Are there restaurants in the 7th Rick Steves hasn't ruined?
Mar 12th, 2006, 12:29 PM
#101
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I think Rick Steves' success has been beyond his wildest dreams. Hence the oversatuation of the places he recommends.
His books and TV shows are directed at people who are afraid to travel by themselves. He demonstrates that you can go to Europe and get along just fine without spending huge sums and without knowing all the languages. So if he suddenly broke into fluent Italian, it would miss the point. Now he offers tours but that started later after much demand.
I use his books some along with many other sources. I value his opinionatedness, because, like most Americans, I have limited time and need to prioritize my destinations.
His books and TV shows are directed at people who are afraid to travel by themselves. He demonstrates that you can go to Europe and get along just fine without spending huge sums and without knowing all the languages. So if he suddenly broke into fluent Italian, it would miss the point. Now he offers tours but that started later after much demand.
I use his books some along with many other sources. I value his opinionatedness, because, like most Americans, I have limited time and need to prioritize my destinations.
Mar 12th, 2006, 03:55 PM
#102
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I like Rick and am not offended when people trash him. I actually think a lot of it is a jealous reaction.
Rick has figured out how to make traveling pay him.... Don't a lot of us wish we could do that?
Rick has figured out how to make traveling pay him.... Don't a lot of us wish we could do that?
Mar 12th, 2006, 06:38 PM
#104
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Mimar, Arthur Frommer taught us a couple of generations ago that "you can go to Europe and get along just fine without spending huge sums and without knowing all the languages." Steves is a clever copy. He has added nothing to the concept of traveling in Europe on your own.
Mar 12th, 2006, 08:33 PM
#105
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Exactly. Companies like Fodor's or Frommer's or Michelin have been providing the same services that RS does for endless decades, and they've been doing it with a lot more objectivity than Rick can muster. Rick's obsession with the rue Cler is a perfect example: his competitors know better than to go off the deep end about one particular spot simply because they haven't see all the other spots that look just like it.
I can't see any reason to be jealous of Rick Steves. Lots of people make money from tourism (including myself). However, it worries me when the naïve latch on to a single source of information and disregard everything else. Rick Steves is hardly any kind of final authority on Paris, and those who depend on him exclusively or even primarily are doing themselves a disservice. The situation is even worse than it might otherwise be because Rick seems to cater specifically to naïve travellers.
I can't see any reason to be jealous of Rick Steves. Lots of people make money from tourism (including myself). However, it worries me when the naïve latch on to a single source of information and disregard everything else. Rick Steves is hardly any kind of final authority on Paris, and those who depend on him exclusively or even primarily are doing themselves a disservice. The situation is even worse than it might otherwise be because Rick seems to cater specifically to naïve travellers.
