Tourism bureaus, avert your eyes. For the second year in a row (brought back by popular demand), we've asked our editors to select their least favorite traveling experiences, a task they completed with relish. Travel experiences, even in the most revered destinations, are never the peaches and cream you're promised in the brochure -- which is why we include "Overrated" icons in all of our guides.
Here are our editor's choices, with writers' names attached to identify the guilty parties. To wit, these picks each reflect the opinion of one editor, not our company as a whole. We hope you find these tips helpful and thought-provoking. As always, if you'd like to comment on any of these choices, please visit our message boards.
Why Seattle's Space Needle Doesn't Fly
It costs a whopping $14, you'll have to stand in line and the view from the top is not that spectacular. All three are reasons why Seattle's Space Needle (www.spaceneedle.com) shouldn't make it onto your must-see list. That doesn't mean that the flying-saucer shaped symbol, built for the 1962 World's Fair, isn't worth seeing from outside, though. Because it stands 605-ft tall, the iconic needle is, in fact, pretty hard to miss when you're in the city proper. Yet I recommend getting up close, if only because it's situated in the Seattle Center, home to worthier attractions such as the Frank Gehry-designed Experience Music Project (www.emplive.com) and the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame (www.sfhomeworld.org).
If you're left craving panoramic views, know that the Bank of America tower (tel. 206/386-5151), the tallest building in Seattle, charges only $5 for views superior to the Space Needle's. And if you still insist on checking out the interior of the Space Needle, rest assured that, for the price of a meal at its SkyCity restaurant (www.spaceneedle.com/restaurant), you can soak in the top views without foolishly waiting in line.-- Jen Reilly
Don't Give my Regards to Broadway
Broadway is overrated as both a place and a state of mind. Because I'm a playwright as well as a travel editor, I take the New York theater scene quite personally. I am very glad that the mega-shows in the giant houses give hundreds of actors (including people I know) a decent wage and health insurance and that the Broadway theater employs playwrights, stage managers, techies, directors, scenic artists, ushers, bathroom attendants and the folks who tend the bar at intermission, bringing huge amounts of money into the city from visitors purchasing tickets, staying at hotels, eating at high-end restaurants and buying lots of souvenirs. This is good for New York.
Since it is so very expensive for producers to mount such shows, they need to sell as many tickets as possible to make back their money, which is how you end up with movies-turned-musicals, jukebox musicals, imported award-winning British plays and star turns in revivals of classics. It's generally not cutting-edge, and there's very little new work by American playwrights each season.
And it's dreadfully expensive. If there's a show I really want to see, I'll look for a discounted ticket on one of the theater websites or through the Theatre Development Fund. In recent seasons I sought out tickets to Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Doubt, Well and Rabbit Hole. When you pay full price, it's still a reach for the average New Yorker to come up with $60-$100 (per person, per ticket) for even the lower-end ducats to a non-musical play on a regular basis. Rush tickets, standing room, and TKTS tickets make it more affordable for someone who makes under six figures a year to see a Broadway show, but you can't always get what you want (and no doubt someone is planning a Rolling Stones jukebox musical at this very moment). Most theater fans I know in the city make it a special event for a birthday or anniversary or tax refund splurge when they buy full-price seats.
So what's a theater lover to do? You can see some amazing work at prices ranging from just-below-Broadway to less than $20 if you know where to look. Off-Broadway is still a little pricy as a steady diet when you can expect to pay more than $40 (more like $65) for seats to hot shows. Off-Off-Broadway rarely charges more than $20, which is why it is my go-to source for good budget theater. You can sometimes get in for $12 or less (so you don't feel quite as bad leaving at intermission if the show's a stinker).
Find the hidden gems by reading the reviews and capsule descriptions in The Village Voice (which sponsors the annual Obies, or Off-Broadway Awards). Time Out New York has excellent listings and capsules for major Off-Broadway productions, as well as a decent listing of Off-Off shows. For more offerings Off-Off-Broadway, check the reviews on theatermania.com (which also lets you purchase tickets and offers regular discounts) and nytheatre.com.
