Places that live up to the hype

Quebec City.

Asheville.

In Boston/Cambridge all seems to breathe freedom and peace and to make one forget the world and its sad turmoils.

I REALLY liked Amsterdam and Istanbul

Cote d'Azur

R1 tell me more about asheville I was thinking of visiting. Is there plenty to do there over a week or is it more of a day trip sort of place?

R5, you can definitely spend more than a day in Asheville. Perhaps a long weekend or even a week. It’s got a cool, artsy vibe to it, good for just walking around downtown. Lots of hiking nearby, the Biltmore Estate, breweries, bookstores, etc.

Datalounge - oh, the wit! The warmth!

Come on, DL, let's get this thread going. I need to know where in the U.S. I can escape to.

Trump Tower

Youngstown, Ohio!!

Waterton Lakes National Park, Canada

OP: Cambridge and Boston can be beautiful but, like almost everywhere else, they're being or have been overwhelmed by tourists and traffic. Harvard sees, on average, 40 busloads of Chinese tourists alone every day of the year. They stay for a total of 20 minutes, then it's on the next stop. They all march in and they all rub the foot of John Harvard's statue for luck, not knowing Harvard freshmen housed in the Yard have a habit of drunkenly pissing on the foot at night.

Maui has been totally overrun by traffic and tourism and time-shares and understandably, the Hawaiians are po'd and less friendly than ever. People used to leave their cars to ford the places the road washed out and used cars of others who did the same on the other side (I was never sure how everyone got their own cars back, but that's what they said.) Nowadays the Hana Highway is usually a bumper-to-bumper rental car parking lot.

Barcelona was enchanting until the junkies took over the Ramblas and the Placa de Catalunya. What used to be enchanting is now dangerous.

I hate to sound so jaded, but an awful lot of places have become victims of their own success.

Westeros.

R12 is a wet blanket.

R14

If the shoe fits...

Bainbridge Island, WA

Very affluent, yet rural and rustic (think Martha's Vineyard) -

There are only two ways to get there from the Seattle/Tacoma area: a nearly three-hour drive through massive traffic; or a 35-minute car ferry ride, after sitting in the ferry holding zone for at least one hour, if you're lucky.

The aforementioned options causes one to think twice about traveling there.

Perfect -

The Big Island, Hawaii.

Not as many tourists and not as developed as the other islands. Still retains some of its pristine tropical beauty. The black sand beach and the volcano, although it wasn't as active when I was there.

Galápagos Islands are amazing.. No place like it on earth.

Well they must have bigger dicks than they used to piss so high.

Expectations are everything in travel, aren't they? If you went to Hawaii expecting paradise, well, you won't like it. But if you went someplace similar where you had fewer expectations, lilke New Zealand's north island you would love it. Of course New Zealand is a hyped place nowadays, but there's Chile, not yet overfreighted with expectation...

[quote] Very affluent, yet rural and rustic (think Martha's Vineyard) -

Why would I necessarily be more familiar with Martha's Vineyard than with Bainbridge Island?

[quote] Barcelona was enchanting

Mary!

Antarctica. Or rather, the Antarctic Peninsula, where I spent two weeks cruising on a ship full of nerds.

Like a trip to another planet, one made of beautiful living ice and populated by strange creatures, and one that humans haven't had a chance to fuck up.

San Francisco for sure. Everyone says it is crowded, overpriced, has shitty weather and is full of human shit and they are absolutely right. It is everything everyone says it is.

San Francisco, as a place to visit (not necessarily as a place to live), Tokyo.

A friend and I went to Dublin with high (unreasonable??) expectations and we were not disappointed. We enjoyed walking around, the history, seeing some of the culture, a little touristy stuff, lovely scenery in Howth. People were pretty great, too.

I agree with Cambridge and Barcelona. I would add Montreal, the Italian Alps and Paris.

Rural Tuscany lives up to the hype. It is one of the only places that is truly as beautiful as the pictures.

