Lost cities just a shame

T

TennVet

Member
Like many seniors I looked forward to travel in my retirement years. There are many cities that I passed through on business that I put on my list of must go back to. Unfortunately some of those beautiful locations don't hold the same appeal they once did. As example Windy City has lost its attraction, and the Big Apple seems to have a rotten core. I don't feel compelled to see the Golden Gate the way I once did, and I will miss the opportunity to visit points along our southern border. I don't think it has to be this way, but unfortunately it appears those responsible are unaware or turn a blind eye to the losses.
 

TennVet said:
Like many seniors I looked forward to travel in my retirement years. There are many cities that I passed through on business that I put on my list of must go back to. Unfortunately some of those beautiful locations don't hold the same appeal they once did. As example Windy City has lost its attraction, and the Big Apple seems to have a rotten core. I don't feel compelled to see the Golden Gate the way I once did, and I will miss the opportunity to visit points along our southern border. I don't think it has to be this way, but unfortunately it appears those responsible are unaware or turn a blind eye to the losses.
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My son and his wife visited The Big Apple recently and were not disappointed. It's still a great attraction as long as you totally do the tourist things, like see Times Square and go to a Yankees game or whatever, but they do suggest either staying at an upscale hotel or at a nice B&B or Airbn out of town.
 

Everything changes including our own likes and dislikes.

You mention Chicago, when I was young and playing rugby Chicago was absolutly my favorite city to go to, always a great time. Years later I traveled there many times for business, I couldn't wait to get out of there.

Same with California, first time I went I thought for sure I would live there some day. Twenty years later? Not a chance I would move there.

So what do you do? Find new places to visit.
 
I'm sure many cities still have gentrified "disneylands" like that to keep milking yokels and cater to the well off.

Those of us in the sticks are turning our backs on that to focus on smaller things closer to home. Examples:

Wharton Center for Performing Arts | Wharton Center for Performing Arts
Durand Union Station / Michigan Railroad History Museum
Cornwell's Turkey Restaurant, Farm, Dinner Theater Marshall Michigan, Turkeyville
Home Page - Munising Visitor's Bureau
Dark Sky Michigan
Mac Wood's Dune Rides - Located in Silver Lake, MI
Home - Grand Haven
 
I can't believe the YouTube videos of San Francisco compared to what I remember being there, mainly in the 80's and 90's. I hear even Macy's on Union Square is closing. :(
 
TennVet said:
Like many seniors I looked forward to travel in my retirement years. There are many cities that I passed through on business that I put on my list of must go back to. Unfortunately some of those beautiful locations don't hold the same appeal they once did. As example Windy City has lost its attraction, and the Big Apple seems to have a rotten core. I don't feel compelled to see the Golden Gate the way I once did, and I will miss the opportunity to visit points along our southern border. I don't think it has to be this way, but unfortunately it appears those responsible are unaware or turn a blind eye to the losses.
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You’re a smart man to avoid the cities you mention. Visiting cities today isn’t like it was just 10 short years ago.
 
Murrmurr said:
My son and his wife visited The Big Apple recently and were not disappointed. It's still a great attraction as long as you totally do the tourist things, like see Times Square and go to a Yankees game or whatever, but they do suggest either staying at an upscale hotel or at a nice B&B or Airbn out of town.
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I hear you. My daughter and her family are literally world travelers. Living in both SE of the US and an island home also we are never surprised to find them popup in Iceland, Dubai, or one of many Asian spots. I am happy for them, but as a father I can't help but have concerns when a location is in the news with shades of negativity. They're smart and aware of their surroundings, I have travelled with them enough to know this, but I'm a parent.
 
hollydolly said:
London is one where anyone who visited even as recent as 5 years ago would notice a big change and not for the better...
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As I have been told. My son-in-law went their frequently related to business, and sometimes their family accompanied him. They travel broadly and frequently. Sometimes I worry maybe a little to daring, but its not just London our US cities have taken on characteristics I would not have predicted just ten years ago. Sadly, it takes away some of the pleasures of travel and forces us to avoid some sites that in the past we felt were must sees or bucket list venues.
 
More people = less personal space and freedom.

Big cities will only get bigger. Bigger is just not better. I'm getting tired of the ever growing traffic flowing through our once sleepy little town, I'm ready to move another 30 miles out into the sparsely populated areas of the High Desert.
 
I'm sure there are many more beautiful places you could visit, if you are so inclined. I used to go to New York City when I was in my 20s. It's always been sketchy, even after they allegedly cleaned it up. I've gone to plays and concerts and with my husband decades later when he shopped for his business. I no longer have the desire to go. Never had the desire to go to California.
 
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Remy said:
I can't believe the YouTube videos of San Francisco compared to what I remember being there, mainly in the 80's and 90's. I hear even Macy's on Union Square is closing. :(
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We have friends that live on a hill just outside San Francisco. When we stay with them we go to local grocery stores and restaurants. They don't even take us into San Francisco anymore. There is no longer anything of interest there.

