Underwhelming Experiences

You may find this thread of interest, OP:

This one too:

And this one:

The Alamo was teensy tiny.

The Grand Canyon. It’s just a big hole in the ground.

I have never been as claustrophobic as I was in the Sistine Chapel. We were packed in like sardines. You couldn't stand still and appreciate anything at your leisure. Ugh! Maybe it's more pleasant now in Covid times.

I think you need to book After Hours admission to the Vatican to really appreciate the Sistine Chapel.

I did this a few years ago and had an absolutely wonderful time. Since admissions were limited, nowhere in the Museum was very crowded. I had several hours to explore before getting to the Sistine Chapel. Once there, not only was it only about a quarter full, it was actually possible to grab a seat around the perimeter, relax, and appreciate the awe-inspiring majesty of the place in comfort and peace.

Ditto with Stonehenge. I've been 3 times and have always had an incredible experience there. I recommend going either first thing in the morning or last thing in the evening to avoid the crowds. But if you really want to experience Stonehenge intimately, book one of the Special Access tours. These are conducted in the early morning (before the site opens to the general public) or in the evening after it closes. Not only is no one around but you are allowed to go up among the stones and not just view them from a distance. There were maybe 25 people there when I did this a few years ago. Truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

An ex wanted me to accompany him on a trip to visit some people he knew from sci-fi conventions. He said they lived in a beautiful home with a pool that was like Southfork on "Dallas". He kept building it up til I couldn't resist.

We drove for hours through Indiana, finally arriving at a sort of non-descript split-level ranch house in the middle of nowhere. The couple were breeder-types with a little girl. They new Michael was gay, but I don't think they were too keen on hosting a GAY COUPLE (Michael used to be straight or bi or whatever).

Michael immediately wanted to go swimming, even though it was a rather cool, overcast summer day. We switched into swim trunks and he led me out to a sad plastic above ground pool about 10 feet wide, full of murky rain water, and he jumped in. He was disappointed when I declined to go for a swim.

Dinner was a tense affair. I remember we had fried green tomatoes and I had nothing in common with these people. I confided to him that I'd like to go back home and not stay the night, but he said that would be insulting. At some point the little girl sensed the tension and began to cry. I was trapped.

So we stayed the night. For some reason we watched "Exorcist II: The Heretic" and that lightened the mood a bit, because it was so laughably bad. We slept in a spare bedroom in a damp-ish bed. It was chilly enough to close the windows but no heat was turned on.

We had breakfast the next morning and went on our way. Michael said his friend told him I had "Short Man's Disease" and that's why I was so cranky.

[quote]The Alamo was teensy tiny.

And no basement...

Old Faithful geyser in Yellowstone. You're sitting far away on benches, likely seeing the back of other tourists' heads, awaiting the countdown for the next eruption, and when it finally does spout, there's the feeling of: "Oh, was that it?"

[quote] we watched "Exorcist II: The Heretic" and that lightened the mood a bit, because it was so laughably bad.

It was better the fist.

Hall of mirrors in Versailles. It was so overcrowded you couldn't appreciate it.

[quote]I remember we had fried green tomatoes and I had nothing in common with these people.

Nice sentence, R8

The Sistine Chapel is my epiphany. All my life I had seen reproductions of mediocre quality and of the pre-restored frescoes. I saw it first after the lunettes and the ceiling had been cleaned and restored and last after the same for the Last Judgment in 1994. It was extraordinary to see something I knew fairly well alive in context, in strong, clear colors and dimensional.

The times I've seen it it was not crowded. I took care to pick an off day and the right time. I wasn't rushed in or rushed out. It was the opposite of disappoint each time and I've persuaded many friends visiting Rome to go, to book a private tour, to see that space above all and to see it well.

I would enjoy it even if the space were packed with the most horrible people, but I understand not everyone would.

And the Vatican museum is astounding in it's breadth and richness: seeing things in the flesh that are part of everyday life, overlooked even, but overwhelming to see.

