I don't know how learning starts, but a questioner will get better answers here if he/she will simply <i>turn on the light</i> with more info. ((*))

My favorites are the one-shot wonders who appear out of nowhere with a totally nontravel related question that generates lots of responses, and then never show up again!

Two examples off the top of my head:

Best man toasts
How to get my coop deposit back

Things that make you go &quot;huh?&quot;

Nah, aileen, the &quot;inexpensive&quot; food question never bothers me. It makes me think of my mother- a wonderful woman, but that's her first concern eating out on vacation. And if anyone had only recced McD or BK- by golly, that's all I would have eaten, and we would have missed some truly wonderful experiences! My family will eat just about anything on vaca- as long as it's good and mom doesn't have to cook it.

Maybe a ride....LOL! But then again, what my hometown is really known for right now- wine tasting- an activity that I truly don't understand. Even wierder than foodies, yet I meet folks from all over who come for the wine. Cool, but I wish they came for something else- a lot more things to do than wine. So, to me, &quot;not touristy&quot; means &quot;off the beaten path&quot;- and I think &quot;oooh, the tourist has finally developed a brain!&quot; :)

And also- some of you get awfully upset over &quot;stupidity&quot;. Chill. There's always morons in the world- I've found the best way to deal idiots is to ignore them- not react. But then, I spend too much of my time around high schoolers, and I lurk also in fandom (for entertainment). So the lowest of the low at fodors- STILL a welcome dose of sanity!

ooh...JJ5! Forgot!

&quot;It IS a dart thrown in the dark.

So is political freedom, tolerance to difference, inclusiveness, empowerment for the lowly, or...&quot;

A new favorite quote! Thanks....and so true, too.

Sounds like a lot of you need to chill.

Exactly!

As a &quot;long time poster&quot;, I answer questions that interest me, that I happen to know about. Sometimes the very vague ones are the most fun and I am more likely to have something to contribute than a very specific inquiry.

SAB- The beauty of Fodor's forum is, as you've discovered, don't like a question, don't answer it. Problem solved.

OK- I will agree and as was mentioned early on on this thread... I am puzzled when people say &quot;I'm coming to Seattle (LA, Rome, Amsterdam), what's there to do there?&quot;

Why would anyone buy a plane ticket to a place having no idea what they wanted to do? That does seem strange. And stranger still that they would admit it here without thinking it an odd question.

suze- I don't think most really mean &quot;I bought a plane ticket for a popular destination and I have no idea what there is to do there&quot; when they ask what is there to do. I think it's usaully just a poor choice of words. What they really mean- What attractions do locals/frequent visitors really enjoy, and what will be a disappointtment/waste of time? 'Cause, you know, the fodorites are, like, mind readers! (Since this forum is for opinions, rather than a one sided guide book) :)

But are we not constrained to respond to the words we are given rather than the ones we suppose were intended?

Well, yes- and the OP's poor phrasing leads to most of the misunderstandings:)

I agree with Suze. Why would someone buy a plane ticket, without researching? Unless you were flying somewhere already on business or to see family, and wanted to explore further.

I know ttt, DH etc. But, now, what is an OP? I assume P is for post or poster. Right? How about the O?

I should of said &quot;without researching the area&quot;. :-)

OP is Original Poster. :-)

I have always thought that some of those general questions were from would-be journalists trying to get an article together to sell without actually visiting that area. We are all probably quoted in some way for free.

What irritates me is after I and other travelers give our many painfully perfect thoughts and advice, the poster cheerily decides to &quot;get more information&quot;. This can go on for days. I am saying to my computer &quot;stop dithering and get on the road!&quot; I think I actually wrote that one time.

I know I have quit even looking at many questions. Moreover, there are many questions about places I know fairly well, like Yellowstone, that I honestly don't know how to respond.

Then, there are several questions I sometimes respond to somewhat acidly just to exercise my ornery disposition. Questions like: &quot;I want to go to Canada. What should I see?&quot; usually stimulate that aspect of my personality.

Questions like &quot;What is the best xxx in yyy?&quot; Are best ignored. None of us as a general rule have visited place yyy enough to know which one of several places of the xxx variety is the best.
It is a personal choice anyhow.

Oh, yes. Questions like &quot;Canada&quot; also bring out my ornery disposition. What is there to do in the PNW? is almost as annoying.

I have not yet figured out the mystery of ttt?

ttt is To The Top. :-)

Suze -- I was as I have now stated a number of times just expressing a frustration and seeking to determine if other felt the same way, which apparently numerous other posters do as witnessed by the responses. I do not expect anyone to provide a &quot;solution&quot; to my frustration. So, thank you but I was not seeking advice.

ttt means &quot;to the top&quot;.

It is a way for a Fodorite to send a thread that has moved down the line due to so many new threads or new posts to threads. I do this sometimes when I see a thread that has a question that I cannot answer. I type &quot;ttt&quot; so the thread will go back up to the top so that hopefully someone else will see it and be able to post an answer.

NOW I get it! Thanks, LoveItaly

Hey BTilke. As you know we've always shared a love for Angers. (Dang I have to get back there.)

Anyway you're in &quot;Fodor's France 2006&quot; page 163 for the Loire Valley. No surprise there. :-)

&quot;Best bit about Chambord: taking the boat tour around the ch&acirc;teau. We were the only ones on the boat and got a different perspective of the place.&quot; - BTilke.

