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I have visited the Cawker City ball of twine and will never forget it.It does "grow" every year at an annual festival where twine is added.
The ball sits out under a canopy and can be viewed 24/7. We were late arriving and feared the ball would be closed. A visit to a local cafe and a trip to an old warehouse yielded a now treasured tee shirt. The best sensory memory was the interesting odor coming from the ball. |
OliveOyl: I am so glad to hear you say that about Houston. It does get a bad rap as a dump on here- I cringe when someone posts a question on here about the city as I know what they will get. I wouldn't move back there after living there for 30 yrs and now living outside D.C., but I go back and enjoy it. It's not an easy city to get a feel for since it is so spread out and there is no zoning (a big problem), but it does have good points and things to offer.
I am just chuckling that people go to see a ball of string, no matter how big it is. I have never had a big let-down travel moment that I can recall. Except maybe once, when I had been traveling through Europe, backpacking after college, and I got off at the train station in Rome. It was so incredibly hot, so crowded, and everyone was yelling at the top of their lungs in what appeared to be normal conversation. I got right back on the train and left. And unfortuantely I've never been back to Italy. That was stupid on my part to judge the city by the train station experience, but I just couldn't shake the idea that I'd be psychotic if I stayed any longer than 30 minutes there. Maybe I should have posted that one on the "trip you regret not taking" thread. |
emd1-you really should go back. My daughter and her husband go every year, but not in summer-too hot. Believe me, if people were screaming at the top of their lungs you can be sure she would never go back. Try for Spring.
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Definitely the worlds tallest thermometer in the bowels of SoCal! ;)
Seriously, the only place i can recall being underwhelmed was Vancouver. Having heard so much about their big park (can't even remember the name) and shopping on Robson (and we stayed on Robson), i was very disappointed. So much so that we cut our visit short. Maybe its because it was towards the end of our Glacier - Banff - Jasper - Kamloops - Olympic NP trip and i was tired of being cold in july! Or because i'd just attended a conference in NYC - near central park! :) |
I just looked at this thread today and I had to laugh at Olive's post about Gatlinburg. She KNOWS how I despise that place-yukyukyuk-Olive, maybe we should start the great Gatlinburg debate again!
NEVER get sucked into the marketing marchine of Lava Hot Springs, Idaho--don't even ask. I'm mixed on my feelings about the Mona Lisa--it was such a huge distraction having to punch, kick and elbow your way through the hoards of people viewing it just to get a glimpse. We're debating doing the road to Hana as a day trip. With three kids it will be a long day and I'm afraid of being underwhelmed compared to the effort. |
Wisconsin Dells. I still don't get it. Where are they? What is it? Oh, you mean this is it? We're there? Oh. Don't know what I was expecting -- pastoral, picturesque, quaint...not putt putt golf & water parks.
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Virginia Beach - got there, looked at each other and said "I don't think so". We turned around and went back to Williamsburg for the remainder of our trip.
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Jayne..:) Yes I do know how you feel about it, and recall fondly our famous Gatlingburg Address(es). Days long gone! Seems like ages ago, doesn't it?
I was aware of Mona Lisa's size, but agree the crowds were a detraction. I wonder how you'll enjoy the road to Hana. Although the scenery is pretty, I was just bloody glad to get off it, or off the hair raising part, which is actually past Hana. Like Mona Lisa, I had to do it once, but won't have to return. Some of the dislikes here are really surprising. I used to live in Virginia Beach, got married at Oceana Naval Air Staion and had our reception at the "O Club". The beach then was beautiful, especially north of the Cavalier where we lived, and Sandbridge which was only sparsely developed. The Surf Rider was the in spot for Sunday afternoons and Ft Story was for Friday evenings--good fun and a good crowd. In this case I don't think it's just an instance of who you were with, although that was pretty good, it really <i>was</i> a nice place. Something must have happened to it in the interim. We probably haven't been back in 15 or so years. Has it changed that much?? Is it another Myrtle Beach? (And I've probably just hit an area someone else loves...LOL) |
emd...didn't know you were a Texan. And broadening the scope, the entire state is beaten to death here. It's the "in" thing it seems. :LOL
It did sort of irk me when we lived there (Dallas) that whenever there was a function with out-of-staters, that the hat, boot, barbeque, longhorn thing came out, but I'll tell you, going back again after living away for 11 years, it was all so enjoyable and they did play that angle up at the Super Bowl, just as we always used to in Dallas. No it's not what Houston and Dallas are about, but it is something you can have fun with, and that's all it is. I still think those are some of the greatest people you could want to meet. |
Mall of America.
