Readers picks: Overrated destinations of the world

Place: Austin, Texas

Last visited: September 2007

My perspective: Judging by the hype surrounding Austin, I thought I was embarking on a visit to the eighth wonder of the world. As Gertrude Stein said of Oakland, “There is no there there.” The same could be said of Austin. Once you’ve seen the state Capitol and a tiny strip of phony honky-tonk music dives called 6th Street, there is nothing to do. About the only thing Austin has going for it is a plethora of Tex-Mex restaurants; most are cheap, and the food is splendid. But that’s about it.

Suggested alternative: Honolulu or St. Augustine, Fla.

--Christopher di Spirito, Penfield, N.Y.

Pictured: Texas State Capitol buidling in Austin  (Ricardo B. Brazziell / Associated Press)

Place: Seattle

Last visited: October

My perspective: The place is just awful. Gray, one-dimensional and boring. The surrounding geography is spectacular, but the city is nothing more than an overcaffeinated shopping mall filled with upper-middle-class white people wearing backpacks. How many Starbucks and Gaps does one need? Take an hour to visit the Space Needle, Pike Place Market and the Experience Music Project -- and that’s all it takes -- and you are left wondering why you bothered.

Suggested alternative: Anywhere else

--Patrick Sinclair, Alexandria, Va.

Pictured: Pike Place Market  (Kevin P. Casey / For The Los Angeles Times)

Place: The beach

Last visited: June

My perspective: It doesn’t matter which beach. When I was a kid in Glendale, we always thought of the beach as a place where everything was mellow and everyone was beautiful and friendly. Often we found what we expected. It was fun and exciting to travel to Santa Monica or Redondo or Leo Carrillo. But now it’s different. Any beach town is just like any other Valley town or anywhere in Kansas or New Jersey, only with more parking meters. The homogeneity of commercial sprawl has overtaken any charm or quirkiness the beach communities may have had, and the fortress mind-set of the residents of these places makes it unfriendly even to walk around. There are more “No Parking” signs in a linear mile of Malibu curb space than in all of Montana. Once you get to the sand, it’s a competition for an open patch. And don’t even think about the public restrooms. Ewwww. And if you do brave the facilities, someone will probably jack your towel, cooler, Frisbee and even your dog if he isn’t in your backpack. Your probably illegally parked car will get towed or broken into and all your stuff stolen. All in all, the beach is a terrible trip.

Suggested alternative: The big pool at Hansen Dam

--Dave Stern, Bremerton, Wash.

Pictured: Newport Beach  (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

Place: Laguna Beach

Last visited: September 2007

My perspective: Laguna Beach is overcrowded, with not much to do. There is a dearth of quality, reasonably priced restaurants, with most of the restaurants offering abysmal seafood, considering the coastal location. The downtown is hit-and-miss for shops, and the art galleries are overrated. This beach town is beautiful but disappointing.

Suggested alternative: Encinitas

--Gina Varelam, San Diego

Pictured: Treasure Island Beach in Laguna Beach  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Place: Catalina

Last visited: October

My perspective: After an hour on a golf cart, there is nothing left to do. Oh, wait. You could drink. That seems to be the only activity on the island. The golf course is horrible. The water is cold. There is no beach to speak of. I’m not sure how anyone could spend more than half a day in Avalon.

Suggested alternative: Any Orange County beach town

--Fil Lujan, Monrovia  (Chris Erskine / Los Angeles Times)

Place: Hollywood Walk of Fame

Last visited: September

My perspective: What’s supposed to be a portal into the golden age of Hollywood has become the top tourist trap in the city. Apart from paying the expensive parking, this “mecca” is overshadowed by costumed characters pestering tourists for photo ops (for a “donation” of course), rapper wannabes peddling their CDs in your face, and a sea of poor, unsuspecting tourists, bumping against one another like billiard balls and photographing R2D2’s footprints. Ah, the price you pay for a Kodak moment.

Suggested alternative: Go farther down Hollywood Boulevard for a more relaxed stroll along the Walk of Fame.

--Jay Ngo, Glendale

Pictured: Actor Tim Robbins, third from left, unveils his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame alongside Jack Black, left, Susan Sarandon, second from left, and President of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Leron Gubler, right, on Oct. 10, 2008.  (Frazer Harrison / Getty Images)

Place: Hollywood Boulevard

Last visited: Fall 2008

My perspective: Most tourists are expecting to see all of the glitz of Hollywood and the sidewalks lined with movie stars. They don’t realize that what has been sold to them in the movies and on television is an illusion until they actually get there. All they get to see is a sidewalk, a few interesting old movie theaters and a bunch of shops.

