The United States has so many amazing cities and places to visit. But, some cities are not as good as portrayed in the media.
A user asked the forum, “What’s the place in the United States that everyone thinks is good but not?” Here are the top responses.
HOLLYWOOD
“Hollywood is one such place for non-Californians and even for many Californians from outside Los Angeles. In the popular imagination, it is considered a glitzy and glamorous place where you will run into fabulously dressed celebrities every few feet.
In reality, it is dirty, rundown, and sadly has a lot of homelessness, and many celebrities can be more often found elsewhere, such as Malibu (a popular beach town), Beverly Hills (where many live), or Burbank (the location of many filming studios).”
MYRTLE BEACH
“When I think of Myrtle Beach, it’s either family-friendly tourist traps or college students binge drinking.”
ATLANTIC CITY
“Atlantic City is pretty bad. Does anyone think Atlantic City is good, though? It’s famous for gambling and Monopoly.”
HONOLULU
“Honolulu on the Hawaiian Island of Oahu is a large dirty city on a beautiful beach. It’s not horrific, but when you picture Hawaii, it’s not Honolulu. Visit any of the other islands for a true Hawaiian experience.”
THE POCONOS
“The Poconos. I live about an hour South. It’s gross. The hotels are stuck in 1979, with heart-shaped jacuzzis on carpeted floors. It’s just a whole lot of mildew and mirrors on the ceiling and dirty water parks. There’s far better places to hike in Northern Pennsylvania.”
LAS VEGAS
“Las Vegas. Hotter than hell with extreme sensory overload.”
TALLADEGA
“Talladega. I mean, I’m Canadian, and I’ve heard of it. So when I went there for a work stint, I was stoked. It’s a mess. It’s like a nothing place. Disappointing, to say the least.”
LOS ANGELES
“Los Angeles seems to be a letdown for a lot of people. Dirty, expensive, lots of homeless, and traffic.”
THE BIG TEXAN
“The Big Texan. Featured on several TV shows and movies, it is the one place people want to visit in Amarillo. It has billboards hundreds of miles away advertising the free 72-ounce steak. It is a tourist trap with okay steaks at exorbitant prices.”
CAPE COD
“Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Beautiful, picturesque, great beaches. Overcrowded and overpriced, almost 75% of the beaches are privately owned, there is a huge heroin and drug problem among year-long residents, as well as extreme poverty. It shuts entirely down in the winter, so it becomes isolating as hell.
Tourist season is a nightmarish evil as there’s one main road onto the cape, getting anywhere can take hours, then there’s the beaches, 25$ a day parking fee, bathrooms that are disgusting and not maintained and crowded, and some lack facilities altogether. Why people go there is beyond me; it’s not a vacation, it’s stressful.”
HOUSTON
“Houston. Worst designed city in the United States but somehow the 4th most populous.”
PORTLAND
“I’d argue that Portland, Oregon deserves this title, but about 40% of the United States population thinks something is wrong. Either way, things could be better here. Avoid it at all costs.”
HAWAII
“Hawaii. It’s backward, corrupt, hideously expensive, racist as hell. It’s everything bad about California rolled up with everything bad about Mississippi.”
GATLINBURG/PIGEON FORGE
“Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge. It was nice back in the 70s/80s. But it’s just an overcrowded tourist trap now. My dad went back in the day and loved it. I always wanted a full family vacation there.
In 2006, I got all the kids and grandkids arranged, and we all went. The disappointment on my dad’s face when we rolled into town was sad. Nothing but cheap, tacky shops, chain restaurants, and the like.
We even had a cabin ‘in the mountains.’ But that was a misnomer. A bunch of high-end cabin-style houses all built close to each other, suburban style. He was glad to leave. I felt sad that we’d finally been able to plan a family vacation, and he was so disappointed.”
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This article was originally published on Mrs. Daaku Studio.