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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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5

Cranky Travelers Diss 'Overrated' Hot Spots

Paris smelly? Athenians surly?

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(Newser) – Italy? Ugly. Grand Canyon? A pain. No travel hot spot is safe after cranky readers filled Los Angeles Times inboxes with their picks for "overrated travel destinations."

  • Bali: "Mosquitoes ate us up," wrote two travelers, and "there was poverty everywhere."
  • Austin: "About the only thing Austin has going for it is a plethora of Tex-Mex restaurants," wrote one Yankee who ventured South.
  • Seattle: "The city is nothing more than an overcaffeinated shopping mall filled with upper-middle-class white people," sniffed a Virginian.

  • Sante Fe: One Los Angeleno quipped that "it feels like a cross between Knott's Berry Farm and Disneyland."
  • The Grand Canyon: Great—"if you are under 30 with a good prostate, balance and a taste for trail mix," wrote a visitor from Tehachapi.
  • Bora-Bora: Mary from Tuhunga is haunted "to this day" by the "feral dogs" who met her upon arrival.
For more angry tourists, click the link the below.

Festival gathering in Besakih, Bali.
Festival gathering in Besakih, Bali.   (Flickr)
The sights of Austin's nightlife.
The sights of Austin's nightlife.   (Flickr)
Fifth Avenue entrance of the Central Branch of the Seattle Public Library.
Fifth Avenue entrance of the Central Branch of the Seattle Public Library.   (Flickr)
San Miguel Chapel in Santa Fe is said to be the oldest standing church structure in the US. The adobe walls were constructed around AD 160.
San Miguel Chapel in Santa Fe is said to be the oldest standing church structure in the US. The adobe walls were constructed around AD 160.   (Flickr)
Mount Otemanu, Bora Bora
Mount Otemanu, Bora Bora
A bird's-eye view of Bora Bora, one of the spots deemed
A bird's-eye view of Bora Bora, one of the spots deemed "overrated."   (Shutterstock)
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5 comments
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justathought
Jan 4, 09 5:44 AM CST
It seems to me you should research the vacation spot on the net rather than believe what people who are paid to tell you what a great vacation spot they are offering. Ever heard of vested interest? Commissions? What did she say once after she too was "disappointed" in her travels? "There's no place like home--there's no place like home." Click...click...click. Reply
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drew0927
Jan 4, 09 7:35 AM CST
What a bunch of whiners really. Stay home and save the rest of us from you miserableness. Reply
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mtownfred
Jan 4, 09 1:31 PM CST
I trust the comments on tripadvisor. Believe what the vast majority of reviewers are saying about a destination and take the lone nay sayer with a grain of salt. Reply
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morenogabr
Jan 4, 09 3:47 PM CST
Thats right. Stay the fuck out of Austin!! Whoo!!! Reply
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Mr.C
Jan 4, 09 5:41 PM CST
how dare someone go to a place with "poverty everywhere" what an azz Reply
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