I was quoted in it too so Fodor's sold a copy to me. If you want to e-mail me. I'll scan the page and e-mail it to you. (I'm not really worried about copyright here. I bought the book. This is for personal use. And it's your quote anyway. :-) )

Thank you all so much for your support, kindness, understanding, and words of wisdom!!! [Here and on the 2 that were pulled - Thank God! :)] The love you would show an absolute stranger really had me boo-hooing. The world could certainly use a lot more folks like all of you. I am very proud to call you all my Fodorite friends!! (real or imagined!;-))

God bless and thank you!

wow guys, i have really learned an encyclopedia's worth about posting just reading thru this. i think everyone has been enormously helpful --

my quest to do just the &quot;right&quot; things to get in and out of seattle and around the oympic penninsula got so detailed that i was e-mailing with a very charming, kind fodorite info that would bore everyone else to tears. that leg of my west coast trip got canceled unexpectedly, and i felt just horrible about how much time everyone spent (well, i spent time too).

i have tried so hard to &quot;give back&quot; as much as was given to me. most everyone here has such a terrific personality. you all seem close and connected. it's endearing to observe and, admittedly, sometimes i feel a little jealous (i'm sure there's an emoticon for that one!) of the intimate dialogue because i'm on the &quot;outside.&quot;

anyhoo...forget your little annoyances, hang in there, all of you, and keep dishing out the good advice. it brings us newbies along, you know, no matter how you treat us. as for me, i have to say, you are adored and appreciated. you all have GREAT STYLE (bet it's true in person too), starting with your SNs : starrsville, bayougal, loveitaly, go_travel, and scarlett!

there are others, i know, but these are the people who i've come to know the most...and i have to admit, i'm attached to you now. guess i just wanted you to know.

Since there are so many long time posters on this thread, can you help me with my upcoming trip???

I'm looking for that famous restaurant on Main Street and the Resort on that beach by the boardwalk... thanks for your help!! looking forward to your expert responses....

Actually ... I know and have even traveled with (argh) people who buy an international ticket to somewhere and not known what to do or see or eat in the intended vacation destination. Someone told me that maybe these people are not really interested in travel &amp; cultures per se, but go to places JUST so they can say, 'I've been here and I've been there.' but have nothing to say about what they saw there....none of it sank in anyway!

If it seems crazy to you to see these questions on the anonymous internet, just imagine what it's like to field these questions in person!

gary22,
The restaurant you are looking for is on Main Street and the resort is right on the beach by the boardwalk. Hope this helps!

Just a heads-up Gary and SSS,
GoT started a thread just like that last week and it disappeared in a flash. Don't know why - it was funny as heck, but it wasn't &quot;okay&quot; for some reason. Continuing may get this thread pulled.

It really doesn't matter if some of you don't respond to other people's queries. There are only a handful of posters who reveal any valuable information on this forum. As someone who has been reading and posting here for over six years, I find that most of you just come here to socialize, which I am not necessarily condemning.

I am not trying to be critical or mean, but there are really very few true travelers on this forum. Most here are &quot;amateurs&quot; who try to be helpful, even though they post information that can't be used.

I have traveled all over the world (27 countries)and the U.S. I think I used information from Fodorites maybe 6 times.

Useful posters IMHO:
Cigalechanta
eskcrunchy
billy_boy
ira
Elaine
nytraveler
seamus
oreilly

I still love you all. LOVE YOU!!

2 posts in 6 years?

I don't think naming names is that nice but I will say my list would be different. As I'm sure would everyone else's.

Wow, interesting post, IOC.

I'm glad those 6 Fodorites have been helpful. I do the same thing with cookbooks - always look for the same few names for recipes I know will be quick and easy and will always turn out well. You learn to trust some names.

I do have one question though. If you have been &quot;someone who has been reading and posting here for over six years&quot;, why a new screename this morning to post this response? Who have you been for the past 6 years? Just like trusting someone's recipe by name I like to weigh a Fodorite's input by previous history/posts/reputation.

You wouldn't be hiding behind a brand new screen name this morning for any particular reason, would you?

Actually, amaclise, ImitationofChrist has had two posts total this morning. In one hour. If IOC has been a regular poster for 6 years, he/she is hiding behind a new screen name today.

I totaly agree with you, analease. I know those posters have the same &quot;taste&quot; as I do. They are also usually objective. You may trust others whom you have bonded with on this site.

Starsville, I can't answer your question. Big Brother is watching. (And I know that you know all about that.)

I eschew designer clothes. :)

I do indeed. Good list too. ira is my favorite on that list.

Ditto to amaclise!! I have absolutely nothing bad to say about anyone on the Top 10 list--so to speak. :) However, they are not necessarily those who have helped me over these 2 plus years I have been posting, and I am not sure that &quot;naming names&quot; is a useful exercise. (Altho I do admit to having a place in my heart for starrsville.)

What matters to me is that all who participate try to be of service with the idea that when they need advice, others will be of service. What is known in other circles as a mutual aid society...

I am also frustrated w/those posters who do no research first, but I can now ignore their posts w/o feeling the annoyance I used to......

My response:
1. I do remember being excited in finding Fodors forum as one who has enjoyed travel
2. I also have received lots of good tips from people taking the time to answer me. More and more include websites for further info. I'm glad to answer them.
3. Yes, I also tire of posters who ask some trivial question or one just answered...and of course those general &quot;where to eat in California&quot; ones
4. But I do enjoy general discussions about interesting places, social customs, amusing incidents (like where you couldn't speak English), etc.
5. And yes the photos of Prague or Paris or wherever are cool

ozarksbill

Please forgive me if this question has been posed but the tread is too long for me to go through.

Can somebody tell me what constitutes a &quot;long time poster&quot;?

Thanks and Cheers,

Sharkdiver

Can someone tell me if it is worth it?







(Some of the things I dislike about the above is that no one knows 'your' taste, how do you define the worth of something, and it is a dangling participle.)

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34694824
I wrote this similar thread, signing on back here after being gone for a few years.....
I've mellowed in the last few months, and realize that folks are looking for something fun, stimulating, and wonderful. Just cuz I've already been there, I can't hold it against those who haven't.