The Sistine Chapel and the Vatican museum is a litmus test I suppose. I never ask, but let people expand upon their impressions as they will, but I can't help but be forever and deeply disappointed by anyone who isn't moved by seeing those things.

R11, Miss Kael, we had no idea you loved fisting!

[quote] I never ask, but let people expand upon their impressions as they will, but I can't help but be forever and deeply disappointed by anyone who isn't moved by seeing those things.

MARY!!

Mona Lisa. Its much smaller than I imagined (but when you're a kid, i guess everything seems large), and contrary to popular myth, her/his eyes do not follow you around the room. I was totally nonplussed.

Niagara Falls. Meh...just a bunch of water. My parents were so disappointed in my reaction.

Though not as impressive + more USA centric as the others listed here, the Liberty Bell is tiny and unimpressive.

Any US football, basketball or baseball game.

I win!

How about the Blarney Stone? I haven’t been.

The Sphinx

R21, it is such a tourist scam! What is especially sad is all these old people climbing up to the wet, slick parapets of an old castle to bend over a ledge to kiss a fucking rock. I was 17 when I did it as a goof with some friends.

Disneyland. its just a theme park with screaming kids, long lines and 5 dollar bottles of water. i dont get the hype

I second the Statue of Liberty and Old Faithful being teensy. Places I've seen that were impressive include Loch Ness, Alcatraz, the Biltmore, Hearst Castle, the Griffith Observatory, the Waldorf in NYC, and even the Grassy Knoll where JFK was shot (it was just the size I'd pictured all these years; neither larger nor smaller). Another place in Dallas that was just the size I pictured was Southfork, where they filmed 'Dallas'. We got to walk thru the house, and even though they didn't film indoors for the show, the interior had the same dimensions as the LA set. The pool, driveway, and front yard were just as they appeared on the show.

The Terracotta Warriors in the outskirts of Xian. A large tin shed, covering a hole in the ground, filled with shit garden gnomes. Holy fuck, what a waste of a two hour taxi ride from a a tier 3 city in backwater China.

The Grand Canyon just came off as a big hole in the ground for me, it just didn’t have the majesty that so many others see.

The Alamo was a complete shit show, it was like who the fuck would have fight for this dump, not me!

[quote] The Alamo was a complete shit show, it was like who the fuck would have fight for this dump, not me!

And no basement...

I just re-visited the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel (my 3rd time, I think) at the end of October. COVID was the best thing that ever happened to the Vatican Museums, at least from my POV. There weren't more than 10 people in the chapel at any point during this visit, and it really was great.

Two places that I expected to underwhelm me, but they didn't: Venice, and the Great Wall of China. Both were truly impressive and memorable.

I imagine the Hollywood Walk of Fame must be underwhelming for tourists. They're probably expecting some big glamorous experience, or maybe even to see celebrities, and that part of Hollywood is really quite scuzzy, lol. They're more likely to get hit up for change by panhandlers.

[quote]The Grand Canyon. It’s just a big hole in the ground.

I feel very sorry for you.

The Santa Monica Pier. Yawn

Graceland. If you've been there, or even simply driven past it, you'll know why.

Have to agree with previous poster about Stonehenge. Also, Mount Rushmore was a letdown. It’s like seeing a popular actor in real life and seeing how short they are. The Floating Gardens outside Mexico City; may as well take a boat down a drainage canal.

Good call on Graceland. Didn’t even bother stopping.

The Magnetic Hill in New Brunswick, Canada. Apparently you're deceived into thinking that your car is being pulled uphill but in fact the car is coasting downhill. At least it's free of charge. I read in a bio about Herb Ritts that there is a magnetic hill somewhere in Los Angeles.

The Empire State Building. Not a good experience.

R37, there’s such an incline (not really a hill) in San Antonio, Texas. Completely underwhelming.

I'm not underwhelmed. I am nauseated by corporations preaching at me with what they assume to be sentimental images.

My sentiment is Nausea!

Follies.

