I gotta tell you, when we were in Paris last summer we went to the famous creperie on Rue St. Cler that RS raves about. Who do you think was in line ahead of us. None other than Rick himself! At least in real life he practices what his books preach...I would have been disappointed to see him coming out of a 4 star Michelin restaurant in an Armani suit.
By the way the crepes were pretty darn good too.

Thank you Mike for the info.

I for one, think Rick Steves has some great information and I have a lot of respect for him.

AND I need to defend his haircut. My husband and I have been living in Seattle for almost 14 years now, and as much as I love it here, neither of us have been able to find a place where we can get a good haircut yet!!! This just seems to come with the territory! (Which is the only negative thing I have to say about living here!)

what does "topping" mean?

Thanks Mike for letting us know. I don't live in the southern CA area, but I plan to check my local (Boston) TV section. I also think he has a lot of useful info, even though I may not stay in some of the places he recommends. Thanks again.

Replying to a post automatically sends it to the top of the list, even if all you say is "ttt" or "topping".

It's just a way to bring the thread to the top so that more people are likely to see it and reply to it.

Anything would be better than these phony "virtual reality" shows!

I like the scenery. If Rick bothers you, (a) don't watch or (b) turn off the sound.

((@))

I like Rick's shows and hope he expands coverage of Eastern Europe.

No one forces anyone to watch Rick Steves' TV programs. While Faux does not endorse everything he says, she still likes the scenes of places in the Old World (Rick Steves, Rick Schmeeves or whomever).

I actually like his shows. The scenery is great, and he has some good advice.
Also, as some previous poster said, I really think he practices what he preaches.
I just wish his shows weren't all reruns.

Rick Steves is probably gloating over all this publicity. I enjoy his shows and at least he seems like a nice guy - good for him that he has developed such a great business. Wish I could afford his tours. Tell me another travel show worth watching - The Travel Channel, incessantly in Las Vegas!! Have watched the Globe Trotter occasionally but the guy drives me nuts. Rick has great ideas when you don't have time for indepth travel. If his itineraries appeal to you, you can research further. Regarding the nonsensical comments on hair cuts and pants, who of us are the "beautiful" people. This is just too shallow commenting.

Give Rick his due. I have watched every show he has done for the past 20+ years and he is the one that originally piqued my interest in Euro travel. However, 22 trips later, I hope I have out grown his travel style. You have to watch them if you love Europe--it is a fix for me.

This was a most amusing post! And finally, I learned what "topping" and "ttt" meant-thanks we-luv and marcy for asking and the explanation! I too, think Rick S. is dorky non-pareil, but like Suze, I still enjoy armchair traveling to places I don't yet know-hey, if not him, then someone else as moderator/host-it's the scenery and bits of local info. I'm looking for.

artlover,

Try Rudy's. They have salons in belltown, phinney, capital hill and fremont.

Rick Steves gives hope to those of us, male and female, who will never win Parisian hearts and minds with our smartly-tailored designer outfits (more likely we will be seen with dorky but comfortable cotton pants, cotton shirt, and our trustworthy walking shoes).

People make fun of RS, but I noticed that the number of people carrying his guidebooks is probably equal to the number of people carrying all other guidebooks combined. The man must be richer than Bill Gates by now.

I never heard of the guy until I bought his book on Ireland recently. I will admit that I like the way it is written. It has lots of interesting "insider" travel tips. I will have to catch his show on PBS to see what you are all talking about.

Nancy, you wrote: Regarding the nonsensical comments on hair cuts and pants, who of us are the "beautiful" people. This is just too shallow commenting.'

My comments were merely playful bait for pompous RS-haters, but few took it. How can one actually bad-mouth such a nice, corny guy?

Rick looks alot better than many travelers in Europe and I think he's got more than enough money for an expensive haircut!

Someone earlier asked the meaning of "topping" ... the technical term for Rick's haircut.

With his kind of money he can easily afford to look any way that he wants which probably makes some people even more envious of him.

Artlover~ 14 years in Seattle without a decent haircut, male or female? There's tons of great salons and stylists here. I can't believe you said that :-) Although obviously Rick Steves does not go to one of them!

20+ years in Seattle, Suze