Following are a few of my favorite Off- and Off-Off-Broadway venues, but these are just the tip of the iceberg; check out the sources listed above for many, many more options.
- Atlantic Theater Company, 336 W. 20th St. (tel. 212/645-8015; www.atlantictheater.com), "produces great plays simply and truthfully, utilizing an artistic ensemble," according to its mission statement. I saw the revival of Tina Howe's Birth and After Birth there last month. Keep an eye on their website and newsletter, for tickets as low as $10 for some seriously good stuff.
- Signature Theatre Company, 555 W. 42nd St. (tel. 212/244-PLAY; www.signaturetheatre.org), presents season-long explorations of a playwright's body of work. You can also volunteer usher here. A corporate grant has guaranteed that every seat in the 2006 season (and possibly 2007, which is scheduled to be an all-August Wilson season) is available for $15.
- New York Theater Workshop, 79 E. 4th St. (tel. 212/460-5475; www.nytw.org), has been around since 1979, but it was Rent that put it on the map. Since the great success of the still-running (and now filmed) musical, several other plays developed by NYTW have gone on to award-winning commercial runs. NYTW specializes in new work, rethought revivals, and collaborations. All Sunday evening performances are $20.
- Emerging Artists Theatre (EAT), 311 W. 43rd St.(tel. 212/247-2429; www.eatheatre.org), has been producing new plays Off-Off-Broadway for 14 years and always seems to have something on offer: its fall and spring EATFests of short plays, its Triple Threat Premieres (three new plays in repertory), its "One Woman Standing" series of solo shows and its "Notes on a Page" musical workshops. (Full disclosure: they produced my full-length play, Rock the Line, this year, which, to my mind makes them the finest resident theater in New York City.)
Mobbed in Maui
Ah, Maui: Everyone's idea of a picture-perfect island paradise, right? Snorkeling in pristine tropical waters as the warm waves lap across your body and you gently paddle without a care in the world.
Yeah, I thought so, too -- until I arrived on the leeward side of the island to be swept up in the crowds of barking mainlanders. You'll love it here if you like spending your tropical vacation shopping at Banana Republic for khakis and eating burgers at sports bars. There may be some really great restaurants in the main town of Lahaina, with fantastic views out over the ocean that allow you to take in the anchored boats as they rock in the gentle surf.
I generally attempt to make the best of all travel experiences, but I guess you could say I'm still a little bitter after the Molokini snorkeling expedition where I was kicked repeatedly in the face, back, and kidneys as I tried to scissor my own legs in the densely packed, 20 square feet space of ocean my tour boat had cordoned off for us. I guess it wasn't bad enough that I was already straining my eyes to see the few fish that the jumble of tour boats hadn't scared away from this wildly popular, half-moon shaped crater that supposedly has a fantastic array of fishes.
Here's what not to do on Maui: Don't bother taking a tour boat to Molokini (see above). You can do better elsewhere. Tent some snorkel gear and go in from your local beach -- just pick a place where there is less surf and fewer feet stirring up the silt. Don't stay in Lahaina or Wailea where the big hotels have moved in and built golf courses and huge hotel complexes that effectively block off the beaches from locals and non-guests. (Hint: they really have to let you park in their garages and use one of the not-so-public-looking public walkways to gain access to the beach.) Don't take a tour bus to Hilo Hattie's (www.hilohattie.com) and if you do, don't say I didn't warn you. Sure, you can score some hula girl bobbleheads and chocolate covered pineapple. That is, if you don't pass out from the heat of the crushing crowds who will trample you flat to get that last pineapple and hibiscus flower aloha shirt and the matching muumuu.
