Disappointing places

[NMNeil]

Anyone read about, or saw a place in a film which looked fantastic, but the reality was they were a great disappointment when you visited?
For me:
1960's Carnaby Street
1970's St. Tropez
1990's Hollywood.

[surveyor]

Daytona Beach. A dump.

[Bob-iylho]

I think the only thing I have ever seen which actually lived up to expectations was a shuttle launch, I was on Coco beach and it was just breath taking.

Everything else always ends up a bit ............. less than.

[Mr MXT]

Possibly controversial....New York. I even gave it a second try to check I was just in a bad mood the first time. Not for me.

[Hub]

Pisa - the tower area is it, and that is overrun with crowds. The rest of the city is dead and boring.

Niagara - yes the falls are impressive but I didn't appreciate the town was such a tacky tourist trap (a bit like Land's End now I think about it too!)

[whitesocks]

Oslo.

• The Shopping was rubbish
• Expensive (That's to be expected for Norway anyway)
• It felt like I was walking on eggshells with the locals. I found them rude and stand-offish (A mate of mine was told to fk off when he entered a restaurant in Oslo last year)

[GT03ROB]

Venice..... it stinks & is overpriced

[anonymous-user]

Milan. Not enough there to fill even half a day.

Geneva. st hole.

[Fermit and Sexy Sarah]

Hollywood. They don't show you the dirty takeaways the other side of Mann's Chinese Theatre, or the broken knackered star slabs on the walk of fame. A grotty dive of a place. Saw Sharon Stone at the former, and she looked rather hagged also.

[vixen1700]

Thailand, specifically Ko Sumui.

All the time to get there on an overnight train from Bangkok, then a ferry to the island to be greeted with a sthole with crappy tourist shops selling snide Man United shirts.

It may have improved as this was 1998, but wow what a dissapointment.

[MYOB]

Bondi Beach was such a disappointment having enjoyed many gorgeous beaches down the east coast

[2 GKC]

Athens

[ClaphamGT3]

New Zealand. Basically an upmarket Wales

[Trevor555]

Fermit and Sexy Sarah said:

Hollywood. They don't show you the dirty takeaways the other side of Mann's Chinese Theatre, or the broken knackered star slabs on the walk of fame. A grotty dive of a place. Saw Sharon Stone at the former, and she looked rather hagged also.

I visited in March and agree. The surrounding area is really grotty.

We were only there 10mins and I nearly got fighting with darth Vader who popped his head into my photo and then wanted paying.

10 more mins and I bumped into a very stressed tourist who had just been pick pocketed.

Couldn't leave quick enough.

[whitesocks]

Trevor555 said:

We were only there 10mins and I nearly got fighting with darth Vader who popped his head into my photo and then wanted paying.

You should of used the force.

[anonymous-user]

Trevor555 said:

Fermit and Sexy Sarah said:

Hollywood. They don't show you the dirty takeaways the other side of Mann's Chinese Theatre, or the broken knackered star slabs on the walk of fame. A grotty dive of a place. Saw Sharon Stone at the former, and she looked rather hagged also.

I visited in March and agree. The surrounding area is really grotty.

We were only there 10mins and I nearly got fighting with darth Vader who popped his head into my photo and then wanted paying.

10 more mins and I bumped into a very stressed tourist who had just been pick pocketed.

Couldn't leave quick enough.

Agree with this also. Exactly our (families) perception. Many areas of LA appear to be like this. The hollywood hills are ok I suppose. San Fran was great though.

I would add.... Australia. Sold to me and mates back in the naughties as almost like the promised land. All we found were girls with chips on both shoulders and lads who were pretty bigoted and racist for the most part. OK we were doing manual labour type jobs so that probably contributed to the latter but all in all we all weren't that impressed. Melbourne is a lovely city all the same. Shame really.

[Monkeylegend]

MYOB said:

Bondi Beach was such a disappointment having enjoyed many gorgeous beaches down the east coast

Was going to post the same.

Much smaller and far less glamorous in real life than they want you to believe, and the surf was very disappointing.

[Fermit and Sexy Sarah]

DoubleTime said:

Agree with this also. Exactly our (families) perception. Many areas of LA appear to be like this. The hollywood hills are ok I suppose. San Fran was great though.

I would add.... Australia. Sold to me and mates back in the naughties as almost like the promised land. All we found were girls with chips on both shoulders and lads who were pretty bigoted and racist for the most part. OK we were doing manual labour type jobs so that probably contributed to the latter but all in all we all weren't that impressed. Melbourne is a lovely city all the same. Shame really.

Oh, to add. LA is the only place I have ever seen a gun being carried in person. Late one evening my then girlfriend and I had words, so I left the hotel and found a McDonalds. Whilst waiting for food I clocked a very agitated bloke to my right spinning a Colt 45 around his finger. I couldn't depart quick enough, I'm glad gun culture is one American import which hasn't happened. Black Friday is bad enough!

[Scrump]

surveyor said:

Daytona Beach. A dump.

Mr MXT said:

Possibly controversial....New York. I even gave it a second try to check I was just in a bad mood the first time. Not for me.

I agree with both of these.

[pidsy]

Pripyat was everything I hoped it would be.

The Giza plateau- not so much. Rubbish strewn, sweaty car park on the edge of the city (right on the edge) with endless stalls selling over priced Chinese made ste.