Glacier National Park - the most beautiful spot on the continent

People are going to laugh and drag me, but Los Angeles. I always find it interesting and beautiful in a lot of areas. Such expansive city (and metro) set among the nature - the hills, the mountains, the beaches - there's always a lot to explore. And, the cultural aspects of it are underrated IMO since obviously some of it is incredibly touristy and trashy. Since it's so big, there's a lot of under the radar stuff to find - great food, great bars, interesting neighborhoods. This is from the perspective of a visitor; maybe living there it's not as great, but it certainly didn't disappoint. As for the traffic - totally expected. The parking bothered me more than the traffic

Cambridge, England is actually as pretty as it looks. Great day trip from London.

Venice

Paris

Jerusalem

South Island, New Zealand

Cyclades, Greece

Petra, Jordan

Tuscan hill towns

Banff/Lake Louise, Canada

Santorini, Greece--otherworldly in its beauty.

Paris

NYC

Provincetown

Washington DC

San Francisco--I know DL likes to complain about the homeless people, but it will always be one of the most unique and magical places on the planet.

Rome

At Christmas time, Ashville has a great Gingerbread competition in a famous hotel. If there is snow there might be skiing nearby?

R32 I agree Santorini was other worldly.

I love NYC anytime of the year, but it's truly magical during the holidays. From the Macy's Thanksgiving parade thru New Year's, the city is like a Christmas wonderland.

There was a time when I would have said Squirrel Hill.

R36 = Deplorable

What does that mean?

Do you live here, R37?

The Italian Riviera and Amalfi Drive.

The Italian Lake District (Como, Garda, etc.).

The Cotswolds.

Alsace.

Devon and Cornwall.

Normandy and Brittany.

The Loire Valley/Chateaux.

Coastal Maine.

Delaware River and Bucks County (PA) villages of Frenchtown, Stockton, New Hope, Lambertville, Lahaska, etc.

University Park, PA, on a Penn State football game day.

Laguna Beach here in CA! It's south of LA. It's an artsy coastal town with colorful, fragrant greenery. It's gotten way more upscale now from the '70's though when I was there. It has a certain charm about it. I actually don't know if it's hyped at all, really.

R41 unless ur Oceanside and the waves keep u up at night

[R28] I take it you have never been to Alaska? I'm from Alaska and Glacier National Park is nothing special. It's nice enough but their are dozens of prettier places in Alaska. The Brooks Range in summer is amazing.

Cortina

Another vote here for Istanbul. It's a magical place. But this was like five years ago before Erdogan started messing everything up.

Boulder has a really mellow, peaceful vibe and if you like red meat/lamb, you're going to have some great meals.

R40- Interested to see that you included Lambertville/New Hope on your list. Bucks County and the Delaware River area piqued my interest a few years back and I keep meaning to take a weekend to visit. Good to know it's worth it.

I agree than SF is miserable. Homelessness, chilly weather, chilly people. Now culturally irrelevant but still trading on it's Haight Ashbury rep. Went to visit friends in May and was shocked at how dismal it was. SFMOMA was good though.

Tasm ania - You could just snap a photo in any direction, at any time, any place and it would be beautiful.

Biltmore and Asheville- delightful!

Prague- nicely preserved/ restored - and beautiful

Muir woods - a transformational experience

Quebec City - simply lovely.

Zion and Arches parks - though way crowded, uniquely spectacular.

Rural Ireland. Dublin has no appeal and is not particularly interesting - but I don’t think it’s hyped, so not necessarily disappointing.

Grand Canyon. But you have to hike inside it.

The 99 restaurants

San Antonio

Island of Capri

Vancouver

Lanikai Beach on Oahu

I can't believe anyone would like Boston so much. Yuck.

From west to east:

North County San Diego

Los Angeles

San Francisco

Austin

Boston

Washington DC

NYC/Brooklyn

The Hamptons

London

Bath

Cambridge

Edinburgh

Paris

Cote d'Azur

Amsterdam

Munich

Berlin

Budapest

Vienna

Prague

Venice

Florence

Sicily

Rome

Santorini

Tel Aviv

Jerusalem

Petra

Cape Town

Dubai

Phukhet

Melbourne

Sydney

Big Island /Maui

Buenos Aires

Punta Del Este

Bogota

Nevis

Barbados

Vieques

The island of Kauai

Australia's Deep Outback

NZs South Island

Brazil's Fernando de Noronha islands

Norways fjords

Another vote for England's Cotswolds, Devon & add Dorset

Asturias region of Spain

Italian Alps, lake region & far NE Italy (Friuli, Tirol, Trentino Alto Adige)

NYs Adirondacks

Frances Brittany, Jura & Camargue regions. Cities of Grenoble, Aix la Chappelle

Cartagena, Colombia

Mendoza & Bariloche, Argentina

Rural Japan, esp in northern Japan

The Rockies in Idaho & Montana

Gateway of the Arctic NP, Alaska

Luxury cruise of the eastern Med & Aegean

Bavaria.

