"I'm Never Going Back There Again."

[Mermaid]

Where. And why.

Gatlinburg is my #1 choice. We drove from SoWal a few summers back going through that place--because we wanted to see the Smokies--and I'll NEVER do it again. Too much traffic. Too many stop lights. Too much time wasted crawling along at minimal speed. Too aggravating!

 

[Jdarg]

Where. And why.

Gatlinburg is my #1 choice. We drove from SoWal a few summers back going through that place--because we wanted to see the Smokies--and I'll NEVER do it again. Too much traffic. Too many stop lights. Too much time wasted crawling along at minimal speed. Too aggravating!

It is so funny how the armpit of the universe is the gateway to such a beautiful area. My biggest gripe about Gatlinburg was the lack of edible food, but if you are into all you can eat anything, Gatlinburg is your go-to spot.

 

[SHELLY]

Branson, MO....but it is a MUST SEE before you die!!

I'm the kind a person who enjoys going to odd places just to see what all the fuss is about (i.e., Bentonville, to see the 1st Walmart; climbing to the top of Diamondhead on Oahu; and visiting Lukenbach, TX; going to Graceland)

Branson is essentially a long, 4-lane parking lot flanked by HeeHaw Shows that start at 8am and close at 7pm interspersed with alternating Waffle and Pancake houses. Picture Gatlinburg only with very old people and not so many miniature golf courses or "As Seen On TV" outlets. Branston does have a really cool old, original 5 & 10-cent store, with original fixtures and sells things from washtubs, to cap guns (with the red paper caps), to penny candy (which now costs about 40-cents each).

.

 

[Mango]

Puerto Rico. We did not stay in San Juan, but on the Caribbean side. It was supposed to be for 9 days, but we started our escape plan 5 days into it.

Our funky resort was nice, but I was scared to leave it. When we did, the driving was so horrific -- people zig zagging, cows and chickens running across the road-- and what should have been a half hour drive from El Yunque Rain forest took 3 hours because the highway system is never finished.

We drove through a sugar cane fire up-- I could hear the car doors popping-- and around mountains that all looked the same trying to find the entrance to the highway again-- and about 8 kids riding bareback beat us into town. When we finally found a gas/ convenience station, I went inside to get something to eat, went to the counter and was told they only took cash. I went back outside to get cash, left my goods on the counter, and was chased by woman I wouldn't call a woman, but a beast, who wanted me to put my goods back on the shelves or was calling the police. I told her I was coming back in to pay, but she didn't seem to hear this. Fearing we would be arrested for nothing or bribed, we promptly hopped in the car and sped away. The gas was paid for by credit card.

We also went to a little fishing village where the light up plankton is and since this only occurs in a small spot in PR and Jamaica, I thought ecologically it would have been protected. but nooooo, instead we were put on a little boat choking fumes and a bucket of water was thrown on our legs.

I came home and had to go to a doctor to find out that I had stepped on coral and my feet would remain numb for a month. Taking a hot shower was incredibly painful.

No, I will NEVER go back to PR as long as I live. :shock:

 

[beachmouse]

Cairo, Illinois. We used to have to go through there when we lived in Tennessee and were road tripping to St. Louis, MO. It's not so much that it's a typical decaying small town (population in the early 60s- 15K+, current population- somewhere around 3K) but that it's on this long skinny peninsula where the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers meet and they handle the flooding issues by having this flood gate on the north end of town that cuts the city off from the rest of the universe in very creepy sort of way that utterly makes it feel like the set for the next movie in the 'Escape from New York' series.

Once you get north of the floodgate designed to keep the natives in place in the event of mass riots, there's this huge vacant field labeled 'Future City'. Apparently they got that designation from IDOT in more optimistic times.

Flint, Michigan

All of the urban decay of Detroit, and none of the cultural amenities or good ice hockey you get in Motown.

 

[Rudyjohn]

Wisconsin Dells
Never again. Never, ever.

 

[Lynnie]

Hmmmm, I don't know? El Paso, maybe? Most of the places I've been to or through I wish had more time. I like to get to know the local color and sometimes my travel friends don't.

There's a small town on Long Is. that's not particularly special.....I'll have to look it up on a map, however.

 

[Mermaid]

Wisconsin Dells
Never again. Never, ever.

You surprise me, Johnrudy. I thought for sure you'd say "SoWal" since for as long as you've been on the message board for SoWal, you've never been to SoWal.

 

[sunspotbaby]

Great thread!

I would have to say Canton, Ohi-hell. Probably because it was one of my first really long trips, and I didn't think the people I encountered were very hospitable. Where I'm from if I walked into a country store someone would say "hello". Not there, they didn't even look up from their paper, much less speak.

The fields were nice.

 

[bluemtnrunner]

Sitka, Alaska. Maybe I missed something but what I saw of it had been transformed to cater to cruiseship crowds. I felt like they had let their beautiful heritage get buried under t-shirt and novelty stores.