong Kong I thought the Taj Mahal was a bit underwhelming. Don’t get me wrong, it’s beautiful, but it’s a mausoleum so to me it was just like looking at a large headstone. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Goob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c77e96/32.png) [@Mr.Goob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Goob)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-equally-or-more-impressive-in-person/478235/62 "2008-12-22T16:20:22Z")
Being in the home crowd of 81,000 people for a football playoff game has a feel of electricity and hugeness that that will never come across on TV. Being on an Aircraft Carrier and seeing the planes land is something you have to feel rather than ever see to ever appreciate it. Or the stars at night at sea on a blacked out ship. With no light pollution of any kind or ground, I was at a loss for words and still am as to the magnitude and magnificiance of it. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-equally-or-more-impressive-in-person/478235/63 "2008-12-22T16:22:56Z")
I love what has been posted so far. Can I take the discussion in a slightly different direction? Watching a musician perform a beautiful complex piece of music live - when you know that the piece is hard and the artists are stretching themselves technically \*and \*touching emotions - that is just amazing… ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-equally-or-more-impressive-in-person/478235/64 "2008-12-22T16:26:04Z")
Seeing a really good Broadway show. There is nothing that can capture the thrill of the live performance and the audience. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-equally-or-more-impressive-in-person/478235/65 "2008-12-22T16:52:24Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Seeing a really good Broadway show. There is nothing that can capture the thrill of the live performance and the audience. THAT’s an example of what I am trying to describe. The magical quality of performance and interaction with an engaged audience…especially if the thing being performed is truly hard to pull off, like a B’way show or a technically complex musical piece… ---
**Author:** ![Hamadryad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6de8d8/32.png) [@Hamadryad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamadryad)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-equally-or-more-impressive-in-person/478235/66 "2008-12-22T16:59:26Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Seeing a really good Broadway show. There is nothing that can capture the thrill of the live performance and the audience. I agree completely with this. Also: Times Square. It’s really really really really big and shiny. I mean, S!H!I!N!Y! ---
**Author:** ![Merhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Merhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merhouse)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-equally-or-more-impressive-in-person/478235/67 "2008-12-22T17:06:20Z")
Although I’m not a WWII or history buff by any stretch of the imagination, about 10 years ago I had the opportunity to visit Pearl Harbor and the Arizona Memorial, and I have to tell you, all these years later it still chokes me up when I think about it. It’s impossible for me to explain what it feels like to be there when you hear exactly what went on there that day, but just, wow. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-equally-or-more-impressive-in-person/478235/68 "2008-12-22T17:09:53Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > ETA - also, tigers up close. As a teenager I went to a zoo camp where you got to go behind the scenes and see the animals up close. Tigers are really, really big. I’ll second this one. I was able to get right up-close-and-personal with a tiger in N.C. once. Fortunately (and smartly!) I wasn’t aggressive acting, and Kitty wasn’t hungry, and was in a mellow mood. I’ll add aircraft carriers to the list. In '88 I was flying home from Germany, en route to Ft. Hood, Tx. Our fist stop was in Philly. Due to a twist of good fortune, I was sitting up in the “hump” of the 747, and had a window seat. As we were on final descent, I was looking out the window and thought, “Hey, we just passed the airport.” Then, what I was [looking at](http://regmedia.co.uk/2005/10/13/aircraft-carriers.jpg) sunk in. Pictures just don’t capture the mass these things have. On a similar note: you just don’t appreciate MBT’s like the Abrams, Challenger, etc., unless one rolls by at/about 20-25 mph. You can feel the almost subsonic rumble in your gut. ---
**Author:** ![diggleblop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@diggleblop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggleblop)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-equally-or-more-impressive-in-person/478235/69 "2008-12-22T17:17:11Z")
There are a few places that stick out in my mind that I’ve been to in my 33 years on earth. 1. Alaska - When I walked outside at the airport, that fresh air hit me and opened up my lungs so fast. It smelled sooooo good and was so clean. Then we rented a car and went driving and we got into the mountains and I have to tell ya, these mountains are so grand and huge, you have to literally stick your head OUT of the car window to see the tops of them. Moose were walking on the side of the road, oh yeah, that’s another thing that is bigger in person, a moose. They’re BIGGER than horses ! Alaska is literally breathtakingly beautiful. I went charter fishing and caught Halibut too and that was also one of the biggest fish I have ever caught, seen or eaten. Absolutely one of the most beautiful places on earth and I highly recommend Alaska to everyone, but in the summertime of course. 1. The North Shore of Hawaii. Stunning. Spiritual. Beautiful. The Hawaiian Islands live up to the hype. I’ve been to all of them and Maui and Oahu are the best, period. But the North Shore struck a chord in me. It was just so serene and peaceful. If I had to pick a place to live my dying days, it would be The North Shore. Please, do yourself a favor and go there if you have never been. There are flowers growing _ON THE TREES_ for shit’s sake ! lol 2. [The Big Horn Mountains](http://www.bighornmountains.com) in Wyoming. Went through there when I was 14 and it knocked the wind out of me it was so breathtaking. Absolutely insane at how quiet it was out there. Fresh, slow and BIG are the three adjectives that best describe this place. Check them out if you already haven’t. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-equally-or-more-impressive-in-person/478235/70 "2008-12-22T17:34:33Z")