Prague

+1 cote d'azur

ljubljana

prague

Machu Picchu, Cusco, Peru, and the Sacred Inca valley. Machu Picchu is overrun with tourists, and there’s no getting around it, and from what I hear it’s damn mear impossible to get a permit for hiking the Inca trail... but it’s still otherworldly! A true wonder of the world.

Cusco city center is amazing. If you do go to this area of Peru, don’t just go straight from Cusco to Machu Picchu and back. Explore the other ruins, specifically Pisac, and the town of Ollaytaytambo, which still has Inca descendants living there. The town has walls and water canals along the streets dating back to Inca era.

Monte Carlo - It's exactly what you expect.

The Taj Mahal

Colombia exceeded expectations in every way imagineable. 😀

Tikal, Guatemala.

Guadalajara, Mexico for food, culture and gay sex; Chichen Itza; Oaxaca City as an arts and food destination; The anthropology museum of Mexico City.

Yosemite tunnel view in mid-winter.

Barcelona for gay sex and man-gazing.

Prague’s preserved architecture and history.

ImaginAble.

[quote]Antarctica. Or rather, the Antarctic Peninsula, where I spent two weeks cruising on a ship full of nerds. Like a trip to another planet, one made of beautiful living ice and populated by strange creatures, and one that humans haven't had a chance to fuck up.

R21, are you joking?? I say that as someone who's also visited Antarctica on a small, fairly nerdy ship. This was nearly a decade ago, but even then our guides were pointing out the myriad areas that have been damaged or literally destroyed due to man-made climate change. I agree that it's otherworldly, but not being ruined by tourists isn't the same thing as not being ruined by humans generally. (And btw quite a few people argue that even its current tourism levels are already too high, despite them being a fragment of anywhere else on the planet.)

Gee, R61, you're so subtle about loving the uncut Latin pinga...

To add a few more:

Portugal has the friendliest people in all of Europe, IMO.

In the US, I am extremely fond of Chicago, Livingston, Montana, and the forests of southern Oregon all for very different reasons.

Lake Titicaca and its floating islands of reeds.

Zion National Park in Utah is better than Grand Canyon, IMO.

Have not been to Cuba yet. Want to visit before old Havana becomes overrun.

Yellowstone National Park. An amazing place with some truly awe-inspiring and beautiful sights.

Guilty as charged R64, lol!

[quote]From west to east: North County San Diego ... Los Angeles ... San Francisco ... Austin ... Boston ... Washington DC ... NYC/Brooklyn ... The Hamptons ... London

R54, I'm assuming you haven't ever lived in these cities or visited them multiple times over the years. With the exception of Boston and the Hamptons, I have, and I can assure you they've ALL been ruined in one way or another by hype, mass tourism, skyrocketing prices, general gentrification and becoming a "destination" for entitled millennials. (And despite not going to the Hamptons often, I've heard from others how they've been destroyed for a good 20 years now.)

The one exception I *have* visited often: North County San Diego. As long as you avoid the obnoxious new-build suburbs in and around Carlsbad, the place retains its magic. Thankfully California's super-strict building codes have prevented areas like La Jolla and Del Mar from being ruined by overdevelopment or mass tourism. (Yes, they're admittedly an attraction for asshole Republicans like Mitt Romney, but that's always been the case, particularly in Rancho Santa Fe.)

[quote]I hate to sound so jaded, but an awful lot of places have become victims of their own success.