Don't get me wrong, Maui isn't a bad place to visit. If you must come to the west side of the island, just come during the off season from mid-April to mid-June or from September to early December when the rates are cheaper and the weather is better. If you make the popular drive to Hana to take in its lush tropical jungle atmosphere, you will be rewarded with a more laid-back quiet Maui, quite possibly the rustic Hawaii you imagined back at your desk pawing through pages of travel tips.
The coolest things to do on Maui? There are plenty. Visit the Sig Zane boutique (www.sigzane.com) in Wailuku for high-quality, tasteful local clothing and accessories. Watch the sunrise from the summit of Haleakala (www.haleakala.national-park.com), one of the very few popular attractions that's worth its salt. Be sure to book with a group that will take you away from the bulk of the other groups so you have a quiet sunrise vista, and who will let you come down the mountain at your leisure. Drive the road to Hana. Start early and, for Pete's sake, chill out along the way and swim up a river or crash through wild cane to frolic in waterfalls and natural pools. Hike, swim, then admire the lava tubes at Wai'anapanapa State Park (www.hawaii.gov/dlnr/dsp/maui.html). Camp in a rustic, candle-lit tree house in Hana (www.treehousesofhawaii.com). Go for a tasting at the Tedeschi Vineyards (www.mauiwine.com). Take a ferry to the rural and peaceful island of Molokai for the day, explore the little hippie town of Paia, and eat fresh fish tacos or a plate lunch with fresh fish and rice from a local roadside stand. There now: doesn't that sound better than a sharp kick to the head? -- Alexia Meyers Travaglini
Sticking My Hands Where I'd Rather Not: Grauman's Chinese Theater, Hollywood
In the grand human tradition of touching things that were once touched by important people, millions of eager fans cram the tiny courtyard plaza of Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, California, every year to test how their hands, feet, guns and dreadlocks compare to those of celebrities from throughout the ages. Here you can commune with the ghost of your favorite classic movie star or relish a certain style of celebrity that is long gone (or Whoopi Goldberg, your call). You might delight in knowing that your hands are the same size as Roy Rogers', or squeal at how impossibly small Judy Garland's shoes were.
Contemplating these intimate details, your mind will work extra hard to tune out that sweaty tourist shouting to their companion on the other side of the courtyard, "Yo! Here's Gary Cooper!" Or worse: "Who's Doris Day?"
Should you opt to actually touch the cement with your hands, be sure to bring plenty of Purell, because Al Pacino was definitely not the last person to touch this cement. Actually, that snotty nosed teenager carrying a bag of French fries was. If you're lucky. You'll be even more distressed when you check out your camera's LCD screen after you have your picture taken with the cement slab of your choice. That awkward half-squatting, half-leaning, face-upturned pose is very becoming for you. It's just the courtyard that is impossibly un-photogenic.
Why not do as we Angelenos do when we feel the need to indulge our Hollywood fantasies? Check out the courtyard after a night out in Hollywood. The courtyard isn't roped off after hours, so you and your friends will have plenty of space and quiet to peruse the concrete, give or take the odd Hollywood crazy person. The main downfall of this is that you won't get a chance to have your photo taken with an actor wannabe dressed as Batman, Spiderman, Marilyn, etc. Clearly these people are hired to add an air of authenticity during the day. Missing them is just a sacrifice you'll have to make. -- Melinda Quintero
Bad Vibes in Venice
I always feel equal parts jaded and unromantic for saying so, but I'll admit it: I hate Venice. I'd recommend Venice as a travel destination only if you happen to really, really enjoy being around a lot of tourists. My own associations of Venice aren't of enchantment and amore, but of being jam-packed on streets amongst seemingly hundreds of tour groups and hearing more spoken English than Italian. The whole vibe is similar to a Disney theme park, and waiting in line to go on a perfunctory gondola ride brought back childhood memories of the interminable waits at Epcot Center.
There are other drawbacks too: the pigeons, polluted rivers and price gouging. Unless you are really into glass or tchotchkes, the shopping is mediocre. The local cuisine consists of sardines and cuttlefish. Granted, my very negative viewpoint could be due to timing: I went in the high season of August, when locals flee while tourists siege the city. A friend of mine visited in January and still waxes poetic about how gorgeous the city was during a snowfall.