Suggested alternative: Getty Museum, Walt Disney Concert Hall

--Chris Nunez, Los Angeles  (Bryan Chan / Los Angeles Times)

Place: Greece

Last visited: July 2002

My perspective: Athens was stinky, crowded, polluted, and the people were surly and mean. Prices were outrageous, food was awful. Went to a nightclub hoping to hear Greek music. Arrived fashionably late (or so we thought) at midnight, but the place didn’t get going till 2 (when we left). We were the only people who did not smoke nonstop (including a pregnant woman). Music was bad Greek pop. Awful.

--Janet Fattal, Encino

Pictured: the Parthenon on Acroplis Hill in Athens  (Orestis Panagiotou / EPA)

Place: Lake Tahoe

Last visited: 2000

My perspective: Lake Tahoe offers only second-rate scenery when compared with other locations in the Sierra Nevada. The hiking in summer is subpar, and the skiing in winter is overpriced and inferior to the skiing in other parts of the state.

Suggested alternative: Mammoth, Yosemite, Sequoia

--Michael Whitley, Yorba Linda

Pictured: A young bear fishes for salmon in Taylor Creek in South Lake Tahoe.  (Jim Grant / Associated Press)

Place: Napa Valley

Last visited: 2005

My perspective: Coming from Virginia, I thought wine country would be scenic. Traffic, pollution and industrial equipment are not pretty. We grow grapes in Virginia’s valleys as well. It’s nice for a day trip. Napa was not. Next time I go west, I’ll be hanging at the beach in Solana or Del Mar. Now that’s what I call California.

Suggested alternative: Solana/Del Mar

--Craig Weir, Washington, D.C.

Pictured: Castello di Amorosa in Napa Valley  (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)

Place: Las Vegas

Last visited: 1998

My perspective: Christmas in Las Vegas? It sounded like fun.

My husband and I, longtime New Yorkers and recent transplants to Los Angeles, had never been to Vegas, so when his brother suggested a five-day jaunt over the holidays, we said yes. Of course, I have no one but myself to blame. More >>

--Kathrin Segal, Los Angeles

Pictured: The water show in front of the Bellagio Hotel and Casino  (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Place: Grand Canyon National Park

My experience: Although the canyon is certainly a geological sight to behold, the campgrounds are atrocious, about as charming as pitching a tent in the alley behind your local big-box store and just as close to nature. Hiking is limited to down the canyon and up the canyon, and although, yeah, I know that’s why you’re there, not every member of every family is capable of such strenuous effort. Despite the family demographic, you won’t find playgrounds to keep the kids grounded. The Grand Canyon is a great destination if you are under 30 with a good prostate, balance and a taste for trail mix.

Suggested alternative: Valley of Fire State Park, Nev.

--Brian Sponsler, Tehachapi (Last visited: 2006)

My perspective: It’s now the Grand Canyon National Amusement Park, with more than 4 million visitors a year who will make you feel as though you’re in Disneyland instead of the Arizona wilderness. The best way to see the park is to take an extended trek to the canyon floor or possibly even a rafting trip, but don’t expect tons of privacy.

Suggested alternative: Canyonlands National Park, Utah; Capitol Reef National Park, Utah; Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

--Mark Schultz, Los Angeles (Last visited: January 2007)  (National Park Service / EPA)

Place: Bora-Bora

Last visited: In the last year

My perspective: My experience on the island of Bora-Bora haunts me to this day. Upon arrival, I was met by large packs of feral dogs. They were starving and diseased. The dogs near the port were waiting for passengers and some relief. Others from the ship joined me in filling paper cups with water to give the thirsty dogs drinks. When I complained to a French official, I was told the common excuse, “They belong to no one and they belong to everyone.” On a trip around the island, trash and debris (some dating to World War II) were evident on the roads and beaches. Bora-Bora, you need to clean up your act. Most passengers agreed that the scenery was beautiful but that the lack of compassion for the animals, along with the abundance of trash, made this island visit a nightmare.

--Mary Lou Pozzo, Tujunga

Pictured: the restaurant at the St. Regis Hotel in Bora-Bora  (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

Place: Gibraltar

Last visited: August

My perspective: What is the purpose of this place and why would a cruise stop here? There is nothing to do but see a few monkeys and a cave. Anyplace that includes the airport as a tourist site should never be visited. Zero culture, full of nasty Brits and bitter locals. What a waste of a day.