I think a big part of this is due to the tech industry moving in, raising housing costs and the costs of small, boutique businesses that used to exist there. I also think the rise in housing costs has partially exacerbated the rise in homelessness and crime.

I visited Seattle a little over a year ago and it is once again a vibrant, bustling city. I live in Dallas and the actual city is booming, with lots of things to do.
 
@seadoug It's really a shame that an iconic city such as San Francisco is now what it is. The housing is insane, I have read and heard on newstalk that foreign investors come in and pay cash and don't even live in the places. This drives prices up and decreases inventory.

People are leaving California and Texas is one of the states they are moving to. If I wasn't trapped here, I'd have considered moving. But alone it would be hard.
 
I am kind of the opposite . I would like to take one more final road trip across the US and only visit small towns and villages on that road trip and stay at the silly kitschy motels and only eat at mom and pop restaurants. I'd like to visit the odd tourist attractions and just avoid franchises and huge crowds in general. However, I fear that if I took such a trip I would be in for a huge letdown.
 
Ancient Rome / Athens/Peruvian ancients/etcetc- they are all changing some become lifeless - but life goes on we just change our styles of living
 
MarkinPhx said:
I am kind of the opposite . I would like to take one more final road trip across the US and only visit small towns and villages on that road trip and stay at the silly kitschy motels and only eat at mom and pop restaurants. I'd like to visit the odd tourist attractions and just avoid franchises and huge crowds in general. However, I fear that if I took such a trip I would be in for a huge letdown.
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I know exactly the kind of trip and places you're talking about. I've been to some of those over the years & very much enjoyed their charm but I fear most, if not all, don't exist any longer; replaced by higher end establishments :(
 
Never really interested in touring big cities when we retired. Took some time to get fit enough to hike National parks. They were everything we hoped for in the way of each being unique.

Maybe more surprising was discovering a small mom & pop grocery store outside of Yellowstone. They put together a picnic lunch that made it possible to sit at a picnic table & watch buffalo graze far enough away to be very safe.

Traveling thru Montana stopped at a motel that had a night time bbq deal for travelers. Met a lot of people from all over America doing what we were doing "Road Tripping".

Driving down thru Nebraska from visiting Mt. Rushmore stopped at a small town that was having a town celebration of some kind. The people noticed the Nevada plates on our car & wanted to know what life was like in Las Vegas. Spent the afternoon eating & explaining why choosing Vegas to retire in was the best choice we could have made.

All this to say if you are healthy enough to road trip around America I believe that will be the best experience you will have.
 
Nathan said:
More people = less personal space and freedom.

Big cities will only get bigger. Bigger is just not better. I'm getting tired of the ever growing traffic flowing through our once sleepy little town, I'm ready to move another 30 miles out into the sparsely populated areas of the High Desert.
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I'd like to get out of the rat race of the city, too. There's just so much traffic and noise! That's my dream.
 
When I was a boy, living with my Grand Parents, my Granny,
always said, "Never Go Back, once you have left a place for
some time, Never go Back", she was very strong about that
and repeated it often, I could never understand why!

After reading the above statements about various places, I
am maybe getting a better idea, going back to some places
that I had liked in the past, I was disappointed, so my Granny
knew something all those years ago.

Mike.
 
reminds me of my occasional returns to my city of birth after I'd moved into a beautiful rural setting. I went back for varied reasons - nostalgia ; loyalty?? and homing pigeon instincts!! - It all looked exactly the same but all my old mates were no longer playing in the streets - they too had moved on. It kept deteriorating for a few years and then the renewal wot do they call it gentrification swung in but I had long flown the coup by then - that's life - I can now see the original on a facebook page of my city and suburb!
 
TennVet said:
Like many seniors I looked forward to travel in my retirement years. There are many cities that I passed through on business that I put on my list of must go back to. Unfortunately some of those beautiful locations don't hold the same appeal they once did. As example Windy City has lost its attraction, and the Big Apple seems to have a rotten core. I don't feel compelled to see the Golden Gate the way I once did, and I will miss the opportunity to visit points along our southern border. I don't think it has to be this way, but unfortunately it appears those responsible are unaware or turn a blind eye to the losses.
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Don't drown yourself in gloom. While the media - and especially the so called "alternative media" with their political goals in mind - want to paint the country as some chewed up toffee, the reality is different. It's far too easy to ingest the propaganda.

Taking London as an example mentioned, if you can't have a good time in London, then it's probably not its fault. I mean, what can't you do in London? It's a special place. There are good places, and yes, run down places, but who would schedule a trip to a run down area?!

New York? Good grief, I'd say the same. What a terrific place to visit.

Don't let the haters get you down!
 
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fuzzybuddy said:
70% of all humans live in city. So, we don't exactly have an aversion to them. Maybe some have a nostalgic "disneyland" memory of a city, that doesn't exist with the reality of human life.?
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Cities aren't amusement parks, they're where we live, work, get our entertainment. Which is why I said that if you can't enjoy yourself in London, it may not be the cities fault. If you seek out the misery, you'll find it everywhere. But then, who does that?
 

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