I was best man in a wedding in Fargo 20 years ago. Spent 4 days there. Place was a shithole. It may be better now, but it can’t be by much. One of the weirdest places I’ve ever been, and not in a good way.
OT: "Name a city that exceeded your expectations upon your first visit."
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My top choice as well. Before I went Ineard a lot from others about how dirty it is, how much nicer Florence and Venice are, how it was their least favorite stop in Italy, etc, I was completely blown away by the place when my wife and I were there 15 years ago. Been meaning to get back ever since.
I have family in Budapest so I’m a bit biased but it blew me away.
Domestically I like Houston.
International place that fell below expectations is Vienna. It might be a nice place if you removed the people.
Domestic below is LA. It is a garbage dump.
Family did that trip a couple of years ago. QC is a beautiful old city. We did a tour of the citadel, which was really cool. Happened to get to Montreal when the Jazz festival was going on. Cool experience.
Spent 10 days in Rome a couple of years ago. Rented an apartment near the Vatican. I enjoyed the city and the day trips to Pisa and Florence.
Barcelona far exceeded my expectations. I went there in 2002 and have been wanting to go back ever since. Food was amazing and people even better! Hopefully in a few years I’ll return.
Temecula, CA actually exceeded my expectations as far as wine tasting. It’s no Napa or Sonoma or even Santa Barbara wine country but it’s good. It helps that I live a 45min drive away and have started joining winery clubs one or two at a time. Free tastings and I can pick up my wine at will call.
Underwhelming was most areas of Philadelphia and surprisingly Portland. I thought I would really like Portland being an outdoorsy type person but was happy to leave and go home. Hiking was great outside the city. However, people there are really weird and the homeless are relentless. It’s sad.
Temecula, CA actually exceeded my expectations as far as wine tasting. It’s no Napa or Sonoma or even Santa Barbara wine country but it’s good. It helps that I live a 45min drive away and have started joining winery clubs one or two at a time. Free tastings and I can pick up my wine at will call.
Underwhelming was most areas of Philadelphia and surprisingly Portland. I thought I would really like Portland being an outdoorsy type person but was happy to leave and go home. Hiking was great outside the city. However, people there are really weird and the homeless are relentless. It’s sad.
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I stayed in a very old building inside the wall in Old QC, that had been converted to a hotel. The doorway openings were so low that I had to duck to go through any of them.
Just one of the things I wouldn’t expect to find in this country.
Hey, I live there! (Really Pismo Beach). It is a really nice little town.
I can’t believe no one said NYC. When I was growing up in Pittsburgh, I was convinced that if I went there, I’d be stabbed on the street and people would just walk over my dying body. Turns out the city is the greatest and to me, the people are great too. Also can’t believe no one mentioned San Fran. Big city where you can walk, take public transportation and experience the best of big cities in a perfect climate. Close to some of the most beautiful places in the world too. The only downsides are the prices and tragedy of homeless. But the homeless are largely harmless; it’s just sad that in the city with so much, so many have so little.
If you go to Portland ME, I’d recommend a visit to Bath, ME about 30 minutes north up the coast. It’s a cute little town on the Kennebec River that was key for shipbuilding. The Maine Maritime Museum is there, as is Bath Iron Works where they build the stealth destroyer for the Navy. There is / was one (Zumwalt?) docked on the river. With admission to the museum you get a nice boat ride up the river with a good look at it, as well as local wildlife, and lighthouses.
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I guess I am in the minority because I don't feel this way about many of these places. Not saying they are/were bad, but I never was all "wow this place blows me away."
I do have to dispute the Cinch claim. I worked/lived there part time for 2.5 years. The way I always explained it is that Pittsburgh is a nice town with its bad parts. Cincy is the opposite in my mind, it's a bad town with nice parts.
I do have to dispute the Cinch claim. I worked/lived there part time for 2.5 years. The way I always explained it is that Pittsburgh is a nice town with its bad parts. Cincy is the opposite in my mind, it's a bad town with nice parts.
On the good side - San Antonio. I never knew until I started traveling there that San Antonio is the 7th largest city in the country. It’s a huge, growing metropolis with vibrant culture, great weather, and cool sights like the Alamo and Riverwalk.
On the disappointing side - Dallas. Nothing but a bunch of oversized shopping centers and parking lots.
On the disappointing side - Dallas. Nothing but a bunch of oversized shopping centers and parking lots.
I thought the same thing about Phoenix. Lots of used car lots.
Bath is great, as are Rockland and numerous other towns along highway 1. The whole drive up the coast to Acadia is one of my favorites.
Portland's great. Food is fantastic. Great walking city. And the surrounding areas are gorgeous. Trips to the many islands and peninsulas. Love Maine.
But again, I see some of these cities, Portland, Quebec City, Montreal, Budapest, etc...those are all destination areas, places people go to visit and vacation. So...they should be nice.
Kiev
Seoul
Hanoi
Doha (I had very low expectations)
I’ll echo the others with Budapest
Seoul
Hanoi
Doha (I had very low expectations)
I’ll echo the others with Budapest
Paris France is amazing...
Puerto Rico was nice surprise, the Old Town lovely
Kansas City a pleasant surprise... Fountain District
Charleston, SC so cool
Charlotte, NC a bore.
Puerto Rico was nice surprise, the Old Town lovely
Kansas City a pleasant surprise... Fountain District
Charleston, SC so cool
Charlotte, NC a bore.
Disneyworld is a destination too. The first time I went there I thought it would be cool and have all these really fun rides. It sucked. Just because a place is a destination doesn’t mean that it can’t exceed (or fall short of) your expectations.
Beautiful part of the country. Pismo, Morrow Bay, Paso wine country.... my favorite area in Cali.
But that's a whole different (and definitely relevant) topic. I think I will post it.
I didn’t expect anything from Cleveland but there are definitely some cool spots there
I was a big fan of Fort Worth. Didn’t really know what to expect when I was there, just enjoyed it.
Boulder is a great college town. Not just a great vibe walking around, a lot to do in terms of outdoor activities there as well.
I’m a bit undecided on Denver. There are some exciting places to check out in town while other areas felt very sterile for a big city.
I was a big fan of Fort Worth. Didn’t really know what to expect when I was there, just enjoyed it.
Boulder is a great college town. Not just a great vibe walking around, a lot to do in terms of outdoor activities there as well.
I’m a bit undecided on Denver. There are some exciting places to check out in town while other areas felt very sterile for a big city.
Last time I was in Charlotte was Dec. of 2018 during a rain storm. Boring stadium too.
LOL-agreed. Wife planned that trip a few years ago when our daughters were prime Disney Princess age at 7 and 5. Tried to talk myself into a “it’ll be fun, make me feel like a kid again” mindset. Ended up being an endurance contest and huge test of patience that I pretty much failed. Only enjoyment I could get out of it was watching my kids get some enjoyment out of parts of it-but even they didn’t love it like I expected them to, and they have had no desire to go back. Thankfully they prefer a week at any beach to anything old Walt has to offer.
Noted. Between that and the sights to see in Portland, sounds like it’d all make for a very nice trip. And the lobster...
I was in Kiev before Russia split up. It was beautiful but very empty with people.
Kansas City surprised me when we moved here. I had never been further west than Chicago, had no idea what to expect. It also has a very nice skyline, though it’s no Pittsburgh.
Kiev is a special city. And the food is great also.
Your experience could be a Soviet thing. I got this feeling in Minsk the several times I was there. Big city and not much happening.
