The only thing I probably have to contribute is that I’ve been on the CNN Los Angeles set for Larry King. A buddy of mine interviewed King for Japanese tv there. There’s a very good reason they don’t show anything besides the desks. The set is only dressed that far. It’s very small.
I was living in Durango, Colo., and was on my way to California, but I didn’t want to take the usual route, i.e., down to the 40 and over, cuz I’d already been that route.
I think I went west on 160, and then slightly north through Bryce, which also was beautiful, and then through Zion to the 15. I hadn’t even planned to visit a national park, I just wanted to go that direction, and Zion happened to be in the way.
I’m so glad it was. I was sorry that I hadn’t given myself more time to at least camp there.
I have visited about 15 national parks, and Zion was the most beautiful, by far. Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado was No. 2.
When were you there? Did you get to camp?
Now there is a shock! New Zealand isn’t all hobbit scenery and extreme sports. Please tell many, many people about the graffiti.
The Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. I’d been to quite a few catherals and mosques before, so I wasn’t really expecting anything out of the ordinary… when I first stepped inside it practically floored me (in fact, I did lie down on my back for a few minutes, just to get a better look at the ceiling). By far, the most impressive space I’ve ever been in. Because the ceiling rests upon a series of half-domes, you look up and think Man, that’s high, and then you step back and see that there’s another ceiling higher than that, and then you step further back and realize that those are just supports for the true dome, which seems to be floating somewhere in the middle of the sky. Over 1300 years old and still standing - with no support columns.
The fact that it was only partially restored, without the plush grandeur of something like the Blue Mosque, only made it seem more impressive. This is *jostory[/i[ damn it, and it doesn’t have to prety itself up for the likes of you or me.
I grew up about 45 minutes from Niagara Falls. Everyone who lives there has seen them at least once; they take all their visitors there, so after awhile you tend to take them for granted. But they are really impressive if you’re standing right next to them, or at the bottom, or you take the tour of the tunnels behind and beneath them.
The first time I remember being disappointed in how something looked IRL as compared to on a TV screen was when I got a tour of a local TV station. There was a kids’ show that I used to watch, that was set in a living room, with a framed window in the wall for the puppet to talk out of. When I got there, it was just these props set up in a corner of the studio. The bookcases and furniture were actually paintings on cardboard. They looked totally realistic on TV, though.
The view from the outdoor observation deck of the CN Tower in Toronto is mighty impressive. You have to go there on a clear, calm day. If the wind speed goes above a certain point, they close the upper deck. But otherwise, you can see far past the sprawl of the city, and if it’s really clear, you can see the steam rising from Niagara Falls.
I was amazed at how the scenery changes as you fly from Florida to California, as viewed from the air. The southeast US is a mass of greenery, which then gradually thins out and becomes farmland, with giant crop circles on massive farms, and then the terrain becomes flat, brown and sparse. You can see the scars left on the land by the recession of the ice all those millenia ago. I saw roads through the desert that were so long, and where civilization along them was so sparse, I can’t imagine how you’d get rescued if your car broke down. And then we flew down through the smog layer of LA. I thought, “what, is this it? Cripes, the smog is worse where I come from!” I do remember seeing the hills from the air, and instantly recognizing the aerial footage from the opening of MAS*H. When we got to Hollywood, it was under renovation. Most of the buildings were surrounded by scaffolding. The rest of it was pretty underwhelming.
The Smithsonian. All of them.
Air and Space museum: You walk in the door and look up. That IS Rutan’s Voyager that flew around the world non stop. That IS the plane that Yeager broke the sound barrier in. That IS the Spriti of St. Louis.
Museum of American History is some of the most amazing scale models of steam power generation, full-size locomotives, and right next to the world endurance speed record holding ZR-1 Corvette (since surpassed) is a Low Rider, and a Stanley Steamer.
I’m sorry your first ocean experience wasn’t on the West Coast. You should visit the Oregon coast, specifically Astoria and Canon Beach…your mind will be changed. 
Here’s another vote for Westminster Abbey. Big, and OLD. Not Roman-old, but still pretty damned old, especially for someone where not much happened before 1825 or so. The idea that historical figures such as Edward I, Geoffrey Chaucer and Isaac Newton(among many others) were buried right there in front of me, all in the same building was definitely strange.
Shakespeare’s grave in Stratford-on-Avon. The church is kind of out of the way from the main drag where his birthplace was, and was pretty unimpressive on the whole.
** US Penitentiary at Leavenworth KS ** . That’s what I think of when I think of prisons. 40 foot high walls, and an imposing old-school building. Very impressive as you drive by.
Oh, and for you guys that are talking about the Alamo, it’s not exactly preserved as it was in 1835. There was an outer wall something like 100-150 yards out from the long barrack and chapel that stretched to the river. One of the cornerstones is on display at it’s original position in the hotel lobby across the street. And another thing- the original San Antonio de Bexar was not right on top of the Alamo, but was some distance away. The city has since engulfed the mission, but it wasn’t always that way.