I do as well, but R12 is right: some of the most historic and scenic places on Earth have been destroyed by excessive tourism, particularly throughout Europe over the past 20 years (and primarily thanks to the likes of Ryanair that make it possible to fly pretty much anywhere for under 100 euros roundtrip - very much *not* a good thing). It's difficult to think of which place, among many, has been the most ruined, but I probably put Prague and Santorini on top of the list. Prague has been annihilated primarily by British chavs flying down there for cheap lager and pissing / vomiting / passing out on the street every single night of the summer (and at least every weekend night the rest of the year). Barely 20 years ago Santorini was still bucolic, rural and difficult to get to other than a lengthy ferry trip; today it feels nearly as antiseptic as EPCOT Center's version of "Greece."

Sadly, the one place I'd add that *does* live up to the hype -- Iceland -- won't for much longer at the rate it's being infested by tourism. Reykjavik thankfully wasn't all that great to begin with (but has now lost every iota of charm), and you can still find a fair amount of unspoiled beauty throughout the country, but today you have to go reaaaaaally far off the beaten path to find it. (Almost literally, as in the opposite side of the island that requires 3-4 days in each direction via car to get there.

Finally, I saw someone mention Westeros upthread. Sadly, the "real" Westeros - namely Dubrovnik, where most of GoT's early exterior scenes for it were filmed the first few seasons - is practically as tourist-infested as continental Europe, though I know GoT has relocated much of its former Croatian filming as of late due to all the tourists there now.

Yellowstone was way more enjoyable than I thought it would be. Like a nature lovers Disneyland. Never boring.

St. Petersburg and Asheville

[quote]San Francisco--I know DL likes to complain about the homeless people, but it will always be one of the most unique and magical places on the planet.

SF's homeless population mostly stays in a small-ish part of the Tenderloin. The same can't be said for the techie millennials who've infiltrated literally almost every other formerly charming enclave within the city. SF used to be nearly as diverse as NYC, but nowadays even its most comparatively remote neighborhoods are being gentrified almost entirely by young white and Southeast/East Asian tech nerds (male and female). I'll take it as a given you know the Castro is a mere shadow of its former self, along with every former gay ghetto in NYC.

As for its natural beauty, however, I mostly agree, though that's a double-edged sword: the preservationists who've prevented the city from being half-ruined by overdevelopment of endless dozens of faceless condo towers (see case in point, Vancouver) have gone too far and turned it into a de facto gated neighborhood, at least for anyone who wants to *live* there. OTOH they'll all disappear -- literally -- when the Big One finally hits: the entire downtown / SoMa / South Beach area where most of the tech behemoths have assimilated the area area in the city's liquefaction zone. The underlying land will become the near-equivalent of quicksand in the event of a serious earthquake, one that will likely topple even the most absurdly grandiose skyscrapers like the new Salesforce tower (now the tallest building on the West Coast, eclipsing the Transamerica pyramid).

Oxford. If you're a student at Oxford, of course.

Speaking of university towns. Ithaca and Princeton are indeed wonderful places to be young, intelligent, good-looking students.

R70 is a trip every American should make. The size, the immensity, geothermal features, opportunity to see wolves, bison, and grizzly bears.

Old Faithful was my least favorite part of it though- overrun. It can be missed in favor of the bubbling mud pots and the grand prismatic spring. The Tower section of the park is your best shot at seeing a grizzly.

I live in New Hope and yes, it's a lovely, beautiful, magical place on the river. It's especially nice this time of year with the fall foliage - I feel like I'm living in a novel many times.

however I'm shocked to see it listed here with much more worldly destinations.

Every time I watch House Hunters International, I think I should move to whatever country they're featuring. This week some middle-aged divorced lady was moving to Lisbon, Portugal. Now I'm interested in Portugal for the first time.

I don't know where I want to be.

I’m a little dubious of New Hope. Nice enough but a little suburban now. As with so many on this list, I remember them as much better 20 years ago - so perhaps jaded.

R77 solebury is now more suburban (Mc mansions/mansions now are interspersed with the horse farms/estates/barns etc)

The borough of new hope is not suburban however

It's really a beautiful place and I'm lucky to be living here.

Anyone been to Buenos Aires? Good? Bad? Overrun? I'm intrigued!

Vancouver.

The Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, New York City

Israel - so much history. And Egypt - same reason.

Interesting overlap with the most overrated places thread.

Sitges. It's exactly as described.

