If I ever complete my bucket list for the Cape I would probably aim for an early fall trip. We actually have a cottage on a Great Lake with a little beach - so that is our summer stable. But I do adore beach life and towns so I’d love to explore the northeast coast that way.
Truly, the problem with popular places is their popularity. Venice, Florence, Edinburgh, Yosemite, Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, are just overrun. The world is overcrowded and the (formerly) spectacular sites are being ruined by overtourism.
Such a helpful perspective, @cypresspat. Thanks.
I have a few Chinese friends who don’t like any ethnic cuisines other than Chinese. So they take ramen on the road to cities like Paris/Florence/London. Lol.
Amsterdam - My first thought upon reaching the street after landing at the airport was, “The people here are no different than in New York.” Then, it occurred to me, New York was originally a Dutch colony.
Holy Moly!
Las Vegas, Mexico, Los Angeles. Honestly, there are few places I like more than where I live. Stunning natural beauty and isolated places where one can truly get away from it all is my idea of heaven.
As my H would say, I don’t hate anything. I prefer some things or places more.
I don’t think I’ve ever been somewhere I’ve just hated. I’ve had things that disrupted a vacation. Sickness, crowds, bad weather. Those places would be fine if I experienced them differently.
I’d rather go places that aren’t contrived. For instance, Colonial Williamsburg was a fine place to visit but probably not my favorite. It’s a fake village built in the 1930’s. Actually Greenfield Village in Michigan is the same but I lived close to there for years and enjoyed it. Not a place I would go out of my way for, but it has its charms.
Mackinac Island, fine. It’s purely a tourist attraction. I think there are so many more places to go in Michigan that are just as nice, cheaper and not as touristy.
I put Venice, Italy in the same category. It’s a place for tourist, even though Venice has a very rich history. But Rome had so many more layers. We went in the off season and it was lovely. The people are great.
I remember going to NYC very soon after 9/11. People told us how happy they were that we came to visit. I think I like NYC from that visit. It’s a great place and I’ve enjoyed it every time I’ve gone.
One of my very favorite places is Sleeping Bear Dunes in Michigan. I’ve had the best vacations there. Ironically, I also had a terrible vacation there also. It was cold and rainy. The place we rented (that family members told us we wouldn’t have to pay for, they were wrong) was a dump. The water broke, H had to fix it and the owners had us do a bunch of chores for them. (For the pleasure of them renting it to us at the going rate, off season). I was pregnant and very hormonal. I had a small child who wasn’t sleeping and the carpet was so gross, he couldn’t crawl on it. I was miserable and we left early.
Terrible circumstances at a great place.
I will admit I haven’t been to as many places as so many people here. I try to find something to like about every place.
But I’ve loved WDW, so go figure. Contrived as can be.
I’ll admit that my perception probably gets swayed depending on weather. Rome was lovely in May (twice), but not sure Iike it as much with heat (and crowds) in July/Aug. Glacier was nice this year in June, although sometimes dreary/cool (as expected, but no biggie since we weren’t camping). They were totally different vacations, but after a few Europe trips we wanted a road trip to see more of our US sights. C
For us , Williamsburg (twice, spring) was fantastic. I appreciated the restoration undertaken by the Rockerfellers (toured their home too) and did not consider it contrived. We all learned a lot of history there. However we’ve had friends who visited in summer with their kids… they had brutal heat and endless lines - they hated it and were sorry they’d spent the time/money to go there.
One thing I like to do is talk with like-minded friends (based on our prior travel conversations) and take advantage of their recommendations. We are considering a Hawaii trip, and this week we have Hawaii-savvy friends coming to dinner.
As if Las Vegas isn’t on this list enough - it is now being invaded by grasshoppers.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/27/us/grasshoppers-vegas.html
Trust me, if I ever want Chinese food on the road I could find the best Chinese restaurant in town, and that includes Paris & Barcelona.
We didn’t care for food in Paris because there was a lot of beef tartar, grilled steak and with cream over food. Whereas I don’t think I ever have a bad meal in Italy (from cities to country side).
What’s interesting to me is food in London has really improved - a lot more international. London has some of best Chinese food, in very small portions though.
You say that like that’s a bad thing. 
I’d be in heaven.
I do agree, though, that the food scene in London has really ratcheted it up in recent year.
@skieurope - I am more of a seafood person and I don’t really care for cream. I generally eat a lot of steamed mussels and frites in Paris.
Speaking of mussels (moules) and frites, reminds me of another place I just don’t the attraction of - Brussels. After one day, I was ready to move on to Bruges.
I never eat steak in a restaurant, mine is better. I don’t like beef tartar, though dh often orders it - or lamb tartar in Jordan (!!!) But I’m okay with cream sauces. I don’t go out of my way to order them. We also often eat Arab or Vietnamese food in Paris. When we lived in Germany there were some religious holidays in May that were always a good excuse to hop over the border to Italy. It’s lovely in May.
Oh, my husband and our other travel partners on Canal Du Midi canal boat trip adored the cream sauce on our huge pail of mussels / frites in Carcasson, France. We still talk about it almost a year later.
We liked Barcelona but not the food. Had better tapas in the U.S. All the cold meats and white cheeses became tiresome.
I don’t understand the comment about Williamsburg being fake. I love that place. I first went in high school and then again in 2011. My kids didn’t like it, though.
http://research.history.org/research/architecture/buildings/original-buildings/
Not a fan of beaches in hot places. Neither of us are into sitting outside and baking. Give me New England/Northern CA beaches where I can walk, though!
My SIL and her husband went to Ireland a few years ago with some friends and they liked it, but felt it was very hyped up. My sister and her husband felt the same way, though they went way back in about 1991. It wasn’t like they all didn’t enjoy their trips to Ireland, they just felt that everyone talks about how wonderful Ireland is and how unique it is and yadda yadda yadda. Both my SIL and sister have traveled extensively in the UK (England, Scotland, and Wales) and they felt that Ireland was very very similar to the UK. They did notice that the Irish people were friendlier and more laid back then the British people and that was something they liked. They also liked that Ireland wasn’t absolutely overrun with tourists in the middle of the summer, unlike Italy which is jammed with tourists in July. I wouldn’t mind going to Ireland, but I don’t feel an urgent need to visit. I do know some people who flew to Europe on Aer Lingus and had a layover in Dublin and they had nothing but good things to say about the service on Aer Lingus and they said the Dublin airport is very nice and easy to navigate!
Some of the overrated places I’ve been:
Hollywood (especially the Walk of Fame and the area around the Chinese Theatre). People act like Hollywood is the best part of LA. It’s not! I used to live in LA and I never really went to Hollywood except to go to the Hollywood Bowl. The last time I was in Hollywood, the area around the Chinese Theatre was a mob scene!
-I agree with South Beach! Went once and will probably never go again! Stick to other areas of Miami!
Times Square: I love NYC, but I’d be happy to completely avoid Times Square…