Well, to tell you the truth, I wasn’t prepared for the situation. I had no food and I was by myself in a rented 2000 Cavalier. Driving there, the holes in the road nearly ate the car. If it wasn’t a rental, I would probably have turned back. Once I got to the canyon, I hiked around all of the ruins and did one short loop on the ridge (since the Sun Dagger is now closed to the public because of the damage done to it in the short time from its discovery to the present) and was about to do the long walk down the Western canyon to see the petroglyphs when I saw a big storm boiling eastward. For once in my life, I was thinking ahead and I realized that since the road in went through two dry streambeds (I almost turned the car over in one of them) I was in danger of being trapped in the canyon by a flash flood with no food and only limited access to water at the ranger’s station water fountain, so I decided to get the hell out of there. I gobbled down two tiny packs of Delta Airlines complimentary trail mix I found in my backpack and raced back along the nightmare road as fast as I could with ominous storm clouds on my tail. The rain finally caught up with me just as I reach the paved portion (which is about twenty miles from the park). It was pretty intense.
My rental was brand new when I picked it up–I think it had about 30 miles on it–and over the course of a ten day rental that little car went through hell. My friend and I drove it through Utah to Lake Powell, Arches, Moab, and eventually all the way north to the Green River, then back south along the ridge of the Rockies in Colorado. It did things a Cavalier was never designed to do, but it made it. I always pictured the poor thing falling apart like the Blues Brothers’ car after I dropped it off at the airport. And now I always save the complimentary airline snack bags. You never know when you’re going to need them.
People are funny. In about 1965 a coworker of mine went on business to DC. I told him to spend some time at the Smithsonian if he could. When he got back I asked him about it and his response was that is was nice but not all that impressive. “After all,” he said, “I’ve been to the Field Museum in Chicago.”
Apparently he thought the old, red building on the south side of the mall was the whole Smithsonian.
This probably isn’t the sort of thing you’re looking for, but the Mall of America was almost the exact opposite of what I expected it to be. I assumed because the mall itself was so big there would be room for all sorts of interesting specialty stores, etc. Turns out they just have multiple locations of THE SAME STORES! Like there’s a Victoria’s Secret on the West end, and one on the East end, so you only have to shop like half the mall or something. What is the point of that?!
Concord Point Lighthouse in Havre de Grace is accessible and no charge.
I’m very much with you on this one. I was surprised at how moving I found it, and I don’t know anyone who died in Vietnam - I’m not even American!
Ditto to this with the above sentiment. Very moving.
Completely underwhelming - but OH MY GOSH the beautiful things in the next room!
I was fortunate enough to grow up within three hours’ drive of both places, so I grew up with both Waterton (The Canadian side of Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park) and Banff National Park as part of my life. I lived in Lake Louise as a teenager, working at one of the hotels. I moved back to the Rockies when I was an adult, because I loved looking at them so much. My stupid husband moved me away from the mountains - but in exchange, I got the Atlantic Ocean.
The first time he took me ‘downy oshun’ (Baltimorese) I just sat and stared. It really is awesome.
Lots of Italian stuff:
I felt the same way about the Coliseum that some people felt about the Alamo–for some reason, I didn’t expect it to be right there in the middle of town, to the degree that walking around it to get to someplace else was occasionally a pain in the ass. This is not to say I was unimpressed–it really is amazing to see, and having it right there was one of the reasons I loved Rome so much.
The Vatican–St. Peter’s Square is HUGE! I didn’t realize how big until I was there while a beatification was going on, and there was a stage on the steps and many thousands of people in chairs in front of it. The cathedral itself is also breathtaking. I was surprised to see the Pieta behind bulletproof glass, since somebody apparently ran in with a hammer several years ago started wailing away at it.
I’ll disagree with whoever was impressed by the Leaning Tower of Pisa–though, granted, I didn’t get all the way up close, since I was in town for just over an hour while I changed trains on the way to the Cinque Terre. It just provoked a “yep, there it is” from me. It’s worth it, though, for the train ride from Rome to Pisa, which is spectacular.
Florence–there is lots of cool stuff there, and David really does have to be seen to be believed. The rest of Florence, though, surprisingly left me wanting. It was dirty–especially the buildings–and half the people there were students doing a study abroad. It was like being in a poorly-kept Italian theme park. I think I was just in the wrong mood for it, though–I want to try it again sometime.
Non-Italian:
It’s hard to grasp the sheer size of the Vegas Strip hotels. You think that one hotel is just across the street from another, and it is, but it’s a good 15-minute walk to get over there.
I didn’t find Paris all that dirty or small but it was very crowded. I remember going to the top of one of Paris’ very few skyscrapers overlooking the city. It was during a misty day and found it to be one of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever seen. It looked like a painting. I’ve never seen anything like it.
Notre Dame was hugely disappointing. There was a line to get inside which wasn’t that big a deal but there were two large loudspeakers on either side of the line blaring I don’t remember what. In front of Notre Dame was a big tent set up selling tickets to something going on there. It was a big letdown. It felt like a circus. I don’t know if this distracted from the grandeur of the place or if Notre Dame just isn’t that big a deal. I saw other, lesser known cathedrals in Europe that awed me.
