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The most overrated to me is LA. I knew that there was going to be a lot of traffic and smog but when I got there it was much worse than I could possibly imagine. Visiting Hollywood and the walk of fame was anticlimactic. It was really hard to get around town so the majority of the time was spent on a freeway. I travelled into the surrounding hills to take some pictures of the area and you could barely make out anything because of the smog. But I did eat the best chinese food of my life there.
The most underated destination to me is a toss up between South Carolina and the Gulf coast of Florida. Charleston and Hilton Head, SC are two great laid back vacation destinations. They are both filled with beautiful architecture, friendly people, GREAT FOOD, lovely not too crowded beaches,tree lined streets and beautiful parks. The Gulf coast of Florida has some of the prettiest beaches in the US. Places like Destin have stunningly white sand and clear warm water. The beaches are nowhere near as developed as the are in South Florida and not as crowded. You can go to these beaches and only see a handful of people there.
Most underrated? Michigan, particularly the western coast and Upper Peninsula. Soooo beautiful, yet relatively few think of MI has having gorgeous scenery.
Most overrated? Los Angeles, by far. Too crowded on the highways, bad smog which obstructed any views of the surrounding hills, boring downtown that was surrounded by filthy, graffitti-covered neighborhoods, overcrowded beaches filled with waaay too many creepies and to top it all off the water was cold enough to cause severe shrinkage. The finishing touch to all the crap I was disappointed with down there was spray-painted graffitti on boulders, palm trees, etc. I mean, really??? I gave L.A. two gigantic thumbs-down. I disliked it so much that I havent been back since. I should really go and give it a second try, but its just so far away and I have other places I want to see first. I left with a putrid taste in my mouth from L.A.
Most overrated? Los Angeles, by far. Too crowded on the highways, bad smog which obstructed any views of the surrounding hills, boring downtown that was surrounded by filthy, graffitti-covered neighborhoods, overcrowded beaches filled with waaay too many creepies and to top it all off the water was cold enough to cause severe shrinkage. The finishing touch to all the crap I was disappointed with down there was spray-painted graffitti on boulders, palm trees, etc. I mean, really??? I gave L.A. two gigantic thumbs-down. I disliked it so much that I havent been back since. I should really go and give it a second try, but its just so far away and I have other places I want to see first. I left with a putrid taste in my mouth from L.A.
My exact feeling towards LA. It's almost as if you were on my trip with me.
I would say LA is overrated but so many people put it down to a point some might see it as underrated. It's not an easy city to like and takes some time and visits to really appreciate what it has to offer. If I lived across the country I wouldn't want to spend thousands of dollars to visit just LA, maybe if it includes other parts of CA but not just that one city.
Growing up in Northern CA I was born and raised with a "I Hate LA" mentality from day one. But I do actually like the city now, it has a lot to offer but it takes knowing the city somewhat to really enjoy or experience it and one trip is not going to offer that really.
Just curious to see what everyone thinks is the most underated and overated travel destinations in the US.
My vote for most underated is Western South Dakota/Black Hills country. My family and I planned on just taking a quick look around there, but it turned out that we really enjoyed it and there's so much to do; Mt. Rushmore, Badlands NP, native american sights, hiking, Devil's Tower (which is technically in Wyoming, but can be grouped with the other sights). The best part was that we felt like we had the whole place to ourselves! Not many people make the trip out there, which is too bad.
My most overated would be Miami/South Florida. It was very hot, very humid, and there's really nothing special or interesting about Miami in my opinion. Miami Beach is fun, but can easily be done in a day. I'm not a beach or club person, and this is what Miami is all about. If you're looking for culture, museums, and natural beauty then Miami will dissapoint you (at least it did me).
Funny..My family decided to take a trip to the Black Hills last November....I agree with you....We liked it so much that we went back in March. In fact, we would love to move there now.
this one will also probably draw some ire - but the grand canyon - it's beautiful, magnificient and worth seeing - however it's crowded, expensive and a place you really need to plan a day around - if you aren't into hiking or camping you will probably get tired of it pretty quick - it's almost too much to take in, which in my opinion leaves people underwhelmed - i've had many visitors make the 4 hour trek up north and be back in phx 9 hours after departure
I travel a lot with my kids and they agree with you. They thought the Grand Canyon was overrated. They just weren't impressed by it. Conversely, they thought that Washington, D.C. was fantastic. They just couldn't get over how wonderful that city was to explore.
I agree with those who said Miami,for some reason Miami has never appealed to me.
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