Times Square after dark, like at 3:00 in the morning. Crowds and lights. The City that never sleeps really doesn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-equally-or-more-impressive-in-person/478235/71 "2008-12-22T17:35:52Z")
> [@diggleblop](#): > > 1. **The North Shore of Hawaii**. Stunning. Spiritual. Beautiful. The Hawaiian Islands live up to the hype. I’ve been to all of them and Maui and Oahu are the best, period. But the North Shore struck a chord in me. It was just so serene and peaceful. I take it you mean the [North Shore of Oahu](http://images.google.com/images?rlz=1C1CHMI_enUS300US306&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=north+shore+oahu&oe=UTF-8&um=1&sa=N&tab=wi&oi=property_suggestions&resnum=0&ct=property-revision&cd=2). Hawaii, as you know, is also an island with a north shore, but not the one you’re probably referring to. Although the [Waipi’o Valley](http://virtual.yosemite.cc.ca.us/ghayes/images/Dsc00040%20Waipio%20Valley.jpg) is stunning in it’s own right. ---
**Author:** ![MaddyStrut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dbc845/32.png) [@MaddyStrut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaddyStrut)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-equally-or-more-impressive-in-person/478235/72 "2008-12-22T17:39:58Z")
Ditto the battlefields at Antietam. Also [Chartres Cathedral](http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Interior_of_Cath%C3%A9drale_Notre-Dame_de_Chartres) more than lives up to its reputation. From a slightly different perspective… The first time I went to see thoroughbred racing I was stunned at just how powerful those horses seemed coming down the stretch. You just don’t get that from a screen. Even more so the I first time attended the Indy 500 and they dropped the green flag. Holy crap that’s loud and fast! ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-equally-or-more-impressive-in-person/478235/73 "2008-12-22T18:22:32Z")
It was pretty impressive seeing Goya’s “The Naked Maja” and “The Clothed Maja” right next to each other. Even more impressive was his [Family of the Infante don Luis](http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/exhibitions/past/img/goya_400.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![2\_Fat\_Cattle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/838e76/32.png) [@2\_Fat\_Cattle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2_Fat_Cattle)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-equally-or-more-impressive-in-person/478235/74 "2008-12-22T18:26:16Z")
**Sitnam** mentioned Angkor Wat. I was impressed by many of the ruins of Angkor, especially [Angkor Thom](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angkor_Thom) and [Bayon](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayon). The [Sagrada Família](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagrada_Familia) in Barcelona and Notre Dame de Paris also impressed me. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-equally-or-more-impressive-in-person/478235/75 "2008-12-22T18:49:46Z")
The Duomo in Florence. From the shear size, to the amazing level of detail (every square inch seems to have a face on it), it’s a marvel. ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-equally-or-more-impressive-in-person/478235/76 "2008-12-22T22:57:51Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > The night sky, as seen from places a long long way from the city lights. Thirded. There was a cold, clear December night in Juneau way out in the 'burbs that I hope I’ll never forget. And the aurora borealis put on the best show I’d ever seen a few months later. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-equally-or-more-impressive-in-person/478235/77 "2008-12-22T22:59:52Z")
> [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](#): > > Hawaii, as you know, is also an island with a north shore… Unless the island lies atop the North Pole, don’t they all have a north shore? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-equally-or-more-impressive-in-person/478235/78 "2008-12-22T23:08:01Z")
> [@interface2x](#): > > It didn’t seem so big until my friends and I decided to take the stairs up instead of the elevator. Talk about terrifying if you have a fear of heights! And the stairs only go up two levels, which is not even half-way up. I am VERY scared of heights, and circumstances dictated that I walked up the stairs…one of the most terrifying things EVER. I will agree that St. Peters in The Vatican was VERY impressive. I say it was the single largest structure that I have ever been in in my life. A B-52 in real life is just massive. It’s inspiring that we can get this thing to fly. ---
**Author:** ![PastAllReason](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f07891/32.png) [@PastAllReason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastAllReason)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-equally-or-more-impressive-in-person/478235/79 "2008-12-22T23:08:30Z")
The northern lights dancing across the sky. Newgrange, not so much the outside, but being inside it, and looking up, and then being in there when the lights go out. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-equally-or-more-impressive-in-person/478235/80 "2008-12-22T23:09:12Z")
The Iwo Jima Memorial. I always thought it was just a statue. It’s fucking HUGE. I had no idea how huge it actually is. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-equally-or-more-impressive-in-person/478235.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-equally-or-more-impressive-in-person/478235.md?page=5)