Cities you were shocked that you disliked (home, university)

[Elbarto150]

I created this as an alternate to the cities you were suprised you liked thread. Name a place whose reputation is high, especially as a tourist locale (beauty, entertainment), that you found to be a dissapointment. I dont want this to become a city bashing thread, and Im not trying to harp on any city in particular.

Personally, I was really shocked to find myself disliking Santa Fe. I visited with my family to check out the University of Santa Fe as I had heard great things about the beauty and alternative vibe there. I was so dissapointed. The alternative vibe along with some rich tourists and native Americans, were the only 'groups' I could identify. It was simply too limited to fit my need for interaction with people of all races/classes. The beauty is more of a personal taste thing becuase I dont like adobe at all (its all they have really) and there isnt much greenery outside of some sparsely located shrubs and trees. Finally, the weather is really dry so it can go from 80 to 40 degrees in the matter of hours, which sucks when changing clothes is the last thing on your busy agenda.

[mpope409]

There's only one city that comes to mind, and that's San Francisco. There was nothing for me to get into.

Now, the shopping was great and it was really pretty there, but I can get great shopping at home and you can find "pretty" just about anywhere. When it came down to it, I tried to get into some of the activities around the city but I just ended up being very unimpressed.

[brri]

Austin, Texas. Could not see what all the hype is about.

[Elbarto150]

San Francisco's traffic shocked the heck out of me. Coming from Houston where you are told by strangers as well as the media that your traffic is some of the worst on the planet, I was really blown away. I was stuck in two blocks on Lombard street for over an hour and a half from around 1-2:30 (??not even rush hour??). The city as a whole is amazing, but the traffic and the grittiness can really get to you. At least these things made me appreciate H-town a whole lot more!

[quijote]

I agree about Austin--not a bad city overall, but didn't quite live up to its billing.

The same was true with Bloomington, IN. I was really hoping to like it, but it was way too honky tonk with students mixed in. The campus is nice, but didn't make up for the town.

I don't particularly dislike Ithaca, NY, but I didn't like it as much as I was hoping to. Again, pretty campus, and there are a few blocks around town with interesting shops and restaurants, but the rest just didn't make a very positive impression.

Something about college towns, I guess....

[returningtonepa???]

TAMPA,FLA----city not well laid out--too many stressed crabby people-----found nicer people willing to direct a lost person in NYC

[Steve-o]

I have several: Austin, TX, Portland, OR, Oklahoma City, OK, Little Rock, AR, Flagstaff, AZ. I had high hopes for those cities, but left them all with a sour taste in my mouth. Id like to try them again, but itll be hard to convince myself to actually use vacation time to give them another chance.

[Billiam]

Okay, well i was suprised i didn't like Des moines, i thought for some reason i would really enjoy it, but im sorry, it was horrible

others that come to mind, Colorado springs, hartford, Indianapolis, Wichita, and providence. All of These cities looked really nice, its just they either had nothing to do or they were just not my cup of tea

[ryneone]

Originally Posted by brri

Austin, Texas. Could not see what all the hype is about.

No one does. Especially Texans.

[mpope409]

Originally Posted by ryneone

No one does. Especially Texans.

There are some generally interesting traits about central Austin, but it's not a city I'm particularly fond of.

I can say that I do enjoy the energy I feel when I go there, I like how it's easy to navigate (especially the downtown I-35 area), I like the hills, the flyovers, and some of the other scenery. All of that still wasn't enough to hold my interest, though.