It’s no secret why. All that trash has to go someplace before they’re picked up. Especially around restaurants.
Minot, North Dakota. Went there once to visit a cousin stationed at the Minot Air Force base, one visit to Minot in a life time is enough for me.
I spent 3 winters there.
Why not Minot!
Freezin’s the reason. -40 keeps out the riffraff.
I visited Minot in June and my cousin still had long orange electric extension cord that he used for his engine heater running out to his car’s parking space at apartment complex. Also visited Fargo and Grand Fork, ND on that trip and they were ok, but Minot is just so isolated and out in the middle of nowhere.
Thanks to @missypie I’ve updated my list:
Las Vegas
Las Vegas
Las Vegas
Gatlinburg
Myrtle Beach (which, in a way, is just Gatlinburg at the ocean, with golf courses.) I spent so many summers as a kid at Myrtle Beach and loved it then - the ocean, the old rickety amusement park, the Gay Dolphin for tacky souvenirs - but now it just seems sad. And cheesy (well, cheesier than it used to be - or maybe I’m just old now).
Yeah, I forgot about Gatlinburg–must have blocked it our. I think that’s the worst place I visited on a vacation.
My reaction to Brussels was that it was in fact a lot like Paris–only with a lot less to offer. It was OK for one day.
I’ve only driven through the Gatlinburg area, and stopped to look for food, and that was enough for me. Same for Branson, MO. I actually stayed in the Poconos and won’t return. They all seem to be pretty mountain areas that are a bit overdeveloped just not my style.
However, I loved Lake Placid and whole high peaks area of the Adirondacks. The same for the other side of Lake Champlain - Burlington VT. In fact, all of VT is lovely except for maybe Rutland (and Bristol, which is famous for it’s speed traps).
Emily, I love the city smell. No garbage, no Ginkos. Otoh, low tide in some coastal areas (mostly tidal inlets or bays, I guess,) isn’t pleasant. The presence of mosquitos, anywhere, isn’t fun.
@DrGoogle The city of Rome wasn’t notably different for the smell (except for the disgusting Tiber River) - it was the men of Rome. I was there in August, on a budget, and waiting in lines or getting on a bus with them was gag-a-maggot bad. I suspect going to Rome with a substantial bankroll would change the experience but I have no interest in ever returning.
That, and the used toilet paper on the floor of every bathroom. What is it, a trophy of your deed? A memento for the next person? Being part Italian I really wanted to like it but I will never understand the Romans.
Easy! As a child, D loved horses and read many horse related books. She especially loved Margaret Henry’s “Misty of Chincoteague,” so we took her to their annual pony swim and auction. Not only were the temperatures very hot, but the humidity was unbelievable! We set our alarms for 5am to get up and wade through a swamp to see the ponies. What we do for our children…
“Emily, I love the city smell. No garbage, no Ginkos”
Have you been there when it’s hot?
I lived through the '81 strike. I remember trying to walk around huge mounds of garbage. The only good thing was it was winter so it didn’t stink to high heaven - but still it smeledl pretty bad
Otoh, low tide in some coastal areas (mostly tidal inlets or bays, I guess,)
Having grown up on LI Sound I don’t mind that smell at all. To me it’s “beach.”
ksm - love it!!! I’ve visited the Indy Racetrack several times which I could have done without - but at least I didn’t have to get up at 5 AM for the privilege!
Remember the joke in 81- to get your trash removed, wrap it like something of value and it would be lifted in no time flat.
No, I mostly stay away from NYC in summer. But I’m also usually on the avenues, except maybe Chinatown.
Re: Italy My first experience with a native was a very nice woman who helped my find my train when I couldn’t figure out where it was leaving from. She ran with me to make sure I caught it. In fact, almost every local was very nice, as were the tourists I met. I was travelling solo, so it was fun to meet people from all over the world. I was also travelling in shoulder season so it wasn’t as crowded and the weather was perfect, 70s.
The only thing that took getting used to was the service at restaurants. Since they aren’t tip based, the wait staff pretty much just leave you alone. It was actually nice compared to some over attentive waiters you run across in the States.
Disneyworld
Any casino - the sight of people wasting their money and looking bored while doing it is just too depressing for a vacation.
I found nothing to go back for in Portland (OR). Small, dreary city with a lot of wet is how I remember it. Powell’s was interesting, a highlight, but I don’t need to travel to go to a bookstore.
No interest in returning to either Las Vegas or Atlantic City.
As for travel abroad, there’s no place that I wouldn’t return to if someone else was paying the bill. But on my own dime, I wouldn’t pay to go back to Nairobi, Mombasa or Johannesburg (the game parks in Kenya and South Africa, yes…the cities, no.) Wouldn’t go back to Tokyo and Moscow unless someone else was paying. I would go back on my own to St. Petersburg, though. Saw it in the winter and can only imagine how much more stunning the architecture would be in better weather.
I wish you hadn’t said that; now I need to remove Newark from my list. I looked up some online reviews of some Portuguese-Brazilian restaurants in Newark, and some of them sound fabulous. I love both Portuguese and Brazilian cuisine. Now I have a reason to go to Newark next time I’m anywhere in the vicinity (though it’s still true that, at my last visit, I thought “I hope I never come here again.”)