I crashed the Costume Institute Gala (it's name before "The MET Ball" 3 years in row in the 80s when I was in my early 20s. It easy to do, then, after dinner, when the Young Friends were invited in. I though it was good fun, very insider, just the usual society types and social x-rays. I moved to Europe. Flash forward 25 years and I was properly invited to the McQueen Savage Beauty party and I found it dreadful. The same feeling I had at other huge rat fuck events of the oughts and easy 2010s. Cannes Film festival and its amfAR Galas, the Love Balls in Vienna, any fashion show on the circuit after 2000. Just grotesque celebrity rat fucks overrun with everyone on the make, posing posing posing and 60 zillion flacks and assistants.

Like others here, I went to the Sistine Chapel at an off time. Paid 20 bucks extra through a company to be the first group in. I was literally the first person in and my husband right after me. For about 30 seconds it was just us and then maybe 20 more people. Then we walked the grounds for an hour and saw absolutely no one-it was surreal and beautiful.

^ I'd go to parties like that in the oughts and 2010s.

We paid over a $100 to attend so we were determined to get our money's worth, dancing like loons until the advertised closing time at 10am and consuming any or every drug we could find.

I now find myself to be underwhelmed at my behaviour.

Another vote for the Mona Lisa...here you are looking at amazing art in the Louvre, with signs pointing your way to the Mona Lisa. As you approach, there is a gaggle of people in your way. You eventually make your way to the front, only to be held back by a velvet rope, 7 feet away from a circular boarder, which is about 10 feet away from the painting, which looks to be about maybe 2' tall.

Now Klimt's "The Kiss" at the Belvedere is exactly the opposite experience.

Rightly so, R45!

R41 Did NOT see the original production.

Another for the Mona Lisa. Surprisingly small. Covered by such thick glass and yards away. You might as well be looking at a bank teller in Renaissance garb from the back of the line.

R31 - when it comes to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, you really need to book the "After Hours" tour. It takes place either early in the day or late in the evening and then there are only about 20 people with you. They take you to see the really rare ones off the beaten path, like this one people don't even know about.

Stonehenge. Very boring and dull. Don't waste your time.

Ninety percent of the time that I come to DL to be entertained.

Most gay porn.

The Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) statue in Rio de Janeiro.

I liked seeing it from down below, in various parts of the city. It really did give the impression that it was looking down on you. I'd be in the middle of doing something else, not even thinking about it, then suddenly look up, and there it was in the distance.

Going up to the actual statue, though, was a pretty shitty experience. Even though it was summer, and it was a nice, sunny, warm day, it was FREEZING up at the statue. And it was just teeming with people, all jockeying for position to take a photo with the statue in the background, usually mimicking Christ's outstretched arms. I couldn't wait to get back down off that hill.

Sleeping Beauty's Castle at Disneyland. After growing up with Cinderella's Castle in WDW it was such a disappointment.

One thing I found underwhelming were the portraits of Frida Kahlo. Then I saw them in an an exhibit in Mexico City and was really impressed. Some things you have to see in person to appreciate.

The Mayan ruins in Tulum.

Tower of London - we were all very American and fat and ugly. Also, I don’t want to see jewelry or hats unless I’m in the market.

I think i once unwittingly called it the Cistern Chapel when i was a young buck

That was a vividly funny description R48. Many of these are. I'm feeling better for "missing out" on some of these supposedly must see/do experiences. Or perhaps escaping them is more apt in some cases. More please!

The Poulnabrone dolmen in Ireland’s Burren. It’s always LOOMING in photographs but it’s six feel tall in real life.

I suggest before going to Graceland, consume alcohol, it gives the whole experience a pleasant glow. Otherwise it's a joke.

Armie.

I was very underwhelmed when I saw the Mona Lisa in the Louvre.

It's tiny and dark and disappointing.

It's especially underwhelming compared to the rest of the incredible, mind-blowing artwork and statues in the Lourve. And then there's the Louvre itself which is absolutely stunning - like an artwork within and artwork.

Seeing this was underwhelming R22?

Some of the one star reviews for the Lucille Ball museum in Jamestown NY provided me with about 20 minutes of entertainment. Feast!

People don’t visit Graceland for the house. They visit because they are fans of Elvis and want to be closer to him.