Suggested alternative: Marbella, Spain

--Hooman Ghaffari, Northridge

Pictured: the Rock of Gibralter  (R. Perales / Associated Press)

Place: Macao

Last visited: January

My perspective: My husband, Fred, and I are well-traveled, so when it came time to decide where to go on our honeymoon last year, we wanted to choose somewhere we’d never been. We love Las Vegas (and gambling) and try to go there several times a year, so when we started noticing a lot of press about Macao, we thought it might be perfect for us. More >>

--Tina Studier, El Segundo

Pictured: the Venetian Macao Resort Hotel in Macau  (Kin Cheung / Associated Press)

Place: Lima, Peru

Last visited: September

My perspective: I fulfilled a lifetime dream and went to Peru. Much of the trip consisted of an organized tour (Arequipa, some islands in Lake Titicaca, Machu Picchu and Cuzco), so I decided to spend a few days in Lima before meeting up with the group in Arequipa. I have never disliked a place as much as I disliked Lima. It is filthy dirty, the air is redolent of diesel fumes and the noise of thousands and thousands of taxis, all honking simultaneously while belching fumes from their clattering engines, and the streets were full of tired, tense and unhappy-looking people rushing about.

Moreover, what the guidebooks describe as the best museum in the city, the Museo de la Nación, was mainly closed, as was the best art museum. The weather I can describe only as clammy, which in conjunction with the dirt in the air was barely tolerable.

In its defense, the food was fabulous.

But if there is a hell, it has to be modeled after Lima.

--Carmichael Smith-Low, Santa Paula

Pictured: Lima’s historic downtown  (Karel Navarro / Getty Images)

Place: Istanbul, Turkey

Last visited: 2007

My perspective: My experience was on a cruise of the western Mediterranean. It was a gay cruise starting in Athens, traveling to various islands and finishing in Venice, Italy. One stop only was quite a disappointment, and that was Istanbul. I took the boat excursion because of the offerings and expectations. One part of the trip was a rug museum. An hour plus looking at raggedy old rugs? Gimme a break. The Grand Bazaar, thousands of years old, but we saw the same old stuff: bronzes, T-shirts, silver, gold. And just try to find a bathroom. Another stop again was a “high pressure” luxury rug store. Like I’m going to throw a $2,000 rug over my shoulder and carry it on the bus. We were held there another hour plus. Going through the Blue Mosque was interesting and colorful. But I’m a daily jogger, and I hated the overwhelming and unrestricted smoking. Bottom line: Venice, beautiful if expensive. Athens, historic. Istanbul, filthy.

--Thomas R. Paquin

Pictured: Fatih Mosque in Istanbul  (Hocine Zaourar / AFP/Getty Images)

Place: Italy

Last visited: April

My perspective: Four of us traveled to Italy, and our plan was to start in Venice and work our way down to Sicily using trains and automobiles. The first two weeks went without much of a hitch, but after we picked up our rental car in Naples, events began to go south. More >>

--Carol Mehtlan, San Marcos, Calif.

Pictured: St. Mark’s Square in Venice  (Sebastiano Casellati / AFP/Getty Images)

Place: Paris

Last visited: August 2004

My perspective: If the smell of urine and sewage is your idea of romance, Paris is the city for you. Paris was the most filthy, disgusting place I’ve ever had the misfortune to visit. It is difficult to be romantic when the streets and the air are filled with urine and sewage. It is even more difficult to keep up one’s spirits by the horrendous service one receives in the restaurants and hotels. The restaurants are unclean. The floors look horribly unwashed, and flies swarm in abundance. Their concept of nonsmoking is to remove the ashtray from your table, although your waiter may smoke while serving you. In general, Paris is a Third World country masquerading as a civilized society. The Louvre is highly overrated. By the way, you can smell the Notre Dame Cathedral before you can see it.

Suggested alternative: Rome

--Mala Bucceri, Northridge  (Muhammed Muheisen / Associated Press)

Place: Washington, D.C.

Last visited: October

My perspective: As part of our trip, we wanted to see the White House. Upon arrival, I got a great snapshot of the house between the iron bars. We thought maybe we could get a better photograph at the front where the famous fountain is. As we walked, we waved and said good evening to all the people coming and going from the various security exits. Over and over again, swanky supermodels, unhappy young twentysomethings in glamorous business attire, entered with their Starbucks and exited even faster as we said our hellos. No smiles or even a good evening back, as if we were thugs. It was demoralizing to us. As tourists in the off-season, we felt fat, old and like undeserving, discarded Americans.

--Katharine Rudnyk, Glendora

Pictured: Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C.  (Susan Walsh / Associated Press)