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[starlagurl]

Well, here are a couple of lists that Trip Advisor just released as the top 10 free things you can do in the US and Europe.

I am thoroughly upset. I ask you, where on this list is Niagara Falls?! It's absolutely free, you can see it for nothing! Also! What about Mount Rushmore?! Where is that on this list?! Mount Rushmore is pretty amazing. Why aren't they included?

I can't believe that some retarded fountains made number one on the US list. How cheeseball! Who came up with this list?!

What about in Europe? That list is a little bit better than the US one.

Does anybody else disagree with this list as strongly as I do?

I guess what I learned today is that there are beautiful things all around that are free, and Trip Advisor is not going to tell me what is the best free experience. No how, no way!


Top 10 Free U.S. Attractions

1. Bellagio Fountains, Las Vegas, Nevada

2. Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia

3. Waimea Canyon, Waimea, Hawaii

4. Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California

5. Angel’s Landing, Zion National Park, Utah

6. U.S.S. Arizona Memorial, Honolulu, Hawaii

7. Pacific Coast Highway, Route 1, California

8. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, D.C.

9. Freedom Trail, Boston, Massachusetts

10. Central Park, New York, New York



Top 10 Free European Attractions

1. Pantheon, Rome, Italy

2. National Gallery, London, England

3. Museum of the Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham, England

4. Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, France

5. St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral, Brussels, Belgium

6. Duomo - Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence, Italy

7. Retiro Park, Madrid, Spain

8. Westminster Abbey, London, England

9. St. Mark’s Basilica, Venice, Italy

10. Giant’s Causeway, Bushmills, Northern Ireland

[kitkatgo]

I agree with you. That is a stupid U.S. list.

And what about the SMITHSONIAN for crying out loud!!!!!

[starlagurl]

Yeah, that was my reaction too!!!

What about all those great monuments and stuff in Washington???

[kjonline]

I've seen the Bellagio. The show at Treasure Island is cooler.

Errm... a cemetery at #2? Okay. Moving along.

#3 is a giant hole, #7 is a road, and #10 is overcrowded...

The Europe list looks more interesting, but I prefer to find the places that get overlooked. The smaller parks and the local museums, that sort. Let the tourists have the main events.

Huh? Wayfarer? I liked being a drifter...

[starlagurl]

Yeah you're right, but these things aren't even "main events" *sigh*

[sarabi]

Someone is confusing the most famous sites with the best; OK, most of those sites are worth visiting; it's probably a great list if you're a tour operator trying to schedule a low-cost tour with lots to see; but Paris has plenty of visitor attractions that are free and just as interesting as Notre Dame cathedral; and France is just full of free attractions, starting with the mountains, the coasts, the old towns.
The same with Scotland and Spain: Scotland is one big free attraction (well, you need to pay for hotels and travel and food, of course), but the scenery is breathtaking. The same is true in the less touristy parts of Spain, Extremadura, the coast of Asturias, and parts like that. The city of Avila, for instance, is a bit off the usual routes, but it is a full medieval fortified city, free to visit, with a magnificent free cathedral. And given that hotels are much cheaper in these regions than around the big popular tourist attractions, your dollars will go further.

[starlagurl]

Hm...yeah...most famous does not = best, that's for sure.

I wouldn't say that the Bellagio Fountains are the most famous though. I had to rack my brain to remember just what exactly they were though.

[sianeth]

I can't believe that some retarded fountains made number one on the US list. How cheeseball!

Haha!

It strikes me that the European ones are mainly museums/churches/cathedrals, whereas I'd consider the best free attractions generally natural ones - lakes, mountains, gorges, etc.

[travelmonster]

I can't believe that some retarded fountains made number one on the US list. How cheeseball!

Haha!

It strikes me that the European ones are mainly museums/churches/cathedrals, whereas I'd consider the best free attractions generally natural ones - lakes, mountains, gorges, etc.

Amen to that - the natural ones would be on top of my list too.

If they were gonna put a museum on there, it should have been the British Museum, its ace!!

[starlagurl]

Yeah, I like the natural ones better as well *sigh*

[sianeth]

If they were gonna put a museum on there, it should have been the British Museum, its ace!!

Which ones that - is it the Science Museum? I love that one... I always go down to the basement and press all the buttons like a big kid

[kitkatgo]

If they were gonna put a museum on there, it should have been the British Museum, its ace!!

Which ones that - is it the Science Museum? I love that one... I always go down to the basement and press all the buttons like a big kid

No, no silly.

The British Museum has columns out front and when you walk in it's all white marble and in the middle is a big round reading room. It has paintings and sculptures, porcelain, jewelry, etc.

[sianeth]

If they were gonna put a museum on there, it should have been the British Museum, its ace!!

Which ones that - is it the Science Museum? I love that one... I always go down to the basement and press all the buttons like a big kid

No, no silly.

The British Museum has columns out front and when you walk in it's all white marble and in the middle is a big round reading room. It has paintings and sculptures, porcelain, jewelry, etc.

Ohhhhhhhh I prefer the buttons!!

[travelmonster]

I love the Science Museum too, but the British Museum is just awesome - it has collections from all over the world and some really significant things such as the Rosetta Stone, the parthenon marbles, a collection of mummies - loads of stuff - Greek, Roman, African, Mexican, artefacts from all over the world and evidence of ancient civilisations. Its ace.

[netravel]

[quote name='starlagurl' date='May 22 2008, 10:12 AM' post='54801']
Well, here are a couple of lists that Trip Advisor just released as the top 10 free things you can do in the US and Europe.

The list is for the top 10 FREE things...not best, not famous...but you're right, the list sucks! Museums, however, normally charge a fee. I go for Natural Beauty...

Veronica

[starlagurl]

Well "top 10" implies best, I think...What else could top 10 mean?

[skylab]

central park. woot

[rbisset]

The British Museum has all the stuff we've stolen from other countries

[rbisset]

And Travelpod is part of Trip Advisor.........

[starlagurl]

Trip Advisor is part of a corporation insterested in profit more than anything else. Money means power so there's nothing we can do about their list. So, instead of complaining, let's put our experiences together & make our own list.

So.... how they are profiting by creating a list that makes no sense?