There is nothing wrong, in my opinion, in discussing fringe topics on this board, rather than always "what hotel should I stay in?" I get annoyed with people who complain if we stray at all. Discussing things that happen WHEN we travel is also interesting. Every board I post on discusses a variety of subjects even though there is a central theme. Those of you who do not like a subject don't need to read it. Period.

And what is the info you are trying to share here?

John is completely right, of course. The stories and anecdotes and fringe topics are what make the board interesting. Those looking for nothing more than a hotel can do that, and others of us who like a little human interest with our travel info can have that too.

You people who always break into a thread to ask "What does this have to do with travel?" are quite boring indeed.

You still are not offering any interesting travel insights. I don't come to this sight to discuss posting philosophy. If you want to see something different than post it. If not you are just as boring as the hotel inquiry people.

John, you make a good point, if you mainly visit this forum for a few moments entertainment. But there are other people who want answers to specific travel questions, and want to know something that the brochure or the Visitor's Information Center WON'T tell you. Getting replies to a serious questions like these depends on (among other things) how long those questions remain in the "top 50". And everytime somebody posts a "fringe" topic, that question gets closer to the bottom. Many "fringe" questions (and replies) and now the question is out of the top 50, and the chance of getting an answer goes down. Bottom line, this forum is called the United States travel forum. Fodors DOES have a catch-all forum, if you want to post on topics only remotely related to travel, do it there. (And yes I am aware of the irony in my response to this thread- I've may have just knocked somebody's legitimate question off the board by doing it)

I wouldn't call it irony. I'd call it hypocrisy.

To those who begrudge the rest of us a few laughs:

Those with legitimate travel questions get them answered. Exceptions occur when someone posts a question that is too broad, has been done to death, or with a vague title. Or when no one knows the answer.

To make this board work, though, you need two things: people with questions, and people with answers. Were it not for the fringe topics, humor, and human interest, most people wouldn't come here to answer questions as often. So those of you with travel questions would get fewer responses. I daresay that this is true of veteran posters who live in major tourist destinations like NY, SF, DC, LA, etc. Why come back if the site is just a long string of hotel questions?

The minimal risk that a straight travel question will be drowned by the fun stuff is a small price to pay.

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