Tourist Trapped Town

Tourism is the number one industry in these parts, which isn’t a bad thing at all, however some of the hot-spot destinations on the old fashioned trolley tour often leave locals shaking their heads wondering what the appeal could possibly be for a steam clock that no longer even operates on steam?


Photo Credit: SqueakyMarmot on Flickr

This morning while listening to the lovely Jeff O’Neil radio program on CFOX they mentioned an article on MSN.com featuring the top 15 worst tourist traps in the world. Here are the top (worst) places in North America from that list:

  1. San Francisco: Fisherman’s Wharf
  2. Chicago: Sears Tower
  3. Washington, D.C.: International Spy Museum
  4. Las Vegas: Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay
  5. New York City: Times Square
  6. Seattle: Experience Music Project
  7. Boston: Faneuil Hall Marketplace
  8. Los Angeles: Hollywood
  9. Orlando: Animal Kingdom
  10. Chicago: Navy Pier
  11. Las Vegas: Stratosphere Tower

Another quick Google search lead me to CNN’s list compiled last summer of the most “disappointing sites” around the world:

  1. The Eiffel Tower, Paris
  2. The Louvre, Paris
  3. Times Square, New York
  4. Las Ramblas, Barcelona
  5. Statue of Liberty, New York
  6. Spanish Steps, Rome
  7. The White House, Washington DC
  8. The Pyramids, Egypt
  9. The Brandenburg Gate, Berlin
  10. The Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Let’s say there was a “top ten worst tourist traps” for Vancouver, which would you pick? I already stated one of my preferences for such a title in the first paragraph but I’m certain there are others.

6 Comments so far

  1. jennmae on April 28th, 2008 @ 3:32 pm

    Capilano suspension bridge. Lynn Valley is way better.


  2. nalei on April 28th, 2008 @ 3:54 pm

    Go to Gastown to check out the buildings. But the steam clock is ridiculous especially when there are 4 tour busses idling waiting for the quarter hour to hit when 200 tourists can get the coveted pic of a disappointing hiss and a busted tune. Throw in some of the pan flute buskers that vancity loves so much and maybe one of those human statues that move for a dollar and we have a real Vancouver-exclusive hit.


  3. Barbara Doduk (beelove) on April 29th, 2008 @ 1:18 pm

    Having lived here all my live everything here seems like an awful tourist trap.

    When I went to QE Park it was a mob scene of tourists taking pictures. I suppose it has a lovely view of the city but basically there isn’t much to do there other than look at flowers.

    The Aquarium is not much of a stop now, not that I mind, I am glad the zoo is gone and the killer whales are not there.

    Robson Street shopping seems like a big tourist thing, in the summer the street is so over crowded. I don’t understand it at all.


  4. Special Typical Catalan Tapas (pingback) on May 2nd, 2008 @ 5:04 am

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  5. Special Typical Catalan Tapas (pingback) on May 2nd, 2008 @ 7:54 am

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  6. Penedesfera » Blog Archive » Special Typical Catalan Tapas (pingback) on May 3rd, 2008 @ 3:53 am

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