Alex, you make me laugh. My parents are coming to visit tonight and are insisting on going to Applebee's for dinner! I kid you not!!

Alex, Al, <BR> <BR>So sorry, but I'll have to flag you both for illegal procedure -- having too many men on the field. You both discussed ubiquitous establishments, which are not technically attractions as Laura defined them. No penalty will be assessed, because your posts were a total hoot. And yes, I had to look up the spelling of "ubiquitous."

Referee, <BR> <BR>Who said I was a man??

Washington DC. <BR>I thought the FBI tour was kind of interesting! I also like the bureau of printing and engraving, all that money made me drool. I especially liked the cost, FREE! <BR> <BR>I guess my expectations weren't real high of these destinations they were interesting little side trips. We went on the off season and there where no lines, maybe thats what makes the difference. The only line we had was a half hour wait for the white house. <BR> <BR>Is Salem, MA even billed as a tourist attraction? I have a couple friends who live there and there doesnt seem to be anything special there. <BR> <BR>My "been there, done that, don't bother" would be Epcot in Orlando. I thought it was overpriced and very dull and crowded and hot and THEY HAD NO BEER! <BR>

It is hard for me to nominate anything in this category. I guess mainly because I don't have too many high expectations of alot of sites, & try to just go with the flow, even when there are crowds.,I even find some fun & joy in places that are supposedly tacky, such as Wisconsin Dells, or Wall Drug. <BR>As for Baltimore's Inner Harbor, for me, that is 1 of my all time favorites, mainly because I am interested in old time sailing ships, of which there are very few left, 1 of which is the USS Constellation(SP) in Baltimore. I must have been through it about 20 times to date. (Also like the Submarine & other ships there.) Haven't been able to get into the Aquarium as of yet though, by the time I go through the ships, there isn't enough time to get into the Aquarium because of the long line.

Alex, Alexandra, Alexis, Lexi, Alejandra, <BR> <BR>Way sorry about the gender blunder. Mea culpa! <BR> <BR>Loved your post, though.

My vote goes to Mackinac Island in Northern Michigan. To get there, you go by ferry. Upon arrival you find no cars or motorized vehicles. The only transportation is horse-drawn taxis or shuttles ( also refered to as busses).Prices are very high for food (lots of it available), Bicycles are permitted and lots of folks use in-line skates. However, if you are there in the warmest parts of summer, the aroma of horses and their waste is EVERYWHERE! It spoiled my appetite for food and assaulted my nostrils all day and all night. Never again!

Dear Al and Neal: <BR>I have never stopped at an outlet mall, but I've always been a bit curious about them (in the interest of research, I guess), but after your comments, I won't even be tempted. <BR>Ever. <BR>Thanks!!!!!!! <BR> <BR>Dear Alex: <BR>I agree with you about those chain restaurants. Disgusting. Fortunately I cannot go, since the few times I was forced to (by visiting relatives), I discovered that I cannot digest the food. Literally. (There's nothing more disconcerting .... [no, I better not say it; too gross]).

I will have to say that the Arizona Botanical Gardens in Phoenix gets my vote. I was grossly outvoted by my tripmates and we ended up there one very warm May afternoon. If you've ever seen one cactus in your life then you should avoid this place like the plague...because if you've seen one then you've seen them all!!! Acres upon acres of cacti...sound fun? <BR>

Nadene asks, Is Salem, MA even billed as a tourist attraction? <BR> <BR>Absolutely! Do a quick search on the web and you'll see...it got my vote for "Been There, Done That, Don't Bother" after I was there last October and was disgusted by the overcommercialization, overcrowding, and generally bad taste of the place.

What about 90% of the state of Florida? There are a few nice places left, but places like Orlando, Panama City, Daytona, Miami, Tampa/St. Pete need to be bombed. There is very little appeal in any of them. I don't understand why people flock to Florida like it's some kind of paradise. For the most part it's an overgrown, overdeveloped tourist trap.

I think you just want to keep all the good stuff to yourself. I say cough it up--where are those nice unspoiled places? Personally, I have beento fla many times & found beautiful spots every time. I am glad Panama City exist so all the dregs can congregate there while I am at Grayton.

Native Floridian...this is the worst time of year to be in Florida. It was at least 92 today with humidity to match. <BR> <BR>BUT...we spent the breezy afternoon sailing the blue-green water of Tampa Bay, something we can do almost any day of the year here. Crossed paths with a number of rays...wingtips raised as they cruised. Saw 4 or 5 dolphin, one of which swam along our bow for several yards. We've got manatees living in the channel by our dock...I see a mom and her calf almost daily, swimming so close to each other they could be attached with velcro. <BR> <BR>As the tide dropped this PM, fishermen were wading out to catch snook. If we'd wanted the beach we could have spent the afternoon at remote but nearby Caladesi Island or Ft. Desoto....no crowds. If we'd wanted crowds instead, Clearwater is right here and Longboat Key an hour off. <BR> <BR>Though far from perfect, I can think of a heck of a lot worse places to be than Tampa. There's plenty of ugly, I'd be the first to agree, but a place is just what you chose to see and make of it! <BR>

I seond the motion on Salem, Ma. The tourist information centre is the best thing. Luckily I was there Halloween week and the library had a nice display but the museum/show was poor. It's overcrowded, not enough parking, nowhere to eat and not much to do. Luckily Rockport is only about 30 minutes away and it was great.

The summer is 1/3 gone. Any new dog attractions out there?

A few years ago we did our only trip to Florida that involved one of those theme parks(instead of the usual visit the grandparents). <BR>We took the kids to Sea World in Orlando for a day, then over to Busch Gardens in Tampa. <BR>Busch Gardens was nice, Sea World was better. <BR>But we choose to do two special tours that you must pay extra for. <BR>One was the penguins, and that was O.K , got to see lots up close *and* pet one. <BR>I always wanted to touch a penguin. <BR>The second tour was a **very expensive** zero. <BR>We signed up to see the polar bears. <BR>First we were driven to the pool where the bears would be *if * they were out swimming. <BR>They weren't ,so we stood around an empty pool and listened to the guide talk. <BR>Next they drove us to were the polar bears hang out most of the time.An A/C cave like unit with a few rooms and a pool. <BR>Inside we were suppose to see the bears. <BR>Well, They were sleeping in a side room, the only way to see anything was to press your face up against the glass, craning your neck sideways, and then were rewarded with the sight of a bear's paw. <BR>That was it! <BR>And for that experience I think we payed $40-$50!!! <BR>I really felt badly for mine, and everyone else's children. <BR>We saw nothing. <BR>Nancy <BR> <BR>

"old mystic seaport" in mystic, conn. Very disappointing. We visited "off season" and they were not busy. One of the ship restorers had his Harley-Davidson on the block restoring it. For this we paid a hefty entrance fee. Avoid it at all costs.

Much as I would love to nominate any and all theme parks, but Disney above all, I admit that WDW has to be done once in the life of anyone with a kid between 5 and 12. BUT ONLY ONCE. <BR> <BR>Otherwise, how come no one's mentioned Wall Drug? Is it because all the announcement signs around the midwest have finally come down? Is there anyone out there who knows what I'm referring to?

<BR>Char: <BR> <BR>Saw "Wall Drug" on "The Best Of..." on the Food Channel. Seeing is not necessarily believing, but it was enough to convince me to avoid it at all costs. <BR> <BR>Good input.

I LOVED Wall Drug! And I REFUSE to go to Outlet Malls! Wall Drug has character, flavor, history. It's history is touching. It's a western icon and while we would never stay there, it was fun for a lunch and souvenir (kids) stop!