Jump to content

Overrated shite attractions


Recommended Posts

4 minutes ago, budmiester1 said:

The last time I was in San Francisco my hotel was in Powell St not far from the Tenderloin district , it was really noticeable  the amount of homeless people around the area and there was a huge amount down at Fishermans Wharf.

We were there in 2018. A lovely city, but a large number of disturbed individuals wandering the streets. Left me wondering what kind of support there was for people with mental health problems. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

30 minutes ago, Hedgecutter said:

Bloody tourists.  Glad I'm never one of them.

When you get snap happy Asian tour groups armed with 300mm super zoom nikon's and massive sun visors they're more like a phalanx of Spartans than your everyday cuddly tourist folk.

Edited by dirty dingus
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Barry Island (aka Barrybados). 

Not that it's particularly highly rated but any suggestion that it's in any way adequate or acceptable counts as over-rating. 

The rides are 80% rust. The arcade machines are all fourth hand from shitey resorts like Paignton and Blackpool have broken lights and bits missing. The prizes are shit that poundland would turn its nose up at, especially the sweeties which seem to have been specially stored in a warm damp cupboard. 

We took the kids in the fairground once and witnessed a small child on the aeroplane ride being pushed round in circles and lifted up and down manually. 

Tunnel of Goats would be a huge improvement. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, coprolite said:

Barry Island (aka Barrybados). 

Not that it's particularly highly rated but any suggestion that it's in any way adequate or acceptable counts as over-rating. 

The rides are 80% rust. The arcade machines are all fourth hand from shitey resorts like Paignton and Blackpool have broken lights and bits missing. The prizes are shit that poundland would turn its nose up at, especially the sweeties which seem to have been specially stored in a warm damp cupboard. 

We took the kids in the fairground once and witnessed a small child on the aeroplane ride being pushed round in circles and lifted up and down manually. 

Tunnel of Goats would be a huge improvement. 

Sounds a bit like Coney Island.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Thorongil said:

Sounds a bit like Coney Island.

It wishes. 

I went to Coney Island in November when it was half deserted and it was only 1/10th as bleak as Barry Island. 

Coney Island has a heritage of Warriors, a Mercury Rev song and a historical (and terrifying) wooden rollercoaster. 

Barry Island has mugs with James Corden's stupid face on them. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, dirty dingus said:

When you get groups of snap happy Asian tour groups armed with 300mm super zoom nikon's and massive sun visors they're more like a phalanx of Spartans than your everyday cuddly tourist folk.

I know exactly what you mean tbf.

I used to work as a guide 'up north' and there's definitely a certain type of 'zombie tourist' that's attracted to tour groups.  First week of August was the worst when the coaches full of elderly Italians would suddenly turn up in force.  Maybe the tour just turns them into zombies due to all that sitting about and being told when to get on, off, eat etc etc.  Complete lack of self awareness unless their own guide tells them to get out the f***ing way.  Used to have folk walking right up to me, staring as if I should know what they wanted.  You meet all sorts of weirdos.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

See the folk nominating various stadium tours, did you go to these as an adult for your own personal enjoyment? Stadium tours are for weans to see where Messi gets changed, not for adults to learn anything decent. I was taken round Old Trafford as a wee boy when Cantona was at Man Utd and I loved it, but I can't imagine being shown the room where Cantona warmed up was very interesting for my dad, who was probably just trying to make sure I didn't break anything. Always found it weird when adults post pictures of themselves at the Nou Camp next to the Champions League trophy or whatever, it just screams VL. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, coprolite said:

It wishes. 

I went to Coney Island in November when it was half deserted and it was only 1/10th as bleak as Barry Island. 

Coney Island has a heritage of Warriors, a Mercury Rev song and a historical (and terrifying) wooden rollercoaster. 

Barry Island has mugs with James Corden's stupid face on them. 

 

Fun Lovin' Criminals tune too, Coney Island Girl. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Natural History Museum in New York is shite but probably worth the money to see the life-size model of the Blue Whale hanging from the ceiling. 

The Terracotta Army is actually quite underwhelming and the museum attached to it is eye-gougingly shite.

Angkor Wat is fine for a day but it makes me sad that people will go and spend their entire holiday at those temples. Although, tbf, in the few hours I was there I saw a toddler fall a considerable distance while trying to slide down a bannister (he was fine, thankfully) and caught a guy fingering a stone lion's arsehole so it certainly wasn't boring. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, The Moonster said:

See the folk nominating various stadium tours, did you go to these as an adult for your own personal enjoyment? Stadium tours are for weans to see where Messi gets changed, not for adults to learn anything decent. I was taken round Old Trafford as a wee boy when Cantona was at Man Utd and I loved it, but I can't imagine being shown the room where Cantona warmed up was very interesting for my dad, who was probably just trying to make sure I didn't break anything. Always found it weird when adults post pictures of themselves at the Nou Camp next to the Champions League trophy or whatever, it just screams VL. 