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Ellen Griswold: Just pasted the worlds tallest thermometer in the bowels of SoCal, on our way back from Las Vegas! What a hoot!
While we are still on the subject: About 10 years back while driving in OC, NJ we passed a tiny brown sign for "Lucy the Elephant" and my dear daughter and step brother saw the darn thing and recognised it as a landmark they had read about in "The Weekly Reader" (their 3rd grade newspaper)! We parked the car and followed the signs walking for at least 45 minutes in the hot sun to finally find the darn thing! It was an actual building made into an elephant and served as several establishments over the years (including a tavern), currently it was a museum about it's own history! It was so dumb that we couldn't help but enjoy it!!! We still laugh about it (the kids are 18 now). |
Cancun- BARF! It's the Myrtle Beach of Mexico. Oh oh, I've slammed 2 places that may be popular.
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I'd have to disagree with the person who said Niagara Falls was a disappointment. Everytime I've gone there I am always in awe of the strength and beauty of both sides of the falls. I enjoy the whole Canadian side, even the ridiculous fun houses and tourist shops. Love walking around Clifton Hill and the park not too far from the falls. Maid of the Mist was really enjoyable too.
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Travelisfun - another bubble is about to burst. The "largest hailstone" is now claimed by a Nebraska town. It fell last year.
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I love her and have a large collection of Statue of Liberty statues, snowglobes, and everything else with her on it....BUT when I first saw her,I thought she was tiny compared to how big I thought she was...I had no perspective...I thought she would be huge and tower over the skyline...I kept looking out of the plane window too expecting her to be the biggest thing out there...still beautiful though...
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The Statue of Liberty is enormous - for a statue. But how could you think it would be taller than the tallest buildings? It's over a hundred years old - there wasn't anything in the world then 60 or 80 or 100 stories high like the tallest buidlings are now. That's like expecting the Wright Brothers plane to be the size of 747!
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Looking back at this whole thread I realize that whoever said its about expectations is correct. Most of the disapointment (though not the big ball of twine - whatever were you thinking!) seems to come from people having uninformed expectations - going to see something because its an item to be crossed off the list.
The prime example seems to be the Mona Lisa - most people complain that its too small (no one ever said it was big - why would you think it is) or dingy (its hundreds of years old and people didn;t wear neon colors then - although I do believe there is now some talk of very careful cleaning). When I was there last some kid was even complaining that she was ugly - again no one ever claimed she was supermodel. What the picture is famous for is the subtlety of her enigmatic expression (is this a surprise - didn;t everyone have to take art appareciation in high school?) as well as the overall quality of the work. I think the lesson here is - know why you're going and what you expect to see - assumption starts with ass for a reason. |
As a child, your imagination builds up things larger than life.
I apologize I "assumed" the Statue was so big and did not properly research the exact measurements and history before visiting. What an irresponsible child. This thread to me is talking about things that we may have built up in our head to be very different than they actually are, and how it is a bit humorous how we think compared to reality. I know it is not that big, but I was trying to describe how outrageously different I thought of it compared to the actual place. It's like you telling kids that that guy at the mall is just a man in a suit and how uninformed they are to "assume" he is actually Santa Claus and will bring them gifts. That is what imaginations are for... I didn't know I would be judged for my opinion. |
For me it was the Four Corners Monument. Guess my expectations were higher. It certainly didn't ruin our trip by stopping there.
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