R10, What the hell?!? My company used to have offices in Youngstown. I was talking to a woman there, and sort of casually mentioned that I had heard it was a rather rough place. She immediately piped up, "Oh, it's not that bad", but in the next sentence, told me she had seen someone get shot on her first day of work. It's a depressing, former steel town, current Mob town.

For a second-hand experience (sorry), my ex took a trip for his birthday to San Francisco, and tried to tell me how wonderful is was, but words failed him. I just remember him trying to tell me that the atmosphere was 'crystalline', that the colors were all so vivid, that the views were unbelievable. Sadly, he's not always the most articulate guy, but he's traveled quite a bit, and this was the first time he tripped and stumbled over his words, and just kept telling me I needed to accompany him the next time he went. He didn't rave about NYC or LA or any other city I can remember, although he enjoyed them. But even now, if I bring up SF, he gets misty eyed.

[quote]Anyone been to Buenos Aires? Good? Bad? Overrun? I'm intrigued!

Still good. Great, actually. I'm a seriously jaded bitch when it comes to traveling. BA's (and Argentina's) biggest problem is a perennial one: massive, systemic governmental problems, ranging from catastrophic mismanagement of their economy to elected leaders who even today don't blanch at the thought of assassinating their enemies, albeit far less quietly than Boris, Kim or MBS.

And the men are SEX ON A FUCKING STICK! They're not quite as "friendly" as the gay guys in Rio, but they're close.

[quote]I just remember him trying to tell me that the atmosphere was 'crystalline', that the colors were all so vivid, that the views were unbelievable.

It's called "acid," dear. Someone dropped it in his drink. (Sounds like quite a lot of it.) Did he notice any ... unusual looseness in his nether regions when he got home? The acid is usually accompanied by what we call "roofies," to help boys ... keep their minds off of stuff.

The Greek Islands. I loved sailing in the Aegean and walking around the ports. I spent several weeks on Crete and it was lovely, everything at the Greek pace.

How is Mykonos Island, R88?

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico was very nice earlier this year. Very touristy, but it's so far one of the few Mexican cities that hasn't been ruined by the drug cartels. I know that may change someday but when I was there the people were friendly and nice, I could go anywhere within reason as long as I used common sense. One strange thing I noticed: The whole 8 days I was there I never once saw a policeman! No cop cars, no cops, nothing. They have a huge compound out on the edge of the city with a wall and barbed wire around it and I guess they all just stay in there. But Puerto Vallarta was beautiful and very pleasant and the food everywhere was fantastic.

R89 overrun

I lived in San Francisco for 22 years and loved every minute! The junkies, shit on the sidewalks, etc are mainly in certain areas downtown, most neighborhoods aren't like that. It has its problems like any city but it's a unique and beautiful place. The housing prices have gotten out of control so I finally moved out 3 years ago. I miss it everyday.

R45, Take the River Road! Be sure to include Frenchtown, in NJ, right across a bridge. Also, the bend in the road at the Inn at Phillips Mill is very picturesque!

P. S. Remember the DL thread on the Black Bass Hotel/Restaurant? It's on this road!

R75, r40 here. I live a bit north of you. I have been to virtually every European destination mentioned here, plus Morocco; plus crossing the states and going from Banff and Vancouver down to Tijuana.

I think our areas of PA are beautiful!

Sardinia. Off season especially.

It's as if it's a continent rather than a mere island. Very varied landscape... much of it still wild. Wonderful towns. Great beaches. Well maintained. Great climate. And you're surrounded by Europe.

Also the islands Elba and Gigli

R75 & R40. Another vote for central bucks. Such a well kept secret. Easy to take day trips to NYC and Philly and weekend trips to the the beach or mountains. We have no earthquakes, mud slides, tornadoes, hurricanes, drought, floods (well, sometimes the river gets too high), homeless problem, school shootings or terrorist attacks. People go out of their way to be friendly.

It's beautiful here, especially in spring and fall. Covered bridges, stone houses, horse farms, winding country roads, the river/canal and charming small towns. It's puzzling to me that Bucks County artists so often depict this area in winter though---tons of snow scenes (I know, it's all about the light). To me the true beauty of Bucks is in the bright greens of spring and the stunning foliage in the fall.