You were underwhelmed by Graceland? You’re not an Elvis fan. Why would you expect to be overwhelmed by an old house in Memphis? To you, it’s just another house.

South Beach. In movies, it's all lit up and busy. I was underwhelmed when there in real life. Thank God it was for a business trip so I didn't waste any money.

[quote]People don’t visit Graceland for the house. They visit because they are fans of Elvis and want to be closer to him.

For many it's a pilgrimage, yes. But for a not inconsiderable number, they go because, well, what else do you do in Memphis?

The man died 43 years ago -- two generations. Had he lived (a very fucking big if) he would be 86. His fans who aren't already dead are dying off, past their prime traveling days. A lot of visitors in recent years are not so much devoted fans as they are curiosity seekers of some sort: music lovers, musical heritage trippers, Mid-Century-KItsch lovers, and others who know of him but know very little about him.

In 2019, Memphis had tourist numbers approaching 1M a month on average, So ANNUAL visitation of 750,000 or 650,000 for the house isn't too surprising given the slate of big things to see in Memphis. I happened to pas through the city on the first anniversary of his death and the streets were filled with reverential chain-smoking fans, not young.

Article below is ancient, from 2013, but points to the problem of all pop culture figures in that while death propels their fame for a while, eventually it means almost nothing to anyone alive.

Sarah Palin's understanding of American history, circa 2011. After having Paul Revere's ride explained to her correctly by the vicar of the Old North Church less than an hour beforehand. Maybe she's learned something since? Nah...

Former half-term Gov. Sarah Palin (R) brought her “One Nation” bus tour to Boston yesterday, and visited the historic Old North Church. She then offered her own unique understanding of Paul Revere and his role in American history.

Palin told reporters about Revere, “He who warned, uh, the British that they weren’t gonna be takin’ away our arms, uh, by ringin’ those bells and, um, makin’ sure as he’s ridin’ his horse through town to send those warning shots and bells that, uh, we were gonna be secure and we were gonna be free. And we were gonna be armed.” For the record, Palin does not appear to be kidding.

So, Sarah Palin claimed that Paul Revere was a Revolutionary-era NRA member whose famous ride was for a British audience, to let them know Americans were going to win the war because they believed in gun rights. Uh huh...

[quote]The Grand Canyon. It’s just a big hole in the ground.

You have no soul.

St. Peter's Basilica.

Milan Cathedral is older (in parts) and way more impressive.

Michelangelo's Pietà in St. Peters Basilica. I assumed it was huge and it's not: it's about 5 ft by 6ft. The repairs, however, were phenomenal despite someone stealing Mary's nose.

[italic]Subsequent to its carving the Pietà sustained much damage. Four fingers on Mary's left hand, broken during a move, were restored in 1736 by Giuseppe Lirioni, and scholars are divided as to whether the restorer took liberties to make the gesture more "rhetorical". The most substantial damage occurred on 21 May 1972, (Pentecost Sunday) when a mentally disturbed geologist, the Hungarian-born Australian Laszlo Toth, walked into the chapel and attacked the sculpture with a geologist's hammer while shouting "I am Jesus Christ; I have risen from the dead!" With fifteen blows he removed Mary's arm at the elbow, knocked off a chunk of her nose, and chipped one of her eyelids. Bob Cassilly, an American sculptor and artist from St. Louis, Missouri, was one of the first people to remove Toth from the Pietà. "I leaped up and grabbed the guy by the beard. We both fell into the crowd of screaming Italians. It was something of a scene." Onlookers took many of the pieces of marble that flew off. Later, some pieces were returned, but many were not, including Mary's nose, which had to be reconstructed from a block cut out of her back.

After the attack, the work was painstakingly restored and returned to its place in St. Peter's, just to the right of the entrance, between the Holy door and the altar of Saint Sebastian, and is now protected by a bulletproof acrylic glass panel.[/italic]

A Max Ernst retrospective years ago at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. A famous name in art history, but when you look at his actual body of work, the definition of an also ran.

Wine. It's just grape juice gone bad.