Yet I know I must not be Venice's sole detractor, because this month's National Geographic Traveler ranked it as one of the world's worst cities. If you're looking for a romantic getaway, there are endless preferable options in that part of the world (Dubrovnik springs to mind). I love Italy, but next time I return, I'll be giving Venice a miss. Did I mention the tourists? -- Jamie Ehrlich
An Expensive Eye View
You'll probably hear about the British Airways London Eye (tel. 0870/990-8883; www.londoneye.com) before you've booked your flight across the pond. "The view is fantastic," people will say, and they're not lying. The giant wheel, with its white skeleton and people-filled pods, looks inviting as you meander along the River Thames, taking in the history of a city that's been honored by everyone from Dickens to Bridget Jones. What people fail to mention about the London Eye, however, is the ridiculously long line, the outrageous price and the fact that the "Ferris wheel" moves slower than the security line at Heathrow Airport. Yes, I realize it's not a roller coaster, but the 30-minute journey could be sped up, affording the same views and the same opportunities to take numerous photos, not to mention adding a little thrill to the ride.
Instead, I suggest a leisurely walk over the Westminster Bridge, which gives you a great view over the River Thames, and includes Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, the Tower Bridge, St. Paul's Cathedral and even the London Eye itself. Yes, it might be crowded, but a little elbow grease (and perhaps an earlier start time), is worth the savings in time and money.
Should you decide to hop on the London Eye, rates vary depending on whether you've pre-booked or walked up, want a standard or champagne flight, or are willing to wait in line or use the power of the pound and cut the line. Prices range from £14 ($27) for a standard walk-up adult ticket to £30 ($57) for an adult champagne flight. Further discounts are available for those who book online. -- Anuja Madar
What Price Art? It's Too High in Vegas!
In case you missed it -- and the PR folks in Vegas have tried their darndest to make sure you haven't -- Sin City is now home to not one, but three highly touted art gallery/museums: The Guggenheim Hermitage Museum (www.guggenheimlasvegas.org), the Wynn Collection of Fine Art, and the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art (www.bgfa.biz). These are all finely pedigreed institutions and some of the works on display are world class (the Wynn, for example, has one of only 32 known paintings by Johannes Vermeer and the Guggenheim Hermitage is the only U.S. collaboration with the famed St. Petersburg institution). So why do I think they're overrated? Because in a city that's only getting better and better at separating tourists from their dollars, these three are guilty of highway robbery.
Want to see the magnificent collections at the Louvre? They'll set you back about $11. How about the treasures at the Metropolitan Museum of Art? That's a suggested donation of $20. Or what about the masterpieces in London's National Gallery? That one's free. All of these world-renowned institutions would take a day, at the very least, to see properly. In Vegas, the Guggenheim charges $19.50 for adult admission, the other two cost $15. And they charge these exorbitant rates for exhibitions that usually don't span more than a few rooms . If you're lucky it'll take you two hours, including a rather blah audio tour. (In all fairness to the Guggenheim, be sure to take the free expert tour, which makes the experience a good deal more palatable.) Though many of the pieces in each gallery are winners, there can be misses, too. In a big museum that might not matter, but in these small installations, it might leave you wondering why you shelled out the big bucks. I'm glad to see culture in a town where strip tease is considered a fine art, but unless you're an art fanatic or you absolutely must see a particular exhibit, spending this much money to see only a few paintings is a bad bet. Instead, I recommend the excellent (and very artistic) freebies at the hotels in which each museum resides. Check out the lovely and always artistically arranged floral conservatories at the Bellagio and Wynn hotels; and the exceptional fresco reproductions at the Venetian, whose environment can be a lot more elegant than the real thing (Don't believe me? See "Bad Vibes in Venice," above). -- Naomi Kraus
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