I quite enjoyed the Hampden tour, but then I'm a bit of a nerd when it comes to Scottish football. 

I've also carried out stadium tours, although not recently due to Covid. The kids enjoy the dressing room, sitting in the dugout etc, adults are more interested in the club history/ old photographs. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 03/10/2021 at 12:55, Hedgecutter said:

If you were to consider M&Ds as just Lanarkshire's Codona's, then there's little wrong with it, albeit utterly shite compared to the likes of Alton Towers* etc.  However, marketing it as "Scotland's Theme Park" is an embarrassment to the nation.

*absolutely awful during weekends and English holidays, but excellent when quiet most other times when queues are almost non-existent.  Went down on a Scottish holiday once during the early 2000s and stayed on Nemesis around half a dozen times, this being after getting a go on all other rides of interest (fnar fnar).  Went again with some English friends at a weekend and got on about 4 rides all day, which was a complete waste of time and money.  

Went to Alton Towers a few years back during May and the place was very quiet. Got speaking to an engineer who was hitching a ride in one of the gondolas and he was saying that it doesn’t get anywhere near as busy as it used to. That might be due to the accident on the Smiler however. Still a very good theme park and thoroughly enjoyed my day. 
 

Otherwise, Loudoun Castle was pretty dire when I was there years ago before it closed down. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 hours ago, dirty dingus said:

Angkor Wat. Visited a couple of times, first time was great empty and accessible. 2nd time pure crap, many of the buildings covered in scaffolding with no access and the place was over run with tour groups. Another vote for Marrakesh too much hassle and shady at night. Worth the occasional night to get access to the rest of Morocco which is a brilliant place to visit. 

Got to agree with Angkor Wat, and maybe Cambodia in general. When I went in 2012 there was next to nobody at Angkor Wat, none of the pictures I took had anyone in them so it was ideal. Went back in 2018 and all the scaffolding and tarpaulins were up, and there was a shite ton of folks there. The wife ended up nicking my pictures from years earlier

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, gav-ffc said:

Seen it mentioned a few times but check point Charlie really is shite.

The KFC really sets the mood 

FWIW, I've always liked how the Berlin TV tower, which was originally built to show off communist power in East Germany (as you can see it all over the city), now has a Starbucks at the base of it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 02/10/2021 at 13:25, Hedgecutter said:

As for genuinely shite attractions: anywhere where you're forced to follow a guide who's playing a character, for example: Mary King's Close.  "I am the ghost of Mary Campbell, born here in 1546...".  Erm, no you're not.  You're a 20 year old drama student, called Susan.

I was on that tour several years ago. The illusion was somewhat shattered when one of the group had a panic attack and the guide reached into her 16th century skirts and brought out a walkie-talkie to get somebody to come down and take the person up to ground level.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sydney opera house for me was underwhelming. It's iconic and all that, but was smaller than I expected irl, and looked like it needed a proper clean in the outside. Nice (if dated) inside mind.
I was much more impressed by Sydney Harbour Bridge opposite, but then I'm #engineer4lyf rather than architect.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, gav-ffc said:

Seen it mentioned a few times but check point Charlie really is shite.

The KFC really sets the mood 

9C13A44E-60C0-4AE1-B39F-B951DC78F792.jpeg

Is Checkpoint Charlie built up as anything other than a toll booth in the middle of the road? I certainly never had the impression I was visiting something incredible before I got there, it was pretty much as I expected. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Bob Mahelp
14 minutes ago, The Moonster said:

Is Checkpoint Charlie built up as anything other than a toll booth in the middle of the road? I certainly never had the impression I was visiting something incredible before I got there, it was pretty much as I expected. 

There's a Checkpoint Charlie museum there, which is actually quite interesting. It's not massive....almost in somebody's house...but it gives an insight into what East Berliners did to try and get to the west. 

Checkpoint Charlie is one of these 'attractions' where it's important to not take the one-dimensional view.....'what, it's only a hut'....but to remember the point in time that it represents. 

 

Edited by Bob Mahelp
Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 minutes ago, The Moonster said:

Is Checkpoint Charlie built up as anything other than a toll booth in the middle of the road? I certainly never had the impression I was visiting something incredible before I got there, it was pretty much as I expected. 

 

10 minutes ago, Bob Mahelp said:

There's a Checkpoint Charlie museum there, which is actually quite interesting. It's not massive....almost in somebody's house...but it gives an insight into what East Berliners did to try and get to the west. 

Checkpoint Charlie is one of these 'attractions' where it's important to not take the one-dimensional view.....'what, it's only a hut'....but to remember the point in time that it represents. 

Pretty much this. The checkpoint itself is 99% gone. What's left is essentially a marker identifying the location of an area of historical significance.

The complaining about it here is similar to visiting an old battlefield and complaining that it's just a field.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...