Hong Kong is not glamorous in the daytime. It's dirty and crowded and hot, and the air smells like diesel fuel. Nothing like the glamorous nighttime photos you see.

Whitney Museum NYC - mediocre art in an interesting but not that impressive space. As opposed to the Menil Museum / Rothko Chapel in Houston - for which I had zero expectations and found its simplicity, utilitarianism, unexpected location and minimal crowds a perfect complement for the art.

First class on Qantas

IMO, the Sistine Chapel (ceiling paintings) & the Basilica were worth the trouble.

Grand Canyon, worth the trouble to look at (passing through), but I wouldn't stay overnight in the area, plan a trip around it, etc.

Has anyone seen Mount Rushmore? I wonder if that's worth the trouble.

Not understanding how people are surprised to be underwhelmed by the Mona Lisa. It's obviously going to be underwhelming. Maybe the size of the painting (small) is surprising. But, IMO, it's obvious in photos that it's not exciting to look at.

Any prom or graduation. They make such a big deal out of those events when you're a kid and they're usually pretty boring. I can't remember anything about mine.

[quote]Has anyone seen Mount Rushmore? I wonder if that's worth the trouble.

It will be once I'm added to it. I've already put it my request.

I spoke to only three human beings yesterday (Freud tells me I need to speak to 6 per day) so I spent extra time yesterday evening to talk to put my cyber friends.

[quote] Whitney Museum NYC

It doesn't even have her leather jacket from The Bodyguard!

Most Best Picture nominees...

Cuba 2011 all inclusive....what a hole. Nice people tho.

Most of my underwhelming travel experiences occurred when I was young and were the result of childish naivete and lack of travel experience. I didn't board a plane until I was a senior in high school due to my mother being terrified of flying.

When I finally had the chance to go abroad, I didn't realize how restricted one is as a tourist and that you must often see the sights from a distance and crammed next to other tourists, jostling for a decent view. I was most acutely disappointed by Stonehenge for the distance reason. My main memory of that outing is of a fellow student, who fancied she had 'the sight,' exclaiming she could feel it's presence shortly before we arrived. A guy started singing 'Stonehenge' from This is Spinal Tap which earned some scattered laughs and thankfully shut Madame Blavatsky right up.

Yes, OP, me too. Having grown up with I guess a little too romanticized image of what it'd be like, from all those history book descriptions and old movie representations, I couldn't believe how much smaller it seemed. Then I had similar occur to me when I exited out of the little far doorway on the left into the next artifacts room and found myself scolded by a hands-clapping schoolmarm-like gallery worker telling me, "Signore, non toccare, non toccare!", simply because I was trying to help rearrange some history visually better by moving a couple of stone Roman goblets to the other side of a marbled dinner tray on center-display. How thankless of her!

The trick to seeing the Mona Lisa is to go just as the Louvre is about to close.

Most everybody has cleared out, and you'll get at least a few minutes to see it up close.

I went one day, and had the same experience as everybody else...the room super crowded, could barely see it from so far away, etc.

Went back the next day and just happened to amble in right before closing and voila! Walked right up to that bitch and stood right in front of her.

You have to put in the effort and in some of these highly touristy places to have a superior experience. As mentioned, if there is an opportunity to have a early entry, late entry or private tour, it can make the difference between tourist hell and something magical. It may mean getting up at 4am and paying a premium, but it often pays off. At least prebook your entry time to avoid queuing up for hours and ending up in a bad mood before seeing anything. I usually prefer spontaneity when travelling but not when it comes to highly visited bucket list sites. It’s always going to be a touristy experience, so better to research and find have a plan.

Twitter is SO very slow today!

I think Twitter might be retarded.

I am scared of big penises.

You all who find the Grand Canyon and top of the Empire State Building underwhelming need Jesus.

DJT's cock.

The Castro. I live on the east coast and was excited to meet up with a friend of mine who lives out that way. It was way more low key than I was expecting. The bars/clubs were relatively small. I thought maybe they would be having some fun parties and events planned, celebrities, porn stars - nothing. Granted I went in November, but still.