I’m from Oklahoma City but I was living in Austin, TX during the bombing. I had to come to OKC the weekend after the bombing because of a sick relative. I drove by about 4-5 blocks away from the bomb site. It was at night and they had these huge searchlights aimed at the building. It looked like the bombing of Dresden during WWII. I guess they were still looking for bodies. It was a pretty large building. Nine stories tall. And the tv and pictures made it look isolated but it wasn’t.
I should here insert the obligatory “so, how you doin’?” post, but instead I’ll be more honest and assume that you didn’t go to some of the western suburbs of Sydney ( I’m allowed to say this - I live there). Though it might be your thing if you like mullets, nicotine stains to the elbows, no teeth, needle track marks, foetal alcohol syndrome, poorly done tattoos, screechy heroin addict voices…
We also have an extensive range of middle-aged, beerbellied, balding truck driver for your perusal.
As for me, of course, I am dashing and rugged, and I wrestle crocodiles in my spare time. Um… right.
Back to the OP, and nothing could have prepared me for Hong Kong. That place is just electric. I’ve never seen so much energy. At home, I have noticed that a lot of visitors find the Sydney Opera House much smaller than they expected it to be. The bridge always impresses them though (as it does me, and I was born here).
I’ve got to second the Biolumenescent Bay in Vieques. When the school bus rattled off through the woods, I thought, “This is a trap. They’re taking out in the woods to kill us.” When we got out on the boat, I couldn’t tell if anything was really glowing or if it was reflected starlight or my eyes going crazy. But when I got in the water… WOW! Beautiful. Like swimming in magic.
And the Eiffel tower… blah… it looks like a brown scaffold. I loved Notre Dame, though (although it was smaller than I imagined). Best to stroll by it in the evenings after everyone is gone. And like many said, the mona lisa is tiny, and kinda boring, especially compared to the winged victory.
Here’s one I didn’t see mentioned: Yoda, in the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, N.Y. He’s a bit taller than I thought, and his skin is a bit cracked. But he surprised me most because he’s tucked behind a wall and I came around the corner and BAM! there he was right in front of me.
Dave Letterman’s desk is WAAAAY far away from the audience.
The Alien costume at Planet Holywood is in no way scary. You can see the spandex suit underneath (granted, it’s the stunt costume, so maybe there’s a better one somewhere).
Patrick Stewart’s voice is BOOMING when he wants to project.
Ray Park is a tiny little guy.
The comments on La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona and the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul are spot-on. In terms of natural wonders, the Grand Canyon and the Crazy Horse monument (ok, not exactly natural) are beyond compare. The ancient city of Petra in Jordan was just unbelievably cool. I wish I could have stayed there for two days. Just one pic of one “building” that folks should be familiar with.
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But I’d say the one touristy sort of thing that impressed me the most was the British Museum. I was just constantly stunned at what I came across: oh, look, there is Cleopatra’s sarcophagus. Oh, look, there is THE Rosetta Stone. It just constantly blew my mind for creating a personal connection with ancient history. And yes, I know it was all stolen goods, but damn, it is cool.
I was going to mention the Blue Mosque as well – it looks big from the outside, but it looks even bigger on the inside – the girth of the columns in on the sequoia scale, and the sense of space is amazing.
The Tower of London – come see medieval history! No, come see a largely Victorian reconstruction of what they thought medieval history was like. Overpriced and tacky.
The Arnofini Portrait (aka The Arnolfini Wedding). Not particularly big, but my God - the detail! If you see it, you’re guaranteed to find yourself virtually nose-to-paint, finding endless little things hidden in the details. From the mud on the soles of the clogs to the individual hairs on the little dog to the carved figures on the bedpost – breathtaking.
We think the same here up in Minnesota. Especially those folks up near Lake Itaska.
I have no idea why all those folks down in New Orleans are so impressed with it. I mean, it’s a creek for crissakes!
Some more I thought of:
Bryce Canyon in Utah. I’m not sure what I was expecting - I’d barely heard of it before I went there - but I was fucking blown away with the reality. Incredible.
Milan. I was expecting some fancy city with people in designer clothes. It was dirty, dull, and had more McDonalds than I have ever seen in one place in my life. Seriously, my friends and I were incredulous at the amount of McDonaldses. In Italy! They have great food in Italy! Who would want to eat at McDonalds when you could be eating authentic Italian food?
Wall Drug, Wall, South Dakota. WTF? Seriously…WTF? I mean, NOTHING can live up to that amount of hype but…WTF?
The Midwest. The first time I came to the Midwest, it was August in Ohio and I was astonished at how green everything was. California (my home state) in August is brown - the hills don’t turn green until the winter rains. Also, there was an insane thunderstorm the first night I was there. I’d only seen a few thunderstorms in my life and never one as long and loud as that one. It was really impressive and cool. After almost three years in the Midwest I’m still impressed by the thunderstorms and astonished by the summer greenery.